The final physiological pillar, rest and alignment, is essential for maintaining balance between your solar and lunar energies.
In our fast-paced, often hectic world, we tend to lean heavily towards the solar (sympathetic) aspect of our being. It's time to restore balance by embracing the lunar (parasympathetic) side.
The Solar and Lunar Energies
The solar energy is associated with activity, alertness, and the fight-or-flight response. It's the energy that drives us to achieve our goals and accomplish tasks. However, an overemphasis on solar energy can lead to stress, burnout, and imbalances in the body.
The lunar energy, on the other hand, is associated with rest, relaxation, and the ability to receive. It's the energy that allows us to recharge, regenerate, and connect with our inner selves.
Allowing for periods of darkness, whether it's physical darkness (avoiding artificial light at night) or mental darkness (time for reflection and introspection), can be incredibly beneficial.
Healthy criticism and analysis of our lives can also be a form of darkness, providing valuable insights for growth. Embracing the inertia of darkness, simply being without doing, can be a powerful way to restore balance.
Whether you study the chakra system, the pranic pathways of ida and pingala, the nervous system and hormonal system, or other models of human physiology and consciousness, they all point to the importance of balancing the solar and lunar energies. This balance is essential for achieving harmony and well-being.
This concept is foundational to this pillar and all three of the aspirational pillars.
Embracing the Lunar Side
To embrace the lunar side, it's essential to reconnect with the natural rhythms of nature (remember this topic from Part 2?!).
Here are some ways to honor this energy in your life rhythms.
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Darkness and Rest: Allow for periods of darkness, whether it's physical darkness (avoiding screens at night) or mental darkness (time for reflection and introspection), particularly at the end of the day when the sun sets. Turning off overhead lights supports activating our parasympthetic system, just like watching the sunrise supports the secretion of cortisol and testosterone to jump start our day!
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Seasonal Rhythms: Honor the natural cycles of the seasons, allowing for periods of rest and introspection during darker months. Allow for less activity, reflection on your year and lessons learned without any stimulus to create.
- Lunar Cycles: Align your activities with the lunar cycle, taking time for rest and renewal during your menstrual cycle. While a complete break may not be possible, shorter days, or longer sleep times may be possible for you.