How to stay warm and in balance this winter

What does it mean to be out of balance? According to Ayurveda, we are made up of five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth. These 5 elements are grouped into 3 main categories or energetic fields of information. When these elements are in the right amount, they can offer great qualities. But when they are out of balance, they can be detrimental to ourselves and others around us.

For example, the space element in balance brings a sense of lightness, ease, and expansiveness. When it’s out of balance, you can feel spaced out, empty and ungrounded. The air element in balance brings qualities such as creativity, spontaneity and an ability to adapt and be open to change. Too much of the air element and your mind will be way too busy. Your body will also be restless and unable to be still. You might also feel scattered, confused, edgy or ungrounded and have difficulty remembering or retaining information. At the more extreme end of imbalance, you may start to feel anxious and/or fearful. When the air or space element is out of balance, you will tend to look for more stimulus. Unfortunately, this then becomes a self-perpetuating condition, where the more stimulus you receive, the more out of balance you get.

The fire element in balance helps you be focused and productive. The fire element is what drives us and gives direction to the change that the air element stimulates. Balanced fire brings the ability to bring order and organization. When it’s out of balance, however, you can become irritable, impatient, insensitive, frustrated and angry. In the more extreme forms, you can become mean or nasty towards yourself, including your body but also towards others.

The water element in balance brings nurture, beauty, flow, and grace. When it’s out of balance, this will reflect in someone being too emotional and not having enough structure in their life. When the earth element is in balance you’ll see it expressed instability, resilience, strength, and commitment. Out of balance will have you feeling slow, heavy and stuck.

Life is always looking to be in balance and as such when you are in balance, you are in the flow of life. You also get unsettled less easily and you are more resilient to whatever comes your way.

Let’s now look at the 11 signs that you are out of balance.

Air/space element out of balance:

1. You are often flooded with many thoughts and find it difficult, especially at night to fall asleep because you have so many thoughts
2. You are often forgetful or have a poor long-term memory
3. You lack structure, direction or focus
4. You tend to over think things and find yourself worrying a lot

Fire element out of balance:

1. You find yourself getting easily hot and bothered, frustrated or angry and/or you tend to be highly critical of yourself or others
2. You can become disconnected from your feelings and emotions. In extreme cases, you can be cruel, mean or insensitive towards yourself and others
3. You tend to over focus to the detriment of others around you (including relationships)

Earth/water element out of balance:

1. Your body temperature is out of whack. You tend to feel too cold
2. You feel stuck, heavy, lethargic and find it difficult to get motivated and be active
3. You easily put on weight or find it difficult to put on weight
4. You find it difficult to adapt to change and new circumstances. You like to stay with old habits and you tend to hold onto things
5. You find it difficult to be creative or think up new ideas. You feel dull and heavy. Like your mind is clouded or foggy

There are many factors that can cause us to get out of balance. Some of these include lifestyle, diet and even a strong emotional experience.

Imbalances can often lead to more severe consequences so it’s important to take action sooner rather than later.

So how do you get back into balance? The most important thing is to take action.

If you’re feeling unsettled or anxious then most likely your air element is out of balance. In this case, you’ll want to favour warm foods (and being warm in general). Look for nourishing activities such as massages or even hugs. Rhythms are very important when your air element is out of balance, so regular times of getting up and going to sleep as well as regular meal times and exercise will also be helpful.

Getting out in nature regularly, doing yoga and meditation and getting adequate amounts of sleep and food will also help rebalance and/or stay in balance.

For more information on how to get and get in balance to live a better, happier life, you can book for a personal coaching session or try one of our online courses and programs.