The autumnal equinox has me thinking about balance. Everyone seems to want it. We know when we feel off-kilter. We hope that balance feels different. How do we know what balance feels like, though?

When I started practicing yoga, I was amazed at how much work it is to be physically balanced. All of my muscles were in a constant state of adjustment and readjustment. Every part of me was engaged.

If you glance at someone in a balancing pose, they might appear serene and still. But a closer look will reveal all of the subtle shifting and wobbling and adjusting that goes into maintaining that pose.

Sometimes, even with all of the physical adjusting and shifting, we lose our balance. It’s a challenge to maintain balance in certain poses. But one thing that helps is having a focal point.

In yoga, this is called drishti—an unmoving point on which you can focus your gaze. Somehow, focusing on a specific point helps your body orient itself in space. It helps you maintain your balance.

Sometimes, we focus on unhelpful things. If you ride a bike, you know that if you focus on the pothole you want to avoid, you’ll subconsciously start steering toward the pothole. Exactly where you don’t want to go!

Instead, you might have learned that your focus needs to be on the path you want to take. The way that’s safe and free of hazards. Focusing on where you want to go helps you keep steady on that path.

As a spiritual community, we also have a drishti. A steady point on the horizon where we can direct our focus. We’ve claimed a vision to be a large, vibrant spiritual community, known for our warm welcome and our fierce, compassionate commitment to justice. That’s the path we want to take. That’s the way we can maintain balance.

There are lots of things to react to within our community and in the world around us. We have to make little adjustments and subtle shifts in how we move forward. We could focus on the potholes. (And we might discover just what those potholes feel like!)

Or we can focus on our values. The principles we hold in covenant with one another. We can focus on the vision we hold for our shared community. That balance might not feel like relaxing. Balance might be a lot of work sometimes. But we can celebrate every little wobble and adjustment that keeps us on track toward being the beloved community we most want to be.

Where else could you benefit from having a drishti in your life? What meaningful, unwavering principle can hold your focus and help you maintain balance?

Rev. Randy Partain