Between Joy & Sorrow

There is a space which lies between joy and sorrow, between love and anger, between hope and despair. It is the sacred place known in eastern religions as the state of harmony. How precious a space it is and how often it seems impossible to find. But it is not impossible. The answer to obtaining it, however, is not a simple one. There is no single way to find harmony and balance. However, if you truly wish to attain it, then it is necessary to be honest with yourself first.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that equilibrium can be found by denying their negative emotions, by pretending that bad things don't happen, and by repressing all complicated feelings. However, the opposite of this is actually closer to the truth. We have to acknowledge and deal with all the negative and the sorrowful and the upsetting in this life. We can't just push it downward. That will end us up with a tumor, a heart attack or a stroke in due time.

Yet, when confronting the negative, we have to avoid reacting negatively to it. This will only add very bad karma to our future if we choose to respond to it with bad intentions toward others. Instead, what we must do is accept our feelings and express our anger and even our fear in healthy ways. For me, boxing is the answer. I spend a great deal of time boxing my way through whatever is bothering me. Running also works for some people. Martial arts is another excellent choice. Either way you decide to go, you simply have to let out the negativity you feel or it will destroy you and any chance you have of equilibrium.

After we are able to fight through our negative emotions, we can use yoga to center ourselves. I highly recommend Swami Sivananda's books on yoga to help get started in practice. His words have helped me more than I can express. Through yoga, then, you can find harmony in that calm center, that silent place where no one else intervenes except the Tao. You carry that with you forward then in all you do and live in the sweet space between joy and sorrow.

But it is absurd to think this is attainable without constant work. Finding balance is as difficult as finding joy, but if you work at it every day, every time you feel negativity rising up, you will eventually defeat it.