balance

by Kamala Itzel Hayward

On the spring equinox, day and night become nearly equal for a brief moment—light and darkness meeting in balance—before the season turns and the Earth begins, unmistakably, to lean toward more light (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere).

The equinox isn’t only a seasonal milestone. It’s also a teaching. It reminds us that balance is not a static achievement. It’s a temporary moment that arrives through a steady practice of re-centering.

These days, many of us are yearning for re-centering. We’re living inside a stark contrast: the season turning toward life-giving emergence, while we witness our communities experiencing upheaval, oppression, uncertainty, and exhaustion.

So I’ve been sitting with a question that feels both simple and urgent: What does this moment ask of us?

If you’d like to explore that question in community, I hope you’ll join me online on Sunday, March 22 from 11:00am–12:00pm PT when I’ll be hosting the Integral Yoga Institute’s Sunday Spiritual Talk (Satsang): “What This Moment Asks of Us: A Spring Equinox Satsang.”

We’ll begin by grounding in the equinox as a living metaphor—light and dark meeting in balance—and then turn toward the questions many of us are carrying in our bodies and hearts right now: how to stay steady in the midst of upheaval, how to respond to harm without hardening, and how to act with clarity without abandoning compassion.

Grounded in the wisdom of Integral Yoga and compassionate communication, this gathering will include shared reflection, contemplative inquiry, and guided practice. Together, we’ll explore how yogic principles of nonviolence and truthfulness, along with the cultivation of a calm, steady mind, can support us in responding to conflict and uncertainty with integrity—holding both clear action and compassionate care.

People of all faiths are welcome.

Wherever you are in your own movement toward balance, may this season help you to re-center yourself again and again, so your response to this moment can come from grounded awareness, compassion, and care.

Service and Self-Care

For the month of December, our Institute residents have chosen to focus on the practice of “service and self-care.” It’s a powerful pairing, because many of us struggle to discern when to extend ourselves in service and when to honor our own genuine needs. We grow up absorbing mixed messages: a strong work ethic shaped by the “keep pushing” culture of American life, ideals of sacrifice embedded in Judeo-Christian traditions, and the Yogic emphasis on selfless service. It’s no wonder we often find ourselves conflicted.

Depending on our mental state, we may slip into unhealthy narratives such as, “Why should I have to do this? It’s not fair,” or its opposite, “I should do this—this will prove how good I am.” Though they appear different, both arise from comparison, self-judgment, and the ego’s desire to secure approval. This ego-driven striving can make service feel like a performance rather than a natural expression of compassion.

Selfless service is indeed a cornerstone of Yoga in action, and when understood properly, it brings deep joy and meaning. But true service never asks us to abandon our own well-being; it includes us in the circle of care. When we override our needs out of obligation or image-maintaining, we inevitably drift toward exhaustion, resentment, and compensatory self-centeredness. In this way, self-denial can feed the very ego patterns we hoped to transcend.

Conversely, when we consider our needs with clarity and honesty, it may feel unfamiliar or even self-indulgent. Yet an infant naturally expresses its needs without hesitation, reminding us that honoring our well-being is not selfish—it is simply human. Caring for ourselves is what allows us to serve with steadiness, spaciousness, and wholehearted attention.

Sri Swami Satchidananda expresses this wisdom beautifully in The Golden Present: “You yourself should know how much you can give. You cannot give beyond your capacity. If you have done a lot of service that day, and if you are really tired, you should say no. Otherwise you are saying no to your own body or mind.”

Finding the right balance between service and self-care is an ongoing practice. Meditation and daily awareness help us recognize when we are drifting toward over-extension or sliding into self-absorption. As we observe our tendencies with compassion, we learn when to soften toward ourselves and when to stretch outward to support others.

Life offers endless chances to practice this balance—while driving, listening, shopping, or collaborating with others. And we discover that the purest motivation for service comes from the direct experience of compassion naturally flowing through the heart. Ultimately, we are all learning, one act of kindness at a time, that loving each other and loving ourselves are actually the same thing.