Moderation Essay... Fire at Will!

Our Own Druidry defines moderation as “cultivating one's appetites so that one is neither a slave to them nor driven to ill health (mental or physical), through excess or deficiency."

By this definition, I am categorically terrible at moderation. In the immortal words of the great philosopher, Eminem, “I realized, “Yo, I can't do anything in moderation. I don't know how.'”

I understand it in principle – balance is key! Much of the 8 Limbs of Yoga talk about moderation, especially Bramacharya, or moderation in body, mind, and speech. Yoga Sutra 2.38 states that “vitality appears in one who is firmly set in moderation.” Keep a work/life balance! Don't eat too much or too little, and exercise enough to be healthy, but not a steroid-filled gym rat.

I'm hoping moderation could also work over time, much like the wheel of the year. For everything there is a season, etc. Right now, I'm in a resting phase. I worked too hard at a job for too long that did not want balance for its employees. I worked out at the gym and at the yoga studio like it was my second job. Now, I am completely spent. I feel like the key to wellness for me will be figuring out where the balance line is drawn, and having the wisdom and integrity to uphold that balance, once established.