Balance is the February theme in our Wholebeing@Work program, but not in the way you might expect.
We’re not here to chase a perfect equilibrium. We’re here to explore what balance really means when life feels anything but balanced.
We hear about it in HR meetings, leadership trainings, and wellness webinars: the elusive goal of work life balance.
It’s framed as the key to feeling whole. If we could just find the right formula– more time here, a little less there– then maybe we’d feel fulfilled. Grounded. In control.
But for most professionals, especially those in high-pressure environments, pursuing work-life balance can feel like chasing a mirage. The closer you think you’re getting, the faster it fades away.
There’s a reason this idea is so sticky. Balance promises relief. It suggests there’s a way to feel everything is in order. It's like a carrot of hope that if you just did it “right,” things could feel better in the future. It dangles the fantasy that your life and work could be perfectly balanced like a scale.
But as you might painfully experience, it doesn’t work that way. Leaders, lawyers, managers, and all of us operate and live in systems that are inherently unpredictable. Deadlines shift. Kids get sick. Opportunities appear that require more of us than we expected. If we keep measuring ourselves against a fantasy of balance, we end up feeling like we’re doing something wrong.
The truth is, most people don’t suffer from a failure to balance. They suffer from a failure to pause.
To reset. To listen in and ask: What do I need right now? What matters most at this moment?
What if we took a breath and considered the idea that work and life aren’t opposing forces at war with each other? They are interwoven. (Isn’t work part of life?) And like any living system, they operate in motion, not stasis.
Life ebbs and flows and so do we. Some seasons demand more from work. Others ask more from family, health, or internal growth. Some are more emotionally, physically, or relationally demanding. Striving to enforce symmetry creates stress, not relief.
Instead of chasing an abstract idea of balance, what if we got better at paying attention to our energy? What’s rising? What’s depleting? Where do I need to restore connection?
Presence, not perfection, is the more realistic, compassionate, achievable, and sustainable goal.
The idea of balance is alluring, but it's a myth, not real life. Life is always in flux and flow. If we keep chasing balance, we miss the beauty of what’s here now.
Letting go of the balance myth doesn’t mean giving up on your wellbeing or aspirations. It means shifting your focus from control to attunement.
Take a moment to read that again.
Letting go of the balance myth doesn’t mean giving up on your wellbeing or aspirations. It means shifting your focus from control to attunement.
Take three breaths. Let’s put that incredible weight down.
Instead of striving for equal weight across all areas, you can practice noticing where you are and ask yourself: What do I need to feel grounded right now? What’s one thing I can say no to? What’s one thing I can say yes to that will move me toward alignment?
That shift from managing to meeting changes everything.
At Prasada, we don’t sell the illusion of balance. We support leaders and teams with skills that work in the real world.
That starts with breathwork.
Breathwork isn’t just a relaxation technique; it’s a way to regulate your nervous system, reset your attention, and return to presence. It’s a tool you can use in a moment of stress, a practice you can build over time, and a doorway into deeper journeys of clarity and transformation.
When you stop chasing balance and start creating space, you realize: resilience isn’t about holding everything evenly. It’s about knowing how to center yourself, again and again.
If you’re ready to begin, join us for our next Breathwork Hour on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. In 60 minutes, you’ll experience simple, practical breathwork tools that can help you reset your nervous system, reconnect with your capacity, and reframe how you meet each day.