A Balancing Act
A balanced lifestyle
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider how we might find balance in life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (A Balancing Act) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘US daredevil Wallenda crosses Grand Canyon on tightrope’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.52 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/rbwmfEXu75s
Assembly
- Have Slide 1 showing as the students enter the assembly.
Is anyone scared of heights?
Ask for a show of hands.
One person who definitely isn’t scared of heights is Nik Wallenda. He’s an American acrobat, known for spectacular stunts where he walks across a tightrope at extreme heights without a safety net. - Show Slide 2.
Here, we see Nik practising for one of his most impressive stunts: his tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon. - Let’s take a closer look at that tightrope walk. It took place nearly 500 metres above the ground, and Nik walked the 400-metre distance in just under 23 minutes. Prayer was one of the ways in which Nik supported himself to make the crossing, praying out loud as he walked the rope.
Nik says that keeping his mind fixed on Jesus is one of the ways in which he manages to stay grounded and steady as he walks. He also makes use of a heavy balancing pole, which weighs 20 kilograms, and he points his toes as he walks, a crucial technique that engages his calf muscles to help him remain balanced.
Let’s watch a video of Nik in action.
Show the YouTube video ‘US daredevil Wallenda crosses Grand Canyon on tightrope’ (1.52 minutes long). - Wow! That’s definitely one of those ‘don’t try this at home’ videos. It takes many years of practice to develop the skills to balance in this way, and tightrope-walking is understandably regarded as an extremely dangerous sport. Perhaps we’ve seen people performing similar balancing acts as part of acrobatic displays or circus performances . . . but hopefully with a safety net!
- Show Slide 3.
Somewhat less dangerous, but still pretty impressive, is the art of balancing a ball on your head. Here, we see Portuguese footballer Ronaldo showing us how it’s done. - Show Slide 4.
Some of us might have tried using a balance beam in gymnastics. Here, we see American gymnast Simone Biles competing in the women’s balance beam event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. - Show Slide 5.
Here, we see someone practising the art of balancing on a wire. There is only a short distance between the wire and the ground, which provides a safer environment to develop balancing skills, reducing the risk of serious injury.
There are some key training tips for athletes and acrobats who are learning to perfect the art of balancing on a wire, line or beam.
- Practise, practise, practise.
- Work on overall muscle tone and strength to ensure that the body can respond as needed to the micro-movements that balance requires. Leaning too far one way or the other is likely to result in falling off.
- Attend to mental concentration. Aim to avoid being distracted by thoughts of any kind, especially ‘What if . . .?’ questions.
- Focus on the present moment. Much like the physical exercises to strengthen muscles, this mental focus requires discipline and practice to develop.
- Fix your eyes on a spot ahead. This, rather than looking down, can also assist with balance. - There are wider messages that we can take away from the sport of wire-balancing and tightrope-walking too. For example, the idea of balance is a key concept in several religious traditions.
- In the Christian tradition, the idea of temperance or self-control is important. The Bible describes self-control as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23). Self-control is a means to finding balance, because it keeps in check desires that otherwise may lead to out-of-control behaviour. The Bible also encourages Christians to fix their eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12.1-2) as a way of staying focused and avoiding unhelpful ways of living. By looking at Jesus, they see an example of how to live their lives.
- The Buddhist tradition also recognizes the importance of balance. Buddhists speak of the Middle Way, which refers to a balanced approach to life that exists between extremes.
The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, identified that extremes did not lead to peace or serenity. He learnt this through personal experience. Initially, he led a life of luxury, but struggled to find peace and contentment. Then, he tried living according to the other extreme, a life of denial, where he ate only tiny amounts of food. Again, he struggled to find peace, but then he found the Middle Way. - Show Slide 6.
Buddhists use meditation as a way of developing the discipline of the mind to be able to live a more balanced life, recognizing and actively choosing the Middle Way.
Time for reflection
I wonder how balanced we feel at the moment. We can think of balance not just as a physical experience, but also a mental, emotional and spiritual experience.
When we feel physically balanced, we feel at ease and comfortable. When we are wobbling around, it can feel frightening or unpleasant. The same can be said for feeling mentally, emotionally and spiritually unbalanced.
Let’s take a moment to notice how balanced we feel in our bodies.
Are both of our feet on the floor, with the soles of our feet in contact with the floor? Are we sitting in an upright position that feels comfortable?
Without making changes, let’s take a moment to notice our breathing as we breathe in and then out.
Are we taking regular, balanced breaths?
Let’s pause in silence for a moment while we notice our physical sense of balance.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Just as we can tune into our physical balance, we can also pay attention to the inner state of our emotions and thoughts.
Can we stay balanced by focusing on the present moment, without becoming off-balance worrying about the future or the past?
Do we find it helpful to fix our mind on a focus point? Maybe we can recall important people in our lives who help us to feel balanced and able to cope with difficulties. For Nik Wallenda, Jesus offers a focus for helping him to stay mentally, emotionally and spiritually balanced. I wonder who can help us to keep that sense of balance?
Pause to allow time for thought.
If we have any thoughts or feelings that are overwhelming us, or causing us to feel out of sorts, let’s consider what we need to help us feel more at ease. Do we need to take a moment to remind ourselves of the things that we have in life that help us?
Pause to allow time for thought.
Noticing how balanced we feel in our emotions, our thoughts and our spirituality enables us to address what we might need.
Let’s pause again, in silence for a moment, while we notice our mental, emotional and spiritual sense of balance.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Dear God,
We have considered how physical and mental balance are critical in acrobatic stunts.
Achieving balance in our lives can help us to feel steady and more able to cope with life’s challenges.
For those times when we feel physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually wobbly, please help us to fix our eyes on what helps.
Help us to remember to take a moment to regain our balance and make a clear decision about what would help.
Where there are chances to support others when they feel wobbly - whether that is physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually - please help us to rise to the challenge and see clearly what a helpful way forward might be.
Amen.
