Stress and illness are nature's way of telling you that you are out of balance. All life is ruled by the interplay of two dynamic forces known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as Yin and Yang. Yin is negative, Yang positive. Yin is feminine, Yang masculine. Yin is passive, Yang active. They are opposite yet complimentary forces. They are never equal, but cycle together in harmony. One is always ascending while the other descends. The Yin/Yang symbol is a wonderful expression of this interplay. Even though they are opposite, Yin and Yang cannot exist independently. As Alan Watts put it so eloquently in Tao: the Watercourse Way, "My inside arises mutually with my outside and though the two may differ they cannot be separated."

When the Yin and Yang of your body are in disharmony, it's like trying to ride a unicycle with the spokes of the wheel short on one side and long on the other. The hub is out of center and your ride is very bumpy. If you continue for long, you'll break the wheel and perhaps the bike. Just so, if your body continues in disharmony for long, illness occurs.

A good example of how this works is caregivers - those people who give of themselves to nurture, nourish, guide and heal others. Teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, body workers and parents are all caregivers. When caregivers are living harmoniously, they balance giving (Yang) and receiving (Yin) so they do not deplete their reserves. They know when they are in need of care and allow themselves time to receive to balance their giving. However, many caregivers ignore their own needs until they have given so much of themselves that body and soul begin to cry out, "What about me?" The imbalance begins to affect their health, sleep, emotions, focus and relationships.

The cure is simple in this case. Balance can be re-established by receiving what was given in excess. Take the time to nourish yourself, to nurture yourself. There are many ways to find your way back to balance. You may find that one method works best for you or you may find that you need a little of various methods. Here are a few suggestions on how to begin:

Learning to harmonize your life will smooth out the highs and lows so the ride won't be quite so bumpy. Things that trigger stress in you will begin to lose their power over you. If you're one of those people riding a lop-sided unicycle, consider balancing your spokes and coming back to center - and harmony. Kathi Remsen is a massage therapist and Medical Qigong Practitioner in private practice in Anchorage. For more information or private sessions, call her at Wellness Unlimited 332-4992.