Despite the gender we identify ourselves with, we are both—man and woman.

When we fail to acknowledge our vast energetic system, we may feel chronically out of balance. Besides working on our physical health through conscious eating and fitness, it’s equally important to pay attention to our subtle energies if we desire to live a healthy life.

We all came from a man and a woman, we come from both—equally.

According to yoga philosophy, the male energy is known as Shiva and the female energy known as Shakti. The male energy is symbolized by the sun and the feminine by the moon. These complementary channels on either side of the body are known as Nadis (the word meaning a stream) though which Prana (life force) circulates.

The feminine channel, known as Ida Nadi governs the left side of the body. The masculine channel known as Pingala Nadi governs the right side of the body. One of the goals of yoga is to bridge the gap between the masculine and feminine and reach the central channel which is called Sushumna Nadi that provides us a clear and joyful mind for meditation and self-realization.

Regardless of gender, each of us contains masculine and feminine energy. Logic, planning, and structure fall under the masculine. Ways of being such as rigor, discipline, and control also fall under this category. The masculine is a necessary trait, for it supports the growth of a balanced ego, financial stability, family, shelter, and organization. I like to visualize the masculine component of ourselves as a giant perfectly shaped glass container. Too much container results in a hardening or stiffness and lack of flow. This can manifest as tight muscles, digestive trouble, holding grudges, and unreasonable anger.

The feminine part of ourselves is perhaps more subtle in a society that is highly ego driven. It is governed by intuition, receptivity, dreams, and emotion. This is a necessary counterbalance to the masculine. The feminine part of ourselves is like watery liquid—it flows, and it must be contained otherwise it is dispersed. Dispersed feminine energy may feel like being out of control, ungrounded, irritable, and lonely.

When we operate primarily from our masculine side, we may feel tired, stressed, overworked or unloved as a result. When we feel overworked, moving about life on autopilot, too much in our heads and not enough in our bodies, and/or we are experiencing a lack of intimacy in our lives, it is likely a re-fuel of the feminine is in order.

Knowing that yoga urges the cohesion of the Sun and Moon parts of ourselves so we can experience our true nature.

Both energies—masculine and feminine—are vital for our health. We must create a strong container and also tap into our ability to flow and adapt to change. We must learn to be open to opportunities that we may not have pre-planned in our minds.

We must see the big picture, soften into the mystery, and breathe as we go about our daily tasks.

Life is a very beautiful dance, when you catch the glimpse of it!