Alignment Living ©
the bliss beyond a balanced lifestyle

By Roy Zazeraj

Think of Alignment Living as "living in engaged harmony with our true selves" something promising far greater levels of well being than we accept as normal.

True happiness is an active or engaged state of being, ranging from contentment to positive excitement. This state of bliss and connectedness is available to all, but few achieve it consistently, if at all. There are of course, many reasons for this. But the main ones seem to be both a lack of understanding of the dynamics of optimal happiness, and a lack of simple methods to achieve it.

Then again we are also bombarded with an enormous volume of self-help information - often contradictory and confusing. Whom or what to believe? Even the common idea of a "balanced lifestyle", is but one positive step towards achieving the ideal of "Alignment Living" - of which optimal happiness is a natural by-product.

Alignment Living involves knowing ourselves first - spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally, and then consciously living a life in harmony with our essential and unique selves. It could also be called synchronised living.

Most of us set targets well below this. Consider our commonly held perspective of "health", which is no more than being "not unwell" (i.e. a fine balance between illness and wellness). When we respond "I'm fine thanks" - we really mean "I'm not sick."

However, there is a whole continuum between "not unwell" and optimal, holistic health.

Consider the illustration below…

A "balanced lifestyle" can lead to a passive, "not unhappy" existence. - what we call Limited Living. But life has a whole lot more to offer! This is the realm of self-actualisation - the constructive striving for, and living out, who we are meant to be.

Alignment Living starts from the premise that true happiness is everybody's birthright and is a natural state - we have just forgotten how to live it. However, it is not a final destination, but a constant journey (to quote a well-known advert "Life's a journey, enjoy the ride"). On the journey, the first milestone is "not unhappy" - a highly desirable state for many disconsolate and unhealthy souls. Having achieved this, there is a world of abundance further along the continuum towards "true happiness", and this is achieved through the simple principles of Alignment Living.

Again, Alignment Living is very simply living in harmony with yourself and your essential nature. The resulting alignment means you are living a life true to yourself, your values, your environment and your unique physical nature.

How do we do this in practice?

We are spiritual, physical, mental and social beings.

Spiritual alignment means understanding your true values and beliefs as these evolve with the phases of your life, and living in terms of these. Everyday decisions, big or small, have to be weighed up against your values. Do you know your values? The greater the day-to-day alignment, the greater the day-to-day happiness. The greater the dissonance, the greater the discomfort, the unhappiness and what we can call spiritual distress.

Physical alignment means living your life true to the physical properties that nature has provided us with. Our muscles are meant for use, our physical structure is designed to be in alignment, our bodily processes are meant to be efficient. We are meant to be fit and vibrant, bursting with life. Rest is an essential counterpoint to this. There is a vast intelligence built into our physiques, which will do what is necessary to ensure optimal health, if given the chance. It is difficult to achieve true, vibrant happiness in a mal-functioning body. Such a body is under physical distress.

Mental alignment means using our brains to the maximum of our individual abilities. Constantly developing our mental muscles, through work, play and study, leads to a sense of achievement, self-confidence and new discoveries about our abilities and the world around us. It might mean learning how to think and learn again. We all need to become lifelong learners and avoid mental stagnation and mental distress.

Social alignment means living a life where we are constantly giving and receiving love as fully contributing social beings, within the family and beyond. This is the world of constructive relationships and involvement in the community. The emphasis is on selfless giving - giving love, giving emotional and personal support, without the expectation of a return. But it also means unconditionally accepting the same, from yourself and others. It also means accepting and appreciating the diversity of the people you interact with and validating their worth and individuality whenever you can. Being out of alignment in this area leads to poor relationships and emotional distress.

Creating alignment in any of these areas unleashes a powerful contribution to your personal happiness. Creating alignment in more than one (and ideally all) unleashes an exponential explosion of synergistic joy in your life - and impacts positively on those around you. This is Alignment Living at its most powerful. It's there for the taking.

Finally, consider this quote from Margaret Young "Often people attempt to live their lives backwards. They try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then, do what you need to do, in order to have what you want."