Let’s Talk About Rhythms…
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Everything Has Its Time
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
I’m struck today by the rhythms of life. So much of what I do encompasses the rhythms of other’s lives and how they are affected by those rhythms. Overwork and the inability to establish good rest and balance in life creates disease. Healthy rhythms and knowing and honoring your own circadian rhythms brings peace, health, and a deep sense of well-being. The rhythms of life can be as mundane as the measured bristling of your toothbrush across the surface of your teeth. Notice the way that we use rhythm in life… it is its own orchestral cacophony- ordered sounds & melodies creating the syncopated soundtrack of life. (In fact, as I type, I hear the rhythm of my typing that would differ from someone else’s own particular beat on the keys and a sharp chopping sound coming from the kitchen. The dryer spins. We are creating a jazz masterpiece here at my house.)
What’s the point? Analyzing our rhythms can help us find either the source of our vitality or our pathologies. When do we eat? When do we go to bed? When do we wake up? Do we move and if so, when? The Chinese, thousands of years ago, came up with a method of diagnosis based on these rhythms. It’s fascinating and could be a window into why you haven’t been feeling in tip-top shape. Check out this insightful introduction to the Chinese Body Clock here.
Birth, death, connection, separation, seasons, solstices, equinoxes, all of these things and so much more continue to happen in their own rhythms like clockwork. In my small town, we lost several really special people in the last few weeks and then there are the babies yet to be born and those who’ve just emerged howling. Waves crash into the beach. Trees laden with leaves are moved by the wind. Healing. Hurting. Touch. Isolation. How can you find solace when life can present itself as such a severe mercy?
Here are a few tips I have picked up along the way and I hope that you have some to share as well:
- Take a Sabbath rest. Set aside one day to celebrate, worship and connect with those that you love. No work. No money. No shopping. No tasks and definitely no lists of to-do’s. Can’t even put time or effort into all that might have been weighing you down. Put it aside. It can wait a day. Doing this is a trust in something greater than yourself. It is the rhythm of release.
- Before going to bed, do the Stress Breaker breathwork and the Qi Balancer release after some slow gentle stretching. Don’t fall in the bed thinking that the act of being in bed will release tension out of your body. Consciously release the tension in your body. Say a prayer of release to free your spirit and then… sink into your bed. This is the rhythm of deep rest.
- Snuggle. We need each other. Period. Not all of us have someone in our lives to snuggle with. If you do, no excuses. Make it happen. If you don’t, get a massage or get some bodywork. Treat yourself to therapeutic touch. Hug more and hold on a little longer. This is the rhythm of melting.
- Don’t get upset about things. Choose gratitude over anxiety. Your spirit is just like your nervous system, it cannot handle more than one input at a time. There is no way that you can be grateful and anxious at the same time. Your nerves cannot feel pain and vibration at the same time- they have to choose which one is going to be the more dominant signal and release the other signal. This is why I use vibration so much with clients who have extreme nerve or muscular pain. Choosing to stay calm and press through while being thankful and noticing the miracles all around you brings so much peace of mind. This is the rhythm of gratitude.
What rhythms have you learned that keep your mind, soul, body & spirit in a balanced flow? Would love to get your insights on this.
#MovementisMedicineMondays
