Rhythms

What’s your rhythm? Are you fast, slow, somewhere in between? 

By understanding our inner rhythm and the rhythms that affect us we can live in greater harmony with life. What do I mean by inner rhythm?

During a recent rolfing session, while on the massage table, I noticed that there were times when I was very present and times when I would check out and my mind would start wondering.  My very astute therapist slowed down her rhythm.  Once she did that, I was able to stay present and connect to every small muscle and ligament that she was engaging, relax into it and release the tension from that muscle.  If she moved faster than my rhythm, I would disconnect and my mind would wonder.  But when she was slow and the pressure was just right, I was able to be fully present and do my part in the process:  connect, feel, relax into it, and let go of the tension.  Sometimes that even gave me insight into the origin of the tension. 

I was struck by how much this was a reflection of life in general: we all have different inner rhythms and when we respect that rhythm, we are able to stay present and understand ourselves better.  This makes it easier to stay relationally connected to the world around us.   

Inner Rhythm

Our rhythm is a combination of our natural inner rhythm and the rhythms we adopt from the outside (family, work, culture).  We each have our internal rhythm that is the result of several factors:  our constitution, our sex, our personality, the day we were born, our upbringing, etc.   For example, those who are more connected with their physical bodies tend to be slower, while those more connected with their mind and emotions move faster.  I will explain why a bit later. 

Our natural rhythm is influenced by many external factors.  Within a family, different members have different rhythms, but the family as a whole may adopt a certain cadence.  In our Western culture, we are often asked to speed up our rhythm to meet cultural norms and deadlines.   On the other hand, in certain Native American tribes, the expectations are to slow way down when doing things or interacting with others.  Work often pressures us to increase our rhythm and we might drink more coffee to artificially do so. Media and the internet have sped up our rhythms tremendously in the last few decades (i.e. check out movies from the 1950s and 1960s vs today’s fast paced flicks).  A typical trauma response is that when something is uncomfortable, we want to get through it as fast as possible, so we tend to speed up.  For most people, the external rhythms of the world around us tend to be much faster than our own natural internal rhythm. As a consequence, many people are stressed and feel that they have to turn to artificial things (like alcohol and cannabis) to slow down and regain balance, which only confuses our system more In the long run. 

Just like during my massage, when the rhythm is right, we can be present and actively participate in the process.  But when the external rhythms are out of sync with our own inner rhythm, usually too fast, we may contract and disconnect.  The contraction and disconnect are natural responses to the intensity of discomfort we experience from an asynchronous rhythm that we try to impose upon ourselves to meet outside expectations.

Human Rhythm

The rhythm of our mind is much faster than the rhythm of our emotions, which in turn is faster than the rhythm of our physical body.  Therefore, during difficult situations, our mind tends to be very active.  Our physical body tries to keep up with what is going on:  our heart rate and breathing speed up, we become more anxious and we might even move faster and more erratic.  However, sometimes when overwhelmed by a fast rhythm, the mind may get slow and foggy as a way of trying to bring balance from the overwhelm of the fast rhythm. The natural rhythms inside us and their synchronicity with each other get disturbed.  In order to recognize what happens during these situations, it helps to get to know our natural inner rhythm first.  

One way of looking at our being is as being composed of 4 members:  physical body, energy/fluid body, emotional body (which is most connected with our chakras and organs), and inner self/Ego body. The different members have different rhythms:  the rhythm of our physical body is about 1 year, which corresponds with the rotation of the earth around the sun, the rhythm of the energetic/fluid body is about 4 weeks, which corresponds with the cycle of the moon.  The rhythm of our organs and emotions is about 1 week, as they are most connected to the planets.  And the rhythm of our inner self/our Ego about 1 day, corresponding with the rotation of the earth around its axis. This is why those who are more connected with their physical bodies tend to be slower, while those more connected with their mind and emotions move faster.  Women tend to have a faster rhythm than men.

Cosmic Rhythm

We used to be much more connected to the rhythms of the cosmos in the olden days, but over time have evolved to become more independent.  I.e. many thousands of years ago humans were not able to overcome the rhythm of day and night and stay awake at night. We have evolved quite a bit from that now, and the advent of electricity has been both a result and a contribution to this independence from nature.  But we are still strongly connected to these rhythms of the cosmos to some degree, and if we pay attention to them, we can live in greater harmony with nature and with our bodies.   

As such it is helpful to develop daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms.  Most people tend to have a daily rhythm of sleeping and waking. To that we can add eating our meals at regular times and exercising regularly at the same time of day. The closer we can stick to this rhythm the easier it is on our bodies.  One helpful routine is to exercise in the morning, followed by intellectual activities in the late morning.  There is a natural resting period between 3-5 in the afternoon and we are most apt for socialize in the evening over dinner. If we want to adopt a new healthy habit, it helps to do it at the same time every day.  Our body will remember that and it will make it easier to return to that activity consistently. 

The days of the week correspond to the planets. Monday is Moon day and a good day to nurture ourselves and prepare for the week.  Tuesday is Mars and great for outward activities.  Wednesday is Mercury: fast and great for communication. Thursday is Jupiter, excellent for learning.  Friday is soft and relaxed, like Venus.  Saturday is Saturn day: slow and heavy, excellent for rest and seeking the inner light.  SUN-day is bright and joyful, an excellent day for being in community and socializing.  As such, people born on Wednesday may have a naturally faster rhythm than those born on a Saturday. 

Monthly rhythms are most obvious to menstruating women, but people of both sexes can be quite tuned in the effects of the full moon vs the new moon on our energy levels and socializing habits. We tend to be more outward and expressive during the full moon and quieter and more introspective during the new moon. 

What about the seasons?  

This year I started a new exercise program in late August and felt quite energized by it. Then about October I noticed that it was becoming increasingly more difficult to motivate myself to exercise briskly.  It has also been harder to get up in the morning and many days I would rather do a slow yoga with a warm drink next to me than going for a brisk walk or a run at the gym.  This time of year, as everything around us is becoming darker and less active, we also want to slow down, turn inward, and save our energy for the winter.  This is not the time to set goals, start a new project, or plan for expansion.  Rather, this is the time to fill our storage containers and prepare our bulbs and seeds for germination.  The desire to slow down and rest will continue to increase between now and mid-winter.  And then, a slight shift in energy occurs right around the holidays, which definetly picks up the step during the first days of January and continues forward from then on towards the spring.  

Holy Nights

This winter Solstice and Christmas happen around the time of a New Moon. This time is a fantastic opportunity to slow down, turn inward, and listen to our own inner rhythm.  We can harvest the darkness of the season and the mood of these Holy Nights to help us into it.  But we have to turn away from the busyness that the material world pressures us into.  At first, the inertia of the overlaid fast-past culture will still prevail in our space.  We need enough time to allow for that to wear off.  Only then can we begin to hear our own inner rhythm and cadence.  Being in nature can be very helpful in helping us quiet down and discover our own inner rhythm.  For some, their inner rhythm might be as fast as a hummingbird, while for others as slow as a crane walking in a pond, and for most, somewhere in between.  

Once we recognize our own inner rhythm, we can develop a relationship with the greater natural rhythms around us:  the rhythms of the sun, moon, and planets, as expressed by the days, weeks, months, and seasons.  This brings us in harmony with nature, the Earth and Cosmos. This harmony makes it easier for us to move through life: i.e. if we know that at certain times of day we are more productive than others we can plan accordingly.  If we are aware that in the fall and winter we need to slow down and be more introspective, this can save us a lot of effort and make the upcoming year more productive.  

And maybe, if we can connect deep enough to our own rhythm and the rhythm of the cosmos, we can even sense the rhythm of our planet Earth.  Just like we have our own internal rhythm, so does our planet.  When we connect to our own inner rhythm, we get to know ourselves better and can understand what causes stress to our system.  This helps us respect ourselves and make healthy choices that will help not just us, but also our environment and those around us. 

I hope you can create the opportunity for yourselves to slow down and tune in to your own inner rhythm this winter. 

Warmly, 

Dr. Daci