Finding Your Rhythm
Spring is a time of year when suddenly new life seems to magically appear. From the romping of baby lambs in a nearby pasture to the full bloom of established magnolia and cherry blossom trees, there is delight and newness around every corner. Nature’s magic is really a deep and resilient intelligence, with seasons and cycles, steadiness, and a keen ability to dance to the beat of its own rhythm – with exquisite timing.
We can learn much from nature’s intelligence. Our bodies have rhythms too. We have recurring cyclical patterns of physical, emotional and mental activity. Most of us are aware of circadian rhythms - our waking hours and sleeping hours move in a cyclical pattern. The best time to study is probably not 2am! New research shows that our brains fluctuate with the seasons, and our genes also operate in a seasonal rhythm. These are believed to be remnants of “ancestral rhythmicity.”
Each person's body has its own natural and unique rhythms as well. Some people thrive on consistent routines and rhythms, others perform optimally with variations, even extremes. Some people’s bodies recharge better when they ease into sleep, while others recharge best when they exhaust themselves to the very end of the day and then collapse into bed. Some people perform optimally when they get out of bed like they are taking off out of the starting blocks, others need to glide into their day. Each of us is different.
Do you know your natural, unique rhythms?
Many of us have become so disconnected from nature, from its rhythms and intelligence – and disconnected from our own natures as well. We extend summer with central heating and artificial light, and we often override our body’s need for rest and manipulate our circadian rhythm by the use of alarm clocks or drinking caffeine, etc. Our cycles of rest and activity can easily get off balance.
Difficulties arise when we sustain activities that are out of alignment with our own unique rhythm for far too long. Some subtle signs of being out of sync with our bodies include a sense that life needs balancing, feelings of impatience, frustration, anger or dissatisfaction. It can influence us to make decisions improperly – either too quickly when we need more time, or too slowly when we're designed to access our ‘gut feelings’ in the moment. Poor decisions lead to poor outcomes. In the long run, many physical challenges can occur when we push our bodies - burnout, fatigue, chronic or acute illness, and even sudden accidents and injuries. When we are trying to push the river, the universe has a way of motivating us to flow with our natural current!
Are you living everyone else's rhythm and timing?
One way to discover your own rhythm is to carve out a large chunk of time to disengage from our day to day routines and habits. Creating time and space for yourself, away from outside influences can be helpful. Take that time to stop, be still, turn inward and tune in to your own body.
Another way, a faster way, is with Hypnotherapy sessions. (You knew that was coming, right?!). Hypnotherapy is faster because it opens the door to our deepest levels of awareness, where the innate wisdom of our body and essence reside. Most people never question the notion that their conscious minds are in charge. And yet, our conscious minds are not aware of the totality of us. Our conscious minds are subject to conditioning and can then ping pong and have us swimming upstream instead of flowing with our natural current. Yet, our subconscious and superconscious levels of awareness reach beyond the external conditioning that obscures our unique rhythms, and fills in the breaches of our understanding of our essence. When you are in the flow, in your rhythm, life becomes more effortless and easeful.
With hypnotherapy you can access your deepest levels of awareness and answer your own questions. Then you can experiment with new ways of navigating your outer reality, and harness the power of your subconscious to support you in honoring your body and love who you are.
May your heart be blessed with sweet Spring blossoms and showers - because you take time to enjoy them while dancing to the beat of your own rhythm!
Lisa