Flowing with Natural Rhythms

Life abounds with natural rhythms and cycles. The rise and fall of the tides, the sun traveling across the sky as day turns into night and again into day, the phases of the moon, the passing of the seasons, and so on. We are part of the natural world, however disconnected we may feel at times. We only have to look out of a window or walk outside, feeling our feet on the ground, tuning into our five senses, to remember this. So what would it be like for us to flow with the natural rhythms of life?

There are many ways we can embody flow. As the natural world ebbs and flows around us, we can remain present to these changes, staying curious and nonjudgmental. In other words, we can shine the light of mindful presence and noticing onto these shifts. We can also experience ourselves shifting with these external variations.

Whenever we experience emotions, thoughts, body sensations – anything our interior landscape has to offer us – we are also flowing with cycles. Sensations arise, persist, disappear, reappear. The breath falls a

nd disappears, only to reappear. Indeed, one way of being with the breath mindfully is noticing the cycle of birth, death and rebirth that a breath can offer. A new breath appearing is a birth, each disappearing breath is a death, and another breath emerging in the natural breath cycle is a rebirth.

A third way of experiencing and flowing with the cycles and natural rhythms is when we honor the inevitability of change. Nothing is permanent. There are always transitions occurring in our lives, some more subtle while others may feel monumental. These changes aren’t always welcome. You can notice judgment, resistance, or grief for losing what was. And this is part of being human. Really!

Whenever there’s change, there’s an ending and beginning. A change contains both. When we stop to think about it, we often don’t ask for or create changes. They arise outside of our control or agency. So flowing with ch

Sometimes we notice ebbs and flows in our body’s energy and capacities. We may feel tired as the day goes by, need rest if we are tired or sleep deprived, or need a break/pause. We may even notice times of the month or year when rest feels needed. Can we allow these natural flows as well?

The invitation for you this month is to begin noticing your body’s messages and the ways your energy can wax and wane. Honor the times you need rest, physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, and also honor your times of productivity by mindfully participating in both. Believe it or not, one is not “better” or “more right” than the other. We need both states in life and we can value being in a period of productivity or rest equally when we start to approach these body signals mindfully and translate them into conscious action or response.

See how it feels to tune into the body’s ebb and flow, responding instinctively and mindfully to those needs in your body for rest and action. If you are feeling the pull of life’s changes and want to explore how you can flow with these natural rhythms mindfully, take a look at some of our posts on social media this month and connect with me for further ideas. See you on the currents of change, beautiful soul!

xoxo,

Shreyasi
Founder and Lead Mental Health Therapist
Mindful Mare Wellness