WHEN THE MYSTICAL & SCIENCE TWINE: Considering Rhythms of Nature for Good Health
6am, the end of the pre-dawn hours. Sitting in this tiny room, lit by a cotton wick, the city is not yet awake. It gives a wide birth for the sounds of nature. My favorite is the cooing of the pigeons who live in the big trees in front of me. It is so sweet, I can feel their intention. Soft, loving, intimate. It is the start of their day too. Almost like an alarm clock, nature has her ways. It’s habitual, regular and the stable ground that is offered to us every day.
It’s as if she says:
“Here, here is a way, a method, an understanding to follow. Rise and fall with the sun and the moon. Be in the tender and quiet of the early day and the night time light, the transitional points before and behind light and dark and where we can communicate. I have so much to share with you here”.
The transitions are important, they are the bridge between. The places to listen and connect and where we can touch with something that is not so easy to identify or quantify. But that is the point of , right? To give spaces and places for the deeper conversations. The ones that bi-pass the brain and drop into the heart. Call it intuition, faith or even a 1,000 other names could work. It is the roaming ground for something very important.
Of the practical and pragmatic, this provides structure and form too. Aligning and attuning to the ryhthms of nature is a powerful practice. Referred to as circadian rhythms, these are the natural physical, mental, and behavioral changes that occur in the body over a 24-hour cycle. They are controlled by a biological clock in the brain, and are primarily influenced by light and darkness.
Circadian rhythms affect many important functions in the body, including: sleep patterns, body temperature, hormone release, appetite and digestion.
Circadian rhythms prepare the body for important and expected changes in the environment, such as when to eat, sleep, and be active. The sun's light/dark cycle is the strongest external cue that influences circadian rhythms, but artificial light can also affect them.
Some tips for resetting your circadian rhythm include:
Adhering to a daily routine: a strong ally in your pocket. Daily routines allow our systems the regulation and wisdom of knowing that we have a pattern, a rhythm that we fall into cadence with. Everything organizes around it.
Getting enough exercise: Important..but equally so is to not overdo it. The tendency to go hard, push through is our national anthem in the U.S. Consider asking yourself what and why I am doing this? If it’s to strengthen and stabilize your blood and your bones, your breath and your body then pushing oneself to the max is not going to achieve this for the longterm. Find stability, feel life force mobility and strength that is stable like a tree.
Sleeping in an environment that promotes rest: If screens, electronics and artificial light are near your sleeping space/room, are there things you can do create a place that fosters quiet, calm, comfortable and supportive?
Avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine in the evenings
Powering down screens well before bedtime: Especially when sleep is elusive, I recommend a solid 60-90 minutes prior to bedtime without screens. Use candles, or a softer light from a little distance, invoke your senses to support you- aromatics? soothing sounds? natural fibered bedding? These things will help quite a bit over time. Be consistent.
Not napping late in the afternoon or evening
There certainly may be more that needs to be in place to help support your stable health, especially during the changing and transitions of hormonal fluctuations. But/And these aspects of daily life: food, diet, lifestyle, regulation of life force to name a few will absolutely benefit and make a difference. With them one might feel the stability of good rhythms and routine, without them it may feel hard to organize internal/external clocks and navigating the ever changing landscapes of the inner and outer human experience.
Regardless, the transition places offer the tangible touch points to the magical and the mystical, the practical and the fundamental. Being in rhythm with these deep underpinnings of where body, mind & spirit connect is whispered each and every day.