Live in Rhythm with Nature to Live in Harmony.

I’ve been pondering the question: What does it mean to live in rhythm? To guide your actions to the natural undulations of life? 

As humanity, we are vaguely aware of the circadian rhythms, the effect of the moon on the menstrual cycle, of the passing of seasons. We speak about these forces as abstract, intangible influences, almost as if they are mythical forces. We rarely pay attention to how these and other natural cycles affect us, nor do we abide by the wisdom of these cycles as they apply to our daily lives. 

We have lost our ability to feel the subtle sway of nature. This forgetting has led us to forget the beauty of containment and balance.

We have bought into the human perspective that we know best and can act as we want to achieve our goals. When we look around, this has led to a world constantly pushing and striving for the next best thing. We ignore whether it is day or night, able to keep the lights on constantly. We act without reference to the context within which we exist. To take an elemental analogy - we burn like a wildfire, inconsiderate of what we destroy in the process of consuming.

We forget or are ignorant of the effect morning light has on our bodies, the natural tendency to slow down and look inwards during sunset that leads to a good night’s sleep. We have forgotten how to rest, instead popping pills to alter our sleep. We have reduced holidays and times off; failed to plan for quiet time or unscripted big thinking. We have stopped listening to the wisdom of the world in order to meet the demands of an invisible pressure - the siren call of ambition and continued success. 

"By forgetting these natural cycles, we have forgotten one of our greatest sources of wisdom - the power of the reflective pause."

The world as we know it has become a stable 22 degrees Celsius, with any fluctuation causing disruption and discomfort and an immediate reactionary response.  We need our climate-stabilized buildings with constant A/C or heating, so we can keep emailing, investing, and pillaging in the name of growth. With the focus on growth, we feel good at first, but then don't understand why we fall sick. The benefits of change - of circular cycles with a natural rise and a natural fall - evade us, and we don't even realise when we are fighting against our own nature. The world, our mental states, and the very fabric of life is both a source to and product of this forgetting. And the dis-ease we feel is the primary symptom.

We find ourselves in a negative feedback loop without understanding how to resolve problems as we haven't given space to understanding the root cause. By forgetting these natural cycles, we have forgotten one of our greatest sources of wisdom - the power of the reflective pause. In this pause, as we slow down to notice. In noticing, we can't help but observe that we are inherently connected with nature as opposed to adjacent to it.

The truth is we are nature, and perhaps the greatest thing we can do in life to improve our overall well-being is live in greater harmony with the natural cycles. The more we embed natural cycles in our lives, the more we perceive ourselves as part of the circle of life. If we fought less against these natural cycles, what would our energy feel like? Our motivation? Our creativity and ingenuity in the face of challenges?

When we think about living in rhythm, I encourage you to start noticing nature throughout the world around you. What aspect of nature is calling to you? Are you paying attention? Perhaps you begin by noticing the trees around you. Their root systems, invisible to the eye, are as grand and robust as the crown overhead. Or perhaps you are driven to notice the biological waste and food scraps, that support your local compost. Or maybe the sunset becomes a mindful moment to pause and connect to begin to turn the fluctuations of work down and the quiet tender moments of the heart on. Whatever you find that draws you back into nature, accept it for the gift it is.

When we give our awareness to nature for even a second, we recognise that nature always builds holistically. This requires a natural slowdown or hibernation, followed by an emergence, a burst of life that leads to growth and expansion. The vitality of summer and full expression of life emerges before turning back inward, slowing down and gathering. A reaping that guides us into stillness and reflection. This is most easily seen in the flow of the seasons but can be seen at all scales of circular cycles from a single breath, to the pulse of a day, to the longer cycle of a human life.

Begin to notice how nature evolves circular processes. Nothing is created in isolation. Everything serves a purpose and is integrated into the whole. There is no concept of separation, waste or remainders. Apply this in your own life. Can you not leave any food waste on your plate, instead honoring the abundance that you have been given by not wasting it? Alternately, begin to notice when you are taking (or giving) more than is sustainable. Instead apply the classic North American indigenous wisdom of not taking the first, nor the last item. Not taking the young or the old. Only take what is needed so the cycle continues.

"It is in the contemplation that knowledge and experience refines into wisdom."

If we were to live according to a circular cycle, life begins to flow into a steady rhythm. A quietening and pause follows the buzzing energy of expansion and growth. The pause gives space for knowledge to turn into wisdom, to guide our movements into intentional decisions.  The circular cycle has a built in feedback loop that autocorrects for our tendency to oversubscribe.  We reduce missteps and bad habits as the natural cycle allows us to reflect and identify where we are going. To heighten our awareness. The concept of burnout disappears because the natural cycle allows for downtime to rejuvenate and recover. It recognizes anytime the flow is a deluge, and pulls back. It identifies any time the internal drive turns into a wildfire, and soothes the burn. Thus, it is in the reemergence that the benefits of circular cycles show up. We become our own greatest teachers.

It is in the contemplation that knowledge and experience refines into wisdom. Perhaps our lives are slower, but they are stronger; perhaps quieter but sustained; possibly less exuberant, but more centered. Natural cycles don't diminish the push and pull of life. There are night owls and morning larks. And each human has their own pace. But when we begin to listen, the world shows up differently in our lives. We lead with the heart, connected to the whole, in harmony with the fullness of life.

Join me on our next micro-retreat, 20 February 2025 in Cape Town to learn techniques to apply the wisdom of natural cycles into your daily life. For when we live in rhythm with nature, we live in harmony.