Cycles of Nature
Although we often forget or deny it, we are part of the natural world. All of nature moves in cycles and patterns. There are the great tides of the sea and the migration of birds, the mating patterns of the gorilla and the seasonal shifts as our planet orbits the sun. We too, live within the cyclical laws of nature. And, within us move cycles seen and unseen.
We are aware of the rhythm of our heart and the cycling of blood through the circulatory system. We have a sleep-wake cycle. If we are female we have a menstrual cycle. Following the cycle of breath can bring us into our center and ground our awareness in the body and in the present moment. These are all physical patterns, but what of the more subtle patterns working through, within and upon us?
How does the light filtering through the window as the hours of a day pass by affect our mood, our wakefulness, creativity or depression? How do sound vibrations (vibration is cyclical) entering the ear affect concentration, relaxation, agitation? How do the larger patterns of the season, climate, weather, and even the starts affect our cells? It is a lot to fathom at once. It is interesting to take time to notice these patterns and their effects upon us. Doing so can only help us better know ourselves. Knowing ourselves better can only help us take better care of ourselves. How will we know the waning light of autumn brings on depression if we aren’t paying attention? And, once we do know, we have the power to do something about it (take Vitamin D and spend time under special lighting for example).
This week, we will focus on the obvious and subtle cyclical patterns in our lives. You can choose to make the Daily Commitments or not. Some people find trying to do five different daily commitments in a week is too much. That’s okay. Perhaps if you aren’t accustomed to doing this kind of self-reflective practice, you can commit to one of the Daily Commitments and try to do it daily. Whatever you decide, don’t berate yourself for not doing more.
Oftentimes, my students and clients will complain about complacency, apathy or what they deem laziness when it comes to consistently doing the things which make them feel better (meditation, exercise or staying hydrated for example). It is true that this resistance may have something to do with punishing ourselves or being afraid of the changes which might come if we consistently practice self-care. It is also true that this pattern of “slacking off” is simply part of a larger cycle. In nature that which grows and grows and grows unchecked is considered a nuisance, hindrance, plague or cancer. Why would we expect or want ourselves to enter states of unchecked growth? Doing is not the same as being. And, we cannot be the people we are longing to be-more authentic, creative, generous, self-aware-until we allow ourselves to slow down and be.
Take a long slow breath. Find your center. Come fully into your body before you quickly read on, mistakenly thinking you “get it.” Take as long as you need to slow your breath and your mind so you can really take in what I am about to share.
Too often we sign on for one workshop, spiritual practice, exercise class, self care regime, or commitment after another in a wild rush to take better care of ourselves and develop our spiritual core. Inevitably we fool ourselves into believing that if we do more we’ll make greater, quicker strides forward on our quest. Unfortunately, this approach doesn’t work. Just as we know a quick stop at a fast food restaurant might fill our belly but leave us in a nutritional deficit, so too can this fast-food approach to our own personal transformation and spiritual development.
We are overly focused on work and the capitalist ideal that more hard work will yield bigger and better results. Think about how that ideal permeates your professional life as well as your personal and spiritual life. Think about how that ideal has influenced community, economy, the environment and the government.
Faster is not necessarily sustainable. More is not necessarily desirable. Bigger is not necessarily better.
Our body/emotional selves know this. Breathe into this to show your body/emotional self that your Genius self knows it now as well. Breath will expand the idea and help it take shape within you.
Begin to forgive yourself for pushing yourself so hard that the only thing left for the body/emotional self to do is quit exercising, eating right or meditating. When the body/emotional self wants to quit we are being given a clue about our internal cycles.
When we begin or deepen a new regime, we set a cycle in motion. We are, in a sense, giving birth to something new in us. When we are committed, we begin to see results pretty quickly. This excites us and we may find ourselves slipping into that capitalist ideology and push ourselves to do more, go faster, get bigger results. Meanwhile, a part of us is trying very hard just to catch up and adjust to the radical changes already in place.
The cycle thus far looks like this: Commit, Do, Get Results, Quit.
If we have been doing this work of personal transformation and spiritual development for a while, we might recognize this pattern well. We realize how hard it is to Commit again, once we have Quit. We become distrusting or even hostile toward ourselves for Quitting. We call ourselves names like lazy, complacent, apathetic, underachieving or self-sabotaging.
I wonder if the trees in autumn are berating themselves for losing their leaves.
I wonder if when the Earth turns her face from the sun each evening, she screeches in anger toward herself, “Quitter!”
I wonder if the child lying down for a nap after a hard morning of muscles, nerve-endings and brain cells learning new coding, belittles himself for not having accomplished enough.
We need periods of rest for integration. That means there will be times when we cannot take on another commitment, another practice, another asana, another ten laps in the pool. There are periods when we must stay the course with what we are already doing. And, there are times when all we can do are the very fundamentals of our practices while our body/selves get accustomed to the great leaps and bounds of growth we have made.
All natural cycles include a period of rest. There is even a space between breaths. This period is to help ensure we have embodied the activity which came before. It is also to strengthen us for the activity which comes next
Slow and steady wins the race.
My blog http://soulalignments.blogspot.com/ offers Daily Commitments which accompany this essay. Enjoy.