how to ‘come back into rhythm’
On this day, many children are back to school, and the teachers already started earlier in the week. This is a rhythm I have been in for so many years that it feels quite strange to not be participating in it. I now find myself forming new, more supportive grooves after there was a massive pattern interrupt last year.
Deciding to leave my safe, permanent, part time percussion teaching career in favour of homeschooling my girls, committing deeper to my soul through my business and recreating my own life rhythms (in what feels like a whole new time signature!) has been a steep learning curve and abrupt time of transition. I am still discovering how my authentic energy wants to flow and learning to give myself permission to live in this way.
This is in stark contrast to working in a system that left me burnt-out and exhausted, as it decided the tempo of life and did not allow for many spaces, known in musical terminology as ‘rests’. I notice others around me also struggle with the fast pace, the relentless expectations and the resulting disconnection to both self as well as to loved ones. Perhaps you can relate?
So what does it mean to ‘come back into rhythm?’
If we consider the rhythms of nature we can see how our bodies are a part of and a reflection of that intrinsically natural rhythm. The physiological rhythm of our heartbeat, breathing, brainwaves, speech and each step we take walking in this world are ways we embody this.
In the Celtic traditions, our ancestors celebrated the solar rhythms through the festivals of solstices and equinoxes, tracking the ebb and flow of the sun’s light over the course of a year.
The 1st Feb today in the Southern hemipshere (or 1st August in the Northern hemisphere) is known as Lammas or Lughnasa, where we honour the height of the sun’s light, in between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox. It is a time of culmination, JOY and harvesting the crops before we prepare for a return of the feminine darkness and the necessary rhythm of rest.
In astrological terms, the Sun is known as our yang life force, masculine consciousness or spirit and is an expression of our unique way we are here to share our light with the world! It takes one month per sign, or 12 months for the Sun to move through its cycle of the whole zodiac.
The moon by contrast, represents our emotional and physical bodies, what comforts us in our private worlds, and reflects the darker, yin, feminine energies within us. She moves much quicker, only taking 2 or 3 days to move through each sign, cycling through the whole zodiac from dark moon, to full and back again, within one month, just as a woman’s body moves through the menstrual cycle.
I’m sure you well know the horrible feeling of having to push your body when you just feel like resting. There is often a disconnect between the wisdom of these natural rhythmic cycles and the reality of modern life, which is the cause of a lot of problems in our society!
There are many simultaneous cycles happening within cycles and at any particular time you may be more attuned to the Sun, the Moon or any of the other planets or other celestial bodies, depending on your unique birth chart, body or life stage.
So coming back into rhythm can restore a state of balance, equilibrium, and a more regulated nervous system, reconnecting to what it is to be a human being (as opposed to a robot-doing!)
what are some ways i can ‘come back into rhythm’?
Know thyself and your own body’s preferences. Are you more of a night owl, or an early bird? Can you give yourself permission to really work with how your own energy flows in a day, even if it’s different to everyone else around you?
Understand your main astrological energy signatures and what you’re naturally attuned to need. You Sun and Moon are two of the main players that really need to be well-fed and working well together, so you are in balance within yourself.
What are some simple practices that you can realistically do each day that really nourish you? I like to have a buffet of options, depending on the time available. Most mornings I might dance, do some journalling or pull an oracle card. What about your weekly, monthly or annual rhythms or traditions that could support you?
Time in nature always helps us reset and learn from seeing the wisdom of seasons, cycles and the natural world.
Have compassion for yourself to be honest about what you need. Work on having good boundaries to protect your precious time and space.
Connect deeper to yourself through embodiment practices. This helps you to become more connected to your physical, emotional and soul bodies. Joining a drumming class or a dance class, may give you ideas for your own solo well-being practice you can do at home that can help you remember to come back into your own unique rhythm.
Where are you at currently in connection to yourself as a rhythmic being? Do you have any other ways that help you to ‘come back into rhythm?’