One of the characteristics of modern living is we tend to want to move fast. There is a desire to get somewhere, the faster we get there the better. This impacts our expectations about the time it takes to satisfy our wants, our desires and our growth. ‘Instant gratification’ is the need to experience fulfillment without delay or wait.
This expectation has seeped into our expectation of the time it takes for personal growth, for habit changing, for healing, for joy in our lives.
This is the rhythm of my life
Life has various rhythms and tempos. When we tune in to the rhythm of life and spirit, when we live in harmony with nature’s rhythm, we thrive. When we slow it all down and synch with the rhythm we can:
Live with greater acceptance, ease, clarity, patience and joy
Create optimal conditions for healing, for change
Provides a sanctuary and support wellbeing and growth
When we slow down and quieten the noise, much of what is not meaningful then begins to drop away. Attachments to it released.
In this moment, there is nothing to do, no where to get to, nothing to be achieved, nothing has to change in order to fix things and make things better.
Slowing down will breed productivity, creativity, satisfaction and healing.
Ways to tune into nature’s rhythm
A fundamental belief of Ayurvedic medicine is that if we ignore the cyclical rhythms of nature then we slowly create imbalances that disrupt our doshic balance (get in touch with you want to learn more about doshic balance) and, ultimately, cause ill-health.
A few simple adjustments can help us find greater synchronicity with the natural world and keep us in balance. The beauty of it is that nature is there and waiting, all we have to do is tune in. How wonderful is that! Here are some ideas to get you going:
Incorporate daily sunrise and sunset ritual
In nature, the period of time during the sunrise and sunset are uniquely different than other times of day. Most commonly, the wind is calm, the air is still, the lakes and oceans are flat and there is a palpable experience of peace and calm during these two transition periods. Ayurveda suggests engaging in rituals like yoga, pranayama, and meditation during these periods is a way to entrain the silence of nature into our beings.
If yoga, pranayama and meditation is not in your practice, that is not a problem. Make a cup of warm herbal tea or coffee and sit on the balcony or in the backyard and listen to the sound of nature. That also works!
Plant a vegetable from seeds
There's a reason why eating in season is so powerful. When you eat seasonally, you’re ingesting foods at their peak freshness with the highest nutritional value. Additionally, you’re contributing to the environment by eating what naturally grows during a certain time of year.
Ritucharya is the name of this practice in Ayurveda and can serve as a preventative health method focused on changing your lifestyle and diet according to the seasons. And what better way to eat seasonally then to grow your vegetables from seeds. There is also something so utterly soothing to watch your fruit and vegetables come into season.
Slow down you movement, your thoughts, your breathing at least for a small portion of every day.
One of the key messages of yoga is to watch your mind with appreciative and restful awareness! To do that, we should cultivate the skill of slowing down and being present, at least for a small portion of every day. Try bringing this practice of slowing down to your everyday life. Take a few deliberately slow breaths every hour. You could speak more mindfully and slowly for a few minutes every day. Eat one meal everyday slowly. Take small steps or move like you are in water. Let slowing down make you calmer, and notice that you can appreciate life better when you take the time to do so.
Life is always experienced in the present. It is not found in a future that we wish to hurry toward. The future doesn’t exist yet, and when it does, it will be the present. So go on, slow it all down and enjoy the present before it becomes the past, but not before it becomes the future.
Written by: Nancy Yeung
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