Align with the Rhythms of Life, and Life Flows.
What does it mean to align with the Rhythms of Life?
Ratna Ling 2013 by Michelle Pattee
This world is full of Rhythm. The changing tides, the wax and wane of the moon, our heartbeats, a hip-hop beat, even the stock market marches to a ryhthm you can track across the years. We are no different. We each have a beat, a pattern, a pulse that is unique to us and no one else. Our own unique spanda, the yogis would say. Some of our patterns serve us well and help us flow easefully in our lives, and some fail us, knowingly or unknowingly, and keep us from truly living our full potential and purpose.
Purpose, you say? Yes. Part of the bigger picture, the grand Tempo of this earthly realm we live in, is our purpose, or Dharma. The word rhythm is synonomous with Flow. Rhythm is the bringing together of pieces and parts, in a repeated fashion that becomes Flow. And when ryhthm and flow are brought together intelligently, it creates harmony. Harmony is the joining together of things to a pleasing effect. All these combined, rhythm+flow+harmony, create an integrated sympohony, if we can reference music here. When we apply this to ourselves, we are talking about the Symphony of our very own Life. I don’t know what your jam is, but I intend to create something the likes of Tchaikovsky!
So, back to purpose and rhythm. The universe, our world, has grand ryhthms consisting of lunar cycles, solar cycles, seasonal cycles, growth cycles, life span cycles and so on. Those rhythms serve the big, or Maha Dharma, the turning of Universal Existence in harmony.
And within that big concert of the universe, playing itself out, there is us. Each of us, YOU included, has our own unique part to play in this master composition we are creating. Knowing your part is fundamental in aligning with the harmony of the big dharma. And aligning with the harmony of the Big Dharma, is fundamental in discovering our personal purpose. Just as the cellist must know when to pluck the strings within the great masterpiece, so too must we know what we are here to do, in order to fully offer our contribution.
So what, you say, is MY purpose? Good question. In Sanskrit, this is called Svadharma (swa-dar-ma). This is your unique calling, your unique gift, that ONLY YOU can express in the intrinsically individual way that was born into you. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is referenced as Jing and it is believed to be a “contract” with your Soul that you were born to live out. You might explore revealing your purpose by asking yourself questions such as “If I were on my deathbed, what would I wish I had done with my life” or “If money, time and energy were limitless, what would I do?”. Put your ear against the wall of your heart, and listen closely for the answers. It may time time to unfold itself.
So,back to our original question. What does it mean to align with the rhythms of life?
- To align is to first recognize, that these repeated, sustainable, intrinsic patterns exist everywhere in life.
- Second, is to realize they are there to serve the greater functioning, or Dharma, of our world as a whole.
- Thirdly, is to remember that we are part of the Whole and therefore these patterns serve OUR rhythm as well.
- Lastly, is to experience this symbiotic relationship first hand by participating in practices that honor these Universal Rhythms of Life.
There is a quote by Indian Guru, Nasargatta, that says “Wisdom tells me I am nothing, Love tells me I am everything. And between these two, my life flows.” When we follow the aforementioned process, this is the result. Our life begins to Flow.
So, what are the practices that honor the Universal Rhythms of Life? Excellent question. And, I’ll leave that for another blog post. Right now, the Sun is rising, breaking open the darkness of Night to reveal the ethereal wonder of fresh fallen snow, sparkling it’s Rhythmic reflection of Spanda, Life’s great pulse.
**If you would like to experience what it’s like to immerse yourself in the Rhythms of Life and explore your personal purpose or Svadharma, please join myself and Meg McCraken, on our Spring Renewal Retreat in April of 2018. You can learn more HERE.
*If you would like to join us in exploring some of these practices, you can do so on February 25th in Tahoe for a 2.5 hour “Mini-Retreat” whose proceeds will go to support Sierra Nevada Alliance and Americorps in a Tahoe Restoration Project set for August, 2018. More details HERE. Full details & Registration soon to come!
*A similar event is scheduled for Sunday, February 11th at Rishi Yoga in Reno. You can register now for this event by clicking HERE. If you do not have a Rishi account, you will need to sign up to register.
