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Monday, 06 October 2008
Archives 2006 Dancing with the Universe
| Dancing with the Universe | | Print | |
| Written by Deepak Chopra | |
 ...these sensations are the voice of spirit, which speaks to us at the finest level of feeling in our body. Our body is part of the universe, and everything that happens in the universe ultimately affects the physiology of our body. Biological rhythms are an expression of the rhythms of the Earth in relationship to the entire cosmos, and just four rhythms—daily, tidal, monthly or lunar, and annual or seasonal—are the basis of all other rhythms in our body. As the Earth spins on its axis, we experience a 24-hour cycle of night and day we call the circadian rhythm. Everything in our body, being part of the Earth, is also spinning and following this rhythm. When this biological rhythm is disrupted by long-distance travel, we experience jet lag. Or if we work a night shift, we don’t feel quite right because our biological rhythms are out of tune with the cosmic rhythms. Tidal rhythms are the result of the gravitational effect of the sun, moon, and stars in distant galaxies on the oceans of planet Earth. More than 60 percent of our body is water, and more than 60 percent of our planet is water. So, we experience a low tide and a high tide, and the tides ebb and flow in our own physiology. Spending time near the ocean, or anywhere in nature, can help us to synchronize our rhythms with nature’s rhythms. The lunar rhythm is a 28-day cycle and result of the movement of the Earth, sun, and moon in relationship to one another. It is evident in the waxing and waning of the moon. Human fertility and menstruation are good examples of lunar rhythms. As the Earth moves around the sun, we experience seasonal rhythms as distinct biochemical changes in the body-mind. People with a condition known as seasonal affective disorder get depressed in winter, but feel better when you expose them to sunlight. Seasonal changes affect the biochemistry of trees, flowers, butterflies, bacteria, and everything in nature. In the spring flowers bloom, birds migrate, fish return to their spawning grounds, and mating rituals begin. Seasonal rhythms affect us biologically, mentally, emotionally. There are other cycles and rhythms that last anywhere from a few seconds to twenty-eight hours, called ultradian rhythms. There are cycles within cycles. The body-mind tries to synchronize its rhythms with universal rhythms. The body-mind is part of a larger mind, it’s part of the cosmos, and cosmic rhythms result in profound changes in our physiology. When we are living in harmony with life, we are living in the state of grace. To live in grace is to experience that state of consciousness where things flow effortlessly and our desires are easily fulfilled. Grace is magical, synchronistic, coincidental, joyful. It’s that good-luck factor. But to live in grace we have to allow nature’s intelligence to flow through us, without interfering. Theoretically, if we were totally in harmony with cosmic rhythms, and had zero stress, our body wouldn’t age. But our body-mind isn’t totally aligned with these rhythms, and why isn’t it? Stress. As soon as we have a thought, any thought, it interferes with our biological tendency to synchronize with the universal rhythms. We interfere with Nature’s Intelligence when we start worrying, when we start anticipating problems, when we start thinking. When we try to control everything, when we are afraid, when we feel isolated—all these things interfere with the flow of nature’s intelligence. Anytime we feel resistance, anytime things are going wrong and feel frustration, anytime there is too much effort, we are not connecting with our source. The state of fear is the state of separation; it is resistance to what is. If we don’t have resistance, then it’s all spontaneous, effortless ease. Our body is constantly speaking to us through signals of comfort and discomfort, pleasure and pain, attraction and repulsion. When we listen to the subtle nuances of sensation in our body, we are accessing intuitive intelligence. This intelligence is contextual, relational, nurturing, holistic, and wise. Intuitive intelligence is more accurate and precise than anything that exists in the realm of rational thought. Intuition is the nonlocal cosmic field of information that whispers to us in the silence between our thoughts. So when we listen to our body’s wisdom, when we become aware of the sensations in our body, we will know the whole cosmos, because it is experienced as sensations in our body. If we are out of harmony with universal rhythms, we receive signals of discomfort, ––physical, mental, or emotional. When we are flowing with the universe, the signal that comes to us is a sense of comfort, ease, or joy. In reality, these sensations are the voice of spirit, which speaks to us at the finest level of feeling in our body. When we offer our body our deep listening, we will hear the voice of spirit, because our body is a biocomputer that is constantly plugged into the cosmic psyche. Knowing all this, why not treat your body with reverence and take care of it? Nurture your body with your loving attention. Let go of all constriction and tightness in your consciousness. If you pay attention to the rhythms and cycles of your body-mind, and if you become a little familiar with cosmic rhythms, you’ll synchronize your body’s rhythms with the rhythms of the universe. You don’t have to be an expert, just pay a little attention to this. Notice how you feel at different times of the day and at different times of the month depending on the lunar cycle. Look at the sky, and observe the cycles of the moon. If you look at a newspaper, check the high tide and low tide. Feel your body and see how it relates to each of the seasons. Understanding these rhythms can really help you, and the following information is important, too. Between six and ten in the morning and between six and ten in the evening is when your body is hypometabolic, or at its lowest phase of metabolism. Try to spend time in silence around six in the morning and six in the evening. Ideally speaking, it’s best to meditate in the early part of this phase, and to exercise in the middle of this phase—especially if you’re doing it to lose weight. Between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon is when metabolic fire is at its highest. This is the time to have your biggest meal, because your body will metabolize the food much better. Between two and six in the afternoon is a good time to be active, to learn new mental skills, or to engage in physical activities. Between two and six in the morning is a good time to dream. Around six in the evening, and preferably before sunset, is a good time to have dinner. It’s best to make dinner a lighter meal, and to have at least a two- to three-hour interval between dinner and sleep. Then try to get to bed by ten or ten-thirty at night, and you’ll have ideal sleep and great dreams. These are very basic suggestions, but once we start to synchronize our rhythms with the cosmic rhythms, the body feels quite different. It feels vital; it doesn’t get fatigued. We feel more energy subjectively. We begin to experience that state of consciousness where everything in our life is flowing with ease. Vibrant health is not just the absence of disease; it’s a joyfulness that should be inside us all the time. It’s a state of positive well-being, which is not only physical but emotional, psychological, and ultimately even spiritual. Technology won’t make us healthy. What will make us healthy is to be aligned with the forces of the universe, to commune with nature, to commune with our soul by spending time in silence and solitude. The oceans and rivers of our planet are the lifeblood that circulates in our heart and in our body. The air is the sacred breath of life that gives energy to every cell in our body, so that it may live and breathe and participate in the dance of the cosmos. To know we are a part of this Earth, to know that we are inseparable from the cosmos, is to have the experience of joy, the experience of connectedness to everything. This is the healing experience; it is the experience of being whole. And to be whole is to live in grace. Excerpt from Power, Freedom, & Grace: Living from the Source of Lasting Happiness Amber-Allen Publishing, Inc., San Rafael © 2006 by Deepak Chopra |
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