the rhythms
My little family slowed down this weekend and went to a getaway cabin (thanks for the suggestion, Kate!). With our basic needs met, we stashed our phones away in a box, and enjoyed the mini-detox from daily life. Our simple living allowed the rhythms of nature to take the lead. The morning light nudged us awake and, paired with the brisk morning air, felt like a vitamin. We didn’t worry about keeping time, as we took walks and collected rocks. Our to-do lists and procedures gently faded into the background. We cooked our food over a fire, and savored the deliciousness in every bite and I felt a deep appreciation for the unadorned simplicity of it all. While the fire turned to embers, I looked up to see layers of stars unfolding in the vast sky. My eyes danced with the elements of the heavens, watching for ages, losing track of time in that infinite space. A glance down at the glittering coals brought a similar sense of wonder—the fire’s power, beauty, and steadfast, purposeful movement. Each night I slept well, our cabin and hair perfumed with the lingering scent of sweet smoke, our circadian rhythms more aligned with the turning of the earth.
My spirit felt settled, more connected to the natural rhythm that we each carry, that interacts with the rhythms of the world around us.
A return to regular life got me thinking about the week ahead. As I prepare to lead my first practitioner training this weekend, I’ve mapped out the manual and course content--and I’m really excited about that material--but what I really hope to offer is a space for connection, both internally and externally. I hope to achieve this this through sharing a common language (in this case, building the movement vocabulary), and then exploring individually and together. We’ll bring our discoveries to the group for reflection and processing. We’ll have the freedom to be curious and collaborative. Instead of burdening ourselves with performance-based measures like quizzes, we'll focus on co-creation. We’ll synchronize with a shared frequency, a rhythm. It might seem lofty to imagine that our practice can connect us to our deep shared nature, and yet I believe that, as humans, it is mainly through our bodies we can come to experience, understand, and receive that wisdom.
As we delve into the world of our fascia, which has evolved in tandem with us, we establish connections with the pathways formed during our development. As we learn to re-tune our fascia, we shed the layers that have obscured our senses, preventing us from connecting with ourselves. We rediscover the wisdom carried within each of our bodies. It's a process of returning home to our bodies. As we peel back those layers and reestablish connections, we may find the rhythm of nature within ourselves. We may discover connections with the external world that we never thought possible. And do it within a beautiful community of our own making.
My weekend off the grid allowed me to reconnect to something that is simple but profound, something I’m interested in cultivating anywhere, including cultivating alongside you, Friend.
