What do great musicians, surfers and happy people share?

Right…, a sense for rhythm!

Musicians choose the most harmonic rhythm for their songs. Great surfers tune in to catch the right wave to flow on it with very little effort. Likewise, happy individuals respect the rhythm of life and choose the best timing for everything they pursue. They don’t separate themselves from the natural rhythms, but instead choose to become part of them. Obviously, the natural rhythms are so powerful that they can’t be fought any way!

In my previous post I encouraged you to join me in making 2014 the year we enjoy our full presence. Everything happens in waves and there is a certain rhythm in nature as well as in ourselves. All life pulsates day and night, whether within the phases of the moon or the seasons of a year; everything is constantly changing and vibrating. We as part of nature follow these rhythms too: with our heart beat, brain waves, breathing and many other cycles. Up and down, in and out, expanding and contracting…

Too many of us engage in fights we can’t possibly win. We stay up late to finish some work though our body and mind cry out for, and would greatly benefit from, sleep. We skip lunches or eat in a hurry while working at our desks or on phone calls. Going against these natural rhythms often results in stress or illness. Most of us prefer the active part of our lives to the passive. In this post I’d like to inspire you to enjoy both, as well as everything in between. Just think of the moments before sunrise with all its freshness, hope and thrill… or when the sun goes down and everything is settling down for some rest, notice the beauty, peace and stilness!

My point is this: it’s not “either – or”, it’s about integrating it all. We can use all natural rhythms to live even more fully. Have you ever tried to stop your heart from beating or lungs from breathing? How about the sea tide? Through full presence and acceptance of what is, we integrate these polarities. As soon as we enter our own flow while respecting the natural rhythms two magic shifts happen:

1. Life takes less effort and offers more joy.
2. We access the only constant – our true self.

By recognizing our core we find peace. It becomes easy to accept the rhythm of life with its ups and downs, and to live at our best and enjoy everything in its full breadth. Suddenly, what seemed like opposites is just defining the range; the true beauty is how we navigate the flow itself. Life becomes a wholesome experience and we an integral part of its never-ending rhythm. Since my 100 days of Nowness I am experimenting with finding new ways to foster the natural flow. Being aware of this cosmic music with all the rhythms happening inside and outside of me helps me to use each moment as a space for the most natural activities. As a result my life is getting more productive, creative and healthier. When I struggle to complete a task I often realize it wasn’t the best way or moment to approach that task in the first place. Following the rhythm and accessing flow helps me live and work with more ease and joy.

We often think of only two states when it comes to our consciousness: we are awake and active until we fall asleep. When in actuality there are at least five levels. Even during sleep our brain emits a range of waves which correlate with various physical, mental and emotional states.The frequency of brain electrical potentials is measured in cycles per second – Hertz. The amazing thing is this: a particular state can be launched by listening to an audio with binaurals beats. You can find many on youtube. They can stimulate a particular pattern in our brain:

Delta (0.1 - 4 HZ)

Associated with deep levels of relaxation, typically deep sleep with no awareness of the self. People who practice meditation sometimes report a deep stillness and an awareness of the self. You can try entering delta range using this youtube audio. As with any stimulation, treat this with respect to your current state (medical etc.) The binaural beats have the highest effect when you relax and use headphones.

Theta (4 - 7 Hz)

Tranquil states of awareness in which profound imaging, dreams and visions occur. Theta is often linked with self-healing.

Alpha (8 – 14 Hz)

Relaxed nervous system, ideal for stress management, accelerated learning and mental imagery. You can practise alpha with this rhythm.

Beta (15 - 30 Hz)

Associated with alert state, activity, business, anxious thinking, active concentration or stress. Most people spend their waking state in beta i.e. no need to provide a special soundtrack for that ;)

Gamma (30 - 100 Hz)

Rapid states of awareness with enhanced creativity, mental performance, clarity, insight, new perspective, inspiration and integration. The aha moments usually occur in short bursts around 33 HZ. Balanced communication between our creative right brain and logical left brain. Ideal state for creative professions and anyone in a process of complex problem solving or decision making.

Even Earth emits vibration usually called the Schumann resonance. As we hear range of 20 to 20000 Hz and it’s frequency is 7.83 Hz we can’t hear it, but it is affecting us anyway. Sound greatly influences our energy flows, because of its vibratory nature. It affects all particles exposed to it. There are some astonishing experiments on how sound vibrations create forms and patterns. Now, we can hear as well as see the sound!

OK, you may say, sound sends vibrations and forms structures. So what? What’s in it for me?

Imagine how the music we listen to influences us; not only our mind but also the physical body. We can observe how music vibrations create forms and re-structure particles into harmonious shapes. Now think about human voice and how its frequency might be affecting us… Imagine the endless opportunities to use sound, music and even our own voices mindfully and for everyone’s benefit. While words usually activate our left hemisphere, music activates the right. We can stimulate the whole brain by music combined with language. Our left brain perceives the world in a logical way, while the right side accepts paradox and recognizes hidden patterns. If we better coordinate the two hemispheres we can think and act both cognitively and intuitively. How does that sound?

All indigenous traditions used rhythm and sound to alter human consciousness in order to enter the realms of soul and spirit. Since I am learning to play a drum I can confess from my own experince – its vibrations have a direct effect on my body, mind and soul. I feel more grounded, focused and creative as a result of drumming and singing.

We are all part of a big magic called life and excluding part of its full range means moving away from the universal dance, away from the constant flow of energy in the inter-connected system. Staying in tune to the rhythms saves energy and leads us to the most effective activity in any given moment. Helping people feel full of energy to live their dreams is the bottom line of this blog. I find it extremely inspiring to be surrounded by energetic people who discovered their passion and live in the present moment. But what if we don’t have such people around? Well, we can always let great surfers and musicians be our inspiration for living in the flow of Now, riding life’s waves smoothly listening to its natural rhythms in order to live the best we can!