"There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture
your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures. There
are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in
full bloom, energized and expanding. And there are times of
fruition, when things come to an end. They have reached
their climax and must be harvested before they begin to
fade. And finally of course, there are times that are cold,
and cutting and empty, times when the spring of new
beginnings seems like a distant dream. Those rhythms in
life are natural events. They weave into one another as day
follows night, bringing, not messages of hope and fear, but
messages of how things are." --Chogyam Trungpa
Seasonal Rhythms
The dynamics of your body extends in an expanding range and
your physiology is linked to the world and universe at
large. Your body changes with the seasons, with the
weather, with the atmospheric conditions. Many people can
tell in their bones when a change in weather is coming.
Human bodies are in synch with the gravitational forces,
planetary shifts, the cold and heat, light and dark,
humidity and all the other variations that the seasons
bring. They respond and shift their functioning according
to these natural dynamics. Your body increases and
decreases certain functions in response to surrounding
influences.
Biological and Geophysical Rhythms and Frequencies
All living organisms are composites of different rhythms
and frequencies.
The heart beats approximately once per second but this rate
speeds up in the morning and slows down at night; the
electrical activity of the human brain cycles in fractions
of a second; breathing occurs about sixteen times per
minute; many hormones are released in pulses lasting
several hours.
Across all species the natural daily rhythmic cycles run in
twenty to twenty-eight hours for a natural day. The most
conspicuous cycles in plants and animals are these daily
rhythms (Circadian). They inter mesh with other cycles that
are longer or shorter than a day.
Biological activities and processes are tied to lunar
cycling as in monthly processes such as menstruation and
also to the earth's rotation around the sun as is seen in
such yearly activities as hibernation, migration, and
reproduction.
The seven day week has no obvious geophysical correlate but
research suggests that this cultural convention may reflect
deep biological rhythms. Seven day rhythms are seen in many
illnesses, for example the common cold, and beard growth in
men follows a seven day cycle.
Annual seasonal rhythms are less noticeable in humans than
in other animals but they do exist. Secretion of the male
hormone testosterone surges in the fall, sperm
concentration and activity is highest in the winter, and
rates of conception peak in the winter. More babies are
born in August and September than in other months. Babies
born in summer and fall tend to weigh slightly more than
babies born in other seasons and they have a greater
likelihood of survival. Miscarriages are greater in the
fall.
Deaths also have a seasonal pattern. Fatal heart attacks
are more common in winter. This is true even in climates
that are mild such as Hawaii and also in the southern
hemisphere where seasons are reversed. Winter months are
the time of lower resistance to infections and of higher
cholesterol levels.
Disorders and Seasonal Rhythms
It has been found that people who suffer from depression
have skewed body rhythms and cycles. These may include the
rhythms of sleep, body temperature, and hormone release.
Seasonal rhythms have also come under scrutiny. Suicides
peak in the spring usually in May. Admissions to mental
hospital for depression also soar in the spring. There is
another smaller surge in suicides and hospital admissions
in the fall. An external environmental factor - the length
of daylight -is believed to an influencing factor.
The Body Has a Master Clock
In the 1960's researchers found the key generator of body
rhythms. Injuring part of a tiny region at the center of
the brain known as the hypothalamus caused the loss of many
normal rhythms. The hypothalamus commands the sympathetic
nervous system. It speeds up breathing and heart rate in
moments of danger, regulates body temperature, stimulates
appetite and reproduction and controls hormone secretion.
Further research found that a critical area of the
hypothalamus, the suprachiasmatic nucleus -SCN- a tiny
cluster of nerve cells that sits on top of the optic chasm,
is the body's master clock. The SCN directs the body's
various rhythms to work together. The SCN uses daylight
signals picked up by the eyes to direct each body rhythm to
do its part at the appropriate time, day after day.
Seasonal Changes
Regardless of location, in traditional cultures, there was
an awareness that they were continuously affected by the
changing seasons. You may live longer and be more healthy
if you adapt your health care to the natural rhythms of the
earth. Learning to live within the seasonal fluctuations is
believed to bring health, harmony and strength to the body.
It also provides a natural timetable and rhythm for a good
service check and health care program for maintenance and
upkeep to prevent accumulated stress from degenerating body
responses.
Many people get the flu in the shift from summer to fall.
In the peak of winter many suffer from depressive moods.
Some people find that if they drink fruit juices or eat a
lot of fruit in the winter they will feel cold and damp and
get a cold. When it is difficult to adjust from one season
to the next our bodies may react through lowered immune
responses that leave us more vulnerable to later illness.
Sometimes the body is a bit out of step with all the
changes from one season to another. That's why many people
tend to get sick during those shifting times. Sometimes we
fail to adapt our habits to be more compatible to our
changing body functions in response to the seasonal
changes. By being aware of some of these cyclical changes
throughout the year we can support shifting body dynamics
so as to assist the changes. We can also take advantage of
these natural shifting points to expand those dynamics that
are increasing/flowing and rest those that are
decreasing/ebbing. Many traditional cultures have set up
associations of food, drink, activities, energies, dress,
organs of the body, and emotions that are related to and
affected by the seasonal shifts.
Are You Connected With Your Natural Rhythms?
Your biological clock is set to cue you to certain kinds of
activities during certain times of the day. Bodies have
thousands of natural rhythms for every biological function.
Your moods are regulated by your biological clock. Your
brain energy is just like your other natural rhythms - high
at certain times of the day and low at other times of the
day. Your energy and vitality follow the same natural ebb
and flow. When you try to push through those natural
rhythms you lose the temporal harmony of your biological
clock and desynchronization, malaise, dysfunction and poor
performance set in. You will run but you will never be your
best.
When all your biological patterns are ebbing and flowing
according to their natural rhythms your body is
synchronized and performs at its peak. You will have
effortless energy and vitality when you live in accordance
with your circadian, diurnal, and seasonal rhythms.
Are you aware of any energy cycles that you have? Do you
pay attention to these cycles and adjust your activities as
needed?
Are you able to go inward and rest when needed, or are you
more likely to resist and keep going?
Are you aware of changes in alertness and your thinking
abilities and do you use this awareness advantageously?
Do you have the energy and passion for projects that you
want to do?
When you must perform at your best do you remain calm,
focused and positively energized regardless of the
situation?
Are you able to naturally meet the challenges of a
situation? Or does it all seem to be too much for you and
you just get by as best as you can?
Can you enter a state of calmness, alertness, focus and
positive energy whenever you need to regardless of the
situation?
If you are worried or feeling upset can you set aside these
feelings and be fully engaged in what is happening for you
in the moment?
Do you have the energy and motivation to be involved in
interesting and challenging situations that call for you to
be your best and operate creatively?
----------------------------------------------------
Mary Ann Copson is the founder of the Evenstar Mood &
Energy Wellness Center. With Master's Degrees in Human
Development and Psychology and Counseling, Mary Ann is a
Certified Licensed Nutritionist; Certified Holistic Health
Practitioner; Brain Chemistry Profile Clinician.If you have
answered "no" to any of the above questions, reconnect to
your physical, emotional, mental, psychological and
spiritual natural rhythms at
http://evenstaronline.com
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