Most of us have had life-events that have challenged or changed our lives completely. They have rocked our world. It seems like someone has broken into our home and rearranged the furniture. Everything is off or slightly cockeyed and we are not sure what’s wrong. These events can completely though us off. This sometimes makes it difficult to connect to our organic or natural selves, our compassionate selves, curious selves or our patient selves. These events disorient us and we have to adjust around it to regain some sense of ourselves.

It is this re-orienting that we explore and practice in the 5Rhythms®. Especially how it connects to the first rhythm – Flowing.

Simply put, Flowing is the way in which we are fluid in all of our actions and movements. We are open, “hanging loose,” as it were, being flexible in our continuous circular movements through life.

So, what do we do when someone throws a monkey wrench into the mix?

Mostly, we panic, worry and get stressed out and rigid. Other times we can get self-conscious or overexert ourselves onto the situation.   Sometimes we just get lazy. These are our flow-freezers and we all have them. They are different or the same for each of us. But whatever stops us or freezes our flow, we can adjust by recognizing our tension and begin to add fluidity to our situation.

Flowing is the feminine and receptive rhythm in the 5Rhythms® practice and so the medicine of fluidity is that it knows something about how to “take things in.” How do we take in what is going on around us? Well, the Feminine knows something about this and as we add fluidity to our movements, circle and find our way around things, we soften our edges so things can come in. Flowing is also the rhythm of Earth, so we learn how to how to feel the resource and support beneath us as we inhale and take things in: like complements, putdowns, intuitions, hunches, vibes and moods.

When we add the medicine of fluidity to the mix we connect and “take in” the natural rhythms, cycles and moods of the earth and everything around us. We are fully connected to the energies around us and we intuitively know how to be with what is happening now and what comes next. So, if we relax into our Flow, doing things that once were a challenge, become as easy and natural as breathing.

So, whenever you notice that your becoming rigid and tense, feel your feet on the ground, breathe, relax and add fluidity to your movements and actions. Notice which body parts are tense and move them in circles, curves and contours while you are aware of your surrounding’s. Then notice what happens. Good luck.