The Spinning Top – A deliberate rhythm to life.
Optimizing your sleep-wake cycle.
The times in which we live are replete with technologies that make our lives much, much easier. Yet, paradoxically, we are exponentially more distracted. Back in the good ol' days, we lived and died by the sun. There was a natural rhythm to the day that couldn't be manipulated to any large extent – the means to do so were too costly. And, most people were too tired from the day’s manual work to concern themselves with sticking to a rhythm. The rhythm was their life.
Technology has allowed us to exert more control over our lives, so much so, that we can disregard natural cycles and live as we wish. However, since the same technology is just as captivating as it is productive, we end up subconsciously relinquishing the control we once had.
Yet there is still a physiological rhythm, i.e. the circadian rhythm, within our bodies that is tied to the natural, daily rhythm of the Earth. Finding the harmony between these two systems will produce a resonance in life that will make you sing like a fine-tuned machine.
Regaining this sort of temporal regularity in our lives will provide the body the fundamental timing it needs to get all of its systems running at optimal strengths.
Our body is a complex system. In complex systems, seemingly small changes can have greatly magnified and unpredictable effects. Like the body, the global supply chain is a highly scheduled and synchronized ensemble responsible for the distribution, tracking and delivery of much of what we depend on. When things are working in an orderly way, there is a seamless transition from the created product to its final destination and use.
Just as small aberrations to the supply chain can cause frustrating consequences downstream, our circadian rhythms can be similarly fragile. Function, productivity and vitality hang in this balance – the temporal chain of events in our lives.
A sure-fire way to set your biological clock and establish such a rhythm is to wake up at the same time every day. For many, this is already programmed right into their physiology. But, for many others, this kind of regulation is non-existent.
Though a regular wake-up time may sound rigid or even tedious, abiding by such a rhythm produces an elegance within your life.
Every twenty-four hours you will be doing the same thing without end. One event every twenty-four hours. This will act as the proverbial point around which your spinning top rotates. That spinning top, being all the functions of your life, will revolve around that one single time point. It is from that point in time that your life flourishes. That point in time also dictates how your day must end, providing you the time necessary to keep the rhythm going.
The time that you wake will be linked with the natural rhythm of the sun’s daily traversal, and your body will thank you. Over the eons that have produced our intricate physiologies, they have conformed to the light/dark cycles. Why not purposefully take pride in abiding by the rhythms of nature?
Of course, the catch involves each person's resolve to make the sacrifices in life to allow this elegance to take hold. The degree of regularity achieved will correlate with the discipline to avoid certain things at certain times. Since we have the freedom to influence our daily routines, it takes a conscious decision to remain in such a rhythm.
The sun rises and falls with regularity. Our bodies tie their hormonal rhythm to this larger natural rhythm. The responsibility of our natural mind is simply to wake up.
Technology has allowed us to exert more control over our lives, so much so, that we can disregard natural cycles and live as we wish. However, since the same technology is just as captivating as it is productive, we end up subconsciously relinquishing the control we once had.
Yet there is still a physiological rhythm, i.e. the circadian rhythm, within our bodies that is tied to the natural, daily rhythm of the Earth. Finding the harmony between these two systems will produce a resonance in life that will make you sing like a fine-tuned machine.
Regaining this sort of temporal regularity in our lives will provide the body the fundamental timing it needs to get all of its systems running at optimal strengths.
Our body is a complex system. In complex systems, seemingly small changes can have greatly magnified and unpredictable effects. Like the body, the global supply chain is a highly scheduled and synchronized ensemble responsible for the distribution, tracking and delivery of much of what we depend on. When things are working in an orderly way, there is a seamless transition from the created product to its final destination and use.
Just as small aberrations to the supply chain can cause frustrating consequences downstream, our circadian rhythms can be similarly fragile. Function, productivity and vitality hang in this balance – the temporal chain of events in our lives.
A sure-fire way to set your biological clock and establish such a rhythm is to wake up at the same time every day. For many, this is already programmed right into their physiology. But, for many others, this kind of regulation is non-existent.
Though a regular wake-up time may sound rigid or even tedious, abiding by such a rhythm produces an elegance within your life.
Every twenty-four hours you will be doing the same thing without end. One event every twenty-four hours. This will act as the proverbial point around which your spinning top rotates. That spinning top, being all the functions of your life, will revolve around that one single time point. It is from that point in time that your life flourishes. That point in time also dictates how your day must end, providing you the time necessary to keep the rhythm going.
The time that you wake will be linked with the natural rhythm of the sun’s daily traversal, and your body will thank you. Over the eons that have produced our intricate physiologies, they have conformed to the light/dark cycles. Why not purposefully take pride in abiding by the rhythms of nature?
Of course, the catch involves each person's resolve to make the sacrifices in life to allow this elegance to take hold. The degree of regularity achieved will correlate with the discipline to avoid certain things at certain times. Since we have the freedom to influence our daily routines, it takes a conscious decision to remain in such a rhythm.
The sun rises and falls with regularity. Our bodies tie their hormonal rhythm to this larger natural rhythm. The responsibility of our natural mind is simply to wake up.
