by Madison Asher
How do we measure change? We have to have an awareness of now so we can compare it to later. If change is always happening on a continuum, we are required to choose an intentional beginning and end in order to witness the shift. During our events at RhythmetriX, we practice this within our timed containers. At our Women in Rhythm events, for example, I like to introduce the bumblebee breath technique as we begin class. We each check in with our inner landscape by closing off our senses to the outside world for 3 breaths. After spending time together in our external landscape for 1 hour, we return to our inner worlds to feel into the difference.
Along the way, it’s important to fine tune the difference between falling out of rhythm and changing rhythms. They can both feel challenging. They can throw us off, but we learn to be mindful of not mistaking a change in rhythm as a falling out of rhythm. There’s nuance to this in our lives and we practice with the drums. When are we grasping for the rhythm we left behind, believing it to be a pursuit of the “right” rhythm? Don’t stick to your flow because it played a vital role in your last environment, rather, as the tide turns, we adapt to the rhythm's evolution. Find a new beat. We might feel thrown out of rhythm when in fact what’s happening is we’re discovering a new one. Keep going.
We don’t strive to be great drummers, we strive to become masterful observers. What naturally arises from this place of awareness is the beginning of our rhythms shifting into the natural evolution of what comes next.
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