Motion and Flow
Have you ever had a day where everything seems to flow easily and that the motion of our movement seems to be in balance with everything around? Those are the days I never want to end. Then, there are days when it appears that I got up on the wrong side of the bed. I seem to struggle to move through the flow of the day and it appears that I am fighting the motion of my every move. Almost as if needing someone or something to push me along.
Motion and Flow Philosophy
Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher and founder of the philosophical system of Taoism was quoted saying, “Those who flow as life flows knows they need no other force.” In thinking about this quote, perhaps the days that I feel like I need a push from behind are the days that I am fighting, albeit subconsciously, against the flow of life.
If it is subconsciously, one might think we don’t have control over this flow and draw the conclusion that it’s just ‘having a bad day’. I believe, though, that we have the power within our mind to clear out and change the mental and emotional direction of the blocked flow and have a motion to our step that might not feel as discouraging and weighty.
What Can Nature Teach About Motion and Flow?
Life, in nature, has a natural flow. At times, it appears that nature gets out of balance, but it always seems to find a way to correct itself. I find one of the most amazing traits of nature is that of a seed. If planted in the ground upside down, it can correct itself and find its way to the surface, and then reaching for the light it emerges healthy and strong. But what about motion in nature? This is a heavy topic and many will argue quite a few reasons for the interruption to the motion of it, but let’s just assume that nature itself drops a huge boulder into a small stream (flow) of water.
What causes the water to take a different course of movement? Just like humans, some other force is creating a change in the movement, in this case, it is the water. If you have ever engaged with nature, enough to study it, what water does naturally is that it takes the easier path around the boulder instead of trying to push through it. Someone once said that a river winds its way to the ocean by taking the path of least resistance as it flows. The path of least resistance is one of ease and as the water moves, it seems to just go with the flow.
So, take some time to engage with the movement of nature or even the flow of water? It can provide and teach valuable lessons. It is meditative and provides many relaxing components, most of them therapeutic. The amazing way that it entices the five senses, if you allow the process, is extremely beneficial and tonic. It can provide mental clarity and a harmonious, yet subtle, balance to our physical being. It can lift the soul when it is most heavy, and surprisingly, the feeling of getting up on the wrong side of the bed appears to be less daunting as you move through the day. Plato said that human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion and knowledge. I believe that to be true and can be applied to our motion and flow.
I hope the take away from today’s message is one of your own motion and flow and how easy or hard you are moving through it. Take the 5W’s and the H, the, who, what, why, when, where, and how of your desires, emotions, and knowledge and ask yourself if the motion and flow of it is in accordance with the path of least resistance? So, when your day starts out rough, take a moment and look out your window. Notice and engage with your surroundings and tell yourself that sometimes you “just have to go with it.”