OUR BODY, OUR MIND, OUR emotions - everything in our physiology is changing moment to moment, depending on the time of the day, the cycles of the moon, the seasons, and even the tides. Our body is part of the universe, and everything that happens in the universe ultimately affects the physiology of our body. Biological rhythms are an expression of the rhythms of the Earth in relationship to the entire cosmos, and just four rhythms - daily rhythms, tidal rhythms, monthly or lunar rhythms, and annual or seasonal rhythms - are the basis of all of the other rhythms in our body.

As the Earth spins on its axis, we experience a twenty-four-hour cycle of night and day that we call the circadian rhythm. This rhythm is based on the spinning of the Earth, and everything in our body, being part of the Earth, is also spinning and following the rhythm of the Earth. When this biological rhythm is disrupted by long-distance travel, for example, we experience jet lag. Or if we work a night shift, we don't feel quite right even if we rest during the day, because our biological rhythms are out of tune with the cosmic rhythms.

Scientific data shows that if we give an animal a certain dose of radiation at one time of the day, it may have a beneficial effect. If we give the same dose of radiation twelve hours later, the animal may die. Why? Because its physiology has changed completely in that twelve-hour period. Even a little bit of subjective experience tells us that at certain times of the day we feel hungry, while at other times of the day we feel sleepy. We know that we tend to feel one way at four o'clock in the afternoon, and another way at four o'clock in the morning.

Tidal rhythms also have an effect on our physiology. These rhythms are the result of the gravitational effect of the sun, the moon, and the stars in the distant galaxies on the oceans of planet Earth. We have an ocean within us that is similar to the oceans of our planet. More than 60 percent of our body is water, and more than 60 percent of our planet is water. So we experience a low tide and a high tide, and the tides ebb and flow in our own physiology. When we feel out of sorts, our body is out of synch with the body of the universe. Spending time near the ocean, or anywhere in nature, can help us to synchronize our rhythms with nature's rhythms.

The lunar rhythm is a twenty-eight-day cycle that occurs as a result of the movement of the Earth, the sun, and the moon in relationship to one another. This rhythm is evident in the waxing and waning of the moon. We see the full moon, the half moon, no moon, and then the cycle starts all over again. Human fertility and menstruation are good examples of lunar rhythms, and there are many other twenty-eight-day cycles. When I worked as a physician in an emergency room, we would frequently expect to see patients with certain types of problems depending on the time of day and the cycles of the moon.

As the Earth moves around the sun, we experience seasonal rhythms as distinct biochemical changes in the body-mind. So we are more likely to fall in love in spring or get depressed in winter. People with a condition known as seasonal affective disorder get depressed in winter but feel better when you expose them to sunlight. Seasonal changes affect not only the biochemistry of the human body; they affect the biochemistry of trees, flowers, butterflies, bacteria, and everything throughout nature.

The Earth tilts on its axis in the spring, and flowers bloom, groundhogs come out of the ground, birds migrate, fish return to their spawning grounds, and mating rituals begin. People are moved to write poetry, lovers sing songs, and young and old hearts fall in love. Seasonal rhythms affect us biologically, mentally, emotionally, and it all has to do with the relationship of the Earth to the sun.

There are other cycles and rhythms that oscillate for just a few seconds, including electrocardiogram and brain waves, and there are rhythms that last anywhere from thirty minutes to twenty-eight hours called ultradian rhythms. There are cycles within cycles, and it gets very complicated, but it's all one symphony. All of these rhythms create the symphony of the universe, and the body-mind is always trying to synchronize its rhythms with universal rhythms.

To separate the body-mind from the rest of the cosmos is to misperceive things as they really are. The body-mind is part of a larger mind, it's part of the cosmos, and cosmic rhythms result in profound changes in our physiology. The universe is truly a symphony of the stars. And when our body-mind is in synch with this symphony, everything is spontaneous and effortless, and the exuberance of the universe flows through us in joyful ecstasy.

When the rhythms of our body-mind are in synch with nature's rhythms, when we are living in harmony with life, we are living in the state of grace. To live in grace is to experience that state of consciousness where things flow effortlessly and our desires are easily fulfilled. Grace is magical, synchronistic, coincidental, joyful. It's that good-luck factor. But to live in grace we have to allow nature's intelligence to flow through us without interfering.

Theoretically, if we were totally aligned with the cosmos, if we were totally in harmony with its rhythms, and if we had zero stress, then there would be very little entropy in our body. Our body wouldn't age if we were totally synchronized with the cycles of the universe. If it did undergo entropy, it would be on the scale of the universe, which is cosmic cycles or eons of time. But our body-mind is not totally aligned with the rhythms of the universe, and why isn't it? Stress. You see, as soon as we have a thought, any thought, it interferes with the innate tendency of the biological rhythms to synchronize with the universal rhythms.

How do we interfere with nature's intelligence? In spiritual terms, we can say that we interfere when we identify with our self-image and lose our inner self; when we lose our sense of connection with our soul, our source. In more common terms, we can say that we interfere when we start worrying, when we start anticipating problems, when we start thinking, What can go wrong? When we try to control everything, when we are afraid, when we feel isolated - all these things interfere with the flow of nature's intelligence. Anytime we feel resistance, anytime things are going wrong, anytime we feel frustration, anytime there is too much effort, then we are not connecting with our source, the field of pure consciousness that manifests as the infinite diversity of the universe. The state of fear is the state of separation; it is resistance to what is. If we don't have resistance, then it's all spontaneous, effortless ease.

Our body is constantly speaking to us through signals of comfort and discomfort, pleasure and pain, attraction and repulsion. When we listen to the subtle nuances of sensation in our body, we are accessing intuitive intelligence. This intelligence is contextual, relational, nurturing, holistic, and wise. Intuitive intelligence is more accurate and precise than anything that exists in the realm of rational thought. Intuition is not a thought; it is the nonlocal cosmic field of information that whispers to us in the silence between our thoughts. So when we listen to the inner intelligence of our body, which is the ultimate and supreme genius, we are eavesdropping on the universe and accessing information that most people don't normally access.

When we listen to our body's wisdom, when we become aware of the sensations in our body, we will know the whole cosmos, because the whole cosmos is experienced as sensations in our body. If we are out of harmony with universal rhythms, the signal that comes to us is a sense of discomfort, whether it's physical, mental, or emotional. When we are flowing in harmony with the universe, the signal that comes to us is a sense of comfort, ease, or joy. In reality, these sensations are the voice of spirit, which speaks to us at the finest level of feeling in our body. When we offer our body our deep listening, we will hear the voice of spirit, because our body is a biocomputer that is constantly plugged into the cosmic psyche. Our body has a computing ability that can instantly take into account the infinity of details that create every event in our life.

Knowing all this, why not treat your body with reverence and take care of it? Nurture your body with your loving attention. Nourish your body with healthy food and fresh water. Feed your body with the freshness of the earth, and the colors of the rainbow that the earth offers in the form of fruits and vegetables. Drink deeply of the Earth's waters so that you open the lines of communication and intelligence that course through your tissues and blood vessels. Breathe deeply so that your lungs are fully expanded with air.

Let go of all constriction and tightness in your consciousness so that your body can relax into the rhythms of the universe. Move your body, exercise your body, and keep it moving. Make a commitment to keep your body free of toxins, both physical and emotional. Don't contaminate your body with dead food and drink, toxic chemicals, toxic relationships, or toxic emotions in the form of anger, fear, or guilt. Make sure that you nurture healthy relationships, and that you do not harbor resentments or grievances. The health of every cell directly contributes to your state of well-being, because every cell is a point of awareness within the field of awareness that is you.

The body-mind is the dance of the universe, and the more you dance with the universe, the more joy, vitality, energy, creativity, synchronicity, and harmony you will experience. You can stay in tune with your body by being aware of how you dance with the universe. If you pay attention to the rhythms and cycles of your body-mind, and if you become a little familiar with cosmic rhythms, you'll see that you can synchronize your body's rhythms with the rhythms of the universe. You don't have to be an expert, just pay a little attention to this. Notice how you feel at different times of the day and at different times of the month depending on the lunar cycle. Look at the sky, and observe the cycles of the moon. If you look at a newspaper, check the high tide and low tide. Feel your body and see how it relates to each of the seasons. Understanding these rhythms can really help you, but the following information is all you need to remember.

Between six and ten in the morning and between six and ten in the evening is when your body is hypometabolic, or at its lowest phase of metabolism. Try to spend time in silence around six in the morning and six in the evening. Ideally speaking, it's best to meditate in the early part of this phase, and to exercise in the middle of this phase - especially if you're doing it to lose weight.

Between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon is when metabolic fire is at its highest. This is the time to have your biggest meal, because your body will metabolize the food much better. Between two and six in the afternoon is a good time to be active, to learn new mental skills, or to engage in physical activities. Between two and six in the morning is a good time to dream.

Around six in the evening, and preferably before sunset, is a good time to have dinner. It's best to make dinner a lighter meal, and to have at least a two- to three-hour interval between dinner and sleep. Then try to get to bed by ten or ten-thirty at night, and you'll have ideal sleep and great dreams.

These are very basic suggestions, but once we start to synchronize our rhythms with the cosmic rhythms, the body feels quite different. It feels vital; it doesn't get fatigued. We feel more energy subjectively. We begin to experience that state of consciousness where everything in our life is flowing with ease. Vibrant health is not just the absence of disease; it's a joyfulness that should be inside us all the time. It's a state of positive well-being, which is not only physical but emotional, psychological, and ultimately even spiritual. Technology won't make us healthy. What will make us healthy is to be aligned with the forces of the universe, to feel that our body is part of the body of nature, to commune with nature, to commune with our soul by spending time in silence and solitude.

The Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore, summarizes the miracle of life more beautifully than science can explain it. He says, "The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass, and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment."

The oceans and rivers of this biosphere are the lifeblood that circulates in our heart and in our body. The air is the sacred breath of life that gives energy to every cell in our body, so that it may live and breathe and participate in the dance of the cosmos. To have the experience of "the life-throb of ages dancing in our blood this moment" is to have the experience of joy, the experience of connectedness to the cosmos. This is the healing experience; it is the experience of being whole. And to be whole is to live in grace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deepak Chopra was born and raised in New Delhi, India. The son of a prominent cardiologist, he attended the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and embarked on a career in Western medicine. After graduating he moved to the United States and completed residencies in internal medicine and endocrinology. He taught at Tufts University and Boston University Schools of Medicine, became Chief of Staff at the New England Memorial Hospital, and established a large private practice.

During this time, despite his apparent success, Dr. Chopra experienced a growing lack of fulfillment, and the nagging feeling that perhaps there was more he could be doing for his patients. These doubts led him to Ayurveda, the ancient science of healing from India. Dr. Chopra immediately recognized it as a system of health care that treated the person as a whole, rather than treating individual symptoms. Ayurveda taught him that the mind exerts a deep influence on the body, and that good health depends as much on inner balance and awareness as it does on healthy living. Through Ayurveda, Dr. Chopra was reawakened to the ancient spiritual traditions of the East, and his writing reflects the influence of ancient wisdom brought together with the best of modern science. His groundbreaking works blend physics and philosophy, the practical and the spiritual, venerable Eastern wisdom and cutting-edge Western science, with dynamic results.

Dr. Chopra was the founder of the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. In 1992 he was appointed to the National Institutes of Health Ad Hoc Panel on Alternative Medicine and to the Scientific Advisory Board of Longevity Magazine. In 1993 he became Executive Director of the Sharp Institute for Human Potential and Mind Body Medicine, and chief consultant to the Center for Mind Body Medicine. In 1995 he founded the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide, and have been translated into more than 34 languages. Among his bestselling titles are The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, and Quantum Healing.