The second principle of Nia is Natural Time. It's about moving and living in a way that is connected to the natural rhythms of your body and the earth. The opposite of Natural Time is what the founders of Nia call Mechanical Time. It's the structure we put around time - the days of the week, the hours of the day. When we get too caught up in Mechanical Time, we can get out of synch with ourselves and our bodies. We wake up because our alarm says so. We eat because it's 6:00. Our time becomes defined by our commitments and the structures that support them. And in the midst of that order, sometimes we forget to breathe.
Reconnecting to our natural rhythms is a great way to breathe, to open up to the possibility of spontaneity and surprise, to experience the magic of what's going on right now instead of what is supposed to go on right now.
What if 1 day this month you turned off the alarm and took off your watch? What if you ate when you were hungry and slept when you were tired? What if you took off the schedule just for a day and let time unfold before you. What would happen?
Here's one inner dialog that comes up for me
Jamie's Inner Dialogue around Natural Time
- If I didn't watch the time for a day, I'd just want to sleep! I'd notice how tired I actually am. Hello, I have to get things done. I can't just lollygag around for a day!
- Um, little voice, did I say you weren't allowed to do anything?
- Um, no.
- If you feel inspired to do something, you absolutely get to go for it.
- What if I'm too tired?
- Then you're too tired and it's time to admit you need some rest. And hey, you can take more than 1 day in Natural Time.
- I can?
- Yep, in fact, you could design your life around it.
- Gulp.
What does your inner voice say? What if you spent a day in natural time? A week? Are you willing to try it?
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