The Art of Living According to Nature’s Healthy Rhythms

The pace keeps rising, the lights never go out, and the demands for production and performance keep growing. Along the way, we have lost something important: our own rhythm of life. The invitation here is to return to something fundamental and timeless, namely nature’s own cycles. When we rediscover the healthy rhythms that nature and the seasons show us, and live by them, we open the door to a life that is more in harmony with our true nature and that gives us more health, joy, and meaning.

Through the shaman’s perspective and modern research, we see how natural rhythms and processes, from the stillness of winter to the blossoming of summer, mirror our inner needs for rest, growth, and action. When we listen to that wisdom, we can find the way to a life of greater presence, balance, and vitality.

Welcome to the art of living in harmony with nature’s healthy rhythms, an art that can transform both you and your everyday life.

As a shaman and teacher, I have experienced again and again that the key to a meaningful life lies in our connection with nature. In meeting Mother Earth’s healthy rhythms, wisdom, and endless patience, we find both healing and clarity, joy and a deeper understanding of who we really are. This is no coincidence; we are inseparably bound to nature’s cycles, and when that connection weakens, we also lose something essential in ourselves.

Here I share some of my own experiences and insights into how we can rediscover our innate ability to find our way through life’s challenges and opportunities. By listening to our inner compass while also paying attention to nature’s subtle signs and guidance, we can once again open the door to the ancient wisdom that has always been available to us.

This is not mere philosophy. It is a concrete and practical path to a life filled with greater clarity, inner peace, and deeper meaning, in harmony with the earth we are all part of.

The same for all of us

One thing is true of all of us, regardless of who we are or where we come from: we come into the world naked, and we leave it the same way. This simple but powerful truth binds us together as human beings and reminds us that our lives are both precious and temporary.

What, then, is the meaning of the time between those two points, between the first in-breath and the last out-breath? This question has followed me through much of my life, and the more deeply I reflect on it, the clearer it becomes that the answer does not lie in outer things.

Purely logically, the meaning of life can hardly be about wealth, status, career, or fame, since none of it comes with us when the journey is over. I have seen how the materialistic chase often leaves people with a feeling of emptiness, as if something essential were missing no matter how much they achieve.

If you put life in perspective, a brief glimpse measured against the billions of years of the universe, it becomes clear that the meaning must be something other than prestige, possessions, career, and a legacy. My experience is that the deeper meaning lies in the small moments, the genuine encounters between people, the stillness of nature, the growth we experience when we are challenged, and the inner path toward understanding who we really are.

It is in those moments, not in the facade, that life is truly lived.

My experience is that the deeper meaning lies in the small moments, the genuine encounters between people, the stillness of nature, the growth we experience when we are challenged, and the inner path toward understanding who we really are.

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The longest study on happiness

Large international research projects clearly show that many of us are chasing something that creates neither happiness nor meaning. A good example is a survey of millennials, people born between 1980 and 1995, cited by the Harvard researcher Robert Waldinger¹. When the researchers asked what their most important life goal was, 80 percent said they wanted to become rich, and 50 percent that they dreamed of becoming famous.

This awakened a deeper curiosity in the researchers:

What is it, really, that makes a person happy and healthy throughout life, and not only in passing moments?

As early as 1938, researchers at Harvard started The Harvard Study of Adult Development²³¹, one of the world’s longest-running research projects. The study has followed a group of people from the age of 19 all the way into old age. Every other year, they have gone through interviews, medical examinations, blood tests, and psychological assessments. More than 80 years of data give an exceptionally clear answer.

The main conclusions are these:

• Neither money, career, hard work, nor fame creates a happy and good life.
• Good, secure relationships, with a partner, family, and friends, are the most important factor of all for both happiness and good health.
• Loneliness kills. It is one of the strongest drivers of poor health, mental illness, and a feeling of inner emptiness.

Against this backdrop, it is less surprising that depression, anxiety, and chronic health problems are increasing all over the world. Many of us spend our lives chasing precisely what does not create lasting meaning, while neglecting what actually matters.

The way back to our true nature

If we study Indigenous peoples who have been able to live free of the influence of Western society’s dogmas, morals, and lifestyle, one trait becomes strikingly clear: conditions such as depression, anxiety, and chronic disease are almost nonexistent.

Why is that?

The answer is simpler than many think: they still live in harmony with nature and its healthy rhythms, as human beings have done for most of their existence.

In their cultures, there is a natural balance between activity and rest. The rhythm of life follows the seasons: the calm and reflection of winter, the growth of spring, the vitality of summer, and the harvest and preparation of autumn. Community is the very foundation, not only as a social need, but as a necessity of life. The bonds of family and tribe provide security, belonging, and a deeply meaningful life.

At the same time, they carry a respect for nature, which both nourishes and teaches them. Nature is a pantry, a place to breathe, a sacred space, and a guide.

That is not how it is in our modern culture, where the natural rhythms have gradually been erased. We live in a society that never rests, where day and night lose their meaning, and where technology makes it possible to be “on” around the clock. We push ourselves through life at a pace that is foreign to our biology and our soul, driven by goals that often lie far from our real purpose here in life.

Finding the way back to our true nature is not about becoming like Indigenous peoples, but about rediscovering what we have lost: the rhythms, the relationships, the cadence, the stillness, the meaning, and Mother Earth’s wisdom.

Why we are here

Our soul comes into this life to experience what cannot be experienced in its true, unlimited nature, a state in which time, space, suffering, conflict, and even something as simple as the taste of a strawberry do not exist.

To be able to grow, understand, and experience, a part of the soul lets itself be “encapsulated” in human existence, with all its limitations: time, space, body, karma, relationships, and free will. It is precisely through these constraints that the soul gets the chance to learn what is not possible in its free state.

When we look at today’s society, we see the consequences of this arena of learning: challenges, contrasts, joys, and pains. But the soul is not here to accumulate wealth, status, or fame. It is here to experience, to develop, and to express its life task, the mission it carries with it into each incarnation.

If you want to learn more about why we are here, how the soul wanders between lives, and what deep processes unfold before, during, and after incarnation, I recommend the article “The Secrets Behind Death and Reincarnation: What Happens After Death?” and the podcast The Journey to Self-Realization, where Amina and I go into depth on all these topics and much more.

Our inner compass

Ever since we came into the world, we have carried an inner compass with us, an intuitive guide that helps us follow the life path the soul has chosen for this incarnation.

The compass has two main aspects:

1. The heart’s primary emotions
2. Your inner upa-guru, the inner teacher seated in the sixth chakra, who leads us from darkness to light.

The more we listen to the heart’s genuine needs and allow ourselves to feel and express rich, true emotional states, the stronger the connection becomes between the soul and our ability to act in daily life. The heart’s primary emotions, such as joy, passion, love, courage, empathy, and compassion, act as lighthouses along the way.

When we are in these emotions, we treat both ourselves and others with care and respect. Life becomes clearer, decisions easier, and relationships more harmonious. In such moments, we know intuitively what the right thing to do is.

If you want to know more about this topic, the articles “To Kindle the Spark of Life, We Need Hope and a Positive Outlook on Life” and “This Could Be Your Most Important Decision: Learn How to Live a Happy and Meaningful Life in Your Current Situation” go into it in more detail.

Upa-guru: your inner teacher

The second part of the inner compass is your upa-guru, a deep and powerful inner source of wisdom that guides you through stillness, clarity, and intuitive insight. The inner teacher is always present and waits patiently for you to open yourself to its wisdom. Two good ways to reach it are regular daily meditation aimed at creating deep stillness in the mind, and forest bathing. When you take time to be in stillness, you will gradually begin to hear the subtle voice of your upa-guru more clearly.

Living by your inner compass

The more deeply you let yourself be guided by the heart’s primary emotions and your inner upa-guru, the more clearly you will experience the inner compass that shows you your natural, healthy, and life-giving rhythms. The compass becomes a reliable guide that helps you find your way through life’s challenges with greater wisdom and insight. It shows you the way to true flourishing and personal growth.

At the Yggdrasil Shamanic School, this is an important part of walking the Path of the Heart, which is fundamental for the shamans in our tradition. It is not so easy to do alone at first, since the ego often tries to resist all change. So it is a good idea to seek help and guidance from a qualified and experienced teacher who can support you on this important journey.

Our outer compass

Mother Earth and nature’s rhythms have existed since long before the first human being drew breath for the first time, and they will probably endure long after humanity has left the planet. Yet many of us forget that we ourselves are a product of nature’s evolution. This means that nature holds the blueprint for which rhythms, balances, and life principles we are actually made to live by.

The more we understand those rhythms and let ourselves be led by them, the easier it becomes to live in tune with our true nature. And it is precisely there, in the harmonious meeting between our inner needs and nature’s outer wisdom, that the foundation for a meaningful, happy, and healthy life lies.

One of nature’s most fundamental principles is the balance between activity, regeneration, and rest, perfectly synchronized with the rhythm of day and night and with the seasons. Picture the birch tree: it grows and unfolds in spring, stands in full bloom in summer, drops its leaves in autumn, and rests in deep regeneration through the winter before coming to life again.

We humans have moved far away from this natural rhythm. We try to bloom without a break, all year round. Most people live in a continuous stream of work, family life, obligations, workouts, social activities, and an unbroken digital presence. With modern technology and artificial light, we are no longer dependent on nature’s changes, and we can clearly see the consequences:

More people than ever before struggle with sleep problems, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and chronic stress reactions, because the autonomic nervous system is never allowed to land and find calm⁴⁵⁶.

We humans have moved far away from this natural rhythm. We try to bloom without a break, all year round.

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But if you give your body and soul the chance to fall back into nature’s rhythm, for example a long weekend at the cabin without clocks, screens, artificial light, or distractions, something unusual happens. The stillness, the darkness, the daylight, the calm of the forest, and the stability of the mountains begin to tune your nervous system. You rediscover a harmony that feels both ancient and completely natural.

The challenge is that this state does not come by itself in a busy everyday life. It requires conscious choice and action. But the reward for making that effort is enormous: you come into contact with the outer compass that has always been there, nature’s own guidance.

The healthy rhythms of the seasons and nature

For millennia, shamans have celebrated nature’s great rhythms through festivals such as the Summer Solstice, the Autumn Equinox, the Winter Solstice, and the Spring Equinox. This deep understanding of nature’s continuous cycle is the very foundation of the shaman’s medicine wheel, which moves through the seasons and the elements to restore balance in people, animals, and nature.

This is also a central theme in the training I give my students. The more a person understands the rhythms of the seasons, and how they reveal the blueprint for our own inner, healthy rhythms of life, the easier it becomes to live in tune with them. Inspired by nature, we learn to move through life in a way that supports health, meaning, and inner harmony alike.

Some brief examples of how the seasons mirror our own inner processes:

The more a person understands the rhythms of the seasons, and how they reveal the blueprint for our own inner, healthy rhythms of life, the easier it becomes to live in tune with them.

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Winter: regeneration, rest, and deep insight

Winter is the time for stillness. Nature then withdraws to rest, regenerate, and gather strength. It is also a period when we humans need to slow down, listen inward, and give ourselves time for reflection.

We reflect on the year that has passed:

• What was good?
• What was challenging?
• What do I want to carry forward?

Through the calm that winter offers, it becomes easier to see clearly where we want to go, what is right for us, and which goals or relationships need our attention.

Spring: growth, new beginnings, and budding energy

When spring comes, everything begins to come back to life. The seeds you laid the groundwork for in the stillness of winter are now to be sown and nourished. Activity increases gradually, and energy builds month by month.

Perhaps that means starting a new routine, setting concrete goals, or taking the first small steps toward a healthier and more balanced life. The power of spring lies in beginnings: small actions with big ripple effects.

Summer: blossoming, strength, and action

Summer is the period when nature is in full bloom and the sun burns at its strongest. It is the time to express, to create, and to intensify your efforts toward your goals.

If you began taking daily walks in nature during the spring, you may now notice that your body is stronger, has more stamina, and is more energetic. What started as a slow stroll can develop into more intense hikes over hilly terrain. Summer teaches us to blossom, to show our full strength.

Autumn: harvest, integration, and letting go

When the trees let go of their leaves, we too are invited to release what no longer serves us. Autumn is about harvesting our experiences, seeing the results of our efforts over the year, and at the same time letting go of what drags us down:

• old patterns
• limiting thoughts
• bad habits
• relationships that are not healthy
• projects that drain us

This can be demanding, because the ego dislikes change. That is why support from a life guide, a friend, or a teacher can be invaluable, someone who can help you see clearly when your own view is colored by old patterns.

The weekly rhythm as a small seasonal rhythm

The same rhythms in nature that shape the seasons also exist as small cycles in our everyday lives, daily, weekly, and monthly. When we begin to see life from that perspective, everyday life becomes more natural, balanced, and intuitive.

Night is winter, the time for rest, regeneration, and rebuilding.

Morning is spring, the quiet and promising start when energy sprouts, perhaps accompanied by a good Bulletproof coffee⁷.

Day is summer, full activity, creativity, and action.

Evening is autumn, a time to let go of the day’s stress, wind down, and turn your attention inward again before the winter of night.

In the same way, I build my weekly rhythm on the cycles of the seasons:

Friday is my autumn.

That is when I consciously clear space, let go of what I no longer need, and end the week calmly. In the evening, I celebrate “autumn” with my wife and our two little greyhounds, often with an organic pizza made from our own favorite recipe with a cauliflower crust.

The weekend is the time of winter.

Then rest, regeneration, and reflection take center stage. I take plenty of time to look back on the week:

• What went well?
• What was challenging?
• What have I learned?
• What do I want to do differently next week?

I spend the weekend only with people I have good relationships with, people who give energy rather than drain it. That in particular is crucial for recharging.

Monday morning marks spring.

A new beginning. A time to set intentions and plant “the seeds of the week”: What do I want to focus on? Which goals should be allowed to grow?

By lunchtime, summer is in full bloom, and the activity level follows suit.

Chronomedicine: when modern research rediscovers ancient wisdom

A popular field of research in modern Western medicine is chronomedicine, an area that includes chronobiology, the study of the body’s biological rhythms in humans and other living organisms. In recent years, the field has received a great deal of attention, precisely because it shows how rhythms and cycles govern our physical and mental health.

In 2017 came a scientific breakthrough that drew global attention: three researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for uncovering the inner mechanisms behind our circadian rhythms, the body’s precise, built-in clock system that regulates everything from sleep and hormones to digestion, the immune system, and emotional balance. The discovery has changed how we understand the body’s self-regulating processes over the course of the day and night.

What is thought-provoking, and perhaps a little ironic, is that this knowledge is now described as a breakthrough in modern medicine, while it has been taken for granted in shamanic tradition for thousands of years. In such traditions, understanding the rhythms of nature and of the body has always been a fundamental pillar of health, balance, and spiritual development.

If you want to learn more about how you can measure your own biological rhythms and assess the balance of your autonomic nervous system, I recommend the article “How to Measure Chronic Stress and Burnout in a Simple Way.”⁴

The 90-day reset: rediscover your inner and outer compass

To come into deeper contact with your outer compass, I recommend doing a 90-day reset with daily forest bathing. Forest bathing is simply about walking in the forest without any kind of agenda.

No phone.

No music.

No planning.

No conversations.

No exercise or performance.

You simply wander calmly in nature for about 30 minutes and let your senses open. The goal is to regain inner calm, peace, and balance through presence and contemplation in nature, in the middle of an otherwise busy and chaotic everyday life.

The results are striking:

All my students and clients who have completed 90 days of daily forest bathing have experienced significant, life-changing improvements in everything from stress levels, sleep, and mental clarity to joy, energy, and drive.

The article “Forest Bathing: Nature’s Medicine Against Stress, Anxiety, and Burnout” gives a thorough introduction to what forest bathing is, how to do it properly, and a summary of the extensive research documenting the healing effect of the practice.

To strengthen your contact with your inner compass, I recommend that you:

• start the day with a short daily meditation to create stillness in the mind
• work regularly with forgiveness, self-regulation, and gratitude⁵⁸⁹

This is a simple, practical, and effective way to get to know yourself and to live in tune with the healthy, natural rhythms that Mother Earth has literally laid at our feet.

Doctor and shaman: two worlds that complement each other

I have always found it fascinating how some doctors and medical specialists, often with impressive titles but unfortunately just as often with a categorical and condescending attitude, dismiss shamanism as nonsense and superstition. The entire field of shamanism is judged on the basis of a few individual shamans whose focus may not be quite in the right place. Just as one irresponsible doctor does not mean that all doctors are irresponsible, the same of course applies to shamans.

It is interesting to observe how people let themselves be swayed by the statements of a single shaman who may not quite have their eye on the ball, and conclude that shamanism in general is quackery.

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Shamanism is not immune to critics, but much of the criticism is based on misunderstandings, generalizations, and a lack of knowledge about what shamanism actually is and what power, wisdom, and healing the tradition holds. Through my articles, I try to show how deeply shamanism has shaped my own life and how it can be a resource for all people, regardless of background.

Two perspectives, the same goal

I myself combine the best of three worlds:

• shamanism
• holistic medicine
• modern conventional medicine and psychology

I see no contradiction between these fields. They describe the world from different perspectives, but differences in perspective do not make them incompatible. On the contrary, they can complement each other in a way that creates deep and holistic healing.

I work regularly with doctors, psychologists, and medical specialists who share this holistic approach. These are professionals who venture to look beyond their own professional “box,” who dare to ask questions, and who are open to insights and experiences outside traditional models. The common denominator is always the same: the desire to help people in the best possible way.

Why choose between a shaman and a doctor when you can have both?

A doctor can do things a shaman never can, such as stopping aggressive cancer with chemotherapy and radiation.

A shaman, on the other hand, can help with the preventive work, and with healing the psychosomatic causes behind the illness, by guiding the client into healthier rhythms of life, deeper inner balance, and emotional healing.

If a patient receives qualified help from both worlds, she or he is in a far stronger position.

The challenge is finding the right expertise, among both doctors and shamans.

Quality over titles

The fact that someone has an impressive title, has written books, or is known in the media says nothing about the quality of the help they offer. I have met people in both camps whom I would never let treat me.

That is why one of the most important things you can do is to vet the people you seek help from: your family doctor, your psychologist, your therapist, your shaman, and any other practitioner.

To help with that work, I have written three articles on how to assess the quality of treatment relationships, regardless of the field¹⁰¹¹¹².

Do you want to go deeper? On my blog and in the podcast The Journey to Self-Realization, we explore the topics in this text in more depth. If you want to walk the path yourself, it begins at the Yggdrasil Shamanic School with our free online course on primordial shamanism: Nature’s Path to Freedom and Self-Realization. No path could begin more simply. How far it reaches is up to you.

This content does not replace professional medical help from a doctor or other health professional, and it is not intended as medical treatment. If you are ill, always see a doctor first.

Sources

1. Robert Waldinger: “What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness,” TED, https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness. ↩︎
2. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, https://www.adultdevelopmentstudy.org/. ↩︎
3. “Good genes are nice, but joy is better,” Harvard University, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/. ↩︎
4. “Slik måler du kronisk stress og utbrenthet på en enkel måte” [How to Measure Chronic Stress and Burnout in a Simple Way]. ↩︎
5. “Hjertets klang: din sjels musikk. Få balanse i livet gjennom kunsten å regulere deg selv” [The Heart’s Resonance: Your Soul’s Music. Find Balance in Life Through the Art of Regulating Yourself], Medium no. 4-2018. ↩︎
6. Alfred Lohninger: Herzratenvariabilität: Das HRV-Praxis-Lehrbuch, Facultas Verlag, 2017. ↩︎
7. “Verdens beste frokost: få bedre vitalitet og energi med en kopp kaffe med smør og olje” [The World’s Best Breakfast: Get More Vitality and Energy with a Cup of Coffee with Butter and Oil]. ↩︎
8. “Learn the 7 Pillars of True Forgiveness: Free Yourself Through Forgiveness.” ↩︎
9. “This Could Be Your Most Important Decision: Learn How to Live a Happy and Meaningful Life in Your Current Situation.” ↩︎
10. “Moderne vestlig medisin eller holistisk medisin? Del 1: lær hvordan du kan ta et bevisst helsevalg” [Modern Western Medicine or Holistic Medicine? Part 1: Learn How to Make a Conscious Health Choice], Medium no. 6-2015. ↩︎
11. “Moderne vestlig medisin eller holistisk medisin? Del 2: slik finner du riktig behandler” [Modern Western Medicine or Holistic Medicine? Part 2: How to Find the Right Practitioner], Medium no. 1-2016. ↩︎
12. “ABC Guide to Finding Your Spiritual Teacher.” ↩︎