Does time ever seem to speed up for you? What makes it pass more slowly? Why is our sense of time so flexible in the first place?

We’ve all heard the classic Steve Miller line in ‘Fly Like an Eagle’. But have you ever noticed how fast it seems to go at times, and how it can drag on at others?

No doubt you’ve been there. The boring lecture, the endless meeting, the interminable bus ride — can all feel like “the longest hour of your life.”

On the other hand, what are your “where did the time go?” moments? The great dinner party with scintillating conversations, that visit with a seldom-seen favorite relative, the hours spent absorbed with an inspiring project — all can pass in the blink of an eye.

Our perception of time has a way of dilating or contracting depending on the circumstances. If you’re doing something tedious, unpleasant, or against your will, chances are it might drag on. But if you’re in the flow, having a ball, or loving every minute of the activity at hand, time can disappear faster than the grains of sand in an hourglass.

Society’s relationship with time hasn’t always been as exacting and obsessive as it is today. In fact, prior to the advent of railroads, the time of day was a purely local affair, with each town synchronized to the large clock in the town square.

But trains need to run on time, and one town’s 12:05 needed to match the next. Telegraph wires helped with this, and then came the problem of time zones. Much confusion ensued and various systems were put into use until the matter was more or less settled when Standard zone time was formally adopted by the U.S. Congress in the Standard Time Act of March 19, 1918.

Sometimes a return to the idyllic days of sundials seems like just what the doctor ordered in today’s always-on world. If you’ve ever gone on a long-enough camping trip off the grid to attune yourself to the natural rhythms of sunrise to sunset, you know the feeling of going with the flow of the celestial cycles.

For me, there’s no time in life that illustrates the flexibility of time perception more than preparing to fly somewhere on a big trip. There’s a certain moment when the passage of time shifts gears so suddenly it’s as if the earth shifted its spin down to half speed.

As the big day approaches more and more things get checked off the to-do list. Social engagements are handled, deadlines are wrapped up, and all sorts of loose ends are dealt with. You pack your toothbrush, remember your dental floss, and double check that all your devices have their respective chargers in order.

You get to the airport on time, check your baggage, make sure your ticket is handy, and touch your passport for reassurance. If you’re like me, your still amped up and on hyper-time awareness until a certain moment.

It happens sometime between putting your shoes back on after the security check and locating your departing flight on the list on the big screen. Boarding pass in hand, ample time to reach your gate, with nothing between you and takeoff but a short journey down the moving sidewalk, it’s as if time itself has shifted gears.

Your mind and body realize that you’ve stepped beyond the details and that there’s nothing more to dwell upon. It’s as if your perception suddenly expands due to all the room in your consciousness that putting your to-do list to bed has created. It’s one of my favorite feelings, stepping through the portal to the great beyond and stretching out into a deep “ahhh.”

I’m on the uphill side of this temporal roller-coaster ride at the moment, in just over 24 hours I’ll be relaxing at the boarding gate at SFO, about to board a plane with my daughter to go visit my older daughter in Australia!

Regardless of how time is dancing along for you at the moment, stay present and keep your eyes open, it’s all about balance on this spinning ball of Earth we call home!

Much love till next week!

M+

Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine

This week’s Dance First Members Spotlight shines on the 15th Annual Conscious Dance Tribal Gathering at Madrona Mindbody Institute! Heads up Northwest dancers and traveling folks on the summer circuit, this is one gathering you don’t want to miss! Come enjoy Madrona’s beautiful dancing space as well as the beaches and forest trails of Port Townsend.

Co-hosted by Ronny Temple of Olywaves and Madrona Mindbody Institute , this fabulous annual Conscious Dance event features a fantastic line up of teachers and a beautiful group gathering for a time of heartfelt movement within community.

Dance, move, and meditate with dynamic somatic facilitators including Soul Motion founder Vinn Arjuna Marti; Victoria, BC-based 5Rhythms leader Joanne Winstanley; Open Floor with Olympia’s Duncan Green; Soul Motion faculty and Madrona co-founder Aletia Alvarez; Port Townsend’s Michael Molin-Skelton; and Tribal Gathering Creator & 5Rhythms facilitator Ronny Temple.

Join new friends and old with embodied dancers from around the world for a remarkable weekend of movement and discovery. Summer is spectacular in the Great Northwest, and there’s no better time to visit than during the Tribal Gathering!

Learn more about the facilitators, read detailed bios, learn the history of Madrona, and check out their full calendar of classes and workshops at www.MadronaMindbody.com

Visit www.Olywaves.com to learn more about Ronny Temple and the Olympia Conscious Dance community.