Pandemic constraints have disrupted normal rhythms of day and night for all too many of us, leading to disharmony and lack of balance. In his discussion of effort and recovery, Laban suggests a four-part rhythmic pattern of day and night as a point of departure for restoring harmony and balance.
Laban’s pattern contrasts day, which consists of wakeful work, with night, which consists of restful sleep. Between these two periods he inserts connecting links – leisure activities and dreams.
Leisure-time activities link working and sleeping by providing a period of recovery through pleasurable, playful, and creative activities in which “rhythm is practiced and experienced.”
Dreaming connects sleeping and working by providing a time in which “living beings detach themselves from their surroundings.” Experiences and impressions accumulated through wakeful action become assimilated during sleep, as thoughts, ideas, and feelings “sink into subconsciousness.” Thus dreaming “on the route from sleep to awakening also has its peculiar rhythm.”
New science provides insight and advice for restoring balance during these daily phases. Find out more in December’s blogs!