Jazz Living: Finding Your Groove

The complexity of life these days gives us many opportunities to feel off track, out of whack, and off our groove.

When you\’re in your groove, things run smoothly. You hit your stride. You\’re in the flow. You resonate with the people around you.

Think of times when you’re in your groove. What are you doing? Making art? Walking in nature? Exercising? Meditating? Time flies by. Maybe you are alone. Or deep in conversation with a friend. You lose track of time. You hear your wisdom. You might be working on an enjoyable project and the activity of doing meaningful, productive work takes you outside yourself into a larger context.

You know what the groove feels like when we\’re in it and when we\’re not.

So how do you get back in the groove when you fall out of it?

Stop trying and allow the groove to find you. Let go of control. Take a walk. Listen to music. Interrupt your pattern. Oh, is that a distraction? Quit analyzing and just be.

Journaling Activity

Grab your journal and reflect on three to five times you felt in your groove or in the flow. Make a list of activities you were doing at the time that got you out of your head and into your experience. (Artistic, physical, playful, creative?) Write about the feelings that you experienced while doing those activities. (Freedom, peace, calm, exhilaration?) Try an experiment. Can you vividly remember the details of that in the groove activity as a body sensation, lock it in, and recall the feelings again when you want to get back in your groove?

For myself, I often get back in my groove through body-soul movement. Either with or without music. I park my mind in neutral observation mode and see how my body wants to move in the moment. I set the timer for five to ten minutes and just move. The other day I had fun moving to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. I was surprised when my lower body moved with the drum and bass while my upper body moved with the saxophone solo. It made me laugh at myself and launched me out of my normal controlling behavior.

Surprise interruption

While writing this blog post I got a phone call with some hard to hear news. Yep. It threw me off my game. Great timing! Real life shows up to challenge my theory. I thought to myself, I get to practice what I preach. How do I get back in my writing groove now?

I noticed my energy rolled up in my head like a window shade. Breathe. “Take a drink of water,” is the advice of WU Trauma Specialist Jennifer Whitaker. She counseled: you might not feel safe in your body after a traumatic incident. Bringing your attention to a swallow of water going down your throat into your gut gently signals your body to rest and digest. Good advice. I drank some water to get out of my head.

I notice as I\’m processing the bad news in the moment, I\’m automatically following my Art of Jazz Living steps. I find my rhythm by going for a walk around the block. I get back in my body. I am present in the moment, listening to the birdsong and feeling my feet. I tune inward and reconnect to my wisdom within. I reconnect to the stillness, the gap between thoughts. Then I listen for the groove. I wait for guidance as to my next steps. Out of the silence comes wisdom on how to proceed. I know who to reach out to. I need to write a letter and send it. I feel clear about those steps. Ok, back to my blog post.

The Art of Jazz Living

Find your rhythm
Reconnect to Source
Listen for the groove
Share your voice
Step back and collaborate

How do you find your groove when you’ve lost it? Maybe it’s beading jewelry when your mind grows still so an insight can percolate to the surface. Maybe you hit your stride while running five miles making you feel peaceful and clear-headed. Maybe you\’re chopping vegetables and the dinner inspiration comes together in an instant as you add seasonings for a delicious flavor combination that brings joy to the dinner table.

Of all the virtues we can learn no trait is more useful, more essential for survival, and more likely to improve the quality of life than the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge.  

― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

Resilience is not a luxury. The world needs us to show up as our best selves. Stress is an inevitable part of life. We can choose to practice harnessing the power of stress to launch us forward in life. By practicing the steps of jazz living, we strengthen our resilience-building muscles. Your ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge isn’t just about you, it benefits everyone.

Here\’s a short meditation to help you practice finding your inner resilience.

If you would like to practice The Art of Jazz Living in a supportive community, check out my WU Profile page for upcoming Art of Jazz Living programs.

Connect with Leah on The Wellness Universe.

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