“Between the head and feet of any given person is a billion miles of unexplored wilderness.” -Gabrielle Roth
Are you ready to dance? 5-Rhythms is one of my favorite ways to move my body. It’s the party I’ve been searching for, the music I’ve been longing to hear, and in the company of other people unleashing their inner wisdom. Dancing has been a part of me since I can remember. I’ve always been able to flow and move and feel into my body and own rhythm. The way we move our bodies is a direct reflection of how we move through life. Are we comfortable being seen? Are we comfortable and secure in our own skin? Are we able to move easily and freely or has life got us by the feet and we are rigid and out of rhythm? Dance is a great way to tune into how we are feeling, listening to the voice within, stirring energy throughout our bodies.
I used to dance a lot more when I was younger. The more life happens to me the more rigid I can become if I don’t take the time to move and sink into myself. Music moves me. You can tell a lot about a person by browsing through their music playlist. We are energy and the music we choose to listen to is a reflection of the frequency we tune into. What does your music say about you? Are you angry or peaceful, fast paced or slow? Pay attention.
When I listen to beautiful music, it stirs the energy within me down to my core, and when a cord is struck, I want to burst and cry. For me this is how I release stuck or stagnant energy. 5-Rhythms dance is a dynamic practice to both workout and meditate in the same breath. Practicing them helps us become attuned to the underlying patterns in our everyday existence.
The 5Rhythms® of Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness form ‘The Wave’, a simple movement meditation practice that encourages us to find our own dance of embodied feeling and to discover ourselves at our most fluid and creative level. The Rhythms are different ways of moving that are related to different ways of being in the world. As we practice them, we bring more of ourselves –body, heart, mind & soul- into movement, on the dance floor & out in the world. There are no steps to learn and it can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age, fitness, ability, or experience.
FLOWING the fluid, continuous, grounded glide of our own movements, the letting in -the drinking in- of our own experience.
STACCATO the percussive, pulsing beat that shapes us a thousand different ways and allows us to let out our true expression.
CHAOS the rhythm of letting go, releasing into the catalytic wildness of our dance that can never be planned or repeated.
LYRICAL the rhythm of trance, of letting go of letting-go, where the weight of self-consciousness dissolves, and we lighten up and disappear into our own uniqueness.
STILLNESS the quiet emptiness, where gentle movements rise and fall, start and end, in a field of silence: the Rhythm of Letting Be.
Dancing is about the inner journey and the journey within. I close my eyes, I tune into my body, and I let the rhythms move me. If you are interested in experiencing 5-Rhythms for yourself, join us on October 11, 2017 in Dupont Circle with Ann Kite at the Church of the Holy City. Bring $20 and wear loose clothing. Ann is terrific and dancing in a church is the best- I’ve done it before in London and it was brilliant to use the space in such a way. To connect in a place of worship through dance and movement.
Resources https://www.5rhythms.com/
