My Experience of Gabrielle Roths Five Rhythms Dance

Last week I started five rhythms dancing and it totally blew my mind!

It is a very intimate, truly vulnerable and deeply spiritual. I wanted to try five rhythms many years ago but chickened out each time and people kept inviting me and I kept resisting.

My friend Sharon invited me and I went along. My first class was powerful, scary yet exciting too. Moving through the boundaries of my own emotional and physical limitations I had imposed on myself for so long was outstandingly transformative.

The human body is a real vehicle for change. So many people do not realise how important it is to healing and balance. I know for the past 7 years I focused on meditation, psychic development, workshops and a lot of sitting still spiritual experiences until I began Pilates last year and moved onto belly dancing this year and now five rhythms.

What is involved in five rhythms is different types of music related to the rhythms. Flowing, staccato, lyrical, chaos and stillness. We danced the rhythms and each one represents a different wave. Flowing is circular movements, birth, like a river flowing and meandering. Staccato is sharp and angular movements. Lyrical is joyful like a child, Chaos is letting go completely, anger, power, strength, surrender and Stillness is death, peace, finding that stillness inside.

This week I was feeling a bit under the weather when I arrived, with a sore throat and feeling tired, so for the first 2-3 songs I just could not move. I stood there feeling depressed and did not know how to find my rhythm it was weird as everyone danced vividly around me. A gentlemen who also teaches five rhythms began dancing near me, his feet began dancing and laughing. I could actually hear his feet laugh. This brought me out of the depression and I could finally move. Part of dancing the rhythms is dancing with others, not physically touching but dancing and moving with one anothers flow. I am still learning my own flow so with some I found dance easy and with others my mind got in a bit.

My favourite part of the night was stillness. We gathered in a group of five people and this slow flowing beautiful music began. We were to keep focused on the group and the connection and we danced and moved slowly around one another feeling the energy. I loved the energy in my hands and I felt sooo loved. At one point I went down onto the floor and rolled over like I had done as a child and at one point I lay with my head down and this beautiful lady pressed her head against mine lovely energy so much love and so much support.

I want to keep going with this because I feel the body is the gateway to the Divine. The body expresses where we are in life and if we can free up this divine vehicle and truly embody – our bodies, our outer life will experience similar breakthroughs and changes.