Challenges 16: 5 Rhythms Dance
5 Rhythms Dance
Weekly Challenge – 5 Rhythms Dance
Your challenge this week is movement based, and it’s to try something you might have never heard of, have heard of and never tried, have tried once or meant to try, or already do every day or week as part of your practice. Either way, let’s all get connected through this challenge and try something together as a community!
‘5Rhythms is a movement meditation practice devised by Gabrielle Roth in the late 1970s. It draws from indigenous and world traditions using tenets of shamanistic, ecstatic, mystical and eastern philosophy. It also draws from Gestalt therapy, the human potential movement and transpersonal psychology.’ – Wikipedia
Basically, it’s incredibly free form, and you get to be really loose and connected with your body. I’m attaching a link with a guided dance, like a guided meditation, but it’s with words over music. There’s no video, though, and you don’t need it.
I was intimidated it at first. Coming from 11 years of choreography in my background, I was like, oh okay, I’ll just make it up the whole time? Sure. But the way they talk to you is actually really comforting, exhilarating, calming, and empowering all at once.
First, you connect to your body like meditation body scan. Then you go through 5 different feelings/rhythms where you can kind of get out any feelings or stagnant energy you’ve been holding onto.
The entire thing is 30 minutes long. I know that sounds like a lot of dancing, and it kind of is. I got tired around 20 minutes and realized that I didn’t have to move in giant movements, I could just be here. And if I just swayed, that was enough. It was enough just to keep present for myself. To show up for myself. To be here. And that is the same message I give for you, too.
If you can’t make it through the thing, or you need to pause for a drink, listen to your body. That’s what this whole thing is about. Not just this dance, but self-love in general!
Also, if you have mobility limitations, you can do whatever you are able to. You can do it seated, lying down, on one side of your body, only with your face or legs, whatever you need to do. Stay connected to your breath and emotions.
This is a really really great thing to do after you’ve done some deep work. So if you’ve done some journaling, EFT/tapping, had a therapy session, a big talk, etc. and you’ve processed something/had it come to the surface, we want that to move up and THROUGH you, not stagnate within your body. So to finish out that big progress you’ve made with a ritual like the 5 Rhythms Dance is an AMAZING extra bonus.
You can also schedule a time to do this, as a sacred part of your self-love practice. There’s nothing wrong with that!
I’m attaching a short video below of me in the beginning during the body scan portion. I honestly kept my eyes closed most of the time. It felt better to me that way, but do what feels good and safe to you.
That said, you might want to do this when no one is home, with the door closed, etc. Create a safe container to do this within.
Report back! I want to hear how you felt doing this. What your hesitations were going in, and how you felt during and after.