Dance as Medicine

Waves move in patterns. Patterns move in rhythms. A human being is just that —energy, waves, patterns, rhythms. Nothing more. Nothing less. A dance.
– Gabrielle Roth

Today didn’t go anything like I had anticipated; my day turned into one detour after another. Normally I would be more fluid and just roll with it but it was my first full day to catch up in a week and I had big plans! As a result of not accomplishing any of my projects, by the time this evening rolled around I was down right pissy. So much so, that I almost didn’t go to an event I had been looking forward to for months.

We are blessed in Salt Lake to have the son of the late Gabrielle Roth leading us in his mother’s legacy, 5Rhythms Movement. Tonight was the first in a series of 8 weekly classes that I have been committed to for months. With 15 minutes to go before class began, I was at least 30 minutes away. I texted my friend that I wasn’t going and of course (the good friend that she is), she gave me shit – I thought about it for a minute and knew she was right it would be a mistake not to go.

I walked into the room late as anticipated and soon after, the music began. I closed my eyes and moved through the waves or patterns that are the 5 Rhythms – Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness/ Body, Heart, Mind, Soul and Spirit. I danced through the density of my day and past week. At first my body was stiff, my mind – downright resistant. I was struggling to get out of my head and past the tension in my body. The music continued and I dropped even deeper into myself, allowing myself to move through all I was feeling. I surrendered to the rhythms and let the music move me; leaving my head, meeting my breath and disappearing into the great dance that is life.

Tomorrow is another day… Wanna Dance?