Gabrielle Roth shares a spiritual approach in the bestselling book: “Sweat Your Prayers.”
My ecstatic dance journey feels transformative; I’m creating space for wholeness through embodied acceptance and self-compassion. Discovering Roth’s work inspires me to show up consciously for dance events and daily rhythms.
“The reality is that I demand more from my workouts — I want God. When I dance I feel the presence of a divine force, and this is my addiction. Feeding it is as simple as putting on the right music and letting go,” writes Roth.
Roth says each body part has a story: our feet, knees, hips, spine, head, shoulders, elbows, hands, etc. By allowing those stories to unfold and moving through the rhythms, we bridge the gap between body and soul. We become fascinated and fascinating.
“Working out should be inspiring, like having a conversation with your body and spirit. It should be personal, intimate, and holy, not boring and painfully repetitive. A spiritual practice requires discipline, the willingness and commitment to show up not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, as well,” shares Roth.
The Five Soul Rhythms
Now, when I show up to dance or move, I pay closer attention to each body part and notice which rhythm I’m in. Getting to a place of chaos feels notably satisfying. I’ve been starting these practices with surrender and curiosity.
“As I move through my body, beginning with my head and ending with my feet, I consciously offer each part of myself to the dance. I do this with an attitude of prayer, surrendering myself to the dance and letting it guide me through inner landscapes of bone and blood, of hearts and hands, of dreams and desires,” writes Roth.
I pulled bits from the book, Roth’s dance classes, and my experience to describe the rhythms:
- Flowing: Like feminine energy, it’s “a continuum of motion with no breaks, no edges, an ancient circle, a timeless space that begins and ends in my belly.”
- Staccato: Like masculine energy, it’s “moving like your heartbeat — percussive, short, sharp moves, exhaling, letting go, thrusting out.”
- Chaos: The mix of masculine and feminine: “My mind exploded in my body, my heart beat between my legs, and my hands groped toward God.” Through the chaos, we release judgments and create space for new opportunities.
- Lyrical: After the chaos, we immerse in “total surrender to the forces of nature. I experienced a new lightness of being, the trance in transcendental.” I feel lyrical as heightened awareness, like ecstasy and deep engagement.
- Stillness: It’s “a state I suspect only the God within us knows.” I love the meditations at the end of each ecstatic dance event I join; it feels grounding.
An Ongoing Dance Practice
Roth walks through her daily dance practices in the book, which inspired me. She shares ways to fit bits of dance time into our schedules and overcome various excuses we may have.
I’m still reading the book, embracing my dance journey, and enjoying freer and more intimately connected to my inner world.
Dancing feels like a supportive and beautiful counterpart to my 5-year meditation practice. Sitting down to meditate for a few minutes throughout the day sometimes feels difficult. Getting into my body and exploring before sitting in stillness feels more intuitive.
“It takes discipline to be a free spirit. Taking up this challenge means diving into the mysterious depths of your own soul. Doing what I call ‘the five rhythms’ is the surest way to drop whatever you are carrying and to move beyond the baggage to a new you, a new body, one that is fueled by its soul,” shares Roth.
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Ecstatic dance events continue to grow in popularity around the world. Search for venues near you to begin a community practice. Or, say a prayer, turn on music, and move your body anywhere that feels safe.
Read more about embodied inner work in “How Ecstatic Dance Supports My Healing Journey.”
Photo Credit: Unsplash, Milada Vigerova
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