Meeting the 5Rhythms and meeting Gabrielle Roth – My journey with the Rhythms

One of the many powerful experiences I had in the years I am dancing the 5Rhythms was in California during Mirrors. I was doing repetitions (with a partner) in front of the group. Gabrielle interferred, inviting me into a repetition with her: “You’re a wounded healer.”  I was wearing a bandage at the time. I repeated (as we do in repetitions): “ I’m a wounded healer,” taking it on, with joy.

I can’t remember much of the words, which continued between us. What I still remember is the vibrancy, the lightness, and the provocative playfulness in that meeting.

For me this moment shows much of the healing in the 5Rhythms. Revealing our selves in a way that creates light and space, even if that is in the midst of deep pain. 

This dance gives us the possibility to meet life and ourselves as fully as we can.

I fell in love with the Rhythms at first dance. I arrived in my first workshop feeling shut down and locked. During the weekend it felt like my heart cracked open, I could breath again. As if light and life entered my body and being. I was – and still am- in love. I enjoyed it, big time.

I wanted to teach, then already. Sitting meditation couldn’t get me so connected to myself, dancing could. I wanted to inspire people to experience the same. 

It took me 7 years to get there, dancing at least a weekend every month. 

I started teaching in 2010 and since 2015 also in Heartbeat.

The journey has been a deep dive into my own being and into connection with others. Deeper then I could have imagined. 

Teaching Heartbeat made me even more aware of the depth of the work. How much inertia we all need to overcome to be “comfortable with uncomfortable feelings” as Gabrielle said.

Teaching, for me, has the quality of intimacy with students. I get to witness pieces of their journeys, them getting closer to themselves, opening, becoming more visible. In becoming more of what they already are. It’s a privilege to be in this place. 

My deep longing in life is to be able to be present with anything that meets me. I want to be touched by life and all that life carries, even when that scares me.

Whatever I teach will have a taste of that longing. 

Dancing is a powerful teacher, when I am scared or joyful. 

It’s really hard to stay untouched if you dance. 

I teach in Amsterdam, Holland, regularly in Beirut, Lebanon and occasionally in other places. You can also meet me Online and Outdoors.

You’ll find details is the calendar

This post was first published in the 5Rhythms Teacher Spotlight