Put your feet into the beat!

By Bettina Rothe. Bettina is teaching Body, Breath and Beat at the Haven July 6-9, 2017.

I am a body advocate… I listen to the nonverbal, the movement, the breath, the stories held in our bones, flesh and hearts. I value the intelligence of the body, its wisdom expressed in a myriad of shapes, sensations and rhythm.

I know this: The body does not lie. I have experienced it over and over again in my own self and through witnessing hundreds of students and clients over the years. The body is a library of our stories, our truths – nothing is forgotten in our tissues, muscles and bones. Our personal stories and the stories of our ancestors are held in the soma.

Often we don’t take the time to listen to our bodies and the intelligence it has inherent. Yet if we bring our awareness into the body, we can access untold and unwitnessed memories – things we have been holding that might have even caused illness, tension or injury.

Many clients come to me with the desire to enter their bodies more deeply, to inhabit more of their precious selves and to let go of past stories held. If we can let go of the residue, we can come back to what we truly are: being empty vessels – so we can hear and respond to the call of spirit moving through us.

The 5Rhythms® movement practice offers us maps to explore our embodied Self. We learn to cultivate inner body awareness and pay attention to physical sensations. When we cultivate inner body awareness we learn to pay attention to somatic and sensory information. Then we can deepen our connection to the present moment and our environment. When we are rooted within ourselves, we can begin to include our direct environment into our practice, realizing that we are not separate from it, but deeply and intimately connected to.

Can you bring your attention back to yourself right now, dropping into yourself like a well? Can you listen to what your body is telling you right now? Can you sense your breath, the beating of your heart, the subtle movements in your body?

Founded by artist and shamanic healer Gabrielle Roth, the 5Rhythms® are a form of ecstatic dance that helps us to free our bodies, open our hearts and empty our minds. The 5Rhythms – Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness – form a wave of energy and map how things naturally move and change. During this movement meditation, each rhythm is a different energy field in which we find our own expression.

I invite you into this dance journey to put your feet into the beat and let your spirit soar!

Follow the link to find out more and register for Body, Breath and Beat.