Shapeshifter's Surrender

 "In modern times, the term "shapeshifting" has been all but lost. More often than not we inhabit the shadow side of the shapeshifter either trying to be invisible or trying to be somebody else. This happens when, instead of having faith in the fluidity of our own persona, we try to fix ourselves in an idea of who we are. And when we can't come up with a good idea, we imitate somebody else's. The trick is to identify with the shifting, not the shape, the process, not the product."                     ~Gabrielle Roth

Dear Sisters, the circle has opened…Take our hands and join our circle of women dedicated to the journey of  wild abandon and holy ecstasy~ We dive deep to the realms of intuitive, visceral and instinctual movement to invite and invoke our deepest healing essence as we move our bodies in our shapeshifting beauty, wisdom and power. I look forward to being with you again in all your vulnerability and authenticity.

I hope you will join us on this monthly journey surrendering to the  sacred shapeshifter from the body, through the heart, releasing the mind, freeing the soul and meeting spirit on the dance floor. We will find our fluid nature that guides us through light and shadows and reveals the beauty of our own power and vulnerability. We will surrender to our own authenticity again and again as we offer ourselves to the dance.

The 5Rhythms are Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness and together form a Wave. Just like the ocean, after one good wave we don’t all just go home! These are endless energies without a beginning or end as each rhythm seamlessly moves into the next.

The 5Rhythms® are a path into the self ~ a spelunking service to the inner caves and crevices within the body so that we can dive in and come out onto the other side.

As we move through the 5Rhythms we may meet the unfamiliar, uncomfortable in one moment and find ourselves seamlessly sliding into home in the next beat. We might meet our inner judge in one rhythm and then dissolve into breath and bone in another. And then we dance again and again with curiosity and willingness to show up with whatever we got and allow it to change as we move.

The Path of the Wounded Healer

The healing path has a trajectory. Gabrielle Roth, creator of the 5Rhythms Movement Practice, called this The Path of The Wounded Healer. On this path, we mark both where we are and where we want to be and move with that awareness.

In the Heartbeat Map of the 5Rhythms, we investigate what is moving through the shores of the heart. Through understanding the relationship of the emotional polarities we come to respect and appreciate what we have been through.

Without fear, we cannot experience courage. Without anger, we cannot find access to forgiveness. Without love, we cannot experience grief. Without loss we cannot experience or appreciate the full spectrum of joy. Without all these qualities, we cannot know the true nature of compassion.

It is my belief that our sacred task in life is to transform the most difficult things we have been through into our greatest strengths. These are the stories of resiliency, vulnerability and strength. It is here we expand the capacity and potential to love and be loved.

You are invited to this journey of movement and awareness, focused on how emotions more through and transform the heart. Heartbeat is one of the maps of Gabrielle Roth’s living wisdom. I am here to pass this gift to you to be carried in your own bones and blood.

Each session we will be primarily working with the 5Rhythms® Movement Practice as a meditation. We will integrate each movement session with stillness meditation practices. In sitting meditation, we have the opportunity to observe the mind and body at rest through silence.

In 5Rhythms, we engage in mindfulness while moving. The two polarities of moving and sitting meditation together mirror the dance of life and support cultivation of well-being and balance.