5RHYTHMS
Developed in the late 1970s by Gabrielle Roth, 5Rhythms is a dynamic movement meditation practice that has since spread worldwide. Rooted in the principle that if you put the psyche in motion, it will heal itself, this practice draws from indigenous traditions and world traditions.
It weaves together tenets of shamanistic, ecstatic, and mystical practices with Eastern philosophy, Gestalt therapy, and transpersonal psychology. Gabrielle’s maps to ecstasy point beyond bliss, guiding us toward the deeper unfolding of life itself.
5Rhythms is more than just a dance; it is a life practice. Deeply somatic, emotionally intelligent, and spiritually alive, this dance is art, not performance. It is medicine for the body and a meditation for the mind.
Fundamentally, the practice is designed to release stuck energy, quiet the chatter of the mind, and return you to a state of simple, grounded presence. It teaches us that life is energy in motion, freeing us from any fixed notions about people, places, objects, or ideas.
You are invited to track perceptions and memories, seek out gestures and shapes, and tune into your instincts and intuitions. The dance initiates us back into the wisdom of our bodies and unleashes movement’s dynamic healing power. In this practice, the body becomes our spiritual path.
"The 5Rhythms practice, with its beautiful blend of strong structure and freedom, created a space where I truly felt held — and able to completely let go."
Antonela
“It doesn’t matter whether you’ve danced before or not. If you can breathe, you can dance — your body knows how to respond to rhythm.”
Dorotea
"I went from heaviness to happiness, from being stuck to flowing again, from being powerless to powerful, from feeling alone to feeling deeply connected."
Leni
"5Rhythms helped me release stored emotions and unprocessed pain through movement, reconnecting body, heart, and mind."
Natasja
“I truly love 5Rhythms — first for the exercise, the movement, the fun — and then as a platform to explore what’s within: what makes us tick, what makes us us.”
Jerry
The practice follows a “Wave,” a journey through five distinct states of being: Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness. These rhythms mirror the way energy moves and changes. Each Rhythm brings an energetic quality and particular teachings. Rather than having steps to follow, in each Rhythm we find our own individual expression and spontaneous choreography. While the teacher guides the Wave, the expression belongs entirely to you.
Dancing Wave after Wave, we connect to the spectrum of aliveness that is available to us—beyond the mind, personality, and ego—awakening and expressing our creative, multi-faceted, vibrant, and full selves.
This is a practice for every age and every ability. It is suitable for anyone seeking to reconnect with the freedom of movement and the pure joy of the dance.
5Rhythms reconnects us to our human birthright: movement is a healing art that helps us mark rites of passage, celebrate, grieve, and express what it is to be alive. It offers us a universal language of movement—crossing borders, dissolving identities, and weaving us back into wholeness.
