1000 journeys that I want to go on

The type of dance practice that I do is called 5 Rhythms. I discovered it by accident many years ago, 6 years ago, when I was living in Liverpool. I was going to see a Buddhist body worker every week - having tried all the treatments in the world for stuff discussed in previous posts, this was something new. He was a big deal (he would have HATED that phrase) at the Zen centre in Liverpool. Now zen was not for me. Absolute stillness is not for me.

But the zen centre had many classes. And I was looking for tai chi. And instead I saw 5 rhythms. 

What’s that I thought. I looked it up. Couldn’t get it. Watched videos. I came to the class. I told the teacher what I was looking for and she said “I think you may have come to the right place.” I danced for the whole year. It was high risk and it triggered my seizures (but only after the classes) and it was a stupid thing to do but I loved it. I did workshops and weekend long classes. I read the book. Eventually I stopped. It wasn’t safe. But I loved it so much. And not before I had helped facilitate classes. And not before I had taught my own dance workshop on marine spatial planning and the sea and dance inspired by this practice. Yes, really.

My comeback came on my retreat this year. My friend was teaching a workshop. And I was ill so he banned me from coming in a caring way. I was devastated. So in Brighton I sought out a class. 

My body has changed so much in the last 5 years. 

It has been through so much. 

But the dance was like it has always been. Effortless. Full of energy. Every time we dance a 5 rhythms “wave” we go on a journey. As mentioned previously I have 80 playlists. I can create more.

I can reuse the playlists as many times as I like. And I can go to classes.

Each wave is a journey. I want to go on these journeys. Because I don’t want to get stuck. I don’t want to die. 

Change is scary. But I am not afraid of change anymore. I don’t know what change means. For my work, for my team. For my passions even. For my relationships. For my living space. I don’t know what change means and change can be scary. When I look back on the last year… my job changed. My levels of stress in relation to my work changed. A lot of health stuff changed some for better and some for worse.

Something really needs to change around my lungs as they are seriously being affected and I need more fresh air and less dust in my room and more movement and life in my lungs! And things have changed internally - what matters to me. What I spend money on. How I relate to my job. Ultimately it has all been positive or almost all and that which isn’t positive is a journey. And it will change. When we dance we change. When we go out into the woods we change. And when we move we change.

So why be afraid of change? Why am so afraid of change? Every time we dance we change.

And every time we dance we take a journey

And there are thousands of journeys I am ready and willing to take