"To sweat is to pray, to make an offering of your innermost self. Sweat is holy water, prayer beads, pearls of liquid that release your past. . . . Sweat is an ancient and universal form of self healing, whether done in the gym, the sauna, or the sweatlodge. I do it on the dance floor. The more you dance, the more you sweat. The more you sweat, the more you pray. The more you pray, the closer you come to ecstasy." So writes internationally acclaimed movement and theater artist Gabrielle Roth. She has identified five major rhythms that draw out the dancer within all of us. Tapping into these universal energies, we can liberate the sexual, creative, and sacred aspects of soul.
In the rhythm of flowing, we encounter the feminine mysteries and the archetypes of mother, mistress, and madonna. In staccato, the masculine energies explode with the archetypes of father, son, and holy spirit. Chaos unites the masculine and the feminine; it is an energy giving rise to lover and seeker. The lyrical rhythm is one of self-realization as we are opened to "the process of delightenment." And in stillness, the mystery that infuses the universe wraps us in a warm embrace.
Roth's spiritual practice of movement will speak to anyone who has ever wanted to disappear into the beat. Her stories, travels, and workshop experiences all bear ample testament to the benefits of surrendering to "the wild, ecstatic embrace of dance." Sweat, surrender, and soul are celebrated in this extraordinary devotional resource.
