The wave of the 5 rhythms goes through consecutive phases like a natural process... such as when an emotion surfaces, comes to a crescendo and then runs its course; like the the trajectory of a life; a scientific research project, starting from facts and proceeding to the outcome, the solution, the answer; such as giving birth (Gabrielle’s example of the birth of her son, Jonathan); like a river from source to the delta, the mouth of the river that goes into the sea, like a tree in bud, through until the leaves fall.
FLOWING, STACCATO, CHAOS, LYRICAL, STILLNESS
For me (Nancy), the flowing phase helps me to sink in and feel the substance of my body more, letting the ground in to support me and to be able to listen in to how I am on any particular day. As flowing transitions into staccato, the sense of my body and the ground supports me to start expressing outwards and defining my boundaries in the clear beat of staccato. When I first started the 5Rs I really loved chaos the best, enjoying its untamed aspect and how I could just let the messiness be there and not be pretending to “keep it all together”. Over time I’ve come to appreciate the rhythms in the run up to chaos - (flowing and staccato,) how they provide the “cooking pot” for me to really be able to “cook” and transform/ regenerate in chaos. Also I can feel the moment when I come over the rainbow and land over the other side in lyrical and enjoy all the varying fruits it brings in each different dance; then the slowing down and the warm inclusiveness of stillness, which, as I experience it, has actually been there all the time, gently cradling me all through the wave, at times really spaciously and at others, with a closer embrace, when needed.
I (Edo) now observe and experience waves all around me and inside me. I surf the waves of my (physical) energy, follow the progression of my emotions, let it guide my research undertakings and experience it in the ongoing unfolding of my life as a whole.
You can find other examples in chapter 9 of Gabrielle’s book 'Sweat Your Prayers'.