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Sweat Your Prayers
A widely publicized practitioner of movement and ritual theater shows initiates how to use five rhythmic, ritualistic motion routines to release the soul's energies, clear the mind, and help one realize the potential of the self.
225 pages, Hardcover
First published December 29, 1997
41 people are currently reading
668 people want to read
About the author
Gabrielle Roth
38 books44 followersGabrielle Roth was a musician, author, music director, dancer, philosopher and recording artist in the world music and trance dance genres, with a special interest in shamanism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
August 8, 2009
The part I can commend about the book is Roth's deep passion for dance, her poetic descriptions of it, and her faith in its power. I found lots of obstacles in approaching her subject matter, and disagreed with her almost constantly... but at least her prose sometimes got the attention of my dancer, and inspired me to get up and move for the sake of moving.
The book centers around five rhythms Roth has designated. I was expecting something like a set of personality types related to movement, but that's not at all what I found. Roth describes five rhythms - flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. Within four of the rhythms, she describes several of what she calls "archetypes", but what I'd rather call "characters". Flowing contains the characters 'mother', 'mistress' and 'madonna'. Staccato contains the characters 'father', 'son' and 'holy spirit'. Chaos combines these sets of paired archetypes to form 'artist', 'lover' and 'seeker'. 'Lyrical' and 'stillness' increase in what Roth defines as integration and maturity, and stillness includes the 'alchemist'. I experience none of the clarity, specificity or irreducibility I equate with traditional archetypes in these characters. Rather, the characters have layers of meaning that Roth has chosen for them. Together with the rhythms, which appear to function primarily as a set of stages to follow, a sort of narrative is created. I don't resonate with the narrative, and it doesn't have a sense of universality to me. It might be more approachable if one begins with the kind of energy that Roth naturally begins with - highly spontaneous, resistant to structure, inwardly-focused, deeply kinesthetic, accustomed to using power and strength only indirectly. She nearly defines this as the natural state of any individual self. You might also relate to the rhythms more if you work with a 4 or 5-element worldview that includes earth, fire, water and air, as they correspond to the first four rhythms. The oddest part of the rhythms, to me, is that after reading this book about them, I'm not sure I could concretely identify the rhythms in a dancer, or work of art, or building standing before me (though Roth frequently mentions seeing the energies around her). The rhythms appear to be more about the spiritual state of the dancer than specific kinds of movements. She has little concrete language she uses in describing how they look.
I am disappointed most in Roth's focus on healing as our reason for being, and the many traps that come with that focus that she falls into. An overwhelming focus on healing brings with it a focus on wounds and a focus on normalizing; Roth describes fixing this or eliminating that through dance, and does it in a frequently facile way. Naming and dancing something is a magical elixir that cures all. The healing can be completed, categorized and contained in little stories. Positivity and lightness can be reached once the negativity and darkness has been handled. By the end of the book, I'm very aware of an ideal state of beingness that she puts forward, and there's something that feels almost static about it. Not only is there little room for diverse journeys and differing meta-narratives - like starting in a different place from her or ending up at a different destination - there's also little room for diversity in how we relate to personality traits and life experiences. Grief is to be let go of. Shyness is to be eliminated. Forcefulness is to be subdued. This type of focus paradoxically makes it more difficult to live with our wounds; they become failures instead of being facts of life and ultimately loveable parts of ourselves. In my experience of a healing focus, there is also a lack of forward movement to find our deepest creativity and the actual characteristics of our own wholeness.
I cannot commend her understanding of Jungian psychoanalytic theory. Though she uses a lot of his vocabulary, she often uses it incorrectly (most espescially the concept of ego). She instead draws primarily from pop psychology and pop spirituality that I find generic, hollow and lacking in substance.
I am more than exasperated at her poor understanding of Christian history; unfortunately she draws heavily from it. She has some formative pain in her past, given to her by a group of people that identified as Christian. She has since projected that pain onto the entire history and existence of Christianity, a fact which imbues a lot of meaning into the characters she defines. It makes it difficult to impossible for me to bring my very different experience of Christianity, as well as a more informed understanding of history, into her narrative structure.
One additional thing that makes me mistrustful of her in a teaching role is that, while she often presents long "quotes" from others, they all sound exactly like her writing voice. Even in the short quotes from famous people that pepper the book, there are at least two I know well that she misquotes. I am suspicious of this kind of blindness to the rich variances in others' voices.
If you throw enough images at an imaginative reader, some are liable to get their imaginations going. I did find an exercise or two that gave me a pleasant sensation, or a inspiring daydream or two. But overall, the book's primary influence on me was to lament the lack of good resources in this field.
The book centers around five rhythms Roth has designated. I was expecting something like a set of personality types related to movement, but that's not at all what I found. Roth describes five rhythms - flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness. Within four of the rhythms, she describes several of what she calls "archetypes", but what I'd rather call "characters". Flowing contains the characters 'mother', 'mistress' and 'madonna'. Staccato contains the characters 'father', 'son' and 'holy spirit'. Chaos combines these sets of paired archetypes to form 'artist', 'lover' and 'seeker'. 'Lyrical' and 'stillness' increase in what Roth defines as integration and maturity, and stillness includes the 'alchemist'. I experience none of the clarity, specificity or irreducibility I equate with traditional archetypes in these characters. Rather, the characters have layers of meaning that Roth has chosen for them. Together with the rhythms, which appear to function primarily as a set of stages to follow, a sort of narrative is created. I don't resonate with the narrative, and it doesn't have a sense of universality to me. It might be more approachable if one begins with the kind of energy that Roth naturally begins with - highly spontaneous, resistant to structure, inwardly-focused, deeply kinesthetic, accustomed to using power and strength only indirectly. She nearly defines this as the natural state of any individual self. You might also relate to the rhythms more if you work with a 4 or 5-element worldview that includes earth, fire, water and air, as they correspond to the first four rhythms. The oddest part of the rhythms, to me, is that after reading this book about them, I'm not sure I could concretely identify the rhythms in a dancer, or work of art, or building standing before me (though Roth frequently mentions seeing the energies around her). The rhythms appear to be more about the spiritual state of the dancer than specific kinds of movements. She has little concrete language she uses in describing how they look.
I am disappointed most in Roth's focus on healing as our reason for being, and the many traps that come with that focus that she falls into. An overwhelming focus on healing brings with it a focus on wounds and a focus on normalizing; Roth describes fixing this or eliminating that through dance, and does it in a frequently facile way. Naming and dancing something is a magical elixir that cures all. The healing can be completed, categorized and contained in little stories. Positivity and lightness can be reached once the negativity and darkness has been handled. By the end of the book, I'm very aware of an ideal state of beingness that she puts forward, and there's something that feels almost static about it. Not only is there little room for diverse journeys and differing meta-narratives - like starting in a different place from her or ending up at a different destination - there's also little room for diversity in how we relate to personality traits and life experiences. Grief is to be let go of. Shyness is to be eliminated. Forcefulness is to be subdued. This type of focus paradoxically makes it more difficult to live with our wounds; they become failures instead of being facts of life and ultimately loveable parts of ourselves. In my experience of a healing focus, there is also a lack of forward movement to find our deepest creativity and the actual characteristics of our own wholeness.
I cannot commend her understanding of Jungian psychoanalytic theory. Though she uses a lot of his vocabulary, she often uses it incorrectly (most espescially the concept of ego). She instead draws primarily from pop psychology and pop spirituality that I find generic, hollow and lacking in substance.
I am more than exasperated at her poor understanding of Christian history; unfortunately she draws heavily from it. She has some formative pain in her past, given to her by a group of people that identified as Christian. She has since projected that pain onto the entire history and existence of Christianity, a fact which imbues a lot of meaning into the characters she defines. It makes it difficult to impossible for me to bring my very different experience of Christianity, as well as a more informed understanding of history, into her narrative structure.
One additional thing that makes me mistrustful of her in a teaching role is that, while she often presents long "quotes" from others, they all sound exactly like her writing voice. Even in the short quotes from famous people that pepper the book, there are at least two I know well that she misquotes. I am suspicious of this kind of blindness to the rich variances in others' voices.
If you throw enough images at an imaginative reader, some are liable to get their imaginations going. I did find an exercise or two that gave me a pleasant sensation, or a inspiring daydream or two. But overall, the book's primary influence on me was to lament the lack of good resources in this field.
December 27, 2012
Mouthwatering. My soul has been fed. It is no coincidence that this book has come into my life now. As I read the pages I smile to my heart and I recognize on a deep level that dance has always been a form of emotional healing for me and how incredible it is to read such grace and poetry and to connect with Gabrielle's truth. It has opened the door for me as I learn to honor my body and honor the Dance.
January 16, 2023
Gabrielle Roth is very, very different from me. But she speaks to me in her work. This is the third of her books I’ve read recently. I don’t think there are others and there certainly won’t be any in the future because she died of lung cancer a decade ago. I will content myself with watching some videos and trying some of the many suggestions she provides in her books. She writes with passion, eloquence and humour. That she could have so many experiences I would think of as ‘woo-woo’ and yet still be able to inspire me with her words is a testament to the value of her writing to me.
December 3, 2022
Oh wow, how did this book get past the editors?
If I could rewind, I'd save myself some hours, skip reading the book, and watch the The Wave Dance instead, which gives a much more succinct (and less problematic) rundown of the 5Rhythms, with the added bonus of 2000s hairdos and leotards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cYYz...
If I could rewind, I'd save myself some hours, skip reading the book, and watch the The Wave Dance instead, which gives a much more succinct (and less problematic) rundown of the 5Rhythms, with the added bonus of 2000s hairdos and leotards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cYYz...
February 11, 2009
i like the idea of movement as spiritual practice and/or psychotherapy but i pretty much hated this book.
November 23, 2010
this is one of the best "self-help/personal growth" books I have ever read. like roth, her prose dances off the page and will make even the most resistant person shake something.
June 10, 2008
I learned sbout Gbrielle Roth and her 5 Rythms through a chance mention by a fellow student at a bellydance workshop by hossam Ramzy. Out of the blue, a friend sent me a copy from a second hand bookshop she worked at. I read it, and was immensely inspired. the simplicity of her message, about achieving personal enlightenment through dance, struck home to me. Although I don't practise her 5 Rythms personally, I can use her techniques with my own style to dance away the blues, celebrate joy and life, and just for the sheer pleasure of dancing.
November 4, 2021
After attending a week long retreat last summer at Earth Dance I was introduced to the 5 Rhythms and walked away wanting/needing to learn more. As I am about to spend another weekend studying the 5 Rhythms I am very happy to have taken the time to read this book and understand more about the dance it self and how Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness are not only in our dance but in our lives.
June 29, 2020
I love 5rhythms but this was extremely hard to read, it felt like a diary of random thoughts and I cant say that i took anything from it to the dancefloor. Maps to ecstasy by her was much more enjoyable in my opinion. I think if anything the dance is the guide to all of this, I question whether there is a need to theorize and rationalize. Just my personal opinion here
August 26, 2008
about actively including your body in your spiritual journey through dance and movement. Great ideas and the author (gabrielle) is evidently the leader of this practice which combines psychology, spirituality and body movement - body, mind and spirit.
June 2, 2016
Dizzyingly creative! Excellent discussion of archetypal energies and learning to work with how they operate in our lives. Highly recommended!
November 4, 2023
Phenomenal. Inspiring. Life-changing.
Somatic therapy is making waves in the world of psychology as a method by which we can locate and release emotions, particularly those that have been repressed or trapped. We can think of the practice of somatic dance as an ongoing process of liberation. As we move in sync with the music, we become receptive. We listen, and then let our movements be led by the innate desires of the rhythms and the urges of our bodies.
This process of listening to, and feeling into our bodies restores us to a primal sense of connection - trusting in the path before us, our steps illuminated by our body’s natural healing wisdom. With each intuitive movement, we release more old data, making room for new programming. With each twirl, punch, glide, jump, or plunge, we flow deeper into emptiness - a gradual emptying - making space to then fill ourselves up. This book is essentially a working manual for incorporating a somatic dance practice into your daily life.
In Sweat Your Prayers, Gabrielle Roth, a renowned dancer, prolific musician, author, and shaman, links the power of dance to a source of essential spirituality. A connection to the Transcendent, the Source, the Divine that can be accessed and utilized by anyone with a desire to see it. We were all born dancing - we were all born to dance. As we embark upon this process of incorporating movement and rhythm into our lives - following the primal pull of the dance - we learn it is not a process of manufacturing from scratch something we don’t already possess, it’s a process of returning, of coming home to that which we have always known. We see this reflected in the way children dance - freely, without inhibitions or instructions; or in the way our ancestors all wove dance into the rhythm of their daily lives - a communal ritual practice of belonging. Whether it be for celebration or grief, the need to come together and “dance it out” is imprinted in our DNA, or as Roth puts it, “Rhythm is our mother tongue.”
Gabrielle Roth approaches us with a “seductive” invitation, one that she considers “holy work” - an invitation to become intimate with our personal rhythmic repertoire, the way music flows both into and out of our body, our personal and ever-evolving definition of what it means to dance.
“In a thousand ways it has been revealed to me that God is the dance and we need only to disappear in the dance to liberate the sexual, creative, and sacred aspects of the soul.”
Gabrielle Roth has spent a lifetime disappearing into the dance and has produced a workable map of the terrain: the Five Rhythms, each with their unique character, embodied feeling, and purpose in our lives.
Flowing is where feminine energy expresses itself - soft, supple, alluring, and mysterious.
Staccato is the masculine counterpart - direct, action-oriented, orderly, and strong.
Chaos is where the masculine and feminine energies intersect, colliding with each other in waves on top of waves - where ecstasy meets disorientation, where surrender is the only option.
Lyrical is a transcendental lightness, ephemeral, elusive, impossible-to-hold-on-to, the natural aftermath of chaos.
Stillness is a formless expanse, a refuge of emptiness, the space of infinite potential.
Since reading this book, I have incorporated the exercises into a daily practice, and
Somatic therapy is making waves in the world of psychology as a method by which we can locate and release emotions, particularly those that have been repressed or trapped. We can think of the practice of somatic dance as an ongoing process of liberation. As we move in sync with the music, we become receptive. We listen, and then let our movements be led by the innate desires of the rhythms and the urges of our bodies.
This process of listening to, and feeling into our bodies restores us to a primal sense of connection - trusting in the path before us, our steps illuminated by our body’s natural healing wisdom. With each intuitive movement, we release more old data, making room for new programming. With each twirl, punch, glide, jump, or plunge, we flow deeper into emptiness - a gradual emptying - making space to then fill ourselves up. This book is essentially a working manual for incorporating a somatic dance practice into your daily life.
In Sweat Your Prayers, Gabrielle Roth, a renowned dancer, prolific musician, author, and shaman, links the power of dance to a source of essential spirituality. A connection to the Transcendent, the Source, the Divine that can be accessed and utilized by anyone with a desire to see it. We were all born dancing - we were all born to dance. As we embark upon this process of incorporating movement and rhythm into our lives - following the primal pull of the dance - we learn it is not a process of manufacturing from scratch something we don’t already possess, it’s a process of returning, of coming home to that which we have always known. We see this reflected in the way children dance - freely, without inhibitions or instructions; or in the way our ancestors all wove dance into the rhythm of their daily lives - a communal ritual practice of belonging. Whether it be for celebration or grief, the need to come together and “dance it out” is imprinted in our DNA, or as Roth puts it, “Rhythm is our mother tongue.”
Gabrielle Roth approaches us with a “seductive” invitation, one that she considers “holy work” - an invitation to become intimate with our personal rhythmic repertoire, the way music flows both into and out of our body, our personal and ever-evolving definition of what it means to dance.
“In a thousand ways it has been revealed to me that God is the dance and we need only to disappear in the dance to liberate the sexual, creative, and sacred aspects of the soul.”
Gabrielle Roth has spent a lifetime disappearing into the dance and has produced a workable map of the terrain: the Five Rhythms, each with their unique character, embodied feeling, and purpose in our lives.
Flowing is where feminine energy expresses itself - soft, supple, alluring, and mysterious.
Staccato is the masculine counterpart - direct, action-oriented, orderly, and strong.
Chaos is where the masculine and feminine energies intersect, colliding with each other in waves on top of waves - where ecstasy meets disorientation, where surrender is the only option.
Lyrical is a transcendental lightness, ephemeral, elusive, impossible-to-hold-on-to, the natural aftermath of chaos.
Stillness is a formless expanse, a refuge of emptiness, the space of infinite potential.
Since reading this book, I have incorporated the exercises into a daily practice, and
September 3, 2020
When I first experienced the 5 rhythms, honestly I felt silly. However, it became a saving grace which allowed me to connect on a deeper level, and to express more fully. I read this book while I was attending various moment therapy workshops and classes. I highly suggest reading this book if you're looking for ways to engage with self-expression (and have fun doing so!)
February 27, 2018
Each of us is an original, with a unique story, a signature dance, and a song that speaks to our soul alone.
Beautiful exploration of archetypes, allowing a sense of dis attachment perspective that proves applicable.
Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, Stillness
Beautiful exploration of archetypes, allowing a sense of dis attachment perspective that proves applicable.
Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, Stillness
January 19, 2019
I liked this book WAY better than I thought I would. Great exercises/tools to embody each of the rhythms and their components. Good stories to go with each. A nice book for anyone into ecstatic dance and embodiment.
December 11, 2020
Gabrielle Roth's spiritual journey through life to create the world famous 5Rhythms practice.
Beautifully written and also full of practical tips to connect you with your body and your spiritual path.
Beautifully written and also full of practical tips to connect you with your body and your spiritual path.
June 12, 2017
I liked the book and the maps. Rich wisdom
August 9, 2018
To read when you want to be inspired!
I really enjoyed the mix of memoir and more descriptive sections on Five Rhythms. Incredibly beautifully written.
I really enjoyed the mix of memoir and more descriptive sections on Five Rhythms. Incredibly beautifully written.
November 10, 2019
Amazing book, I lost myself in the spirit of this book. Almost magical you feel all the motions and emotions inside your body while reading it
October 20, 2022
Une entrée par les archetypes, mais dans le monde de la danse : intéréssant!
July 14, 2024
I wanted to enjoy this. I was intrigued by the title. I found the writing to be rather repetitive and yet also to overly skip about the place, making it tricky to follow. Many of her cultural statements didn't resonate with me. Her whole concept of referring to "Madonna" and "son" and "holy spirit" really didn't work for me. Overall found the book to be a bit of a let down. Prefer dancing 5rhythms to reading about them.
May 3, 2016
This book has me somewhat divided. On One side I adore the practice, the simpleness, guide-lines and overall thoughts presented. On the other side the book itself is somewhat boring, nothing fancy, very straight forward. The style of writing, her and others personal stories didn`t hit home. It felt at times as though these experiences she`s had (or signs/messages, something?) are exaggerated and a bit overly looked into. To me half of this books content seems irrelevant and skip-able, but I reckon the points I missed myself will fall into better hands with others. Which is why I´d still recommend this book to anyone seeking creative or personal release.
I give it this: it had me up and moving within a couple of chapters. Thrilling, challenging and at times mind-blowing. I only know this technique from the books, but I`d love to take a class or a workshop in the near future.
I give it this: it had me up and moving within a couple of chapters. Thrilling, challenging and at times mind-blowing. I only know this technique from the books, but I`d love to take a class or a workshop in the near future.
February 29, 2008
i have placed this book on my sacred sexuality shelf because it is one of the books i have drawn from in doing my research on the subject. Roth describes her five rhythms through personal stories, prose, poetry and description. She talks about the way these movements can affect us spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
May 5, 2016
I read this on and off over a few months, putting the 5 Rhythms into practice imperfectly as I went. It's more than a little crunchy/New Agey, but the core wisdom of the 5 Rhythms and the practices of embodied spirituality/prayer are solid. I feel more fully myself and closer to my Creator through these practices.
October 23, 2016
We all need to find the ways that make sense for us to meditate and process through our life experiences and emotions. 5Rhythms is one such practice especially if you intuitively find movement a means of going beyond the mind.
April 2, 2009
A lot of it struck home with me. Dance is my spiritual reflection.
Funny to me that one review recommended it for dancers and clowns; I am both:)
Funny to me that one review recommended it for dancers and clowns; I am both:)
January 31, 2012
i love 5 Rhythms as a practice more so than as a book
August 4, 2011
Unique approach to dancing. Looking forward to my feet getting better so that I can try out Roth's ideas.
July 1, 2013
absolutely loved this book and will return to it over and over again for tune ups!
November 22, 2017
The author teaches us how to reach ecstasy through movement.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews