5Rhythms practice is a journey towards freeing the body, expressing the heart, emptying the mind, awakening the soul and embodying the spirit.”
Gabrielle Roth

I love to dance 5Rhythms. It’s good exercise and makes me physically stronger and breath more deeply. But I could run, go to the gym or take a Zumba class for that... and there’s nothing wrong with that if it’s your thing.
But I’ve found that l love to dance the 5Rhythms because it’s also a moving meditation and a way of connecting with myself and my fellow dancers on the levels of body, mind and spirit.
I’m a 5 Element Acupuncturist and even before I went to my first class I was intrigued by the idea that you could somehow dance the five elemental transformations. I work with theses transformations each day in clinic and know they make up the pattern of existence. The smooth flow of these energies prevent dis-ease (disease) and the regaining of this ease is the way to banish physical and emotional stagnation and pain.
So I went to my first class with a curiosity about the name of the class but very few other expectations.
I’ve been rewarded with a practice that connects me to my body and many aspects of myself as a human being. It loosens my muscles and makes my blood and energy move. If I dance regularly it keeps at bay my dodgy back and my tense shoulders. As a person who sometimes finds it impossible to sit still to quiet my mind in meditation it also helps me live with my occasional low moods and life’s inevitable distressing moments. The dance has definitely deepened and eased my relationship with my body and my mind.
At the same time the dance connects me to other dancers. In a city where it’s often difficult to make new friends I’ve been rewarded with finding a community of people who are on a similar physical, emotional and soul journey. Like me they dance for many different reasons. Those reasons are their business and not mine. But in the dance we often connect to each other when and if we need it. In a safe space where communication is often non verbal, it seems easier to develop a trust in other people and this then supports me in my life away from the dance floor.
Virtually every day I’m grateful that I’ve found such a wonderful practice with a lovely teacher and great tribe of dancers.
You don’t need any experience to dance the 5Rythms. There are no moves to learn and you can dance alone of with others. All you need is a willingness to move your body in any way you wish. No one judges you on your dance or even really watches what you do and you’ll be welcomed into the community. Our new term starts on Tuesday 3rd September but you can join any time.
If you are interested in trying 5Rhythms get in touch with Neil on
https://www.neilpinnock.com/
Or just ask me for more information.

As most of my clients know I regularly talk about food. Not only do I love eating, cooking and talking about scrumptious food but from a Chinese Medicine perspective food is medicine. You can't think about good health without thinking about the fuel you put into your body.
It seems that Western Medicine is gradually catching up with that message and a BBC pragramme I found whilst surfing the IPlayer content looking for something to fill in the background whilst I sat knitting (I know not very glamerous!) reflects this.
'The Truth About Carbs' shows what Chinese Medicine has known for centuries.....that eating certain carbs can seriously impact on your ability to conceive, your blood sugars leading to diabetes and your ability to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
The programme simply outlined that reducing what they call white and beige carbs could reverse these three causes of unhappiness. It does seem too good to be true but the programme provides evidence supported by Western medically trained Doctors. It even includes a small experiment with real people who, in a 2 week period, manage to loose weight and reverse their Type II diadetes. They didn't stop eating carbs altogether, just ate lots of low carb vegetables and lots of fruit. They found alternatives for roast potatoes and could even eat chocolate for desert.
So if you are interested in improving your fertility, diabetes and weight without hunger or pain its time to catch up and watch TV. The knitting is optional.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0b5y6c0/the-truth-about-17-carbs