What is Eurythmy Movement?
Several clients of mine, who have experienced some basic “Eurythmy” exercises with me, have asked me to say more about the art and practice.
This is quite a challenge for me, as it’s in the personal experiencing of it over time, that one can gradually discern and discover what Eurythmy means for Life, when we consciously move our limbs.
What I can offer here is my journey meeting Eurythmy and how it came to be in the world now.
Eurythmy is an expressive movement art developed in the early 20th century by Marie Steiner-von Sivers. Often described as "visible speech" or "visible music," it uses specific bodily gestures and spatial choreography to translate the sounds of language and musical tones into physical movement. They help to strengthen the rhythmic system through which the healing powers can take effect. The movements help to bring back the directions of space into a living conversations as a basis towards health.
The world historical situation in 1922 was not easy for people. The first world war with an estimated 20 millions deaths of soldiers and civilians, brought instability, extreme inflation and an economic crisis. Due to missing reparation payments, power dynamics peaked.
Between 1918 and 2020, a flu created a pandemic and caused an estimated 50 million of deaths worldwide and at least 500 million people were infected. In India alone, around 20 million people died from this influenza virus. The healthcare system in the country was unable to meet the sudden increase in demands for medical attention. The consequent toll of death and misery, and economic fallout brought about by the pandemic led to an increase in emotion against colonial rule. Several prominent figures in India suffered from influenza, including Charles Freer Andrews, and Mahatma Gandhi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic_in_India
In this complex and difficult situation, Marie Von Sivers, Rudolf Steiner, and their colleagues, were deeply concerned in ensuring the living stability of every individual.
In 1912, the mother of a young professional dancer had asked Rudolf Steiner a question regarding her daughter's dance career. So, the artistic form of Eurythmy movement came into being. Eurythmy developed rapidly with lessons, demonstrations, and performances.
Doctors and Eurythmists requested Rudolf Steiner offer a Therapeutic Eurythmy for the chldren in schools, and so the gestures and sequences were developed as a remedy for education and post-war healing.
Around 100 years later, we met the challenges of another pandemic situation when many people died. In this challenging situation, I found my way to Eurythmy online and specifically Eurythmy4You.com where I learned to witness the conversation between the upper parts and the lower parts of the human being. I learned how the rhythmic system of the lung and heart, nerve-sense system and kidneys can be made dynamic.
At this time, we are blessed to have available, artistic Eurythmy, tone Eurythmy, therapeutic Eurthymy, and Eurythmy for wellbeing ; all natural methods that support the body’s rhythms.
My very first meeting with Eurythmy was in 2017, as part of a conference at Rudolf Steiner House in London, which ended with a beautiful artistic performance of Eurythmy by trained Eurythmists wearing many colours of silk veils over long loose cotton dresses. At first I could only approach it through what I already knew… I likened the formed sequential shapes in space, partially to Tai Chi; or graceful and light, like Ballet. People of the audience patiently observed the interplay on stage, and they did not applaud at the end; they held the silence.
My wonder and curiosity was peaked.
I then discovered Eurythmy in a more direct way, through my teacher at the Tobias School of Art & Therapy, who facilitated how to draw our star body form in space using our arms and imagination, whilst standing upright. I was able to sense my self as a star. I started to experience the etheric forces in the room and around my body. It felt very calming. For the first time in my life, I could breathe more freely and deeply; between times of anxiety.
During the world change events of 2020, I recall many people having physical and emotional concerns, and were looking for support. Inspired by what I was seeing around me, questions around rising sensitivity came through. I started to experience Eurythmy exercises, which helped me to find fresh ground through loss. I experienced Eurythmy as being a deeply simple and transformative art-form, particularly in my efforts to bring balance between extremes.
I wanted to understand Eurythmy more deeply and gain a better understanding of its underlying connections. So, I watched videos online of short exercises I could copy and experience from home. I also experienced in-person Eurythmy in one-to-one sessions with therapists, that helped to delve deeper into the digestive potential within therapeutic gestures and sequences. Then I saw a course offer to experience and then facilitate “Eurythmy for Highly Sensitive People”, and decided to join, because some years earlier I had read a book about the Highly Sensitive Person. Whilst the book went some way towards offering examples of sensitivity and learning to value it, the answers around why sensitivity must be valued, came from my ongoing research.
I have come to appreciate the beauty of practicing Eurythmy together with other people, both in-person and online where the atmosphere is lifted and lightened. With the gentle exercises, imaginations, poems, and sequences based on a cyclical view of development, I practice Eurythmy regularly for myself. It also forms part of my sessions with clients and workshops with participants from all walks of life. Eurythmy is a wonderful way for identity renewal during major life transition, and it can help to self-regulate between the forces that seek to push and pull us off centre since it addresses the whole person. It is a holistic therapy working with body, emotions and meaning.
For the last 10 years, I have been participating in many online and in-person classes, talks, and course offerings with many Eurythmists around the world. I now participate with the Eurythmy4You.com ECC Community Circle who are a multi-skilled and multi-experienced group of people upholding Eurythmy. WIth this community, I strive to understand Eurythmy more deeply, because I am not only told what to do; I am also encouraged to explore why we do it. I value the open, exploratory way of working, where we do not pretend that everything has already been completely understood. I also experience that simplicity, relaxation, and authentic movement can give rise to something special - something that feels strengthening, balancing, and regenerative for my body and soul. Steadily, I develop trust in my own perception and understand Life more closely. WIth these embodied experiences, strive to ensure the same in my in-person and online workshops.
Today, I work professionally with Eurythmy offering two sequences for Wellbeing, as I feel connected with the aim of developing Eurythmy in a living way and making it accessible to more people. One is a 7 step intensive course in which I focus on one topic for several weeks, offering an orientation towards the seven life processes that can support the balancing of high sensitivity. The other course is a toolkit of sequences that can strengthen the overall constitution for balance and harmony.
Just to be clearer, high sensitivity is a very special form of perception of the Self. When we understand the potential that lives within each of us, a transformation can gradually occur, towards us becoming helpful participants in sensing actual truths, and what is beautiful, good, and loving - and what is not.
I hope that more hearts can discover new ways towards greater balance, harmony, and flexibility, so that self-acceptance can be developed, especially amidst the recognition of inner shadow aspects alongside lighter parts.
For me, Eurythmy is a way to participate in ongoing lifelong change, that feels real, practical, balancing, good, beautiful, and true.
I hope something of my words here, has offered helpful views of how beneficial Eurythmy can be, when trusted.
Nisha
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