Eurhythmy - Therapeutic Rhythms


    Silver ferns

    In darkness I see
    Silver fronds surround
    The fearful sea

    I want to turn
    My depression into
    Silver ferns

    And my fears
    In the circle to break
    As cleaning tears

    The circle turns,
    And as rubbish burns,
    Light returns

    And delight flies
    From the darkness into
    A silver sunrise


    Wave rock

    Dum dum de dum -
    De dum de
    I stand in sea -
    Rocking me
    Waves my body -
    Rocking me
    Sun my back -
    Relaxing me
    Feel the sea -
    Muscles free
    Water rocking
    Sunshine soaking
    Mind and body -
    Rocking me
    Dum dum de dum -
    De dum de


    Dance of the flowers

    I do eurhythmy -
    Higher than words.
    I do eurhythmy -
    So do the birds.

    I do eurhythmy -
    Centred my powers.
    I do eurhythmy -
    Dance of the flowers.

    I do eurhythmy -
    Movement, not sound.
    I do eurhythmy -
    Down to the ground.




    From ancient Egypt

    That which lives above is like that which lives below.
    And that which lives below
    Is like that which lives above.
    Neither is greater.
    Neither is smaller.
    But he who lives therein
    Is one.




    Click for:

    Silver ferns
    Wave rock
    Dance of the flowers
    Egypt
    Centre of Beauty
    Exploring rhythm
    Footsteps
    Hand exercises
    Risking happiness
    Dancing Toes
    Lulu
    Prescription Please
    Box without a bottom
    Life's energy
    Sleeping rhythms
    Waking rhythms

    Therapeutic rhythms
    on other pages:

    A Chair
    An angry beat
    Anti-depressant imagination
    Atheist's Prayer
    Breathe a prayer
    Celebrating feet
    Cosy poems
    Cuccu Songs
    Diamonds
    Every living thing
    Friendly Dog
    Hugging
    Healing kisses
    Jewel
    Love life ball game
    Pease pudding
    Passionate Tea
    Pictures in the Fire
    Play of the Year
    Pleasant desire
    Poem for black rage
    Poetry
    Psalm
    Raining
    Schneckenhause (snail house)
    The last notes
    The manual
    Millennium Resolution
    Tingling
    Touch us gently

    Centre of Beauty hand movements


    Life is a circle of beauty
    Dark and heavy
    Bright and light

    Hands on tummy
    Hands up to touch high
    Hands down to touch low
    Hands up to touch high

    Life is a circle of beauty
    Bright and sunny
    Dark and gloomy

    Hands down to touch low
    Hands up to touch high
    Hands down to touch low

    I am a circle of beauty
    I need the gloomy
    I need the sunny

    Hands up to touch high
    Hands down to touch low
    Hands up to touch high

    I am a circle of beauty
    I need the light
    I need the heavy

    Hands down to touch low
    Hands up to touch high
    Hands down to touch low

    Here is a centre of beauty
    Light and heavy
    Centre on me.

    Hands on tummy
    Hands on tummy
    Hands on tummy




      Exploring the rhythm of life

      Start with centring and feeling. Standing, balanced, feeling oneself there.

      It is to this rhythm of stillness that life always returns:

      Stretching up, and stretching out
      Stretching down, and round about
      Coming back
      To the centre

      Angel's wings is a movement that starts with the hands at the side. Then you imagine invisible threads pulling them heavenwards, with the fingers stretched out to your full width, tingling with the joy of being. The fingers touch above the head. Then the arms fall, gently, back to your sides.

      With angel's wings I rise:
      All that is light within me, softly flies.
      On angel wings, subside:
      Down through the air, the heavy in me rides


      Footsteps


      one    -    two    -    three
      one    -    two    -    three
      one    -    two    -    three


      Earth - I greet - you
      Softly - I tread - on you
      Feel - my - touch
      Fell - my - love


      Oh God - Help me never - to judge another
      Until - I have - walked
      For two weeks - on the same - feet





      Hand exercises - before and after work

      traditional - see weblinks

      Before:

      Round headed Tommy Thumb
      Pushes firmly on a plum.
      Whilst my Peter Pointer
      Is a double jointer.
      Mighty Toby Tall
      Stands up biggest of them all.
      Whilst next door Ruby Ring,
      Quite a sensitive thing,
      Strokes the baby,
      Who is tiny and shy.

      My five busy fingers in a row
      Each, on its own, knows the way to go:
      How to work and how to play.
      Yet together they work best,
      Each one helping all the rest.

      But, look! Upon the other side
      I have got another five:

      Round headed Tommy Thumb
      Pushes firmly on a plum.
      Whilst my Peter Pointer
      Is a double jointer.
      Mighty Toby Tall
      Stands up biggest of them all.
      Whilst next door Ruby Ring,
      Quite a sensitive thing,
      Strokes the baby,
      Who is tiny and shy.

      My ten busy fingers on two hands
      Each, on its own, understands
      How to work and how to play.
      Yet together they work best,
      Each one helping all the rest.

      After:

      My fingers are so sleepy,
      It is time they went to bed.
      First, each Little Baby,
      Tucks in its tiny head.
      I fold my Ruby Rings in turn,
      And then my Toby Greats.
      Peter Pointers hurry
      It is getting very late.
      Have I got each finger nestled?
      No! - Another couple comes:
      Move over, please, and make some room
      For both my Tommy Thumbs!




      Dancing


      Risking happiness

      Jump and run and skip and dance,
      And as you do so, take a chance
      That, in your unencumbered play,
      You dance yourself a happy day.


      Dancing Toes

      What have you got to lose
      Dancing without your shoes?
      The more you feel your toes:
      The better your dancing goes.


    Lulu's complaint

    Your eurhythmy's my earthquake.
    When you dance: I shake.
    Please, for this little pussy's sake,
    No more your eurhythmy make.
    If clumsy giant would not leap,
    Careful cat could get some sleep.


    Lulu joins in

    Dancing with Lulu,
    Eurhythmy Lulu,
    Oh come a dancing
    With Lulu pussy.
    And sing as you dance
    And lulu with your knocking knees,
    "Quietly dance and gently with
    yur rhythm ee".



      De-dum Dum Dum: Prescription Please

      dum dum dum
      de*dum de*dum-de*dum*dum dum
      dum, dum dum dum dum:
      de*dum*de*dum
      de*dum dum dum

      What I want
      Is an anti-depressant song
      That, when I sing it:
      Absolutely
      Nothing is wrong.

      dum dum dum
      de*dum de*dum-de*dum*dum dum
      dum, dum dum dum dum:
      de*dum de*dum
      de*dum dum dum


      Box without a bottom

      Eurhythmy teachers' gifts will never be forgotten.

      They give you endless toys in a box without a bottom.

      The secret of this is, that each rhythm you enjoy,

      Opens up like wrapping to reveal another toy.




      Life's energy


      Tonight I will have a dream - to wish you
      The power of dance through all your years.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Leaping joy and cleansing tears.

      From your sleep you will wake to dancing,
      Exploring the world with fingers and toes.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Soft and precise dawn's rhythm goes.

      Through your limbs will run day's movement,
      Weak as with age or strong as a child.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Sometime sluggish, sometimes wild.

      On the floor, your bare feet falling
      Greet with their rhythm the loving earth.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Feel in your steps the world's rebirth.

      Pausing in the new day's movement,
      Centre your body to the world and to you.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Balance the forces running through.

      Like wings around your centre moving
      Fingers stretched, arms sweep to greet the sky.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Through sorrow or joy you fly.

      Palm to palm, another's hands feeling:
      In love and struggle your day will run.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      With friend, or colleague, stranger or son.

      Through the world you will walk with a rhythm
      On chequered pavement or lanes beneath trees.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Swinging your arms and bending your knees.

      Yours is life's energy, moving each muscle
      Back, shoulder, elbow, wrist, palm and knuckle.
      Dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Sinew's and bones to your moving buckle.

      Then with the slinkiest, gentlest dancing,
      To sleep, with the rhythm of breathing glide.
      With dancing, dancing, living dancing,
      Through dreaming fantasies to ride.



      Sleeping rhythms


      Centring

      Go to bed
      For inner rest.
      Plump my pillow
      As a friendly breast.
      Pretend my sheet
      Is eternity
      Lovingly holding
      On to me.
      Hand to chest,
      Living desire,
      Think that my heart
      Sets life on fire.
      Fingers on forehead,
      Breath on palm.
      Into life's centre.
      Warm and calm.


      Psalm 23

      Under layers of darkness
      I will not panic.
      I will hold onto the warm bit within,
      And take the hand of friendship
      Reaching out to me.


      Gossamer sails

      My fairy ship sets sail
      On the journey of inner knowledge;
      Sailing into the sea:
      The sea that's the centre of me.
      So excited, on the deck we gossip:
      What will we see, sailing to me?
      Already we feel the waves's beat
      And the wind moan in coastal caves,
      How will it be, under gossamer sails,
      Sailing me free, on the open waves?



      Waking rhythms


      Funeral dance   

      Cease weeping
      and come dance with me.
      The dead and living
      move together
      in this funeral dance:
      Our vital spark glowing
      in palpitations
      of your heart

      Your heart still beats today:
      Grieve (as you will) - but dance.
      Dead friends go not away.
      Your heart thunders the rhythm
      where they stay




      The face

      I have some friends who have flown, higher than sky,
      Faster than space, into the face of God.
      We call it dead. But this is also flying in God's face:
      We call it living, breathing, being.

      Grieving is seeking the face that has flown.
      We look to clouds and trace that face in stars.
      It is we who have died, until, touching a face within,
      We find all living, breathing being, is now, our own.


      Morning prayer

      Base of our being,
      Help us that we
      In the rhythm
      Of breathing
      Contented should be.
      Base of our living,
      With us, we pray,
      Joyfully breath
      In the air of today.




    Study Link
    Andrew Roberts' web Study Guide
    Top of Page Take another break Silver shadows Naked Snails
    Cosy Hungering Snakes and Ladders
    Cuccu Songs and Caroling Eurhythmy - Therapeutic Rhythms

    If you think that I you have caught within a maze: Be amazed. You too could be a poem and escape. Whatever life's tricks, and, wherever you roam, you are never far from home

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    Some of these poems were written by Andrew Roberts. Some were taught him by his eurhythmy teacher. Others have been adapted from web sources. They are here for you to use, if you want to.