Eurythmy, an expressive movement art developed by Rudolf Steiner, blending physical movement with sounds, speech, and emotions. It serves as a unique way to harmonize the body, soul, and spirit, and can be used in many different ways, ranging from therapy to performance eurythmy. For scouts, practicing eurythmy, especially vowel exercises, can be an important way to connect with oneself and the world around.
This might seem a bit weird, but trust the process. Do the exercise at the bottom of the article every day, or every other day for about a week, and try to observe what kind of changes occur. Then after that, you can decide if you want
Understanding The Vowels in Eurythmy
Vowels are more than just sounds; they are expressions of inner soul moods and spiritual realities. Each vowel corresponds to highly specific movements that convey particular qualities and emotions:
- A (Ah): Represents openness and wonder. The movement involves extending the arms outwards, creating an open and expansive gesture.
- E (Eh): Represents inwardness and reflection. The arms are brought closer to the body, often forming a shield-like shape to denote introspection.
- I (Ee): Represents uprightness and individuality. This movement is vertical, with the arms reaching upwards, symbolizing a connection between earth and sky.
- O (Oh): Represents encompassing and protection. The arms form a circle, indicating a protective and embracing gesture.
- U (Oo): Represents depth and inwardness. This involves a downward, gathering movement, suggesting an inward pull towards the core of being.
Practicing Eurythmy at Home
Unity Exercise (IAO);
- Put your feet together. Drop the head, and then straighten your head and back. Visualise a bright, vertical beam of light extending from the earth through your body and upwards into the sky. This represents your unique individuality and your links to the cosmos.
- Then jump, moving your legs apart.
- Move your ams into a big circle. Don’t overlap fingers, and also keep your back straigh. Visualise a protective, encompassing sphere of energy surrounding you. This gesture symbolizes wholeness, protection, and the unity of all things.
- Drop your arms to your side, jump and put your feet together, then bow the head slightly.
For help visualising the positions, if you go to the “Exercise Files” tab, there is attatched an artistic rendition of the vowels in Eurythmy, part of a set called the Eurythmy Figures.
