Why We Keep Coming Back

In this first episode of Dancing The Field, host Chris Cobb sits down with Tom Truman, a 20-year practitioner of 5Rhythms who studied directly with the practice's founder, Gabrielle Roth, and holds the weekly Monday night dance at The Tannery in Santa Cruz.Tom shares how a chance encounter at the Omega Institute led him to his first Gabrielle Roth workshop, what he recognized in that room that first day, and why he's kept showing up for two decades. Together, Chris and Tom unpack the five rhythm, flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness, and explore how the dance floor becomes a mirror for life.In This Episode:How Tom found 5Rhythms through a detour from substances, recovery, and a green-eyed stranger at a retreat centerWhat Gabrielle Roth's teaching was like and why her first workshop felt like a recognition, not a discoveryA breakdown of all five rhythms and what each one offers as an energetic practiceThe principle "as it is on the dance floor, so it is in life" and what it actually means in practiceWhy people return to 5Rhythms for years, even decades: glimpses, embodied change, neural rewiring, and communityWhat Tom and Chris would tell someone walking into their first classA closing question to sit with: When is the last time your body told you something your mind couldn't?Chapters:0:00 – Introduction2:03 – Tom's Origin Story12:17 – The Five Rhythms Explained24:15 – As in the Dance, So in Life35:00 – Why People Keep Coming Back47:50 – Advice for First-Timers58:18 – Closing ReflectionsAbout the Practice: 5Rhythms is a movement meditation practice developed by Gabrielle Roth. It uses five distinct energy states — Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness — as a map for self-exploration, emotional expression, and embodied presence.Where to Find a Class: The Monday night 5Rhythms dance at The Tannery in Santa Cruz is held regularly. Visit 5rhythms.com to find classes near you.Dancing in the Field is a podcast about what happens on the dance floor — and what it means for everything else.