Rhythm of the Heart
This is intended as a group exercise, but can be done by one or two people if desired. You will need a variety of rhythm instruments or you can improvise with kitchen utensils and cans, glasses, etc. You will also need a "talking stick" for the last part of the exercise. This stick can be a natural stick left plain or decorated, or it can be a symbolic "stick" (and you can use a book, stone, or other object.)
Setting the Mood:
Have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Read the entire exercise aloud and then provide each person with something to play a rhythm with.
Observe a few minutes of silence, then have someone sing a short song or say a prayer. Everyone should then begin to quietly begin creating a rhythm. At first everyone will be making their own rhythms and this is good. Let the volume increase naturally and allow everyone time to play whatever they feel. After each person feels they have had enough of "self-expression" their goal should shift towards creating a stronger and more unified sound. The group rhythm should begin to mirror the rhythm of our heartbeats.
When the group is pounding out a unified, sure and steady rhythm, it is time to take a risk. Everyone should start to make a sound, whatever sound they would like--humming, clicking, singing, any sound as long as it does not use actual words. Don't worry if the notes don't all mesh together and disharmony occurs, the object is to be expressive and to allow the group to pull itself along to the next level of musicality.
If and when a musical melody seems to take hold, try singing one or two actual words on top of this rhythmic descant. In our group we sang the chant from the Siyyah-Chal "God is sufficient unto Me. He verily is the All-Sufficing. In Him let the trusting trust."
Even though music was not a strong point for all the participants this was a very fullfilling exercise and we all felt closer because of it. It was a little scary and at times we felt stupid and childish. I know that we all felt this way because we talked about the exercise afterwards.
The basic idea of the "talking stick" is that only the person with the stick can speak. No one else can comment on what another has said until they have the stick in their hand. We used this "talking stick" idea as we discussed our feelings about the exercise. It was helpful because we could express our feelings without interruption. Each person was encouraged to say what they liked and/or did not like about the exercise and then pass the stick to their neighbor. I should mention that after the exercise we wrote some poetry, but this is an optional activity.
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