What is Stillness Rhythm?

2020

Finding: This observational research points to a two-way link between how much people move and their mental health: staying physically active goes hand in hand with fewer depression and anxiety symptoms, while lower activity tracks with heavier and more lasting symptoms over time. For someone drawn to a movement-based practice, that offers general encouragement that keeping the body in motion tends to accompany better mood, though the study measured everyday activity in a general adult population, not Stillness Rhythm or 5Rhythms specifically. Because it observed patterns rather than testing a practice, it can't tell us this technique produces those effects, and it reports the direction of the link without a clear size.

n = 1,588

Finding: In a large study of 1,588 adults, people with current or past depression showed a slightly stronger surge of the stress hormone cortisol in the morning than those without depression, a small difference that points to subtle shifts in how the body's stress system works. For anyone drawn to a calming practice like Stillness Rhythm, this offers useful background on why morning stress-hormone patterns are worth paying attention to. It's important to be clear, though, that this study looked only at the link between depression and cortisol, it did not test Stillness Rhythm or any movement practice, so it cannot tell us whether the technique changes cortisol or stress physiology.

2025

Finding: Using wrist-worn activity trackers, this study found that people experiencing depression had a flatter, less pronounced 24-hour activity pattern, with a lower overall daily activity level and a more muted rise-and-fall rhythm compared with people who were not depressed. In plain terms, low mood tends to go hand in hand with days that are more uniformly still and less rhythmically active. It is worth being clear about the limits here: this research looked at the natural link between mood and daily movement rhythms, and it did not study Stillness Rhythm or any movement practice, so it cannot tell us whether the practice changes those rhythms. Treat it as background on how activity patterns and mood relate, not as evidence that this technique restores or strengthens a daily rhythm.

n = 110

Finding: In a 6-week trial with 110 older adults (aged 60–75) who had sleep problems and mild memory difficulties, everyone practised tai chi, a gentle movement discipline, while half also received a brain-stimulation treatment and half a sham version; the group that got the real stimulation on top of tai chi slept meaningfully better and showed sharper thinking, with only minor, unrelated side effects. Because both groups did tai chi, the study can't tell us how much the movement itself helped versus the added treatment. It also studied tai chi rather than the Stillness phase of 5Rhythms, so it offers only loose background here and shouldn't be read as evidence that this practice improves sleep or cognition.

2023

Finding: Using wearable activity trackers, this study found that people experiencing depression tended to have a flatter daily rhythm of movement, with lower overall activity, a less pronounced difference between their most and least active hours, and a later shift in when their daytime activity peaked. In plain terms, low mood often goes hand in hand with a more muted, less clearly structured day-to-day pattern of rest and motion. It's worth being clear about what this does and doesn't tell you: the research looked only at how activity rhythms relate to depression in adults, and did not study Stillness Rhythm or any movement practice, so it can't show that this practice changes those rhythms. Treat it as background on how daily rhythm and mood are connected, not as evidence of what the technique itself will do for you.

2016

Finding: Using wrist-worn movement trackers, this study found that people living with depression tend to show a flatter daily activity rhythm, with lower overall movement and a less pronounced difference between their most and least active hours, compared with people without depression. In plain terms, the natural rise-and-fall of energy across the day looks muted when mood is low. It is worth being clear about scope: this research measured activity patterns in depression and did not study Stillness Rhythm or any movement-based practice, so it offers background on how daily rhythms relate to mood rather than evidence that this technique changes them.

n = 359

Finding: Over two weeks, 359 adults wore activity monitors and logged their sleep and mood, and on days after a better night's sleep they reported more positive feelings and fewer negative ones, an effect that was especially pronounced among people currently living with depression or anxiety. In plain terms, sleeping well and feeling good day to day tend to travel together, and the link appears strongest for those already struggling emotionally. It is worth being clear about scope: this study looked only at the everyday relationship between sleep and mood, not at Stillness Rhythm or any movement practice, so it offers useful background rather than direct evidence that this technique improves sleep or mood.