Why this work matters.

We are responding to one of the defining public health crises of our time — and movement is part of the answer.

Loneliness is a public health emergency.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness and social isolation an epidemic — comparable in risk to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. This isn't just about feeling sad. It is about physical health, community resilience, and what kind of society we want to live in.

Despite being more digitally connected than ever, people are reporting fewer meaningful relationships, less sense of community, and a growing disconnection from their own bodies and lives.

ROTP was built to address this directly — through the oldest technology we have: moving, breathing, and being in the room together.

1 in 2
U.S. adults report measurable levels of loneliness
U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory, 2023
Higher risk of premature death from social isolation and loneliness
CDC / National Academies of Sciences
58%
Of Americans feel that no one knows them well
Cigna U.S. Loneliness Index
15
Cigarettes per day — equivalent health risk of prolonged social isolation
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, 2023
ROTP community People in movement ROTP gathering

Our intended outcomes.

Every ROTP experience is designed to move people toward these outcomes — individually and collectively.

🫀

Emotional Resilience

Greater capacity to navigate stress, change, and uncertainty through embodied practice.

🤝

Social Connection

New and deepened relationships — across difference, through movement, in real life.

🌱

Collective Wellbeing

Healthier, more connected communities built through recurring shared experience.

Joy & Expression

Reclaiming play, aliveness, and self-expression as essential — not optional — parts of a full life.

Movement works. Here's the evidence.

ROTP's approach is grounded in a growing body of research on movement, community, and wellbeing.

Dance & Social Bonding

Synchronized movement with others activates the brain's social reward systems and increases feelings of trust, belonging, and bonding — independent of verbal communication.

Frontiers in Psychology; University of Oxford research on movement and social bonding

Yoga & Mental Health

Regular yoga practice is associated with significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and perceived stress, with effects comparable to other active interventions.

Harvard Medical School; Journal of Psychiatric Practice

Qi Gong & Emotional Regulation

Qi Gong practice shows measurable effects on cortisol levels, nervous system regulation, and subjective wellbeing, particularly in high-stress populations.

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

Shared Experience & Community

Eventbrite's 2026 research highlights authenticity, low-pressure connection, and active participation as major drivers of younger audiences' sense of community.

Eventbrite Trends Report, 2026