When we create a supportive and trusting atmosphere with others, an hour of dance can become a cosmic unfolding. We invite our whole self to be present and relax our desire to control.
Dance can be a journey of profound change.
Sacred and meditative dance can be the most powerful and moving spiritual practice of all, transposing us on all levels as we move our bodies. Here are 9 ways in which I have seen dance change people – and how it will change you:
1. Shifting your energetic and emotional states
I, like many, find it very difficult to sit completely still and meditate. When I discovered Osho’s Dynamic Meditations I felt that finally someone understood me! Movement with presence and intention shifts and releases blocked and stagnant energies. Being aware of my body as I move, I find it is easier to identify old patterns, then I shake, slide and wriggle out of them. Through movement, I can also embody a different “I” as in meditative dance, and I find that the pattern holds and begins to affect my daily life.
2. Building your inner sense of stability & support
Classical Indian dancers will always touch the earth, heart and sky before performing. Once on stage they begin with ‘namaskar’. This remembering connects and shows resep meditative dance “namaskar” to the lineage they have come from. In this way, they honour their fellow dancers, their Guru and Guru’s Guru before they dance. The ‘namaskar’ also helps to bring a one-pointed consciousness, centering the self and allaying any last minute performance nerves. You might not choose to follow this tradition, but consciously expressing connection with what nourishes and supports you through movement will also increase your sense of support and connection in your daily life.
3. Transcending the ego
To become the dance and the dance become you without separation requires absolute surrender. When we dance from a space of ego we disguise and mask our true self. We may have perfect technique and choreography with the latest designer costume yet still be trapped within the ‘I’ framework we have trapped ourselves into. The true essence of the soul is revealed when a dancer has embraced the light and shadows within themselves and dances with them equally, without shame or need from the audience. When a dancer is entirely connected to her/himself in this way, the audience can be transported to other worldly dimensions where time bends and anything is possible!
4. Healing your family line
Our DNA holds every experience we have ever had. It also carries the experiential imprints of all who have come before us in our ancestral line. Sound and breath resonate through our cells when we engage in meditative dance. As vibration through movement, we can influence the energetic patterns that our DNA hold, releasing what does not serve our own and our family line’s highest good.
5. Better physical health
Sacred dance and movement tone muscles, release endorphins and eliminate stress chemicals from your body. Your body will feel and perform better, become more flexible and enjoy better health. The pleasure and increased sense of wellbeing you experience from this will contribute to a self-reinforcing cycle, making it easier to stay healthy and more energetic.
6. Improving body acceptance
As you discover all the beautiful shapes your body can make, your perspective begins to change. You will move from judgement to acceptance and wonderment at the stories and emotions you can portray from your heart through the physical form. You will likely find your attention shifting away from how others see you, and begin feeling more of the fascinating, delicious litheness and vibrancy you want to embody.
7. Increasing your connection to nature and the earth
In ancient meditative dance times we lived shamanically, working and dancing in synchronicity with all the elements surrounding us. Dance was an integral part of life within the community. Used as a form of communication, giving birth, celebration, to mark events and important astrological timings. The more we can live in alignment to the earth the freer and more intuitive we can become. The wordless, ancient depths of connection our ancestors knew are still available to us now, and when you practice sacred and meditative dance, you will start embracing the poetry and magic of nature in your daily life.
8. Conscious breathing
We mostly take our breath for granted, breathing without intention and only into our chest. Many of us are breathing incorrectly, keeping ourselves in the stress inducing state of fight or flight. Sacred dance invites us to see each breath we take as a new potential; bringing the chance of a conscious life or conscious death. As we breathe life into our cells, oxygenating every part of ourselves, we relax and are more able to focus and move our muscles with power. This newfound power will then help to support us in our dance movements.
9. Unity with self and others
The beauty of sacred and meditative dance is that it requires no words. We can transcend language, cultural and religious divides between the self and others when we unite in movement. Dance is also the perfect way to make new friends whilst having fun. As you connect to the intimacy of shared humanity with your fellow dancers, you smile. This smile releases endorphins, creating a happiness feedback system to the brain which triggers happy hormones, lowers stress levels and encourages connections with others. How does it get any better than that? (Could it get any better?)
Katie Holland.
Art. Body Health. Meditation. Mental Wellbeing. Spiritual. Women’s Empowerment.
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