Yup, I know, no trance dance post again. Once again, life has been in the way of getting research done- but it's been worthwhile. In March, I finally completed my dance teaching diploma (which I began in September 2013). I'm currently awaiting my final grades but, chances are that, by the time many of you see me at the Artemis Gathering this year, I will officially be a fully qualified dance teacher. Very exciting times.
On the subject of the Artemis Gathering, I will be doing a workshop again this year (no news about Witchfest International yet- I will keep you posted). If all goes according to plan, it will either be on trance dance or dance meditation in general, depending on where my research and experience takes me.
Today's entry is one that has been brewing in the back of my head for a while. Yoga.
Whilst I am a professional dancer, my flexibility has a lot to be desired (mostly due to my starting dance training at 15, when my muscles were starting to decide "nope, you're not doing that"). As luck would have it, my contemporary dance teacher also runs Hatha Yoga classes, so I decided to start attending last summer. My intention was to supplement my dance training by strengthening my core and increasing my flexibility, which has been going well. My splits are getting better and I haven't fallen off pointe in a long while. But that's not why I'm posting.
We all know yoga is a spiritual practice, but we never realise just how beautiful and meaningful it can be until we actually do it. This is something I have experienced and every Monday I come to look forward to that hour and a bit of taking time out from everyday life and commune with myself. It's something I don't get as much with dance, where I am also focussing on my technical ability and self assessment. With yoga, I am still focussed on my body position and what it's capable of doing, but I also become in tune with my body and let my mind relax. There's a focus on the breath and tying your movement to your inhalation and exhalation, which takes you into a meditative state.
Additionally, when it comes to doing the balances (which are my favourite part, actually), one needs that meditative state and that focus to stay up. If your mind is wandering or you're in any way distracted... wobble, wobble, faceplant. And positions like The Warrior (Warrior 2 and 3 are my personal favourites) really bring you to centre and help you recognise your strength. Actually, I feel this relates to my previous posts about creating movement that reflects your intention- Warrior 2, for example, makes me feel like a strong tribal woman, standing on a cliff and engaging with the power of nature. That image keeps my movement strong and makes me feel that strength within myself emotionally, connecting with my spiritual ancestors. It's just wonderful.
This week, we explored the concept of dedicating our practice to something or someone we're grateful for. I chose to select two people: my husband and my best friend, who are the two most important people in my life and I couldn't imagine my life without either of them. Whenever we focussed on our people/things, I felt an overwhelming rush of love, knowing just how important they both were to me, and that powerful emotion gave me additional strength and resolve to do the harder positions in that class. This included the Swimming Dolphin (basically a moving plank)- last time I could barely do two before my upper arms went "Nope" and I had to stop. I managed two lots of four this time, which I think was partially due to practice and partially due to the dedication.
I feel this is something else that could be explored in dance ritual as well- instead of working a ritual intention through movement, we could use dance to express thanks for someone or something that we appreciate in our lives. Again, this isn't so much crafting the movement beforehand, but feeling that love and gratitude within itself and see what that pushes your body to accomplish. Of course, it goes without saying that you shouldn't push yourself further than your body is capable- make sure you stretch first and take note of any injuries that may inhibit your movement (general rule: if it hurts, don't do it).
Happy dancing! If you want to share your experiences, please do!
Blessings,
Shanti