Following the flow

Sitting and meditating is great, it has it’s place for sure. To me, nothing quite compares to following the rhythm of my body and dancing myself open. It’s even showcased in the hit tv drama Grey’s Anatomy. Meridith and Christina encouraging the ‘dancing it out’ method to figure out what to do next. I may not have as many dramatic events to navigate through as they did, but navigating through the ordinary is a trick all on it’s own.

You’ve all heard the many ‘Gurus’ or self-help book writers say “It’s all about thinking positive” “Happiness is a choice” “You decide your reality“ and while all of these hold a truth we may or may not understand - one thing they sometimes just dust over, is the idea or the fact rather that anger, resentment, fear, shame, guilt, all the ‘negative’ emotions that we need to ‘re-wire’ from, are also important and they are valid! You can feel those emotions in their entirety and it is ALSO a blessing! What you do with those emotions is the trick.

This is where your power of choice comes in. You are angry, fumin, something happen that ignited that red eyed bull and you can feel it deep in your core. Good! You are human, you are alive and now we have an experience waiting to happen. That anger eventually disipates, or you bury it, or let it go. Your emotional body will remember that, it will store it. There is a difference between ‘letting it go’ because it doesn’t phase you and ‘letting it go’ because you know it’s the better, or maybe easier option.

Every emotion works this way and the memories or moments attached to them. Ever notice when you are meditiating, or sometimes just going about your regular routine, memories will come up and you will feel that feeling again? I struggle with “Embarassment” or “Shame” the most. I often mantra “Go-away” because who wants to feel that?! Every time they are buried, they are stored for another time when I decide to deal with them.

Movement of any kind allows us to open our chakra centres and allow energy to move. Tai chi, yoga, dancing, working out, martial arts, running, biking, swimming, they all offer the same experience. They all allow energy movement! When there is movement, there is experience and release. Those buried emotions, the energy attached to them moves as you move. We all know the gratifying feeling after we do any of those activities and the greatest part, is you probably moved through and released energies you didn’t know were present! That is what suspending the ego and being present can provide for you.

This brings us to the power of ecstatic movement through dancing! It is such an act of presence that you physically fall into. As you keep moving and listening to the beat you suspend your mind, your ego. Then all that’s left is energy and movement. This is a dangerously freeing state of being. Once you push past all the fears, the thoughts of ‘I can’t dance’ and allow any and all movements, you experience truth. It is freedom as it’s purest.

“The Great Mystery” Desert Dwellers

An excellent soft, slow entry into the rhythem. It even states “Life is like a moment” before it breaks into a simple repetitive beat to get into the groove.

“Train” Younger Brother

A faster soft build-up into this sexy and sultry beat. The lyrics are muted and lead you into a rock n’ roll and electronic mix.

“Lotus Heart” Desert Dwellers

This is a fabulous mix of different beats and sounds to really let loose on. Remember you are free! Move as you please!

“Ascentia” Dub Sutra

A slow and sultry beat to sway those hips too. Open up the sacral chakra, our sexual energy source.

“Nector Drop” DJ Drez

Another good solid beat to experiment with movements. Soft flute in the back round with a good steady base line.

All of these you can find on spotify and radio them so the dancing never ends! Why I feel dancing is freedom, is there are so many movements to play with and choose from. You can be wild and jump around like Meridith and Christina. You can be sexy and sultry like a belly dancing gypsy, you can even mesh the two! The dance floor is yours! The expression is yours! The even better part, is classic rock n’ roll gives you beats to dance to. You can dance to sticky, thick rap rhymes, even classical you can move with.

Lastly, my most valued recommendation for an ecstatic dance/meditative experience. Unfortuntely, you will not be able to find this on spotify, or dance alone in your kitchen. However, it will be magical and it will give you an experience. A drum circle. They are all over the place! You can drum, you can tamborine, you can sit and watch, you can dance. The options are endless! There is nothing quite like a group of people getting together and falling into a rhythm together. A pure form of unity.