One of the most curious things for me is learning whether other people find their bodies speak to them the way I experience it. Maybe some of you wouldn't say it is your body talking but rather your soul, your restful mind, your heart. Here is how it works for me.
A couple of months ago I arrived at a dance event feeling good and ready to move. I warmed up and had nothing in particular on my conscious mind. The warm-up ended and the facilitator asked participants to remember that stillness was also important and to pay attention to it, not just moving. Something immediately responded in me and I started to settle my body and my mind.
I had just become still when my body said "My spinal cord is tired". I thought that an odd thing in its wording, "spinal cord", as opposed to "spine" or "back". I practice giving my feelings and intuitions a voice, so specific words are important to me. I began to roll up and down slowly, feeling if my back was sore but that wasn't it. I continued to follow this line of thought and movement and not too much later I understood that in fact I was zoning in on my nervous system.
I had been through a busy spring and an emotionally difficult experience at work. My nervous system was asking for a rest and I spent the rest of the session dancing gently, meditating on stress leaving my body.
Share an experience you've had and please don't give up if I don't seem to reply or connect with you... I'm still learning about how blogging works and I may not have these settings right!
I am continually surprised at the way my body speaks to me, or with me. Sometimes I simply find myself repeating a gesture, without any conscious thought, and then I realize that I am expressing an experience or emotion or memory with that gesture. The movement creates the feeling which makes conscious a thought or realization. It's a way I listen to myself, and learn about what is really going on. Much like sitting down to write, just with a different vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteTina
A few weeks ago I attended a friend's performance at the Royal Legion in Lakefield. She's a Patsy Cline tribute artist and it was absolutely delightful to observe her performance. Afterward, we had a dance. All of us were in a circle, dancing. Dancing together felt a bit spiritual, but I found that I had to close my eyes to dance, and that when I did this, I felt as if I were on another plane. A plane I haven't experienced in decades. It was euphoric. I'm hoping that after I've lost my physical baggage, that I'll be able to regularly incorporate dancing into my life again. I miss it. I miss what it does for me spiritually. At the moment I only occasionally dance by myself, in my private space.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the replies about your experiences. I too observe gestures repeating and enjoy following them to see where they lead. And circle dancing can be one of the best human experiences I know. I miss my childhood days when my parent's square danced and I felt happy and secure in the company of adult bodies moving with laughter and vitality.
ReplyDelete"Bodies moving with laughter and vitality" ... I think dancing generates a special type of energy. A type no other body movement generates. I could be wrong of course, but this is my impression.
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