Uncovering meaning in gestures

This evening I had 3 really strong sets of gestures that appeared in my dance. I observe the gestures, or movements, that my body produces while dancing to see if there is an emotion or desire that is expressing itself outside my consciousness. The first recognizable one this evening was sweeping, wiping away old debris, cleaning the path, making way for the new. The second set is one that often appears for me - cutting. And finally the 3rd set was expressing, speaking truth, letting out what is held inside, seen in movements with my hands and limbs, taking something from inside and pushing it out into the world to be shared.

Each of these gestures is a symbol for me and if I "stay with them" (here I mean to keep repeating the gesture until it really settles in the body), my consciousness will usually find some meaning in them, some inner voice that wants expression.

Take note of your gestures. They are the body's language.

Community of dancers

Each week at Dance Your Bones, our dance collective finishes the session with a closing circle where members are free to stay and share anything they'd like, whether it is an experience they had dancing, something happening in their lives, or an upcoming event. This week there was an undeniably common enthusiasm for the evening. People were joyful, laughing with one another, and everyone was very talkative. It had been a high energy wave and the presence of a few more younger members recently has definitely contributed to that.

I noticed how much people were dancing with one another, in small groups of 3 to 5, playing and having fun. A mother and pregnant daughter danced a moving image of support and love. There have been some children joining us regularly too, and they are always delightful to watch as they naturally respond to a room full of moving, happy adults.

The shared community we have is very important to most dancers. We need one another in order to practice this form of meditation. Yes, we could dance alone, and I sometimes do; however it is always completely different when you dance in a group. The increased energy of bodies around you helps you to release and move past the barriers of the rational mind I have been commenting about.

So I am not only working within myself to find freedom from rational mind, but I am also spurring others on to do the same. When I move my energy higher, other bodies will also vibrate more quickly. When I engage another dancer in a dialogue, I am influenced by what they are bringing to our duet. We are co-creators of the dance each night, having a shared experience even while we are each having our own private inner experience too.

I first learned about the importance of community as a child in my family church. It is interesting to see how community expresses itself in this secular (but still spiritual) practice of moving meditation.

Disembodied rationalism

Happy New Year to all my dancing friends. I celebrated the new year at Winter Solstice but I am enjoying the time today to relax and do some blogging.

I am answering the DYB friend who asked about "disembodied rationalism" or "rationality". This is not my term, rather one used in philosophy, particularly phenomenology, and of course in feminist philosophy. It refers to the Western/Cartesian concept of the mind-body split which is not present in many other cultures. You will find it referred to in discussions about religion, law, and a wide range of areas exploring the role of the human body in cognition. You can google the term and find a huge amount of literature, scholarly and popular, blogs, and books.

Embodiment is the opposite of course, integrating mind and body (and emotions), or going even further, as some suggest that the dividing lines between body and mind might even be misunderstood, based on centuries of dualistic thinking in our culture. Listen to this US neurobiologist Antonio Damasio on Big Think talk about current research into the way brain and body are involved in emotion.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/23022

So when I am journalling here about experiences "in" my body, I am not talking about mindlessness -
Watch Lil Jon's "Get Outta Your Mind" (warning, not a clean version) about mindlessness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=041h-1_5yfo
Sometimes you have to be mindless to break the stronghold that rational thinking keeps us locked in
(by the way, I love that song!).

I am talking about not letting "rational" mind control the experience. I am training it to take a side seat when asked to, for the purposes of my own freedom and wellbeing. So that it can play a role as an important ally in my expanding consciousness, but not dominate the process. Rationalism is not God ruling over the temple of my body.

I will bring a copy of Spretnak's chapter on embodied/goddess religion to dance this week for anyone who'd like to read a sample of feminist thought on embodiment.