Dance with Rachel every Wednesday night!

                Recently I participated in a workshop where we used the dance practice, 5 Rhythms to go deeper into the self and fully integrate the body. So what does that mean? How do we know if we’ve fully integrated all parts of ourselves? I think the best way to find the answer is to look at the opposite extreme, the times when we’ve felt totally disconnected.

                In the workshop, the teacher, Jonathon Horan, spoke about the sensation of being a “walking, talking head.” This was certainly an image to which I could relate. There have been many times when I’ve been so in my head, focusing on my thoughts and obsessions that I am essentially completely disconnected from what’s going on in my body. Often it takes a physical sensation to snap me out of that state such as pain. Pain is always a good indication that we’ve become disconnected from our bodies and sensation. But of course, we’d all prefer a pain-free way to reconnect our bodies! So when you find that your mind is racing, that you’re having imaginary conversations in your head or constantly going over your to-do list, make a conscious decision to come back to your body, to your sensations. One way to do that would be by focusing on your breath. Notice the breath coming in to your belly, expanding your rib cage, causing your collar bones to rise slightly and then slowly exhale with control consciously drawing the navel inward towards the spine.

                Once you’ve become reconnected to your body through noticing one aspect of yourself, such as the breath, turn on some music and begin to add on to that sensation of breath little by little, sensing perhaps your hands and the movement of your fingers. Moving up your arms you can then begin to sense the movement and sensation of your elbows which then leads to sensing the shoulders.  Part by part, using the joints as your guides, you sense and move until you feel the body moving as a fully-integrated whole. In Nia we call this systemic movement.

                You can then take this fully-integrated body out into the world and interact with the people in your life. You may find it is a totally different experience to see, listen and take in sights and sounds around you with your whole self as opposed to that talking head. I like to see my dance practice as a sort of laboratory, a place to experiment and prepare for life in the “real world.” The playfulness of Nia and dance provides a safe space for us to explore stepping into and moving with our whole selves. Come dance and play each week! Let’s see what we can discover!