Dancing to Embody the Soul

Welcome to this hour-long daily practice.  It incorporates the grounding, heart opening, and womb opening. I love starting my day with this practice.  I share this with you from the teachings that have been passed along to me over the last 25 years of dancing.  I invite you to try this practice each day for at least 3 weeks. Your presence, your embodiment, and your connection to the divine will transform.

The movement vocabulary comes from birthing dances (more often referred to in present times as belly dance), West African, Sufi, tantric, modern, and yogic roots.  The energetic wisdom of these dances root us to the nourishing Earth, open our central channel of life energy, and particularly focus on the feminine power at the regenerative heart and sex chakras.  When we “turn on” our life force energy we can experience the connection of sex and spirit as one with our whole body.

These dances transcend time, they mirror the movements and sensations of making love and birthing new life.  They have been embodied across cultures and times to assist in giving birth, to reignite a woman’s connection with her soul, to honor a coming of age…allow them to belong to your sacred body, as you belong to a lineage of sacred women. The focus on the breath with the rhythmic movement can open new states of consciousness.  It also helps amplify our intention and attention, the two keys to sacred sex, and truly everything that we love being present for!

On a physical level, this practice releases tension in the hips, sacrum, spine, shoulders, and neck.  Many women have tight and weak pelvic floors.  This practice begins to increase awareness and tone in the pelvic floor to support the vital organs and heighten pleasurable sensation.

Let’s speak on the emotional level for a moment.  Here’s an analogy that may be useful.  If your body knows that you will feed her each day, she will not panic.  She will give you energy for all the wonderful activities you want to partake in.  If your body knows that you will FEEL her each day, she will similarly trust you.  She may confide deeper and deeper emotions and energies in you because she sees your commitment to pay attention and to integrate.  If you create time for the Dancing to Embody the Soul practice each day, you will be able to feel more and more without being overwhelmed.  You are essentially deepening what I call your “soul container,” what dance therapists and trauma therapists call your “window of tolerance.”

It is completely normal to feel orgasmic as is it normal to feel memories arise in the body with deep emotions of grief, anger, joy, ecstasy.  Keep breathing, moving, and feeling.  This will allow them to organize, to heal, and to integrate into your whole being.  You will likely experience deeper journeys the more frequently you engage the practice.

The healing powers of meditation decrease cortisol and epinephrine levels in the blood.   This can help reduce inflammatory chemicals that lead to PMS.  The meditative and aerobic aspects of this practice also increase endorphins to support the body processing depression and physical pain.

The side bends create space for deeper detoxifying breathing, and build core support.  This is important not only for postural and energetic alignment, but also for a strong sense of self and ability to digest food and life experiences without losing our center.

May this daily practice fill you with vitality, love, inner listening, and companionship in your wholeness.