Dance of Awareness

What is so healing about dance and movement? Dance is the body’s natural response to music and rhythm. For thousand of years it has been used as a powerful tool for healing. Very simply, it brings us into harmony with our selves and the world we move through.

Dance of Awareness is the name I give to my work with groups. It’s a creative approach to self-understanding, a moving meditation practice, a body-mind workout, a space to express yourself, and an opportunity to experience profound connection. It allows what is held in the unconscious to become conscious, to take shape, to move, and to transform.

Dance of Awareness has four main roots:
  • the exploration of awareness, which lies at the heart both of mystical tradition and modern neuroscience;
  • authentic movement, where inner impulses are given shape and allowed to move to completion;
  • the ecstatic dance tradition in which we transcend our limitations, as the dancer and the dance become one;
  • bioenergetic techniques which release old patterns held in the body-mind and create a deeper sense of self-acceptance.

Our bodies are naturally responsive, but we all have places where energy is blocked, where we feel stuck, numb, constrained, out of tune. Underneath those physical feelings there are often emotions waiting to be released – maybe sadness, anger, excitement, or joy. Our feelings and thoughts about our life are mirrored in our body. By paying attention to these patterns and allowing them to move, we can give them life, allow them to express themselves and set them free. 

The Dance of Awareness Cycle

DoA uses evocative music and simple processes to guide you through an energetic cycle:

Sensing the body directly – bringing attention to the physical sensations of flesh and bone;
Grounding our bodies in connection to the earth, receiving support;
Expressing the shapes, patterns and movements that are ready to take form;
Releasing the energy that is ready to move in the body;
Connecting with our inner self and other movers;
Completing the journey, finding a resting place, and returning to Being.

The DoA cycle has a strong focus on breath, body, and inner awareness. It is similar in structure to the 5 Rhythms wave, but has been adapted to take account of Reichian developmental psychology. The cycle allows the embodiment and expression of the bioenergetic character structures, in their developmental sequence. This gives the body a chance to re-experience the formative years of early development, release old patterns, and discover new ways of being, moving and relating. 

DoA can help you:

Get a real sense of your body’s energy and potential for change.
Let go of old shapes that no longer serve you. 
Discover new possibilities in movement.
Express your inner self and connect with others.
Enjoy yourself! 

There is no ‘right’ way of moving and you certainly don’t have to be able to dance! All you need is the willingness to tune in to your own body and respond to your own internal impulses.

If you’re curious to explore your own Dance of Awareness, we hold weekly groups and regular workshops.



 

 



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