Ecstatic Dance

Dive into the ocean of ecstasy that is your breath, your body, your soul.

Throw away the rules. It’s time to make your own.

Follow the rhythm or dance to your own drummer.

A guided meditation for your whole body.

We hold memories within our cells of everything we have ever experienced. Blocked, or unexpressed experiences can lead to stagnation in the physical, mental and emotional bodies and cause stress, tension, anger, grief and confusion.

Dance is a way of coming home to the natural state of ecstasy that is your birthright.

My Story…

My body seemed to float above the ground, suspended effortlessly for what seemed like forever. Then…plunk, plunk, two feet back on earth (ever so briefly), before preparing to take off, knees bending, legs springing into action to leap again…flying, dancing, heart-free.

I’ll never forget my first movement class. I was four years old and had a beautiful lavender leotard and perfectly pink tights. My Mom says that this was my outfit of choice for quite some time. I was scared to go across the floor the first time. “What if I make a mistake? I’ve never danced before, what if I don’t know the right way to do this?” Then my first teacher was there with her long flowing hair and encouraging words. Even though the fear was strong, something inside of me made the first movement forward and I remembered. Or should I say, my body remembered. My body remembered how natural and good it felt to spin and leap and roll to the floor in complete abandon. I remembered the sweet bliss of what it is to be absorbed in Spirit and lose yourself completely. I remembered the Dance.

This experience began a life-long love affair with dance. I dreamed dance, imagining myself whirling and flowing and merging with the music. When I was seven years old, I started training formally at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle. It was at this wonderful school that I learned structure, form, balance and skill, but it was also where I learned criticism and fear of imperfection. I began to doubt myself and compare myself to the other girls, thinking maybe I wasn’t as wonderful as I had believed in my heart. I would get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach, willing myself to not make mistakes, wishing that I could be stronger, thinner, more flexible. This contrast between the love of the dance and the fear of failure has marked my path in life.

We could all look at this as a metaphor. Whatever it is that you were born to do is your dance. God has provided you with all the skills that you need to succeed in this area, and yet there is something in your ego and the negative mind that believes that you are not perfect exactly as you are. It is then that fear crept in to taint the natural expression of your soul.

I was born a dancer. Honestly I believe that we all were in our own way. It doesn’t matter if you have horrible rhythm or two left feet. If you can move and breathe, you are a dancer. If you can listen to your heart and where it leads you, you are a dancer. You also know exactly how to dance in your life. When you let go of the constraints of conditioning and judgment, you are able to dance in relationships, dance through challenges at work, dance when the money is tight, dance when your family is driving you crazy. There is no limit to the abundance you can receive and give when you are right in the center of your own dance.

Even if you fall over, it’s okay. Ka-boom! Everyone is watching…you have your skirt up above your ankles. Whoop-dee-doo! I highly recommend falling. There is a completely different vantage point from the floor. You usually learn something important about yourself and what you’re made of. The most successful people in the world fall all the time, because they are not afraid to take risks and test their strength and balance. Can you allow yourself to fall as you do your dance and know that the tumbles, the stops and starts are all a part of the Dance with a capital D? The big Dance that you are doing with God; the Dance that is going on all around you in every moment. The dance with the flock of butterflies that just flew over your head, the dance with the grocery checker, the dance in traffic, the dance with your beloved, the dance with your child, the dance with the pain in your heart, the dance with your fear. Oh yes, we have so many partners. Your dance card will never be empty and you will never be a wallflower if you look at it this way.

This month, I invite you to dance. Whether you actually share space with me in the dance makes no difference. I am inviting you to dance your life with God as your primary partner. The Generating, Organizing and Destroying force of the Universe will make you feel light on your toes and oh, so beautiful. Dance like you are alone in the middle of a field…with abandon, with truth, with love and with acceptance.

- Wahe Guru/Gisela