Our bodies are made to move, which is why some of us have such a difficult time sitting still. If I’m talking to you, and you’ve always wanted to get into a meditation practice but can never sit still long enough or often enough to call it a meditation practice, this one's for you. If you love to dance, I’m talking to you too. I’m talking about putting dance and meditation together for a truly beautiful and intentional mental moment. I’m talking about a dancing meditation.
Dance meditation allows you to focus on your need for movement and your need for meditation at the same time. That’s right, you can strengthen both your body and your mind with moving meditations. You may be surprised to learn that dance meditation is just as old and ancient as traditional seated meditation. It’s been part of many cultures around the world, and if you didn’t know about it before, it can now become part of your world.
Here’s How to Get Down
The first thing you need is the right location. Choose a space where you have enough room to move about and one that is free from clutter and distractions. Second, you will need some meditation music. Meditation music is whatever you want it to be. Some people find music with lyrics to be distracting, while others thrive on it. You can put on some binaural beats, classical music, jazz, trap music--you can play whatever you like. Once you have chosen your music, you’re just about ready.
While standing, begin by taking some deep breaths, and really tapping into the sensation of your breathing. Focus on your breath just as you would do in a seated meditation. Once you’ve gotten in touch with the breath, take your focus to your body. Do somewhat of a body scan to hone in on any sensations or urges to move. It won’t be too long before you find the impulse to move. Go with it. Let your body be free to move how it wants. Don’t let your mind take control and tell your body where to go. While you’re dancing, be sure to keep the focus on your body and the sensations that your body is feeling. You are not the dancer, you are the dance.
Dance for a set amount of time or go with it until you’re all danced out. Either way is the right way. Once you’re done dancing, take a moment to lie on the floor and return your focus to your breath or focus on your surroundings, body sensations, a flickering flame or a scent. Give yourself some time to internalize the meditation.
Benefits
One of the best things about dancing meditations is that it improves the mind-body connection. It sounds funny to think that they need connecting, but so often we are running on auto-pilot and quite unaware of what is really happening to us. We don’t stop to realize the emotions and thoughts that events and circumstances inspire. Another great thing that moving meditation does for us is bring joy. We all can use some joy in our lives. Here are some other benefits that you may experience with dance meditations:
- Increased creativity.
- Mental awakening.
- Increased playfulness.
- A change in old habits.
- Increased focus and an easier time focusing.
- Improved mood.
- Emotional release.
A meditation practice is supposed to bring you relief and strengthen your connection to yourself, but if you find that more traditional or popular methods of meditating aren’t doing this for you, you should definitely give a moving meditation a try. Once you let go of your inhibitions and connect to your own energy, you’ll find it so much more beneficial to your life. Let us know how it goes.
