|
|
Meditation
Through
Dance
by Iris J. Stewart
Dance as liturgy or ritual has always been
a way to honor the sacred, the mystery, turning
into the spiral of life and the universal, the
ever-present flow of the Divine force. It has
profound implications for healing,
psychotherapy, spiritual growth, and the full
unfolding of human potential. Sacred dance can
be done by anyone and in any mode. It may be
part of an ancient tradition or may emanate in
the moment. It can range from simple walking
steps in a circle to elaborately costumed
processionals. When you can let go, the natural
flow of energy dances you. It opens up the
channels of the body to clear away old emotional
blockages, belief systems that no longer serve,
and memories the body has held onto long after
their usefulness disappeared. We allow life to
dance us again.
Bringing Sacred Dance Back to Life
In dance as ritual, our learning mode is
reversed and the mind learns from the body.
Dance is not only Language, it is also
"listening." Listen to the sounds of the waves
within you. Consciousness uses the power of
listening to come into the being. As the skill
of listening grows, consciousness expands;
searching for our essence, what is truly us, our
true self, we begin realizing on deeper and
deeper levels that we are all the same. Dance
integrates meditation and action, dissolving the
barrier between contemplation and everyday life,
garnering the energies of ruach, the breath of
God.
Whether you dance in your own room, in a
class or group, or before supportive spectators,
you will come to feel and emanate a sense of
oneness with the group, the audience, the world,
and with humanity. Now you become the creator of
your own dance, your own movement, the energizer
of your own body, your own world, and the molder
of your own destiny.
Freeing ourselves to refocus inwardly and
in community allows us to see who we are, and so
this will be a complex but at the same time a
simplified process of self-discovery. In the
beginning we will find many voices within us
that are unknown, repressed, afraid to speak,
and unaccustomed to spontaneous and direct
expression. We will literally be using dance as
a bridge between consciousness and the psyche.
Through dance we tap into the body's unconscious
memories, layer by layer. Then the healing
begins. As we continue our discipline of
movement and image dialogues, poetic and private
insights emerge through relaxed and spontaneous
expression to show us the way.
Creating Your Sacred Dance
The stage, the altar, the studio --
whatever space you designate -- is the sacred
dancing ground, and the dancing time is time out
of ordinary time. The dancers enter consciously,
sensing the difference between the busy outside
world and the dedicated dance space. This is the
hallowed ground, dedicated to and ruled by
forces that are not personal, not
individualistic.
After one enters the sacred space there
is, ideally, a period of quieting down.
Physiologically, you might start with deep, slow
breathing, bringing scattered thoughts to a
still, introverted point of focus.
Here are some keys that will help your
dance become more meaningful for you, which I
derived in part from my work with the Dances of
Universal Peace. Even one or two of these
techniques will have quite a profound effect.
- Let go of expectations and
self-consciousness. Ability will come in time.
Your dance is not an athletic competition or a
formal presentation. It is a window through
which we merge with the universal, satisfying
the thirst that is in all our souls. It takes
a while for the mind to yield control. Don't
be surprised if the mind becomes rebellious,
argumentative, or bored. Let it play itself
out. This will give you time to develop a
sensitivity to the environment and to the
group energy, generating a transformative
sensitivity to bodily communication while
establishing communion with inner movements,
inner dialogue.
- Feel. The dances/rituals are designed
to take us more and more into the universe of
feeling. Resist the impulse to begin analyzing
or judging; stay in the present, keep giving
yourself permission to feel and allowing the
dance to refine and purify your emotional
life. Movement rituals can lead to states of
calm peace or a joyous feeling.
Simultaneously, while you enjoy the
experience, practice keeping in your
consciousness your connection to the earth
plane, your earthly body, and the group body.
- Breathe. Breath is life, movement,
voice. A verse, a mantra, or a song can break
habitual breath-holding and will train your
breath for the extended exhalation that
automatically causes a deep inhalation.
- Listen to yourself and to others'
voices recite the words or song, when
vocalizing is included in your dance. Even if
it is in another language and you do not fully
understand the meaning of the words, listen to
the sound. In Sanskrit, the sound itself has
an impact. When you begin to listen, the
voices automatically begin to harmonize. Find
the center of the sound. Notice the energy
rising.
- Repeat. Ritual or liturgical dance is
usually a simple formula repeated over and
over again. This repetition takes you beyond
the realms of everyday life through movement
and mental attunement. The external simplicity
of the ritual, rite, or ceremony hides a
complex transference of knowledge, a message
from antiquity passed down through
generations, reaching us not in material form
but in spirit through the body. Concentration
on a sacred phrase or symbol and on the
movement of everyone together will ultimately
touch your being in a deeper and deeper way.
- Create a dance space. For some dances
you may want a dance floor design. Patterns
direct and contain energy and flow, giving
direction to the purpose of the dance. The
design can be permanent or temporary, indoors
or outside. It may be composed of seashells
and driftwood, of rocks and sticks formed into
a pattern, or of a drawing in the sand. Make a
circle, double spiral, or labyrinth design
with ingress and egress.
- Move together. Resist the temptation to
do individualistic dance when dancing as a
group. You will be amazed at how much stronger
the dances will be when you concentrate on
harmonizing with the others and your ego-sense
of yourself starts to disappear. Small groups
that meet, with consciousness, on a regular
basis will be much more effective.
- Trust the dance. When you dance in a
circle, the circle should be kept clearly a
circle; it is good to place a special object
or symbol or person, perhaps the drummer and
the musicians, in the center from time to
time. Begin with feeling your own body fully,
then gradually become connected with the whole
circle. Remember to make clear eye contact
with others in the circle.
- Music needs to be simple and rhythmic.
The group movement is the focus; music
accentuates the natural rhythm of the movement
with the song, mantra, or sacred phrase.
Drummers especially must bear this in mind,
and avoid going off into self-expression.
- Use a dancer's costume. Some dances or
offerings are intensified by means of color,
form, and materials. Costumes can lift a
dancer out of her ordinary, everyday self,
bringing her to a different state. For some,
the ritual of donning a costume and the
shedding thereof at the end of the ritual
marks the boundary between the opposite realms
of the personal and the archetypal, the divine
and self. This is not to say that the costume
always has to be ornate. Flowing gowns with
kaftan sleeves, such as those worn by Isadora
Duncan and Martha Graham in certain dances,
are very powerful in their unpretentious
simplicity.
- Allow silence. After the sound, music,
and movement stop, then enter into silence. In
this silence one can absorb the qualities
evoked during the dance. This is the most
important part of the dance, so don't rush it.
You are learning meditation through dancing,
and learning the dance through meditation.
Presence is heightened through silence, and
there is a sense of the group's focused energy
and the animation of the designated physical
space, which becomes the temple, the sacred
place.
- Try again. It is highly probable that
during some times when you are attending a
workshop, dancing with your group, or
practicing on your own, you will not feel
connected. It is disappointing, I know, but
you might be surprised, sometimes, to find
that you feel the effects later. So, keep open
for an "Ah-Ha!" wherever and whenever it
happens.
- Expect your life to change. The more
you dance, the more you will find yourself in
your natural pure presence as you move through
the world. You will probably find, as I did,
that you are able to prolong the calm and
centered state of mind engendered through
ritual dance in everything you do. At one
point I discovered that just listening to
particular rhythms or songs while driving
along in my car could evoke that same sense of
peace and attunement.
Move simply and slowly. Don't overact.
Follow each move with your concentration, giving
yourself and others an opportunity to meditate
on your presence. At the physiological level,
research in neurophysiology has shown that there
is an information biofeedback process between
your senses, muscles, and brain. Too much
muscular effort overwhelms the brain's ability
to make sensory distinctions and restricts the
mind's ability to work on the body's behalf.
Less muscular effort produces more sensory motor
learning.
Repetition and simplicity activate your
brain's movement centers and generate a flow of
valuable information between your mind and your
muscles and body. This approach is seen in yoga,
t'ai chi gong, and other meditative practices.
Automatically, as if by magic, tension, strain,
fatigue, and discomfort will disappear as your
neuromuscular system reprograms itself for
better health. You will notice that this effect
stays with you in all the days that follow.
Rituals proceed from a form or theme, but
the form gradually melts as repetition imprints
the mind and all move as one. Remember, an
authentic ritual not only satisfies a momentary
need but can also radiate exponentially to
influence world consciousness.
 This
article is excerpted from the book Sacred
Woman, Sacred Dance, by Iris J. Stewart.
©2000. Reprinted with
permission of the publisher Inner Traditions
International.
http://www.innertraditions.com
Info/Order this book.
|
|
Categories |
|
|
|
Most
Popular |
|
|
|
Community Links |
|
|
|
Latest
News |
|
|
|
Donation |
|
|
|
Subscribe Free
|
|
|
|
InnerSelf Market |
|
|
|
Advertiser |
|
|
|
Advertiser |
|
|
|
Syndication |
|
|
|
