Conscious Dance: Natural Rhythm for Holistic Wellbeing

We all have natural rhythm. It’s what makes us want to sway with the music or to
tap our toes to a drumbeat. Conscious dance lets us use our natural rhythm purp
osefully for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wellbeing.
Conscious dance has been part of the human experience throughout history. It has
been used as prayer for bountiful crops, successful hunts, fertility, safety, l
ove, inspiration, vindication, and safe returns.
As practiced in today’s Western culture, conscious dance participants choose an in
dividual, personal intent when they dance. This intention releases creative ene
rgy to produce a result, or activation.
Native American rain dances and green corn dances are perfect examples of consci
ous dance with intention and activation. Tribal members dance for a purpose (in
tention) to release energy that produces an outcome (activation).
“Conscious” means moving with intention, just as rain dancers would do. There’s pers
onal purpose to conscious dance. The purpose is for you to choose.
Maybe you’d like to shift your mental perspective as you think about a problem tha
t you just can’t seem to solve. Maybe you’d like to relieve stress or free yourself
from negative emotions. Maybe you’d like to activate intense joy that’s been block
ed in your day-to-day life. Maybe you’d like to improve your physical flexibility
or your cardiovascular health. Maybe you’d like to feel the elemental forces of
creation and experience inner oneness with the Divine (in which case you are mov
ing in Sacred Dance). Whatever your intention, you’ll hold it foremost in consci
ous dance.
As a conscious dance practitioner, you don’t need to take lessons to learn complic
ated steps. Conscious dance is freeform. You simply feel the rhythm of the mus
ic – or your own inner rhythm – and you move. As you move, you’ll keep your intention
in mind, and you’ll let your movements and inner rhythm flow.
Conscious dance can be practiced alone in the privacy of your home, perhaps by u
sing online resources. Classes and groups in conscious dance, including sacred
dance and other forms, are also available in many communities. If you’re not sure
where to start in finding a group, try community centers or meet-ups. Here’s an
example of a conscious dance group in action.
The benefits of conscious dance
If you participate in conscious dance regularly, there will be many physical ben
efits. Your heart rate and circulation will improve, as will your respiratory h
ealth. You’ll likely gain muscle tone and lose weight. Your flexibility and bala
nce will improve. Conscious dancing also reduces stress and its impacts on phys
ical wellbeing.
Dancing engages your brain to think differently. It activates parts of the brai
n you would not use otherwise. Conscious dance calls upon both the right and th
e left half of the brain, too. The mental benefits of using your brain more ful
ly include the ability to think with clarity and to examine the problems of dail
y life, small and large, from a different perspective.
Emotionally, conscious dance can put you in touch with your feelings. The simpl
e act of dancing will make you more aware of your mood. You might experience a
release of negative emotions as you move to your natural rhythm. Or you might e
xperience an intense rush of joy and ecstasy. You’ll find that you can change you
r emotional state with intention and activation through conscious dance, too.
Additionally, the spiritual benefits of conscious dance can transform a dancer i
n powerful ways. Dancing is a creative act that connects your inner soul with t
he outer Divine. By channeling the energy of the Universe through your dancing,
you will create a sense of inner peace and an understanding of your purpose.
Conscious dance compels you to define your dreams, hopes, and goals. It also op
ens the path to making those goals a reality. Like visualizations and affirmati
ons, conscious dance is a way of using your inner power to use your energy–and the
elemental forces of creation–to achieve your goals.
Conscious dance - http://naturalrhythms.org/2.0/learn/dance/
Sacred Dance - http://naturalrhythms.org/2.0/category/spirit/dance-spirit/
Natural Rhythm - http://naturalrhythms.org/
Elemental Forces of Creation - http://naturalrhythms.org/2.0/about/about-natural
-rhythms/
Intention and Activation - http://naturalrhythms.org/2.0/about/about-lisa-michae
ls/