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.
- 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.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher Inner Traditions
International. ©2000.
http://www.innertraditions.com
For more info or to order this
book.
About the Author
Iris
J. Stewart has taught dance and lectured on women's subjects for over twenty
years. She is the founder of WomanDance, a troupe which performs interpretive
dances that explore women's spirituality. To research this book, Steward visited
archaeological sites throughout Europe, the Middle East, and South America. She
lives in northern California. Visit her website at http://www.sacreddancer.com.
| Comments () >> |
 |
 |
