Dance as an Intentional Transformative Experience

Dance as an Intentional Transformative Experience

Dance has a way of transforming the dancer. Many people feel transformed while dancing, but for most, it’s back to business as usual after it’s over. Not so with some of the more innovative dance movements such as Parashakti’s Dance of Liberation. Surprisingly, dancing with intention in sacred space, with eyes closed has transformed me in a positive, lasting way. It was only when I first experienced her blindfold dance that the act of dancing actually facilitated deep and meaningful spiritual growth within me.

My first blindfold dance was up at CoSM’s retreat “Honoring the Divine Feminine.” Intentional dance in sacred space can transform one’s life. It may not be an instantaneous transformation. Mine wasn’t. You may even forget the intention. The dance may a vague memory. However, the moment you cast your intention, the transformation begins like a seed dropped from its packet into fertile soil.

A fire was built, and we made a circle. We connected with one another by holding hands and created a sacred space to dance. Settling into the circle, staring into the fire, I began to feel the connected with everything and everyone around me. I didn’t know what to expect, but all was explained before we proceeded with the blindfolds.

Some say safe is boring. However, this is not Mother’s brand of safety. This is the creation of sacred space for us to be ourselves, to express ourselves creatively through dance, to sweat and vision and move without judgment. This kind of safety is exhilarating, liberating and yes a bit daunting. At first, it felt too good to be true. In a society where our every move is recorded, judged, measured and scrutinized, this blindfold dance was incredibly refreshing. It took me a while to really believe it when we first began, but I soon fell into rhythm.

After creating our sacred space, we set out intentions for the dance. Our intentions for the dance represent a goal we would like to set in motion through our blindfolded, free-style movement. My intention was to reconnect with the nature and the Earth and by extension, with my own nature.

Before we began the dance we were taught a special kind of breath. Two short inhalations through the nose and one powerful breath out through the mouth. This powerful breath brings us into an ecstatic state of trance and connects us within non-linear time. With the breath, the dance becomes a meditation.

Then, with blindfolds on the music started and we began to dance. The music was a mix of live drumming, healing sounds and hypnotic beats. It was primal and went deep into my bones, leaving me feeling ecstatic. As I touched the earth I could feel its energy surge within me touching every cell in my body. More and more, I began to feel a bond with nature. For the next hour I forgot everything and let the medicine of the dance do it’s silent work upon my soul and my psyche.

When the dance was over, I was feeling both emptied and refreshed. We then reconnected as a circle and were encouraged to begin to integrate our intention and what we learned during the dance into our everyday lives. I returned home ready and committed to making a change, excited about taking what I had learned on my inner exploration out into the world in order to make a difference.

The transformative effects of the dance became apparent gradually over the next year. I found myself yearning to be outdoors more and more even despite the cold, which usually has been an awfully good deterrent. Six months later as winter’s frost subsided, I dug up my rocky little yard and planted a small garden. This terrified me for some reason but I felt driven. When I think about it now, I was afraid that it would be work in vain. I feared that nothing would grow, that nature would not take its course, and that it was personal.

Despite my fears, I felt driven to dig, build and plant and so I did. Somehow, I managed to quiet any expectations and just go with the flow. I chose to just see what would happen, with curiosity. After all, the adventure was the most important medicine. Although I looked forward to the results with some anticipation, I put way more energy into the creative and nurturing aspects of the project. It became a therapy in and of itself. It was more calming to concentrate on the work rather than on the thoughts of what would become of it. I felt invigorated and refreshed, renewed and calm.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that the lack of trust in nature, was the root of the problem I was having in my life in general. I did not trust my own nature to accomplish much that was good or worthy. Planting those seeds was an exercise in faith. The garden grew and prospered as nature took its course. My role was to nurture, guide and care for it. I was steward of, rather than the source of what began to happen. This was symbolic, a foreshadowing of what could be on an even deeper level. When I thought about it as a whole, it all seemed so overwhelming. However, gardening is slow food and all I really had to do was take it one step at a time, tackling challenges as they came up. The pressure was off. I did not need to over think things.

In the bigger picture, what I needed next was to apply that same philosophy to my life. This meant, trusting more and taking time to quiet my mind each day. It is truly okay to proceed one step at a time, remaining present in each moment. I have seen the fruits of my labor and understand now, that all the while, I was liberating myself. Going forward, I will prepare my inner garden and trust that it will grow in just the right way at just the right time for my highest good. In it, I will plant three exquisite seeds: friendship, creativity and service.

What I have discovered is that the dance has taken me from a place where I had little trust and expected the worst, to a place where I can operate with more trust and less expectation. Now I can start projects without so much of that paralyzing fear and the resignation that comes with it. I can trust that whatever happens, I can deal with it, one step at a time, with love and care and with nature as my trusted ­­­companion.

-Salma