Many years ago, during the first Ecstatic Dance I ever attended, I recall dancing in the corner of the room, nearly frozen from social anxiety. I was, however, in awe of the people dancing around me.
They all looked... FREE.
No one seemed to care if they looked "good". It didn't matter if you were dancing with the beat or not. Heck, it didn't even matter if you were dancing at all! Some people were meditating in another part of the room. Some people were stretching on the floor. Others were dancing around with reckless abandon, even whooping and making silly noises, fully embracing child-like JOY. Smiling and giggling.
I didn't understand it, but I knew one thing for sure:
I wanted it.
I wanted to feel free to move, free to dance, free to sit and meditate. I wanted whatever it was that they had, and I knew I needed to lean into my discomfort and come back again.
So I did, and this time I danced a little farther from my little corner of the room.
Fast forward several months and many Ecstatic Dances later... I became that free, joyful, child-like being I longed to be. I became obsessed with Ecstatic Dance and started leading and DJing dances.
As of this writing, I have had the honor, pleasure, and pure JOY of leading 24 (!) Ecstatic Dances! 🎉🎉🎉 (I'm baffled by this number. I hadn't added them all up until now. )
So if you're not yet familiar with the liberating power of this free-form somatic healing practice, this is your official invitation to join the global Ecstatic Dance community.
You can show up as you are, move however you choose, and know that you'll be accepted and celebrated. 🤗
Will you join us?
Comments