On Ecstatic Dance
I felt so amazed when I saw ecstatic dance coming to Merchant City Yoga which is, basically, my second home in Glasgow, as it is where I come to do my asana practice almost every day, where I come to teach Hatha Yoga and Mindfulness and where I will come from now on to dance!
I had a taste of ecstatic dance in India back in February and I had such an amazing experience that I signed up for this one at MCY almost immediately. I have been asked to write about my experience without being too ‘…’. Hehe. Well, I will do my very best!
In an ecstatic dance session we, well, basically just dance. You can take it this way and just give it a try. Dance is so good for you, it resets your physiology and lift the spirit up changing your mood in an incredible way. The ones attending my mindfulness courses here at MCY know that I recommend people to dance on a daily basis! Dance is mindfulness in movement and can be a very powerful meditation practice.
Now, if you pop your head in one of these events, well, yes, it might looks like people are just out of a mental hospital (hehe), and yes, it might looks like people are on drugs (:O) but don’t worry, that is not the case at all! We use the dance to really connect with the music and our being letting our bodies to express in the freest possible way. It is a dynamic meditation practice and you go deeper and deeper and deeper… Nobody will talk to you and if someone interacts with you will be without words. This helps the interior practice keep going and avoid the energy of the group to be disrupted. You really need to let go of layers such as judging, fear of being judged, embarrassment, etc. and just listen to your body and let it express and release. As in other meditation practices, all kind of things can arise and we just let them arise and let them go with movement. When you are able to let go of the masks and really connect with yourself and the music, the feeling of freedom is indescribable.
If on top of all this you add a yummy cacao ceremony at the beginning, a fantastic DJ such as Ronnie and an excellent guided shamanic relaxation at the end, plus a massage therapist available all night and a vegan bar, you have the best possible combination for a Saturday night! :)
Having said all that, the main thing we do, really, is dance! So why not to give it a go and join us next time!
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