“Based on the belief that the body, mind and spirit are interconnected, “conscious dance” is a psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote the integration of a person’s emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well-being. It’s about honoring the body’s intelligence and paying attention to the body-mind-spirit connection. The human connection to body movement is ancient and may have even been one of the first ways humans expressed themselves to one another.
In conscious dance, a dynamic conscious movement-based process is set to world music… Conscious dance combines structured movement and freestyle elements that help participants to clear their minds, get into their bodies and release anything that no longer serves them. The practice is evolving very rapidly, and there are now more than 100 modalities of conscious dance. Its benefits of holistic healing and expression are backed by validated research, making it an essential fit for the spa wellness world, which is now increasingly focused on the complete concept of body, mind and spirit.
Conscious dance acts as a catalyst for each participant to celebrate the magnificence of their body and their life. It significantly improves quality of life by promoting the following benefits:
- Physical health and vitality. Dance is multi-directional, engaging a variety of muscles while working the cardiovascular system to strengthen the heart, burn body fat and increase oxygen for better circulation. It also can be very therapeutic in easing physical tension.
- Mental clarity. Dancing improves brain function on a variety of levels. Recent studies show how the endorphins and adrenaline that are released while dancing have a unique effect on the brain by blending cerebral and cognitive thought processes with muscle memory and “proprioception,” which creates a deep sense of satisfaction and oftentimes a “dancer’s high,” which clears the mind.
- Emotional expression. The key to emotional health is in its expression — a healthy discharge of emotion can create the space needed to shift away from an old story into a new possibility. What makes conscious dance uniquely different is that it encourages the expression of these emotions so that participants can learn to navigate all of their emotional states in a sacred container where expression is validated without judgment, thus supporting their emotional well-being.
- Spiritual connection and creativity. Creativity is the expression of the soul and imagination is a gateway to accessing anything one wants in life. Conscious dance is an inner exploration that inspires creativity by using the body, spirit and imagination, giving practitioners or dancers the freedom to dance from within and also with others in improvisational ways, which awakens natural creativity and inner power. The use of imagination allows them to drop into deeper realms of consciousness and access higher realms of knowing that are necessary for facing, clearing and transforming whatever may be holding them back from spiritual growth.”
Liza Pitsirilos is a mindful movement enthusiast and President of Movement of Life Consulting, Inc.. Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa