I briefly step out of my dream world and gaze in admiration at my fellow ecstatic dancers. The music somewhat tribal in nature seems to have awoken the spirit and ignited a passion in the bodies around me. If I were to peer into the more subtle dimensions of energy, I imagine I would see a gathering of souls meditatively moving in pure life force energy, allowing for egoless expression as their mind steps aside and their heart guides them along a personal inner-transformational journey through dance.

Dance has been recognised for its spiritual benefits by humans since the very beginning. Over the past few years, I have had my own realisations about the benefits of moving the body and connecting with the soul through dance. Not much has changed in terms of ‘skill’, when I dance now I could easily be connecting with the inner child that used to lose herself to dance whilst listening to cheesy pop groups like ‘S CLUB 7’, alone in her room!

I have shined the light of awareness onto dance and it has shown me that we can use this movement meditation to connect, express, heal, manifest, experience blissful frequencies and transcend the boundaries of our consciousness.

Raise Your Vibration

One morning a few weeks back, I was caught up in a negative thought pattern that manifested into a pretty bad mood! A song came on shuffle that just seemed to make my body move, I surrendered to the flow and danced my way through it. It wasn’t until the song had finished and I had returned to my morning activities that I noticed a significant shift in my vibrational frequency and the negative mood had vanished!

When we dance for ourselves we invite positive energy into our space and our being, we are able to slip into the present moment where our ‘problems’ do not exist and we break negative thought patterns whilst releasing pent up stress and worry.

Whilst traveling India I have attended a few ‘Kirtan’s’ (devotional singing and dancing) and have come away feeling incredibly energised, exuberant and high on life itself. This leads me to feel that when we let go of our ego’s and we dance authentically in the positive energy of those around us, we can create a whirling vortex of uplifting vibrations that replenishes the energetic bodies of all involved.

Deep connections can be made through dance, connections with our bodies, the universe, the higher self, the earth and the people around us. Perhaps this is because when we allow ourselves to connect with the music and the moment, we surrender completely, dissolving boundaries and inviting in closeness.

When I really become lost in the movement of dance, I feel a thinning of the veil between the physical and the spiritual dimensions. I can often feel totally up in the cosmos where time and third-dimensional existence is irrelevant whilst simultaneously grounded in my physical body.

An example of this coexistence between the worlds through dance can be seen in the mystical form of Islam; Sufism. Sufis are well known for their Dervish Dancing whereby during such rituals they continuously spin around, invoking a spiritual trance where the dancers float between the two worlds and feel a closeness with God.

Manifest

Dancing has been used to manifest for thousands of years among many traditions. For example in ancient Native American shamanic traditions, Shamans would dance themselves into a trance-like state with the intention to manifest, they were able to use the power of dance to create anything from good health to rain.

Belly dancing is practiced in many cultures around the world and this may be especially powerful for the feminine as she builds energy up in the sacral charka area where she can truly embody the creative energy of the womb.

When we invite dance into our life we have acquired an enjoyable yet powerful manifestation tool. By combining a newfound spiritual connection with an elevated vibration we become a magnet for manifestation as we shine like a light brighter than ever. When you’re in the flow listening to your favourite music either by yourself or with others you may wish to direct your thoughts towards your desire or use creative visualisations to bring about your dreams. I recommend being wildly outlandish and creative with your dancing manifestation techniques, let your imagination take over and embrace the freedom of movement.

“Before I had cancer, I lived my life in service of dance, and after I had cancer, I danced in the service of life”. – Anna Halprin

Those that love to dance can recognise that dancing is naturally therapeutic and its healing powers are recognised all over the world. Anna Halprin, a former cancer patient, used dance to heal herself of the emotional trauma caused by her sickness. She continued to organise dance workshops and rituals for young men afflicted with AIDS where they were encouraged to heal through ‘dancing their disease’ together, they could freely release their fear and anger as well express their love for one another.

When we dance with the intention to heal, we are able to feel the energy build up within us, really connect with it and feel/visualise it flowing through your physical form, then send it to the part of the body that needs healing. If you are working with an emotion that is tied to a particular part of the body, you may wish to place particular emphasis on this area when dancing.

Dancing can be used to ‘shake off’ pent up anger and stress as well as negative energies that may have built up over time. This may be especially useful for the highly sensitive empath that may have accumulated energies from others.

Visualise the emotions coming to the surface, really feel them and then release them through visualisations and dance moves, allow your body to move how it wants to move and don’t be afraid to be eccentric with your dancing. Adopt an intention and a mindset of letting go of what doesn’t best serve you and dance your way to a healthy life.

Express

As we meditate with the music and the movement of our bodies, our busy minds settle and the space between our thoughts become wider. In the silent space of presence, the conditioning caused by our external environment is momentarily dissolved and we are free to express who we truly are. The language of our soul is spoken and our bodies move from a place of pure authenticity. Dancing has now become our creative outlet.

In this safe space, you are able to let go and express emotions that otherwise may not be easily conveyed through words. Contemporary dance is a style of expressive dance whereby emotions are portrayed through a variety of dance moves, the moves themselves express the energy of particular emotions creating a beautiful art connecting the mind and body.

Dance can be used to really embody and express the divine masculine and feminine energies within us. Don’t be afraid to let your inner god and goddess surface, when we dance to the rhythm of the masculine and feminine, we invite these energies into our lives and a balance can be created.

Throw yourself into dance, let go and express through movement what your soul is trying to say. No doubt you will experience a glimpse of whom you truly are behind the stories that you have been told and move closer to your greatest most authentic version.

So now you are familiar with the extraordinary power of dance, you may choose to incorporate it into your spiritual practice. Just like any other tool for consciousness expansion, you may or may not resonate with it and I suggest you come to your own conclusion of whether or not it holds a place on your unique path. Here are some tips that I have accumulated on my journey through the world of dance.

• Change the belief systems that may be holding you back. Do you believe you have to dance for a reason? Do you believe you should only dance amongst others? Do you believe that dancing is fixed or can it be whatever you want it to be?

• Let go of your ego. Try not to be too much in your head and come down to your heart. If we are concerned about how we appear to others, we can distract ourselves from truly letting go. If you are unable to relax in the company of others, dance alone and see how your body wants to move.

• Play music that makes your body want to dance. Play whatever music stimulates the cells of your physical form, follow your excitement and don’t be afraid to listen to music that matches the emotion that you are feeling as this can be extremely healing.

• Close your eyes. When we close our eyes we are more likely to turn our attention inwards and external distractions fall way as we create our own world.

Final Words

Dancing has been used all over the world amongst many cultures for thousands of years, our ancestors intuitively recognised the power of dance and I personally believe it is rather underrated in the new age spiritual movement!

Dance can provide a taste of what it is like to be pure energy whilst simultaneously experiencing what it is really like to live in this physical reality with a physical body. Our bodies are vehicles that allow us to navigate through this dimension but they are also miraculous gifts that can be tremendously enjoyed.

Our natural vibrational set point is one of love and joy, the energies of dance invite more playfulness and fun into our lives and bring us closer to the frequency of our true nature. So ride the rhythm of dance, move whenever your body wants to move, dance with the cosmos and see the world as your dance floor.