Dance Like No One is Watching - an Exercise in Listening

 I think of Winter as the perfect time to embrace much needed quiet, a time for inner work, slowing down, and making space for deep meditation. If I get down to the basics, however, of why I would do any of those things, I believe the most important practice of Winter, is Listening.

Prevailing culture teaches us so much about action and logic; we think our way through things, or at least we try, inefficiently. Perpetual action, and loops of thinking cannot take us where we want to go if we don’t make time to experience our life on a deeper level. Perhaps that sounds funny. It should seem automatic that we know what is happening in our life. Life moves fast. Our electronics, entertainment, and myriads of distraction, make it feel like it is moving even faster.

Listening, deeply listening, is a lost art. I’m not talking about communication skills, or the kind of listening we do in relation to another person. Although those are important, I’m talking about the colors, the richness in your life, the vibration and feeling. Deep listening helps us go beyond the noise of life to see what it's really there. What role are we playing in our life story? How does it feel to be in our body? What arises when we allow ourselves to be fully present in our home, in our workplace, with our loved ones or our friends?

Ultimately we are each the architect of our own destiny. We are the only ones who can truly be responsible for the life we are living. I know that with the new year many of us are anxious to reach our goals. In this winter season, even mother nature can teach us about the power of pausing before growth. Please pause and take a moment to listen.

Over the past several years I’ve found many great ways to listen to my body, the chatter in my mind, my heart beat, my surroundings, and the ground beneath me. The art of listening has become a vital part of my wellness journey. While there are many great ways to engage in a listening practice, I am going to suggest one today that combines listening and taking action on what we hear or feel. The trick is to transcend your thoughts and move directly from your listening into movement.  

Dance Like no One is Watching

Put on some music that you like. Try to pick something middle of the range, not too fast or loud not too slow. I would also suggest that you don’t pick something that you already have an emotional connection to (a tune that reminds you of your ex, or that you play to get pumped up). Scroll iTunes, or your Pandora account, and let the right song jump out at you. Even if it seems like an odd choice, go with it. You want to let it come from your unconscious mind~ that’s where this good stuff you’re likely not thinking about, the power and clarity, that want to be integrated, your inner child ready to be loved, are waiting for you.

Find a place, and choose a time when you can be alone and have some privacy. After you put on your music and close your eyes. Listen to your heartbeat, listen (as in pay attention) to what it feels like to be in your body. What does it feel like to be in the space you are in? What are your emotions telling you? Then listen to the music. Let the music guide you into what your body wants to do, let it be unique and authentic. If you feel guided to make a sound - do it! Release all judgment about what you are doing. Keep coming back to the connection between the music and your unique expression- how your body wants to move to the music. Stay out of your head, transcend thinking, and let your expression come naturally from your soul.

If you find yourself thinking, feeling silly, or being self-critical, know that that’s normal when trying something new. There is no, ‘doing it right’. Even if you get frustrated and it feels too hard to stay out of your mind, know that just by trying you have succeeded. That part of us thwarts our authenticity and needs our attention, love, and presence. It is part of the underlying text, that needs our listening.

Follow your song through to the end, and take a few moments to jot down your observations. Was there a part of your body that wanted to move the most? Did any emotions arise, what were they? Did anything surprise you about your experience? How do you feel now?

Leave a message here in the comments, or find my info on the contact page. I’d love to know how that went for you!!

Tremendous Love , Bianca