Dances of ecstacy part 1

Ever been to a rave? Stood near the speakers, consumed by the beats and melodies of the music?

Or how about a drum circle? A really BIG one, on a beach, with flaming torches and people dancing under the moon?

Since stumbling across the spiritual path, I have been obsessed with the relationship between soul and movement. As I started experiencing powerful energies coursing through my body last year, I was driven to sway with the flows, allowing the heat and the electric charge to play me like a marionette. "This is amazing!" I thought. "Where can I go to DANCE this energy out?"

Much to my surprise, three weeks later I received an email advertising an ecstatic dance class: a mixture of kundalini exercise, yoga, and dance moves, all set to techno... It was one of the most transformative experiences of my life, and an essential part of my path. It also had the side effect of making me a better dancer!

The spirit responds to dance - when the dance is done with an inward focus, bringing yourself fully into the moment, following the imperatives of your own secret rhythms, and with permission to expose yourself to the world completely. As you achieve this, the moves flush out old blockages and fill your heart with ecstacy. It is better even than chocolate.

Both traditional ecstatic dances and the modern rave scene are places where we can get together and explore the nature of this transformative practice. I'll discuss that more later. But you can even do it in your home! How many of you have ever put on a CD of your favorite addictive beats and just danced? Try it! Let the music and the movement pull you into the present. Notice whether you have any inhibitions, even if there is no one watching. (Isn't it silly, being inhibited when there's no one else there?) And, if you can, let the prana flow through your body - the inner dance of spirit reflecting the outer dance of body.

Whew, I think I've worked up a sweat just writing that. Time to go out dancing.