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22 Mar

Posted at 11:49h in Uncategorized

The tunes of Ecstatic Awakening Dance™   First you hear it but then you feel it. That’s when the true power of music takes hold. Music is entwined in the fabric of every culture across the globe. Long before mp3s, radio and record players, it was already an integral part of society, binding communities together. You can still see this today, from the drum beats of the healing ceremonies of Ghana’s Ashanti to celebratory songs of Morocco’s Gnauoa as they honour Nature’s gifts.   The music of Ecstatic Awakening Dance™   While many of the world’s tribes continue to live with music and dance at the heart...

20 Feb

Posted at 10:56h in Dance, Mental Health

A national movement to help combat mental health issues   “He traps me like a prisoner. Never lets me see the light. Never lets me go. He keeps me up at night.” The villain in this poem is not a person, not a creature, but depression. This is just one of many personal stories about battling mental health issues. Every year, one in four people in the UK experience a mental health issue. The chances are at some point in your life, you will too, if you haven’t already. The ever-stretched NHS is feeling the strain as much as its patients, with...

22 Jan

Posted at 16:00h in Uncategorized

It’s everywhere you look. In glances between young and old couples. In the caress of a mother to her child. In the embrace of friends reuniting. Even in the kindness of a stranger. Love is what binds us together as a community, whichever community you belong to. Love is so intertwined with human nature that people of every culture strive to fill their lives with it and with every kind of it. The language of love reveals how it pervades every aspect of our lives. From Sanskrit’s sneha, the love of a mother and Greek’s agape, a selfless love extended to...

19 Dec

Posted at 21:25h in Uncategorized

Holding a sacred space Emotions rise up. Feelings overwhelm. And in this moment of vulnerability, true transformation is possible. This experience is not uncommon for those who take part in Ecstatic Awakening Dance™, a nurturing process that is all about helping individuals reconnect with themselves and the universe. In doing so participants are able to feel love and joy by releasing pent-up stress, tension and emotions. Holding a sacred space where this transformation can take place is the privilege and responsibility of an Ecstatic Awakening Dance™ teacher. As raw energy and emotion flow freely, our teachers create a safe space to guide participants...

23 Nov

Posted at 10:15h in Uncategorized

An ancient practice in modern times   She stands in a woven cotton caftan, snakes of coloured material flowing from her shoulders, a brass mirror against her chest to ward off evil spirits. Her appearance belies her connection to Mother Nature, to the spirit realm. Her drum, the shaman’s drum, beats to a rhythm that resonates within us all. She is an ugdan, a Mongolian shamaness. This is not a description of a woman resigned to the history books. Mongolian shamanism is as alive today as it was thousands of years ago, as far back as recorded history can take us and likely...

17 Oct

Posted at 09:57h in Uncategorized

The journey to becoming an Ecstatic Awakening Dance teacher To feel free, present and at one with the universe is transformative, that is the power of Ecstatic Awakening Dance. Experience it and find moments of true bliss. Teach it and feel that bliss spread out into the world through the lives you’ll touch, inspire and empower. This is a truth we know only too well at the School of Ecstatic Movement. For 12 years we’ve welcomed those drawn to teach and to heal to become Ecstatic Awakening Dance™ teachers, with our comprehensive 9-month online programme, including a one-week residential retreat. Creating community through...

17 Oct

Posted at 09:56h in Uncategorized

Exploring the beauty of tribal dance across the world   Pick any point in history on any land where humans roam and you will find dance. Nature has always had its rhythms and through dance we are reminded that we too are a part of Nature. Within each of us beats a rhythm so deeply rooted that even in the face of oppression, even after generations of conformity and self-denial, it lives on. Tribes across the globe nurture this intrinsic rhythm and dance to celebrate, to mourn, to belong or simply to feel. Dances once thought lost to history are now revived, such as...

19 Sep

Posted at 15:22h in Breath, Ecstatic Awakening Dance, Shamanism

Breath of Fire; An ancient yogic tool to free your mind Breathe, your first breath. Think of the moment new life comes into being, the instant a baby leaves the safety of its mother’s womb to enter this world, taking its first breath. Picture it in your mind. Now listen. What sound do hear? A cry, a gasp? Breath, the first breath. Breath is life. From your very first gasp to the present moment, the rhythm of your breath tells its own story of the ups and downs of your journey. Learning to control your breath brings with it the ability to still your...

19 Sep

Posted at 15:05h in Uncategorized

The resurgence of cacao ceremonies   Skin the colour of the earth and black-rimmed eyes, a force to be reckoned with, a God no less, Ek-Chuah. Such was the devotion he inspired that they honoured him with one of their most treasured goods: the fruits of the cacao tree. They were the Mayans and cacao was central to their way of life. It was a currency, it was a tribute, it was a sacred drink. So why did the Mayans prize cacao so highly? What did they know about this potent seed that we forgot over the centuries as cacao became processed into chocolate? What...

21 Aug

Posted at 14:17h in Uncategorized

Understanding the energies within you   ‘She’s just so masculine’. ‘He’s really quite feminine’. Remarks like these are often said with a mocking tone. In a black and white world, femininity is the domain of women and masculinity that of men. Any blurring of those lines can be met with confusion or worse, anger. But life is not black and white. Each of us, whatever our gender, has both feminine and masculine energies. Each of us contains the power of the Divine Feminine and the Sacred Masculine. But our understanding of these energies has been lost in a world that no longer looks inward for...