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17 Oct

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

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

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

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...

21 Aug

The roots of Ecstatic Awakening Dance   A world shaken apart early in life. The brutality of bearing witness to physical violence and alcoholism. Shame and isolation. Depression and suicidal thoughts. This is the start of Amoda Maa Jevan’s story, a story that would wander and weave through life’s challenges but ultimately lead to the creation of Ecstatic Awakening Dance.   How could such darkness bring such positivity into the world?   For Amoda the trappings of her material life fell away in her late twenties, leaving her without a roof over her head or money in her pocket. The identities she had clung to personally...

21 Aug

Connecting to the Divine She was always his equal. Two halves of a whole people say. He unchanging and steadfast; She forever creating, alive with movement. Shakti and Shiva. Or maybe to you they are Ida and Pingala. Yin and Yang. Different places, different names, sometimes personified, sometimes not, but their meaning has stayed the same. The Divine Feminine and the Sacred Masculine: two powerful energies that are part of our very make-up. Throughout history and across cultures, people have sought to better understand, channel and harness these energies. While they each conjure up the notion of distinctly male or female energies, they are...

21 Aug

Stilling the chatter to experience the present   Why did she say that? Did she mean it? What does she really think of me? Should I even care? Where does it end? That internal monologue is so easily switched on and so hard to switch off. The constant chatter in our minds can be draining. It’s problematic enough at work when you’re trying to get a job done, then at home when you’re meant to be listening intently to your partner or friend but your mind just won’t give you the space to do that. But what effect is that endless chatter having on...

21 Aug

Letting go of what’s holding you back   The last time they had come together this way was in mourning. The release of shared pain had torn through each of them as their bodies swayed and arched to the beat. They were filled with emotion again today. Except this time it was sheer joy which drove the rhythmic movement of their bodies to bliss, as they welcomed new life to their fold. A scene like this would not be out of place a thousand years ago, a hundred years ago or even today. Every culture and indigenous tribe on this planet has a...

21 Aug

Reaching out to find a community reaching back   Do you belong? Beyond your nationality, your vocation, your family ties. Right now, in this very moment, do you feel a part of something greater? Experiencing a deeper sense of connection can often feel impossibly out of reach. Our daily lives are busy, increasingly filled with the chatter of communication that is a poor imitation of true connection. A day speeds by with no time for mindfulness, then a week, a month, years with no time to spare to pause and nurture what binds us all together: community. In the space created by Ecstatic Awakening...