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18 Oct

I don’t teach steps. I don’t do choreography. But I am a dance teacher, an Ecstatic Awakening Dance teacher.   It’s been a life-changing experience. Training to become an Ecstatic Awakening Dance teacher made me realise that it isn’t really about learning to teach but rather learning to lead and inspire. In fact, the teacher training course was more like a life training course! It’s taught me a lot and had an undeniable impact on every aspect of my life. I learnt to make mistakes and be ok with it   Making mistakes is easy but embracing them is not. Becoming an Ecstatic Awakening Dance teacher...

12 Aug

Facing fear, to reveal your true power    What is your deepest fear? Is it that you won’t measure up to the expectations put on you by others? Perhaps it’s that you won’t achieve all you think you need or want? What if I asked you to look past all of that, to look even deeper within yourself? What would your deepest fear be then? You may be surprised to find that the answer is the same for you as it is for me, as it is for so many of us.  “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear...

19 Sep

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...

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...

21 Aug

Tapping into your body’s natural rhythm through dance   She twirled and darted, skipped and leapt, legs and arms akimbo, a floppy, beautiful mess. Why? No reason. No-one judged her. No-one laughed. Quite the contrary, they smiled and cooed. After all, she was just doing what children do. This freedom of movement is something most of us find a joy to watch in children. Yet somewhere along the road from innocence to adulthood, we lose that freedom or it is taken from us. Our bodies stiffen, our movements increasingly learned and constrained by expectations. And not just when we sit behind a desk...