« Why Kettlebell Training Is a Good Complement to Your Qigong Practice | Main | Qigong as an Antidote to Download Downtime Angst »
May 16, 2005
Qigong: Moving to the Rhythm - Communal Dance and Communal Play
How much do you let yourself dance around in your life? Letting it all hang out, every now and then, can be a crucial counterbalance to the normal rigidity we experience in our normal day.
Qigong has many connections to the human love of dance as a healing release. While there are many deep “stillness” practices in qigong, many of the teachers I most respect, recommend some kind of dance-like qigong as part of your overall cultivation program.
The urge to dance and the urge to practice dynamic qigong come from our natural animal love of rhythmic movement
Rhythm is at the heart of qigong, as it is at the heart of dance. Rhythm transmits feeling physically. Rhythm moves us to share, connect and bond. Rhythmic shaking leverages love by transmitting its message across otherwise blocked passages.
When we dance together in spontaneous movement we indulge in play at its most elemental level – happily opening to each other in ways we would normally find hard to handle.
Rhythm ignites us into sharing our love, laughter and ease. We want to respond, we want to touch each other. Only when we are guarded or out of sorts do we resist touch, and set up barriers. We can openly invite our friends to share our energy.
Dancing takes us out of our heads and into our full beings, works of art in fluid, spontaneous motion. Our cells get the message and lighten up — in the infectious blaze of rhythmic good feeling. This is healing in its most real, juicy, alive form.
My Five Animal Frolic Qigong program, on book and DVD is one good way to start opening yourself up to the healing power of dance-like movement. Give it a shot!
Posted by james at May 16, 2005 5:58 AM