Movement as Medicine
“…expressive movement nurtures our bodies, fosters intuitive thinking and enlivens our spirit. It is the optimal prescription for health and well-being.” - Bella Dreizler
For anyone who has spent an inordinate amount of time trapped in a bed or chair by an illness, you may remember that feeling of using your muscles again, that feeling of being alive, of being able to step out into the world with new energy. Trivial actions become pure bliss, and your body floods with gratitude. This is the essence of movement as medicine. The remembrance, the pleasure, the return to yourself. And it can be experienced through free form dancing/movement. As Lisa Fladager writes on her site:
"Everything alive moves and expresses itself through movement. Developments in neuroscience have validated that human emotion, thought, and image are truly inseparable from the life of the body. The lived and unlived life of the soul erupts into and ripples through the body, sculpting it and shaping it in form and symptom, often outside of our conscious awareness. Inpired by Marion Woodman, I use the word bodysoul to denote this seamless whole.
"Dance-movement therapy is the intentional use of movement, dance, and body awareness by a trained psychotherapist to bring health and wholeness. It involves more than dancing in a studio by oneself or in a class. The added components involve linking the movement and somatic experiences to psychological and emotional experiences that are meaningful and relevant to the patient's life and individuation. An ongoing exploration of what lives in the body in a depth-oriented way can facilitate increased connection between the divided parts of oneself, moving a patient toward wholeness.
"In ancient cultures, humans danced to express themselves, transform, and reconnect with nature, community, and the sacred. When given safety and permission, every body moves in natural rhythms and unwinds in patterns of wholeness. This is our birthright as humans. In western culture, this natural expressiveness is often discouraged and thwarted. Trauma and negative stress take tolls on the lived experience of the bodysoul.
"Rediscovering the intelligence and expressiveness of the bodysoul as part of psychotherapy is integral to healing. At first, this may seem hard to envision. Consciously engaging the body's lived experience through movement can lead to powerful places of healing, confrontation with places that need further attention, and ultimately--integration."
Integration into wholeness, remembrance, pleasure. Return to yourself. No steps to follow, no right or wrong. A simply allowing of your spirit to awaken.
Bella Driezler, of Body Joy, will be offering a workshop to experience this movement as medicine on February 3rd at Wellness Within. Absolutely no experience is necessary to join this come-as-you-are party, this safe place to express your unique truth. Come connect with your natural ability to surrender to joy, still the mind and free your creative spirit.