Gabrielle and I

I’m not a good dancer. At least now. There was one point in my now-distant past when I went out dancing with a female friend regularly, but it was fairly short-lived. The combination of not liking really loud music or tight crowds or late nights makes the usual places where people dance not my thing.

As a musician, I have a very good sense of rhythm, but several years ago when I did eight weeks of same-sex ballroom dance, I saw that this does not at all equate to body grace. And, without consistent practice, I have little aptitude for muscle memory it seems.

Rather than closing the door on this aspect of myself, I decided to explore. I began Tai Chi three years ago. This practice addresses both the issues of body grace and muscle memory, while instilling the concept of “meditation in motion”. It isn’t easy for me at all. I struggle with distraction and boredom on a very regular basis. However, the parts of it that enliven and teach awareness that moves both from inside out and outside in are very beneficial for me.

The other avenue of exploration that I have used to explore feeling constrained in body movement has been a series of three dvds by Gabrielle Roth - The Wave, The Power Wave and The Inner Wave. Honestly, I think I bought them several years ago partly because someone had mentioned this method of movement meditation and partly because the set was on sale! These dvds have turned out to be fun, interesting, expanding ways for me to explore my body. The dvds are really well-produced so they are actually fun to watch, even if Gabrielle’s silky purr with instructions seems a bit too sexy or cheesy at times. Despite this distraction, her directions are good and clear. For someone like me, who doesn’t improvise easily with movement, it guides me in a way that helps me get out of my head in a very different way. There are times I feel either “caught” or bored where this method of improvised meditational movement can really help ground me and wake me up.

I have only done these programs by myself. I have wondered if I would feel terribly inhibited or self-conscious if others were doing it along with me. For the moment, the solo exploration feels fine. But maybe a group session’s boundary pushing would provide even more waking up... I’ll keep you posted!

Happy Thanksgiving!