Dancing, Moving, and Healing in the Present Moment

It’s been fun exploring a few of the Animal Frolics in our Zoom Qigong class this past month. These ancient exercises arose over 2,000 years ago, from imitating the movements and inhabiting the spirits of different animals--the calm, relaxed crane, or the flexible, alert deer for example. The Animal Frolics are sometimes called dances, and do indeed feel very dance-like when we do them. I’m thrilled that so many of you are connecting to that inner impulse to enjoy the freedom of movement as you do the Frolics. It’s beautiful to watch! It’s great that you’re making the movements your own, by truly being in the present--mind, body and spirit.

 This is very, very powerful medicine: just ask Bessel Van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score. He explains how non-verbal activities like dance and other art therapies and the mindful movements of Qigong and Yoga can help unsnarl and heal even deep-seated trauma, the kind that our cognitive mind hides from us but our body holds onto, often at high cost to our well-being. The Animal Frolics are perfect examples of this. They are one of the oldest known forms of therapeutic intervention.  The healing power of movement is especially effective, as Dr Van der Kolk reminds us in his book, when practiced in a community. We need this now, as a community, as much as we ever did. I feel so grateful that we’re all together as we move through the ever-changing challenges of life. Come play and heal with our Zoom Qigong community!