DANCING IN LIFE
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From: Andrea H.
Date: Saturday, October 21, 2006, 6:24 AM
Subject: Dancing in Life
ID: 254522

Hello magnificent Evolutionary Sisters!

I have a story to share. In July 2005, my husband died of cancer after a year long journey. During the summer of 2006, I realized how disconnected I felt from my body. Between the year of taking care of my husband and the year of grieving I had stopped moving. I moved from point A to point B and then I would quietly sit waiting. Waiting in hospital rooms, doctor offices, and then waiting for the emotions connected to grieving.

I had been meditating this past summer on how to reconnect and had actively gardened all summer. At the Evolutionary Women Retreat II in August 2006, Ann put into the group the word physicality. She was always moving. This was another reflection for me to move. When I returned home from several trips at the end of August, I found an e-mail forwarded to me about a woman named Karen Danner. Karen has a business called Love Yourself Well ( www.loveyourselfwell.com ) She is a Wellness Coach. I contacted her and we set three goals to be accomplished over a ten week period. Basically, my goals were to 1) Have 4 hours of movement/exercise per week, 2) to be aware of the food I was eating and practice mindfulness, and 3) to plan 15 healthy meals that would be easy when I am very busy.

It has been an amazing process and my story relates to goal #1- movement exercise. Over the last seven weeks, I have found that exercise classes really work for me. I am tap dancing, NIA dancing, yoga-ing and belly gonging. Belly gong is a combination of belly dancing and chi gong.

On Tuesday night, I went to my belly gong class. Normally there are 5-10 women who come. I was the only person there this week and the teacher had had surgery on her leg the following week so she was not planning to dance with us that evening. Her dance plan for the evening was to teach us about the five elements of Chinese medicine and the connection to the five seasons. She had outlined words and brought music to have us dance emotions, feelings, healing and the elements. She was sitting in a chair with her leg propped up.

Her initial response was, now what? Was I going to feel uncomfortable dancing all by myself? I turned 50 on October 8 and my attitude is to live fully in every moment. I embraced this opportunity.

For the next hour, we talked about a season and element and then I danced. I danced the seasons of fall, winter and spring. I found myself incorporating all of the dance and movement classes I have taken in the last six weeks. I found myself running from one corner of the room to another, jumping into ballet moves I didn't even know I knew, let alone thought I could do! It felt so good to move my body in any way I wanted to during that hour.

After the class, I realized this was a graduation of sort. It was a message from the Universe that I am re-connecting to my body, I am moving and that this is just the beginning of the Joy of Movement for me.

I am now moving all of the time and I am grateful for the connection!!

Thanks for listening.

In gratitude, love, peace and the dance, Andrea