Humans are the only animals that can be physically safe, warm, dry, well-fed, healthy and well taken care of – and still be utterly miserable”, Steven C. Hayes once famously said. Indeed we are masters of inflicting unnecessary sufferings on ourselves by living mindlessly, ‘on the autopilot’. We forgot how it was to be a child - exploring the world with eyes wide open, marvelling at its wonders. We forgot how it feels dancing in the rain or running barefoot, the morning’s dew cool on our feet. Actually when did we stop dancing? I mean when did you last let go of the fear of being judged, and simply follow the body’s natural urge to move to rhythm?

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The difference between this mindfulness course and the standard MBSR program (which I also teach, see here) is in the format of the dynamic module. The classical program is based on a set of "mindful yoga" exercises (specially adapted asanas), whereas here we practice guided dance meditation called Akasha.

It is an expressive, embodied form of meditation. Rooted in ancient spiritual movement practices, it also draws on the modern understanding of the link between emotional and somatic experiences. In this dance, we observe the constant  flow of change, both in the body and in the mind; the link between music and movement, movement and inner state; we learn to recognise automatic reactions to external events and to our own thoughts. These techniques open up our inner reserves of physical and emotional intelligence.

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