Dance invites us to connect with everything created, to know and feel ourselves as brothers and sisters. After dancing, we gather our feelings and desires, and then write them down. (Courtesy of Danzaconsciente)
Daylenis Lara Rodríguez
One of the biggest challenges during this recent training period has been fully integrating my body into my life, discovering it as the wonder that it has been a priceless gift. Every day and in every experience, I rediscover my body, learning to listen to it, to listen to myself, to take care of it, and to value it more.
This journey has been and continues to be challenging; it requires leaving behind ideas and preconceptions, launching myself, and starting to release all those knots accumulated in the body in order to heal. The encounter with Jesus has led me to a profound meeting with myself, conquering the freedom that has already been given to me.
It would be a significant gain if we could genuinely connect with ourselves, discovering what moves us and understanding how we react to a gesture, a word, or an event. (Freepik)
Through dance, I've learned to honor my own rhythm and pace, and from there, extend that respect and welcome to those of others.
This freedom, without a doubt, manifests itself in my body, in my ability to awaken my senses, and to pay attention to myself as well as to others. Like any process, it involves ups and downs and develops along the way, in different ways and at different times, with special teachers who have arrived at the right time to guide me.
One of the spaces that has benefited me greatly lately is Danzaconsciente, a Colombian initiative that encourages experiences and offers tools for individuals to rediscover their unique ways of moving. This is achieved through the exploration and utilization of one's internal, creative and spontaneous resources, thereby breaking away from established ways of moving.
Danzaconsciente is a space where we get in touch with everything that inhabits us, and through dance and other artistic expressions, we release it. Dance serves as a pause amid the daily hustle and bustle, inviting us to descend into our innermost depths. Music and silence together create an atmosphere of respect, openness and welcome.
This process has genuinely allowed me to recognize that we are a temple of the Spirit and that my life is also unveiled as a grateful dance.
The restoration of movement translates into the enjoyment of dance, sport, play, and the precious moments of encounter and relationship that these experiences provide. (Pixabay)
Initially, I confronted fears and resistance; however, with time, it evolved into a place of great vitality for me. This experience has assisted me in connecting with myself and my body, fostering awareness of my experiences and enabling a fuller engagement with the present moment. I've learned to honor my own rhythm and pace, and from there, extend that respect and welcome to those of others.
This process has genuinely allowed me to recognize that we are a temple of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and that my life is also unveiled as a grateful dance. The restoration of movement translates into the enjoyment of dance, sport, play, and the precious moments of encounter and relationship that these experiences provide. I am learning to connect with myself and with the "God of life" that resides within me.
At some point in this journey, I realized that not only did I find establishing a connection with my body challenging, but those around me, whether acquaintances or strangers, faced similar difficulties. This phenomenon appears to be influenced by various factors, including the environments in which we navigate, be it work, school or church, as well as what we have or have not learned at home and within our culture.
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As a society, we have numerous options for body care, ranging from gyms and spas to creams, treatments, vitamins, diets and more. The question that arises is: To what extent do these offerings assist us in establishing a genuine connection with ourselves? Are we truly conscious of the dwelling place that is our own body?
It would be a significant gain, both on a personal and social level, if we could genuinely connect with ourselves, discovering what moves us and understanding how we react to a gesture, a word or an event. This profound self-awareness would empower us to approach others with greater respect and empathy, perhaps with an increased awareness of the Spirit that resides in us and in all creation.
This shift toward healthier and freer relationships becomes a continual process of self-discovery, where I repeatedly recognize myself as twinned by the Spirit that moves within me.
The decision to embark on this journey is profoundly personal. The call to rediscover my body remains compelling for me. Immersing myself in this dynamic of consciousness, connecting with myself, and embracing life fully are things I deem essential. This shift toward healthier and freer relationships becomes a continual process of self-discovery, where I repeatedly recognize myself as twinned by the Spirit that moves within me.
My experience in the Danzaconsciente space has not only aided me in rediscovering my body as the wonder and gift that it is but has also reignited the desire to become a living prayer, a bearer of peace, joy and hope.
Danzaconsciente is a space where we connect with everything that resides within us, and through dance and other artistic expressions, we release it.
Cover of the 2020 book Danzaconsciente una experiencia de amor y movimiento, by L. Araújo and D. Jiménez (Proyecto Editorial Daphne Ruhz)
This poem is born from this experience:
Today I am seeds...
That spread throughout my body,
Through all the corners where I allow them to reach.
I am a seed,
Multiple hopes of Life,
That one day will sprout free ...
I am seed and I am waiting,
Waiting patiently and deeply,
Waiting and listening to my own rhythm,
To my own time.
Today, in me, it is more possible
To dance with others.
To feel with others,
To feel the Life that flows in me,
To feel that everything comes from You
And that my life is also a grateful dance.
Originally published in Spanish on Feb. 21, 2024.
