Rhythmical movement to music benefits our whole body, mind and spirit. Dance is used in many different cultures as a form of creative self-expression, social interaction and exercise or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.
Dance serves as a way of connecting to how you feel and express yourself! Research has shown that exercise is a natural anti-depressant. When you are feeling depressed or stuck, you can use dance as a form of exercise to elevate your mood.
During my transition through divorce, I used dance as a healing modality and sometimes even woke up at night to dance and move my emotions. Dance served as an outlet for me to allow my feelings to be expressed, instead of suppressing them.
Rhythmical movement stimulates Oxytocin, the healing and pleasure hormone. Dance is such a great way to “pleasure” yourself in a sensual way!
Dance helps us to move through emotional and energetic blockages, to free ourselves from the past and to feel our bodies in a new way that feels more alive and balanced.
The gentle and rhythmical nature of belly dance help women to connect to their sensuality and sexuality in a loving and gentle way. I experienced sexual trauma in my teens, and this had caused me to disconnect my feelings from my body. I did not feel grounded and safe for many years since I was 14 years old.
Mindful belly dance helped me become aware of the repressed and painful emotions I had stored in my genitals and pelvic areas. I relaxed and released the emotions of guilt, shame and judgement that I had placed on myself from sexual abuse.
Combining my knowledge of how the body moves from my background as a physical therapist, along with my yoga therapy, energy healing and belly dance background allowed me to create a healing modality to help me to come back to my wholeness, and unite my soul and physical body with my heart and emotions.
Today I feel so at peace from the inside out, I feel so connected to my sexuality and sensuality in a healthy and balanced way. I feel joy, safety and pleasure in my genitals and pelvic areas. They feel relaxed and soft, not painful and tight as they had been for many, many years! I love my body and honor it as a sacred vessel that houses my soul and allows me to express the freedom and love that is my true nature.
The sexual trauma I had experienced in my teens has been a blessing that has inspired me to create a healing modality for women that I call  Nurturing Moves®.
Today I share this approach to serve the unique needs of women healing through cancer, women healing from trauma and sexual abuse. I have also developed Nurturing Moves® for women with infertility, during pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
Dance is a great way to liberate ourselves from our “self-limiting beliefs” as when we move our bodies in different combinations, we get to experience freedom and expansion of our minds.
Rhythmical movements of the pelvis, hips, rib cage, abdomen and chest are especially helpful to counter the negative effects of wearing a tight bra or sitting in a chair for at least 6 hours per day.
 
You can create an intention for your dance (to appreciate my body more, to heal and open up my self to my sensuality), or just dance for the pure joy of dancing!
Combine all these aspects into your daily dance ritual. 
Physical Benefits.
Dance Improves your flexibility, strength, endurance and sense of well being.
Mental and Emotional Benefits:
When you wiggle your body to the music, you get to practice BEing in the moment. Dance improves your ability to focus and create.  Free dance gives you an opportunity for you to express yourself and lower your inhibitions.  Dance releases chronic stress and tension depending on how you move.
Energetic and Spiritual Benefits:
Combining conscious breath awareness and allowing ourselves to be moved by the music and what feels right strengthens our connection to our higher self or soul.  Allowing the dance to move us and our bodies in whatever combinations feels spontaneously right for us connects us within.  When we take the time to listen, and notice how we feel, we are integrating all the parts of our whole.  Dance movements that incorporate wavelike movements and vibration stimulate hormonal flow.
The video above asks you to notice if there are any parts of your body that feel tense or tired. This part of your body will be the leader of your dance.  The shoulders is an area that holds a lot.  Your shoulders, for example, can guide the dance and move, stretch and strengthen while you dance!
Try these techniques at least once per day, and comment down below as to how they benefit you!
Share this post with a friend and enjoy your body for all it’s dance creations!
Contact Michelle Alva, PT for a private one-on-one or group dance for healing workshop or class. Experience freedom and wholeness with your Nurturing Moves®.