Dancing in Nature

By Dominique Youkhehpaz

Some of my most treasured moments have been when dancing alone in nature.

I have shared a secret ecstasy with the forest in California, with the cliffs in Greece and with the sea in Israel. Whenever I feel that familiar ache of hollowness in my chest, my soul stirring for a deeper connection with Goddess, I know it is time to go out and let my body dance wildly in conversation with the trees, waters and earth.

Dancing in nature has helped me move through hard times and let emotions roll through. Sometimes I find myself weeping, other times laughing, other times swaying softly, attuned with the subtle. By far, my favorite way to do this practice is to put my iPod® up in my hair, get hip deep in the ocean, and let my hips sway in delight, moved by the pull of the tides.

Instructions:

• Give yourself 30 – 60 minutes for this practice.
• Create a playlist with some of your favorite dance songs of different moods and genres, and put it on random on your phone or iPod®.
• Go for a walk in whatever nature is nearby you—whether a park, forest, lake or river. I like to go somewhere secluded, where I know I won’t see anyone else. (If you do go in water, be sure to secure your device to keep it dry!)
• With eyes open, let yourself dance freely with your surroundings and with the music. Lean up against a tree, brush your hands across the grass or splash your feet in the water as you twirl, sway and move. Shake, howl, sing, hum—let yourself just be completely wild and unfiltered. Do a dance of devotion and let your movements be an offering of reverence and gratitude to nature all around you.