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Song and Dance Revives the Spirit
Did you know music is the universal language? Just think of the rhythm of Native American PowWows and how it encourages our hearts to beat in unison. How about the power of comforting or uplifting lyrics to fill our hearts with hope? The joy of commuity dancing and singing together cannot be underestimated. Just look at the playful joy coming through these kids all dressed up and dancing to the beat!
Every tradition has their own way of reviving the spirit through song and dance. It seems the United States has unified over Singing Resistance across the ages when fighting for our rights and freedoms has been the call of the hour. Today's social and political climate are no different. Singing Resistance not only offers me a space to confidently enter into social justice, but it is infusing my life with a joyful energy that continues to encourage a little more playfulness to emerge every day. Just recently, I stepped out on an even bigger limb and led a song! The encouragement from my fellow singers was greatly appreciated as I chose courage and released the need to be in perfect rhythm or timing.
Whether the music and lyrics move us to express our tears of grief, stomp out the energy of anger, or enter into the flow of the rhythm of life, there is a melody that fits exactly what we need at every moment. The energy of music breaks apart stagnant and stuck energy within our bodies, allowing new and fresh energy to emerge and nourish every cell with a harmonizing energy.
Uplifting Lyrics, Love-Infused Mantras
I have found great healing through immersing myself in lyrics that remind me of my worth and value no matter what the outside world has tried to tell me. As I write this, I am recognizing just how much music remains one of the greatest healing salves I turn to. In fact, one of the ways I know I'm in a more aware state is through hearing myself sing along to whatever lyrics are coming through.
When the world is flooded with messages of needing to be perfect, perform a certain way, or deny who we actually are, it is up to us to flood our inner narrative with messages that call us back home. I have found so much comfort and amazement through songs appearing at the perfect moment to remind me that I am so much more than my circumstances and hope is always alive and available.
I recall one moment back in 2008. My marriage was coming to an end and I had just separated from my husband the day before. I was stopped in construction on my way to work when a powerful song by Matthew West called Only Grace came onto K-Love Radio station. This song moved me to tears as I deeply listened to the perfect message! It was truly a gift from the divine letting me know that all would be well and the decision I made "yesterday" was met with grace. "Tomorrow" would be filled with a divine presence guiding me towards a hopeful future. The divine spoke directly to my soul through the magic of Matthew West's voice and K-Love's timing. The song ended just as traffic started moving again! I was stopped for the entirety of the song!
In 2016, I was introduced to a powerful mantra that was described as an all-encompassing love descending from the spiritual realm and wrapping us in belonging, mercy, and pure joy. This is the Hare Krishna Maha mantra. Sixteen syllables, chanted or sung, remind me love is abundant in union and separation. It calls me into deep reciprocation through an offering of gratitude for what we do have and the ways we are protected. It also transports me into a prayerful call for support during our darkest hours. The mantra sparks ecstatic dance and transport me to a world where suffering ceases and I experience the purity of entering into child-like joy through singing and dancing in union with the mysterious nature of divinity. The ways of connecting to divinity through various mantras amongst various traditions are innumerable. I recall being mesmerized by the Sufi Whirling Durvishes and the complete ecstasy found in twirling to music with an underlying tone of melancholy bliss.
My choice of music continues to evolve and expand depending on my energetic needs. The key is finding what resonates within the core of your heart and allowing the music to take you to a realm beyond the monkey mind. The key factor is being open enough to be moved by the music you take into your heart. Just like anything else in life, what resonates for one person may not resonate for you, so curating a playlist that is uniquely yours is key to experiencing the power of music to bring you into a different level of awareness.
What happens when we allow music to stir the soul? Often, it brings us to a place of peace and hope where wisdom and guidance can emerge. What song has helped you forget about all your worries and fears? What song has offered hope? What rhythm has restored your body to a sense of calmness?
Dance with Child-like Freedom
Did you know that research is showing the power of dance to heal past traumas?
When we give our bodies permission to move to the beat however they want to, we are not only reconnecting to the wisdom of our bodies, but also giving our nervous systems permission to settle into the rhythm of the music. Muscle tension begins to dissipate, our minds slow, and the song takes us deeper into what is alive in the present moment.
In a world where our playful spirits have been replaced by all-too-serious pressures and demands, there is a great opportunity to reclaim pieces of our childlike wonder and joy through entering into moments of dance.
Not only do the lyrics sing to the soul, but the rhythm calms the monkey mind and entices the body into gentle movement, thus harmonizing all three in ways that no other process can. The power of song and dance to settle the nervous system is being proven by science as it embodies the principles of many well-researched psychological therapeutic techniques.
Entering into spaces where freestyle dance is encouraged allows us to drop the mask of self-consciousness. Seeing everyone moving to their own individual rhythms and movements reminds us of our unique and individual nature that somehow fits into the flow and interconnected energy of the room. Confidence bubbles up to the surface as we embrace whatever movements arise out of us and we see the joy of everyone around us.
I know I spent way too much time in an all-too-serious energy in my adult life. Entering into spaces where freestyle dance is encouraged helps me tap into a little more childlike wonder and allows a playful creativity to emerge. One of my biggest acts of resistance came through choosing to dance during musical meditation while everyone else was sitting on the floor in lotus position. The music called me, beckoned me to rise up to my feet and move to the rhythm. I could feel a new, empowering and joyous energy bubble up from within and emanate out of me as I stood tall in confidence that dance was connecting me to an energy of love, grace, and playfulness that is all around us if we only choose to follow the call of the heart.
As with anything else we embark upon, giving ourselves permission to let down our guard, make mistakes, and embrace the adventure helps us enter fully into the powerful healing energy. Thinking about the children who move with abandon can help us reclaim that part of ourselves that has been shoved into the shadowlands of adulthood and bring us back to a sense of wonder found in the pure blissful joy of letting the song and dance take us to another realm where abundant love resides.
As I close out today, I invite you to play with this wisdom through deeper reflection and taking action.
What song sings to your soul?
In the spiritual world it is said that every word is a song and every movement a dance. How might you incorporate song and dance into your daily life?
If you were to put together a playlist that seeks to harmonize mind, body, and spirit together, what songs would be there?
If you could dance freely as if no one was watching, what song would call you into rhythmic harmony?
I leave you with a quote from Friederich Nietzsche:
I would believe only in a God who knows how to dance.
May the song and dance flow freely and bring you back to the present moment where the magic of life resides.
Please enjoy this song that met me in my dark night of the soul with a powerful message of love and hope.
P.S. This album cover is a little bit of magic revealing itself through synchronicities. I just had inspiration to unpack the reality of life through seeing it as a messy, knotted ball of yarn that would inspire curiosity out of the cat batting it around and the imagination of a child trying to unravel it and see where it leads! Magic hiding in plain sight! (More of that unpacking to come later...)
Sending you so much love!
Nartaki
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