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How Ecstatic Dance Supports My Healing Journey
Many experts believe the practice offers spiritual benefits.
I got back into ecstatic dance last year, and it’s become a weekly ritual. After three years of focused inner work, this dance practice helps me release old conditioning and embody new beliefs.
People show up at ecstatic dance venues for many different reasons, i.e., healing, exercise, creativity, community, etc. At opening circles, people voice intentions like peace, love, joy, playfulness, or randomness.
Tyler Blank, the founder of Ecstatic Dance Bay Area, often tells dancers: “Everyone is here working through their stuff.”
The practice originates from ancient Greeks who practiced dance rituals for spiritual worship and trance-like experiences. Gabrielle Roth, a world-famous dancer, brought the term “ecstatic dance” back into popularity in the 1970s. Roth studied Shamanism and wrote the popular book: “Sweat Your Tears: The Five Rhythms of the Soul.”
Roth considered dancing a path for personal exploration: “If you don’t do your dance, who will?”
My ecstatic dance journey
Ecstatic dance feels like a powerful embodiment practice that helps me move through challenges in a more physical and emotional…
