We have come to be danced.
by Jewel Mathieson
We have come to be danced
not the pretty dance
not the pretty pretty, pick
me, pick me dance
but the claw our way back
into the belly
of the sacred, sensual
animal dance
the unhinged, unplugged, cat
is out of its box dance
the holding the precious
moment in the palms
of our hands and feet dance
We have come to be danced
not the jiffy booby, shake
your booty for him dance
but the wring the sadness
from our skin dance
the blow the chip off our
shoulder dance
the slap the apology from
our posture dance
We have come to be danced
not the monkey see, monkey
do dance
one, two dance like you
one two three, dance like me
dance
but the grave robber, tomb
stalker
tearing scabs & scars
open dance
the rub the rhythm raw against
our souls dance
We have come to be danced
not the nice invisible, self
conscious shuffle
but the matted hair flying,
voodoo mama
shaman shakin’ ancient bones
dance
the strip us from our
casings, return our wings
sharpen our claws &
tongues dance
the shed dead cells and slip
into
the luminous skin of love
dance
We have come to be danced
not the hold our breath and
wallow in the shallow end of the floor dance
but the meeting of the
trinity: the body, breath & beat dance
the shout hallelujah from
the top of our thighs dance
the mother may I?
yes you may take 10 giant
leaps dance
the Olly Olly Oxen Free Free
Free dance
the everyone can come to our
heaven dance
We have come to be danced
where the kingdom’s collide
in the cathedral of flesh
to burn back into the light
to unravel, to play, to fly,
to pray
to root in skin sanctuary
We have come to be danced
WE HAVE COME
Every morning at camp (where I am working this summer when I am not teaching yoga) we
dance. From a mom of 3 boys, who
understands that in the ALM (“Act-Like-A-Man”) world that we inhabit most of the
time you don't dance, to see them out there shakin' it is huge. It might actually be the best reason for
sending my kids to camp, and for me to be there working – to see them dance
freely, wildly, unselfconsciously, and with so much utter joy and presence in
the moment.
My oldest son Zev is an
anxious kid. He worries about doing the
right thing, about how he should look and how he should act, about what to wear
and read and say, and in spite of that he gets by fine most of the time. But the first day of Camp Ramah every summer
I see his whole body exhale. I see him,
a child who would no sooner dance in public as he would hug his mom, front and
center on the field where we dance, smiling away and dancing his heart out,
even when no one else is doing it. Never
a physically affectionate or demonstrative guy, yet I see him walking with his
arms around friends and counselors, and at home, there is so much less
fighting, arguing, and attitude. He
becomes comfortable in his own skin, so much more at ease and peaceful.
A short clip of Zev dancing at camp - he is in the middle in the bright yellow/green hat
I see so much of me in him -
my anxiety about how to fit into the world, trying to figure out how to dance
when I really wanted to but it just didn't seem like the cool thing to do so I
didn't and my heart aches for him. I wish I could pass down what 15 years of
yoga has taught me, how he is worthy of feeling at ease and peaceful no matter
what situation he finds himself in, but I know he has to figure it out for
himself. I am so grateful that he has a place
to help him do that.
Watching Zev in his daily
morning disco session has shown me how embodied practice in an environment
where we feel safe, be it yoga in a studio or dancing at summer camp, can be
life altering. Being able to be in your body and feel comfortable and safe and
able to express yourself in a way that is authentic and real and accepted
unconditionally by those around you helps you to find your voice and your truth
and to live in a more comfortable and genuine way. I see it in every class I teach, students exhaling, softening, finding their way back to themselves and am grateful every day that I get to help facilitate that environment and opening.
One of the Attributes of the Divine which Yoga practice awakens in us is called svatantrya in Sanskrit.
It is one of the ways we experience our true nature, which is unbounded,
absolute freedom. Asana practice gives us the opportunity to be in our bodies
and our hearts, to show up without apology, however it looks, regardless of age
or weight or size or health, and be wholly who we are: cat out of it's box, matted
hair flying, voodoo mama, shaman shakin’ yogis.
To live in our luminous skin of love with all the radiance we can muster.
When we practice without inhibition, being fully present in our bodies, our
breath, our poses, our hearts, we ARE svatantrya.
Off the Mat: Have a dance party. Turn up the
music, do it with a friend or in a club or alone in your bedroom. Listen to your body and move the way it wants
to move. If you need some inspiration, check out this clip, one of my favorite
movie scenes and break out your inner Kevin James:
On the Mat: Backbends
are the poses that feel the most free, even though they are ironically some of
the most challenging poses for me. In my
classes this week we used dance as a warm up, and worked towards the mother of
all backbends, urdhva dhanurasana,
adding drop-backs in the more advances classes.
For the Anusara Junkies:
Open to Grace – Feel the
Inner Body Bright with the fullness of your own dance.
Fill the inner body with the
breath, with the Shakti that dances inside you, as you.
Muscular Energy – Firm your arms
(in DD) and commit to the dance fully, the dance of you.
Firm your muscles and slip
into the luminous skin of love.
Claw the fingers into the
mat like you are clawing your way into the belly of the sacred, sensual animal
dance.
Shoulder Loop – Move the head
of the arm bones back and plug into the cathedral of flesh that is your sacred
body.
Move the bottom tips of your
shoulder blades into the back of the heart and slap the apology out of your
posture.
Move the palate back,
resting your head into the comfort of anyone in your life who allows you to
feel completely yourself and completely free.
Inner Spiral - Move your sitbones
back and apart and shout hallelujah from the top of your thighs.
Outer Spiral – Root your
tailbone in the sanctuary of your skin.
Organic Energy – Make this the
Olly Olly Oxen Free Free Free pose
