Last evening I went to my first ecstatic dance party in London. I wasn’t really sure about what to expect, but I’ve been enjoying entering into new experiences without too much thought.
Ecstatic dance parties are a no-alcohol, shoes-off, no chit-chat experience. More ethereal vibes and melodic, hypnotic music.
It was probably the most fun I’ve had moving with my body that I’ve had in years. I’ve known for a while that I want to get more comfortable with the way I blend with music, but often my mind would click in and I would get self-conscious if anyone was listening.
But here there was time and space to explore where my body wanted to go. I could wonder around the blends of people whilst throwing my hands and legs around however I liked.
Now, I’m a bit more used to what can be described as ‘woo-woo’ things. So I was not phased by the incense, Indian art prints on the wall or the pause for a guided meditation. One of the reasons I’m enjoying life so much more is because I’ve broken free from the self-consciousness and self-judgement.
I noticed in myself an opening up of my flowing movement. What I saw in myself and other men was a somewhat stilted, disconnection with the body. It was either quite static or jerky motions. But as the evening wore on, these opened up to more rhythmic movements that were more closely aligned with the music.
For the women in the room, it started more closed. Whilst the connection to the rhythm came more naturally, there was a gradual shift away from closed body language to a more open, accepting nature to the world around them.
My personal interpretation is that this was a live rebalancing of our masculine and feminine energy. For the men it’s about reconnecting with the flowing energy of the feminine, whilst for the women it is reconnecting to the directional energy of the masculine.
I really enjoyed my time there and I would love to go back. So I was happy to see that these things exist in Brussels too. Now this stuff might be a bit out there for a lot of people. It does have some more spiritual vibes that might turn people off. But coming with an open mind can lead to a really fun evening, even if you don’t expect to be into this sort of stuff.
It also serves to challenge our narratives around dance and movement. Current western culture puts a premium of dancing only after we get drunk and for when we are seeking sex in a night club. But movements of our bodies are so much more than these things. We do not need to lose our inhibitions to enjoy our own body movements.
I am feeling real benefits in my body the day after. I feel more in tune with myself, and less driven by the thoughts in my mind. I’m calmer and more content with life.
So if you find yourself losing connection to your body, check out ways that you can move it in a delicate, fun way. That might be going to one of these ecstatic dance parties, or it might be one of many other ways.
P.s. if you’re in Brussels and fancy going to one of these anytime soon, let me know!