This past Thursday, May 23rd, at around 5:00 a.m PT, while preparing for our beautiful TranscenDANCE time, I began experiencing nausea and the sensation of wanting to vomit. It was so uncomfortable. I placed myself near the toilet, closed my eyes and began a gentle breathing prayer that I learned at a virtual retreat earlier this year. In addition, I also began rubbing my lower abdomen and began gently moving my body in which ever way it wanted.

Both the nausea and vomiting sensations subsided around 5:30 a.m. and I felt good enough to hold our TranscenDANCE time together. Good enough is good. No perfection needed. and, as I always share, arrive as you are on the dance floor.

Before conscious dance found me, I would have immediately dropped into judgment and fear and my mind would have raced and raced, and so forth. This time, I noticed that because of our daily embodiment practice of movement and conscious dance, I know that movimiento es vida: movement is life.

During class, the sensation came back up again and I gently acknowledged it. I allowed the incredible discomfort to be with me and I sent compassion and love to my body. During the Dance of Serve and the Dance of Soothe, I tenderly spoke to my body with my mind. With my hands, I offered healing energy. And with my spirit, I allowed my body to dance with the pain and discomfort.

During stillness, I felt a sensation of peace and a deep tenderness to how our bodies holds, loves us, and supports us at all times.

Afterwards, I gave my body some healing tea and more gentle connection and gratitude for speaking with me - informing me of what it needed.

It is amazing to me how much life loves us, how much our bodies want to regulate and be calm. Our bodies' request to us is to listen, be gentle, tender, loving and kind.

I am not sure if the cause of my nausea was some food I ate the night before or stress that got set aside.  The body does keep score. However, my mind did not need to know the reason.

My takeaway is that any form of embodiment practice that I am able to move into, celebrate, ponder and activate is incredibly beneficial regardless of whether I feel it "did anything for me" at the time of the practice.

Movement is Life! Dancing, singing, & bringing the body online without judgment is the key…. Whether I understand it or not, whether I know the cause or not, I trust my body’s wisdom. And, the more and more I practice that compassion for myself on the dance floor & give myself permission to arrive as I am in that moment, the more I am blessed by all of me.

You Are So Loved, was the song in our practice on Thursday and it is soooooo true.

The mind is our greatest strength or our worst enemy. If we allow the body to support and guide us, the mind can become our ally and friend.

Here’s to every opportunity we get to dance, express, connect, and be as we are in the moment and be in community with each other.

In the deepest part of us… In the seat of the soul - with love - we are the medicine.

Forever grateful for your fellowship and friendship.

In love with you,

Belle