Are we human or are we dancer?

I have literally no background or training at all in dance. I never even wanted to do ballet as a girl (which in ye olden days of my childhood was a standard rite of passage for little girls; thankfully options for both boys and girls have now widened!). In fact, in terms of choreographed dance or having the ability to follow a routine, I’ve always thought/known that I’m really quite rubbish. I’m not being fake humble - when someone else tries to do a ‘proper dance’ with me, or if I have to copy dance moves in a class, like salsa or zumba, my brain/rhythm/body coordination just seems to switch off!

Yet, I’ve been asked more than once if I’m a dancer. My guess is that in the yoga situation where the question is usually asked, it’s quite likely the answer is yes. A lot of yoga teachers have backgrounds in dance. 

I also think it could be our society’s perception of what a ‘dancer’ might look like. 

Both of these reasons bother me a lot..

If you train from a very early age, and then for decades follow rigorous exercise and practice to make your body be able to do certain things, it will develop in a way to facilitate that. Because bodies are amazing. And you will take for granted that you can put your foot behind your head, or do full lotus pose while in a handstand etc etc. Of course a great teacher is a great teacher whatever the background but it’s possible that those with dance (or gymnastics) training can struggle to relate to a ‘normal’, ‘real’ human body. So if you ever go to a yoga class where you feel you’re a failure if you need to bend your knees to touch your toes, or are made to feel bad because your downward dog is ‘wrong’, I’d say don’t go back to that class/teacher! The only right or wrong about what your body can do is what YOUR body can do!! 

And what does a dancer look like? Skinny and white? You don’t need me to even grace that with an answer.

Whatever our shape, age, size, height, colour, we are ALL worthy of reconnecting to what dancers have years of experiencing, feeling and valuing -  the connection to and ability to express ourselves through the body and its movements. As a species we’ve lost SO much regarding our connection to nature, the rhythm of day and night, the cycles of the moon and sun etc. And, key to my ramble so far, we’ve lost our inherent sense of being in our bodies, feeling them, moving within them, trusting them. 

In this sense, yoga has been my ‘dance training’.  

I close the class sometimes with the phrase ‘the body is wise’. It IS wise! Feel it, trust it, love it. 

See you in class this week where we’ll be releasing our inner dancers and coincidentally stretching out the sides of the body to release all that chair slumping..!