This is a sponsored guest post. (via: https://pixabay.com/en/concert-girl-dancing-fun-crowd-1209323/) While meditation gets a bad rap from some people, it really shouldn’t. Meditation has been shown to have many different types of benefits and is something most of us should be doing on a regular basis. People may believe that it is simply nothing but hype, but several studies and statistics have proven otherwise. As a result, meditation is definitely a good idea to try every now and then, even if you never have before. However, meditation doesn’t have to be sitting or laying down in a quiet room or listening to relaxing music like most people think. Meditation can be anything that helps you be mindful and connect with your inner self. For some people, that is dance. You don’t need anything special to start dancing other than a large enough space, some music and potentially some gear from AlexandraCostumes.com. Dancing is not only fun and a solid workout, but can also be good for your mental and emotional health, too. With that all in mind, here are 4 reasons why dancing is actually one of the best forms of meditation out there.
It Connects the Body and Mind
(via: https://pixabay.com/en/balance-meditation-meditate-silent-110850/) Meditation is all about focusing on one singular thing, and not be inundated with random thoughts and questions. The goal is to eliminate all thoughts and fully focus and connect with the movement of your physical body. Dance is a great tool for meditation as it makes this mind and body connect for you, without even having to do a thing. No matter what thoughts you may have in your mind, dance is all about movement and feeling, not thinking. When you take the focus away from your thoughts and just focus on your body, you will relax, and dance is a great tool for making that happen. While this isn’t always easy for some people, it is definitely worth learning.
It Goes Back to Our Childhood Roots
While you don’t see them tearing up dance floors or doing a lot of great dance moves, babies have a very strong connection to music. Statistics show that some children find the rhythm of music more engaging than speech. In addition to that, but they are better at matching the beat when they are happy, which is a very cool thing and is a telling sign that music and movement have more importance than most people might think. This shows that our emotional health and body movement are connected, and have been from the time we were children. When our bodies move, our brain gets a rest, and in today’s busy and hectic lives, that is much appreciated.
It can Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Worry
Exercise (including dancing of all different kinds) has been proven to be a good way to lower anxiety levels and de-stress. While some people like to work out, dance is just as good a way to get your heart pumping. While dancing, your body releases endorphins and other hormones such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which help your mood improve. Those are some of the reasons why you feel so good after a solid workout or a dance session. Even if you haven’t danced before are aren’t a good dancer, it is worth a try if you are feeling down, and is often easier and faster than packing up and going to the gym or heading out for a run.
We Have Been Dancing for Centuries
Dancing (and especially dancing in a spiritual or meditative manner) is not something that is new. People have been dancing for these types of purposes for a very long time. For example, Native Americans used to use dances that mimicked the behaviour of animals to try and get a deeper connection to nature. While we might not do practices like that much anymore, it doesn’t mean they don’t work anymore. In fact, in the last few decades, some people (therapists and dancers alike) have created meditative dance courses and practices that prove dancing with purpose is still alive and well. In conclusion, dance is very beneficial and is a great form of medication. We hope that this article has helped you decide if dancing is the right form of meditation for you to try.