When a person is mindful, they are being nonjudgmental and attentive to their self and what's happening around them. Developing mindfulness can promote a healthy state of well-being, sustain growth, and reconnects a person's mind, body, and soul. It allows us to identify and accept our thoughts and emotions for what they are without further proof or explanations. Understanding that thoughts and emotions just are, we can alter the relationships we have with them, by not chasing after them, taking a step back, and relaxing "in a space of awareness" (Powietrzynska, 2014, pg.98).
Some of our thoughts and emotions come from previously lived experiences, which have exasperated or soothed our emotional reactions to different situations. Being mindful can impact the way a person labels his or her emotions, experiences of emotions, level of positive and negative emotions experienced (Heppner, Spears, Vidrine, &Wetter, 2015). The connection between emotions and conduct makes up a big part of mindfulness, as it can support a person with recognizing emotions as they are, naming them, and letting them go (Powietrzynska, 2014). Since emotions are changeable, it is important that we identify, accept, and separate them from the body. Mindfulness can improve the way we manage, discouraging affective states and improves “the way we respond (emotionally) to external stimuli” (Heppner, Spears, Vidrine, & Wetter, 2015, pg.109).
Dance is considered a mindful practice, which has the potential to offer affect regulation (Tobin, 2015), by increasing positive emotions and improving the way we control the negative ones. As a dancer, I've become aware of my body and the moves that I make with it. Before dancing, I normally chose the songs at random. I started using this method to break myself out of a bad habit that I once had. If I was in a bad mood, going through a breakup or frustrated with my workday, I would choose songs that related to those topics. Eventually, I realized that it wasn't helping me, in fact, it exacerbated the situation. I was unconsciously increasing my negative emotional reactions by listening to music that brought me back to those painful times, rather than letting them go.
From there are on, I choose the songs randomly, to dance and express myself naturally. Ordinarily, I don' think about the moves I make as I dance unless I am creating a routine for class. Instead, I move instantaneously as it reflects the way my body is feeling at that moment. When I am in a negative or stressful emotional state, my dance moves are tight, dark, and closer to the floor. After dancing and releasing all the tension, my body is left refreshed and ready to dance to another song. Following that, I would choose songs that are upbeat and has more cheerful lyrics. In turn, I would dance freely, bigger, and involve more upper body movements.
Dancing It is a creative approach to mindfulness meditation that uses dance as the vehicle for interacting. Mindfulness is a holistic wellness practice. Breath, music, body, story, mind, spirit, and fusion are the seven main elements of mindfulness that are in motion when dancing.
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