Attention & Intention Applied To Dance And Life
by Rosane Gibson
Founder of the Enlightenment Dance Company and author of Enlightenment Dance - Dancing your Way to Eternal Bliss
When we give attention to something we make it grow, whether it is something good, like our children, or bad, like our worries. If you have a problem and start to think about it a lot, it gets bigger. In the same way, when something wonderful happens to you, and you give attention to it, you feel even happier! Most of the time we are not aware of the attention we give to certain things and our intent to be happy is somehow lost in our busy mind. We allow ourselves to drift through life’s experiences like a dream, without awareness and without perception. It is like sailing a boat without a compass.
The more attention we give to our dance movements, the more in-tune with our feelings we are, and the more vivid and real our expression.
Sometimes dance students get so focused on whether their body is moving right that they lose track of their feelings. This is because Western education is based on copying and comparing. We feel afraid of being judged “wrong” if we don’t follow pre-established patterns. Fearing rejection, we accept copying instead of learning. We forget that we are individuals, and grow up following rules and learning to be who we aren’t.
So, we must open up to real creativity. First, remember that we are all different from each other and that our dance will reflect those differences. There’s no right no wrong; there is just the dance. Of course it is useful to study choreographs because it helps to improve our movement vocabulary, but it is imperative that we go beyond the sameness to discover and re-invent ourselves in a brand new way! TIP: Learn the movements of a choreography first and then, after they get into your muscle memory, let the emotions flow by not thinking about the movement anymore, but tuning up to your body’s sensation.
Intention is the thought behind the attention that we give to something. It is the intention that feeds the attention, even if it is unconscious. Intentions can create or destroy. When you bring intention, and thus, attention to your movements, it can manifest powerful changes within you.
Energy flows where attention goes, my friend and dance teacher, Janeeda, uses to say. By paying attention to physical sensations and how they affect our feelings, we develop strong awareness of our emotions. We can then learn to direct energy constructively, and not disperse it with unpleasant, destructive thoughts. We can consciously guide the process of emotional release.
For instance, I find myself in an argument with a friend. The argument leads us to make comments that hurt our feelings. So, instead of directing my attention to the argument and continuing it, I pay attention and focus on the effect that this is producing in my body: I notice that my throat is tighter and my heart is pounding. I observe how this affects my body and I understand that these are symptoms of the argument. By being consciously aware of this process, I fully understand the situation, and place the intent of being at peace with my friend by finding ways to diffuse the argument. (It is better to lose the argument than to lose a friend, isn’t it?). Pretty soon the feeling of emotional turmoil is transmuted. By directing my attention to the solution, instead of “feeding” the hostile energy, I release it from my body, consciously breathing it out.
Or, I may choose to discuss the argument a little more, with the intention to get through to my friend. If the emotion is too intense, and I feel like crying, I let myself do it. Crying releases energy and it is a very honest way of healing. It is important to not keep the emotion locked inside. Emotion needs to flow. If it doesn’t flow it stagnates in the body and pushes your mind to obsess over the same issue over and over again. This drags you down and feeds the energy that is causing the argument, even though you might not be aware of it.
If the argument resolution scenario that I have suggested doesn’t work out, it may be necessary to leave, to avoid hostility. Take time to understand and release inner emotions. Such arguments might have triggered emotions from the past that may need time to be released. Do so with your intent. Let the intent take care of the emotion. Let your breath be your guide in all circumstance of your life!
Dance gives an immediate experience of the feedback flow of energy because it is a physical act that has no other purpose but to express our emotional creatively. Dance, like music, occurs only in the present moment, beat by beat. It is nearly impossible to dance and not be present! Dance automatically attunes body and mind, which can then set the intent. Usually, intent is set unconsciously. But just by becoming aware of having fun, we set the intent of joy!
Thoughts have form. They also release energy. When thoughts are carried by the breath through speech, they manifest into reality, and are multiplied in the minds of everyone who hears or reads them. Do you wonder why there are so many negative circumstances in the world? Could it be the prevalence of our imbalanced, unhappy thoughts, and the attention we give them? Dance can help you to tune your thoughts to joy, just like changing the TV channel from 24-hour war coverage to something a bit more uplifting.
When energy is released with intent, it has the power to make things happen, as when we think of someone just before they call on the phone. This kind of synchronicity happens on the unconscious level.
If we bring awareness to our actions, and direct the flow of energy by putting our intent into that attention, we can manifest powerful, magical "coincidences” that are not really coincidences, but a true realization of our intent (whether conscious or unconscious).
For example, I want to buy a new costume (intention). I consciously bring to my mind exactly how it looks: color, size, style… (attention). I dance and release the energy I am producing with my movements with that specific intent. Releasing means not to be concerned anymore. Once you release, don’t bring it back to your thoughts; just completely let go. This is when magic happens. It is a form of trusting that the universe will fulfill your request.
Practice developing this “manifestation” awareness when you dance. First, take a few moments before you start to move to set the intention of your dance. Then, allow your attention to focus on the physical sensation of your movement, letting the energy of each movement flow naturally to the next. By being consciously aware of the energy flow without trying to control your movement or impose logic on it, you will experience the best results.
Learning how to apply awareness and intent to your dance helps you do the same in other areas of your life. You will develop awareness of your thoughts and emotions, and learn to place your intent to “feed” only those that promote well-being and happiness. That is why dance is a tool for enlightenment and empowerment. Enlightenment Dance can bring us into the ecstatic feeling of being fully alive in the eternal present. It is a great adventure, and you are the guide! This is the dance of eternal bliss!
Remember as you do the following exercise that the greatest benefits of dance come from awareness, awareness comes from attention, and attention comes from intention.
DANCE INTENTION & AWARENESS EXERCISE
Set your intent – what do you want? Which kind of changes do you need for your life?
Choose music that touches you deeply.
Begin by moving your limbs in isolation.
Be aware of your body sensations.
Focus on each body part, and feel how it wants to move
With your breath, visualize your intent.
Make it clear in your mind. If it is an object, visualize it in detail: color, size, shape. If it is an accomplishment or an event, think about what, who, when , why, how.. The more details you put into it, the more powerful the manifestation will be.
Finish your dance and release your intent.. no more thinking about it, just trust it will happen. Imagine you have placed a letter in the mailbox of the cosmic universe.
Excerpted from the Book "Enlightenment Dance, Dancing your way to Eternal Bliss" by Rosane Gibson "Hozuhni" - all rights reserved
www.enlightenmentdance.com/BOOK.html
Hozuhni uses dance to move from the limits of the ego to the expanse of the spirit, as a form to communicate feelings and emotions, to turn life into art. Her studies include Tantric Yoga, Mid-Eastern Dance, Sufism, Gabrielle Roth Rhythms, Indian Dance, Gypsy Dance, Ecstatic Dance for Body & Soul and Capoeira. She has also studied Drama, Poetry and Body Therapy in her native home of Brazil and several other countries. Hozuhni graduated in Social Communications and Environment. She has worked as an environmentalist and developed several projects related to waste recycling in Brazil. Presently she uses her dance to "recycle" the "inner environment" as a tool for self growth and healing. She has authored a book about dance as an expression of spiritual enlightenment: Enlightenment Dance, Dancing Your Way to Eternal Bliss!"
She has taught and presented work-shops in England, Brazil and North America. She also works as a Flight Attendant and travels the world sharing her love for dance. By using a unique combination of ancient, traditional and original dance forms to move from the limits of the ego to the expanse of the spirit, as a vehicle to communicate feelings and emotions, and to transform life into art. Hozuhni teaches that Enlightenment Dance is about feeling and sharing the bliss of dancing with others, therefore she welcomes everyone from all ages and shapes to dance with her.