Full of Grace

When I was a child my family liked to tease me. One of the nicknames I collected was “Clum” due to my ability to fall not just down steps, but up them. In later years I’ve heard people refer to similar experiences where they were sarcastically called “Grace” for the same reason. My clumsy movements were not limited to walking; family also laughed at my dancing efforts. No matter how much I watched Soul Train, I didn’t seem to pick up the rhythm that ran rampant in my family. Thus I resorted to standing by the sidelines when others were up shaking their groove thing.

By the time I became a teenager I got over it. I remember going off to Governor’s School for the Gifted between my junior and senior years of high school, and just letting loose. They were truly a dancing group of kids, and somehow it must have rubbed off. I believe as I got older I gained confidence, and was not afraid for others to look at me. I began to dance with more grace, and most importantly, with freedom.

Fast forward three decades (eek!), and now I officially qualify as a dancing fool. I spent years dancing to work out, in the privacy of my own home. I’m first up on the floor at weddings, parties, and family reunions. I groove down the aisles at the grocery store. I’ve taken African, salsa, belly dancing, and Zumba classes. And I also spent some time taking a Sacred Dance and Movement (SDM) class at my church.

Irmina Ulysse, a dear friend, healing sister, trained dancer, and wellness professional, taught the class. Irmina and I have experienced trance dancing together, where we let rhythmic music of all forms just take over, and we dance until we are in a deep sweat. This often involves drumming, and is truly delicious. So Irmina understands the meditative and healing nature of dance.

Sacred dance is not just about a group of folks getting together to dance. When I took the class, as I entered the space we shifted our thoughts from what was outside the doors to what was internal, starting the process of quieting the mind to reconnect with Spirit and our physical bodies. We used dried sage to smudge, or cleanse our energy and bring our focus to the present. And then we experienced an integration of mind, body, and spirit healing through dance, ritual, meditation, and prayer. We often also chanted, and also played percussion instruments such as drums, shekires, and maracas. At the end we had a more quiet, still meditation, and then those who chose to stayed to share how the process went for them.

The first week the theme was water healing, so the altar was set up with beautiful blue and white cloths, flowers, and candles. We warmed up, and then danced at varying rates to music from native peoples around the world, allowing ourselves to “feel” the water, and bring up issues that need cleansing by the water.

The second week the theme was fire. We became the fire, growing from the flickering candle to a conflagration through our movement. In the process we prayed, praised, chanted, and let the fire transform issues that needed healing. Another focus of the night was on the lesser known Archangel of pure love, Chamuel, or Kamuel, whose name means he who seeks or sees God.

What I loved about this class is that Irmina masterfully facilitated a focus on the body temple, with an emphasis on the sacredness of our movement, thus transcending the physical to bring about emotional and spiritual healing, as well. Folks of all fitness levels and spiritual backgrounds participated. Males and females joined in.

So if you would like to connect with Spirit in another meaningful and powerful way, and break down barriers and receive healing in the process, check out Irmina “Tutu” Ulysse at http://irminaulysse.com/. You will see Sacred Dance & Movement has morphed into SoDoTutu UniverSoul Dance & Ritual.  You can also listen on 6/8/14 from 6-7 PM EST to our interview on my radio show, Mind, Body & Spiritworks at www.blogtalkradio.com/tonyaparker.

When dancing with a sacred focus, you don’t have to worry about anyone watching or commenting if you stumble over your feet. I learned that under the guidance of Spirit working through Irmina, that we all are graceful, meaning full of grace. Amen, Ashe’, and so it is!