Chakradance Freedom Workshops

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Mon 05 Dec 2022

Walking down a laneway, Ganesha looks down at me from the wall - every breath is a new blessing he tells me. I inhale and exhale and hesitate.



I signed up for this Chakradance workshop but I have no idea what I'm in for. I practice yoga and meditation and it sounded interesting. I meant to Google and research it like I normally would with anything new and unfamiliar but I've been so busy and ran out of time, and kept forgetting and didn't think it was essential ...

Suddenly a small, slim, woman with curly hair comes flying through the door. She stops, looks at me and says my name. No turning back now I guess!

Inside the yoga room cushions are arranged around a bowl holding flowers and candles. At the front of the room is a yoga mat, set up with a range of bits and pieces - a tree with lotus flowers - each a different colour representing a different chakra, which catches my eye and attention.



I'm the first one to arrive - which never happens, so I wander around and check out the studio. Pretty soon, the other participants arrive and we have to find extra cushions - the session is popular and fully booked.

We introduce ourselves and it turns out I'm not the only one who had turned up blind, without a clue about what's involved or going to happen. Each dance is different, our teacher/ leader and those who had attended previously all agree. Today we are focussing on the third eye chakra - the space between our eyebrows and slightly up at the centre of the forehead. This chakra is all about tapping into and trusting our intuition.

We have a lovely short seated meditation to arrive, ground and settle ourselves, imagining an indigo light entering our third eye chakra. I'm happy on the floor but it's time to stand. I'm disappointed at first, but also curious and eager to see what the dance part will bring.

We find a space in the room and close our eyes. The new age music begins, a beat joins in slowly at first but increases in speed and volume. I sway my body from side to side, and roll my shoulders together, separately, forwards and backwards. My hips swing, left to right and my knees bend softly as my feet slightly lift and set themselves back down on the same spot.

We imagine ourselves surrounded by an indigo light night. The area at the centre of my forehead starts to feel heavy, yet I want to keep my face lifted up to the sky. I notice that my arms are not moving. In fact, they feel heavy and my hands are cold. I wiggle my fingers, rotate my wrists, bend my elbows a little - but no, they don't want to join the party.

We imagine that we are on a mountain and I'm suddenly in Madeira - the Island where I was born. We are told to imagine a seer - wise and old in. I see a tanned or dirty, skinny guy with crystal clear, icy blue eyes and golden curly hair like 2-minute noodles. He disappears as quickly as he had appeared but I'm still in Madeira, swaying, dancing and feeling that heaviness in my third eye and arms.

The beat increases and I move faster. I wonder how fast it will get, if I will end up hypnotised, in a trance or if I might lose my mind entirely. Losing my mind was something I once feared. Now, I think about the fact that if I lose my mind, I wouldn't have to worry about the pile of work on my desk, or paying bills. As these thoughts come to me, I laugh - it's unlikely I'll lose my mind today!

I bring myself back to the indigo light, music, and dancing. The beat has slowed a little, is slowing, slows and then stops. I come to stillness feeling my whole body vibrating and buzzing. I slowly open my eyes and realise I have not stayed in the same spot at all. I've turned away from everyone and am facing the wall.

We all grab a black piece of paper with a circle on it and a box of pastels. Just start drawing. Whatever comes out. Doesn't matter.

I start smallish with just some purple lines starting from the centre and moving outwards. Then some pink lines, starting from the centre and moving outwards. Blue lines, the same. Yellow, but this time its flower petals - large long oval shapes on top of the purple, pink and blue. A white spiral starts from the middle and grows outwards. Yellow is back, another spiral making its way along inside the path of the first white spiral. And finally, a white heart right in the centre on the top.

The words rainbow and magic come, and I write them down on opposite sides of the paper. It's kind of pretty but also looks like rainbow vomit. I don't hate it, but I also don't love it.



We return to the circle and share our artwork and experiences. And then we're done. By the time I get home, I have a cracking headache, drink a huge glass of water and go straight to bed. I sleep for almost 8 hours and wake up feeling quite rested. Until flashes of the strange dreams start to pop up.

Overall, Chakradance was a lovely and interesting experience about letting go and opening up to the moment. It was 80 minutes to get away from the mundaneness of everyday life and connect with something intimate - your thoughts, your imagination, your intuition.

I'm kind of curious about what the other chakra dances are like but I've already missed so many, and this was just meant to be a taster. I'll just have to be patient and wait for the next course to begin and sign up for all seven Chakras next time!

Chakradance is a 9-part program offered by Embody Healing at Yoga Lyfe, Middle Park. Over 9 weeks, you explore each of the different chakra energy centres, through meditation, dance and art. Get more info here .

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!date 05/12/2022 -- 05/12/2022
%wnmelbourne