There is order in life. There is order in my life and that order exists at the center of my being. When I am centered I experience that sense of order. The problem is that 99% of the time I allow myself to be pulled off-center by outer circumstances. It doesn't matter what it is--worry about my body, a paper due this weekend, a jaw-clenching phone call from a relative, a problem at work, or even something so innocent as wondering what the person dancing next to me is thinking--any one of them can pull me into a state of concern or worry and I forget about my center. Suddenly these peripheral issues become all important and I have once again wandered into uncertainty, doubt, and stress.
When I live from my center, life works. I have access to wisdom, guidance, and creative ideas. And I have confidence that the decisions I make from that place are right ones; my course is clear.
In the dance I have the perfect opportunity to practice finding my center and to feel what it is like to operate from that place. I also have the perfect opportunity to experience falling off-center. If I dance from my mind I am concerned about how I look, about doing it "right," about what other people think, about whether or not I'm going to hurt myself. There are endless ways that I can be distracted. My movements are tentative, programmed, limited. But when I dance from my center I am free, at ease, and filled with the sheer joy of movement that is unjudged and totally mine. My body moves with ease and grace. My movements are spontaneous, bold, creative, and free. I dance with joy.
