Opening Our Hearts – With Movements from Oriental Dance

Dear One –

It’s been a long winter. We’ve shoveled snow, we’ve huddled against the cold. We’ve spent our days and evenings at the computer desk, hunching over the keyboard.

Now, warmer weather beacons. (We’re going to have a warm day this Sunday!) We’re getting ready to get out and play.

Before we even think about things like “getting in shape,” we have something to do first: Restore our body’s natural alignment.

Loosen up a little.

Unkink.

Literally, this Valentine’s Day (right on the heels of Imholc, the Druidic New Year, and also the Chinese New Year), it’s time to open our hearts. Release all the tense and tight muscles in our diaphagms and our spines.

Earlier, I was going to use this first big Open House as a time for loosening up our pelvis. A lot of Shakira-shaking. (Think “Hips Don’t Lie.”) A lot of shimmy.

Well, that will have to wait for another month.

Right now, it’s all about heart. And ribcage, and spine (especially right in our midback, where we carry some tension). And our diaphragms – which have gotten very tight and compressed over this winter.

So this Sunday, we’ll do a whole lot of stretching and limbering up – and a lot of opening our heart – with movements taken directly from Oriental dance.

See you Sunday – 11AM! (Email me at alaynya (at) alaynya (dot) com if you need directions.)

yours in dance – Alay’nya

P.S. – One of my dear friends, Kathy Carroll, sent me a book – “I Come As a Brother,” by Bartholomew. He talks about “opening our heart” as “radiant pink” energy field. What a lovely read!