Mindfulness and Rock'n'Roll Dance
Posted by: Gareth on: 27/02/2019 Category: general
I recently came across the term 'mindfulness' and I wondered what it meant. Upon researching I realised that it's a new expression for what we formerly knew as 'living in present moments'.
This has long been advocated by psychologists and self-help gurus as a way to reduce stress and cope with emotional trauma. In fact it was a strong theme in Dale Carnegie's iconic book How To Stop Worrying And Start Living.
So, naturally I considered this in relation to dancing. Clearly, structured dance is a pastime that requires a strong awareness in the here-and-now for fairly obvious reasons. It's impossible to perform a dance well in unison with a partner unless you are focused both in the present and on yours and your partner's movement interactions.
Over the years, I have danced with many ladies who weren't fully concentrated on myself or the dance moves I was signalling. I have seen many men dancing with similar lack of attention toward their female partner. The result is missed cues and erratic outcomes, along with embarrassment and sometimes injury.
Sadly, this can end in ruined dance partnerships and even result in romantic relationships gone sour.
That's not always a bad thing because our attitude and behaviour on the dance floor does tend to indicate how we will behave in general towards other people. The man who is excessively dominant, the woman who insists on leading and the person who crashes into other couples without caring or even realising are all transmitting vital details about who they are. That's not to say that these traits are all bad depending on someone's life path, but individuals do need the right partner to dance with - and to form a couple with.
Living in present moments is something that can improve anyone's life outcomes but it can be a difficult thing to practice as human minds tend to easily wander. What is needed is a hobby or pastime that is interesting enough to inspire us to concentrate strongly on what we are doing in the instant.
Rock 'n' Roll dance can suit that purpose extremely well for people who focus on outcomes they desire from it.
Keeping your mind focused on dancing your dancing improves it.
These may be self-esteem, a desire to impress and win praise from friends and family or the hope of meeting a romantic partner. It might be a means of getting and keeping fit, of losing weight or the ultimate dance motive - sheer thrill and exhilaration of moving freely and easily in time with music you enjoy.
Whatever it is that you really want to achieve, keep your aim strongly in mind and it will inspire you to improve your dancing. At the same time, mentally convince yourself of something that definitely is true. That is, the more you focus on your dancing in the present moment, the better it will get.
The result - the likelier it will be that your personal reward from dancing will manifest. But the really big plus is that you will be practising what is now called 'mindfulness'. That will help to improve your life outcomes in general.