dancing the dharma.
Dharma is a foundational concept in Buddhism, Hinduism, and yogic traditions, referring to the laws or principles that govern the Universe. "Dancing the Dharma" means moving in harmony with the dance of life, embracing both the Universe and the spirituality of our body. Many movement artists engage in this Buddhist and yogic-inspired embodied practice, using movement as a means of self-discovery and transformation.
This practice allows the artist to transcend form, tapping into the subtle sensations of movement. It is an art that emerges from pure perception—essentially, a moving meditation. Since the 1980s, various forms of sacred and therapeutic dance have gained recognition, applied by pioneering performers such as Isadora Duncan. Once an exclusive art form, it has become increasingly accessible to all, including those without formal dance training, as a spiritual and healing practice.
Dancing in this way moves beyond structure; it becomes a gateway to the present moment. As the body moves, the mind stills, leading to a profound state of presence. The body transforms into an instrument of awareness, expressing itself through gesture and movement. It questions time and space, anchoring us in the here and now. In this state, the body is no longer an object but a subject perceiving, interpreting, and experiencing the world directly.
In theatre, the schools of Jerzy Grotowski and Eugenio Barba developed a vast vocabulary of expression and gesture, deeply exploring the concept of "the body as presence." In this framework, performers become spiritual seekers, and movement becomes a conduit for heightened awareness.
However, this practice extends far beyond performance. Working with subtle energies can be a powerful tool, often more effective than seated meditation. By exploring movement from within, we allow the experience of Soma to communicate with our conscious mind in a direct, non-conceptual way. This leads to profound transformation, softening our need for control and allowing change to occur organically, emotionally, mentally, and physically. It shifts how we perceive and respond to pain.
Engaging in physical movement helps regulate emotions by directing attention in an intentional way. Studies have shown that obsessive thinking can be disrupted by engaging in sequenced movement, making mindful movement an effective method for breaking cognitive Dharma is a Buddhist, Hindu and yogic concept referring to the laws or principles that govern the Universe. Dancing the Dharma means moving together with the dance of Life, embracing the Universe and the spirituality of our body. Many movement artists adhere to the development and practice of this buddhist and yogic inspired embodied movement.
This practice allows the artist to unfold essence outside the form and tap into the subtle sensations of movement. An art that emerges from a pure state of perception or, in other words, mediation. In the 1980s, many forms of sacred and therapeutic dance have emerged and been applied by great performers such as Isadora Duncan, becoming increasingly more available to everybody, even untrained dancers, as a spiritual and healing practice.
Dancing in this way reaches beyond structure and becomes a way to live the present moment, since movement of the body necessarily will still the mind.
Consequently, the body becomes a body of presence, able to express and manifest gesture and behavior. Questioning time and space, the body keeps us in the here and now. It becomes pure presence, transcending all external attachments and ceasing to be an object.
The body is now a subject perceiving and interpreting the world.
In theatre, the schools of Jerzy Grotowsky and Eugenio Barba created a vast vocabulary and knowledge about the study of expression and gesture, developing and exploring this “body as presence”.
Performers become spiritual seekers and movement is filled with awareness.
This practice, however, is not useful only to the performer, as working with subtle energies is a powerful tool, often more effective than seating forms of meditation. By exploring the body from within, we allow the experience of the Soma to communicate with our conscious mind and become known to us in a direct, non-conceptual way.
This unfolds a profound transformation, softening control and allowing change to happen. This change is emotional, mental and physical. It involves pain and the way we respond to it.
By engaging in the physical movement of the body, we can direct attention and create a natural way to regulate emotions. It has been observed that obsessive thinking can be broken by engaging in a sequenced form of movement. This is how mindful movement becomes effective in disrupting patterns of the mind. Differently than other forms of therapy, this work does not focus on the past, but rather requires attention to what is happening in the present moment, resulting often more effective and direct than talk therapies.
In this state of Samadhi, we BECOME what we are doing and we achieve a selfless state, dissolving into the self-observation and transcending reality. We fulfill complete freedom by tapping into the eternal present: our intuition.
Free from the memory of the past and the preoccupation for the future, we create possibility for change, breaking stuck behaviors and emotional blocks.
As a practitioner of mindful movement and contact dance, I have experienced and observed this transformation several times, in relation to my own body, in relation to the floor or to another body. Space and time dissolve, our consciousness expands and the air surrounding the bodies becomes dense and tangible as the sensorial perception becomes higher and more vibrating. This enhanced sensory awareness is fluid and pulsating, it dances with the flow of life.
. Unlike traditional therapy, which often focuses on past experiences, this approach is rooted in the present moment, making it a powerful and immediate pathway to healing.
In this state of Samadhi, we become one with our movement, dissolving into self-observation and transcending ordinary reality. By tapping into the eternal present, we achieve a selfless state of being, free from the burdens of past memories and future anxieties. This creates space for transformation, helping us break free from conditioned behaviors and emotional blockages.
As a practitioner of mindful movement and contact dance, I have witnessed and experienced this transformation firsthand—through my own body, through interactions with the floor, and through connection with others. In these moments, space and time dissolve, consciousness expands, and the air surrounding us becomes dense and tangible. Sensory perception heightens, pulsating and fluid, dancing in harmony with the flow of life.
Dharma contemplation of Tibetan Buddhism for inspiration:
The Four Thoughts That Turn The Mind
PRECIOUS HUMAN BIRTH: The body is precious and offers a gate to divine presence
KARMA: Our actions bear a conscious responsibility
SUFFERING: Pain can be overcome by shifting the attention
IMPERMANENCE: Everything changes
Dancing the Dharma means to navigate the journey of Life by inhabiting these principles that the somatic experience of our body reveals to us and transferring them into the ordinary life.
Any form of mindful movement is a metaphysical experience that allows the artist and the practitioner to see essence beyond form, energy beyond matter.
