Philosophy

Each woman is a unique expression of divine feminine. Divine femininity is not about deciding what divine femininity is or isn’t and then conforming to that idea. It is about finding out what unique expression divine femininity takes within you.

In order to achieve that we need to change some of our patterns and believes about ourselves. Stephen R. Convey in his infamous book: The seven habits of highly effective people powerful lessons in personal change said: “Change – real change – comes from the inside out. It doesn’t come from hacking at the levels of attitude and behaviour with quick fix personality ethic techniques. It comes from striking at the root – the fabric of our thought, the fundamental, essential paradigms, which give definition to our character and create the lens through which we see the world”. (2004) “We are not our feelings. We are not our moods. We are not even our thoughts. The very fact that we can think about these things separates us from them and from the animal world. Self-awareness enables us to stand apart and examine even “see” ourselves – our self-paradigm, the most fundamental paradigm of effectiveness.”

In order to appreciate our beautiful bodies and heal current imbalances we need to understand how complex women’s bodies and minds are. You cannot constrain, limit or label woman under one category. We, as women, are multi-coloured, multi-layered and go through many different stages in our lifetime. To understand this I want to take you on the journey that teaches you ancient ways of embracing woman’s life. To explain it I want to look at four archetypes of the feminine, the theory that I adopted from Kat, the teacher and writer at The Moon School.

Global Juno: Women in Dance focus on building four archetypes of the feminine:

Maiden/Virgin

Mother

Enchantress/ Wild Woman

Wise Woman/Queen

By becoming familiar with each archetype, we begin to see how its particular energy is currently manifesting within each of us, or how its emergence is being stifled, especially during the phase it is desperate to be released and made useful! Unfortunately the frustration and imbalance that this creates will often result in physical or mental illness.

Science Behind Global

“Our mind is affected by the way we move our body” – Anthony Robbins 
Emotion is created by motion. In other words, emotions are linked to movement in our bodies. Observe your posture when you are happy, as opposed to when you are sad – or what you look like when you are angry, versus when you are elated. There is a difference, right? It is not only in your physical appearance but also in your brain. If you have a poor posture it only lends itself to poor emotions, or negative state. Good posture and alertness produces a more positive state.

We all get in lousy psychological and emotional states at times, but when you find yourself in that place, change your body and get in state.
This is where dance comes in handy…

Latest neurobiology researches in Harvard Medical School have shown that dance has a positive impact to the mind, because of its complex mental coordination that is required while dancing. In a 2008 article in Scientific American magazine, a Columbia University neuroscientist posited that synchronizing music and movement – dance, essentially- constitutes a “pleasure double play.” Music stimulates the brain’s reward centres, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits.

A 2003 study in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine discovered that dance can decidedly improve brain health. According to the researches, dancing involves both mental effort and social interaction and that this type of stimulation helped reduce the risk of dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Extensive research has been invested into the benefits dancing has on mental health and research has identified that “dance and movement are known to have physical and psychological benefits for those with mental illness” (BBC). This is because dance uses their body to express emotion and people suffering from mental illness often find it hard to express their feelings, as a result dance provides as opportunity for individuals to communicate their feelings. (The Guardian)

When dancing an ample flow of mood – improving chemicals is released helping to elevate our mental state; even one lively dance session has been proven to reduced depression in comparison to vigorous exercise or listening to music according to research conducted by The Arts in Physiotherapy.

Additionally, whilst the physical movement of dance helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression, dancing with others also helps us feel more connected and social. Dance classes can encourage social bonds and friendships which are key factors in improving our mood and mental health. (ids.co.uk)

If you are struggling with stress, anxiety, eating disorders, addictions or depression, or know someone who is, consider trying dance as a form of therapy. However, dancing should not replace seeking out help from a professional; dance is just one tool to help you stay mentally healthy.