DREAMING...DANCING....and the brain

We are on a month long theme on “Dreaming”….everydance has some aspects of “dreaming” woven in and we are also in a week long yearly exploration on brain awareness thru a site called www.dana.org that I found and engaged with for 13 years now. The brain is fascinating and research is coming forth that explains a lot about the different states of consciousness we explore in ecstatic dance….it’s a lot less “whoo whoo” than it used to be and more about what we explore our selves too and keeping your brain healthy with a diversity of experience and learning. Engaging with life more …..checking out less.

With this some thoughts of the key aspects of dreaming…why we dream…and how dancing may be effected by dreams.

Dreaming is a highly active part of our sleep cycle when REM ( rapid eye movement) occurs with similar brain activation as when awake. Our content in dreams often involves experiences, thoughts, emotions, places, and people we have encountered in our lives., reflecting our waking concerns and experiences. Dreaming is thought to play a role in memory consolidation ( processing life) where our brain processes and strengthens memory. Dreaming allows us to make sense of feelings in different contexts….Dreaming may help cognitive function, like problem solving and creativity and working thru life’s things. Some people can practice lucid dreaming where they enter into the dreams and and exert some control over them. Yogis and spiritual folks consider dreaming and time travel, imagining, and visualizing a practice to expand their mind and live in different realities all at once. It’s a great way to expand neural pathways in the brain…….It’s also being studied that when we sleep our senses are still perceiving ….minus the visual….which comes on board when we dream. It could be the brains way to keeping visioning/imagining a top priority to the other senses.

Metaphorically……”dreaming” is when we think of desires wed like to experience or have and we move them from the less dense spaces to manifesting them into the physical. It’s a big part and proven strategy of life coaches and of athletes of harnessing energy and teaching the body to learn new ways of moving….

This month has been so playful in the dances…..expanded emotional expression, playful sounds to challenge new movement, and a feeling of timelessness…..Here’s to dreaming up some great plans this weekend.