How do you feel when you dance? What does dance do to your body and your mind?
2020 has been a strange year particularly for all Victorians - we are now onto our second round of lockdown, however, we never really came out of our first - although many of us were optimistic.
We have had to change the way we live our lives, the way we interact with people, and a lot of our regular day to day activities no longer done in the usual way. All of these things affect the way we feel, and it is natural to struggle with changes like this. So how can we help ourselves, what can we do to make our way through this change with our spirit still intact?
We can keep dancing!
Just a few moments of movement can give you release from stress, and the action of this has been indicative of easing anxiety, decreasing depression, and increasing self-esteem. Purposeful, mindful movement helps to shift not only your physical state but your mental and spiritual states too. Studies have found a connection between increased physical, social, and cognitive benefits and dance and a Deakin University study of 1000 people found that those who danced were happier! The benefits of dance are endless but here are five we think are pretty amazing -
Dancing Builds Resilience - You learn to get back up whenever you fall, to keep trying if you don't get it right the first time, to keep going when things don’t go to plan, and yes, occasionally grit your teeth through a bit of pain. It allows you to be a creative thinker and to be resourceful.
Dancing teaches you to keep going - and this aids continual growth. Every step you take leads to the next - onward and upward! There is always something new to be learned, another goal to achieve, and more new skills to be mastered.
Dance gives you life skills - It will teach you commitment, perseverance, the ability to take on criticism, and move forward with it, communication skills, teamwork, and passion! These are only a few of the life skills dancing develops in its pupils. There is not much you need to know in life that dance classes cannot teach you!
Dance connects you - Not only to yourself but by building lasting memories and friendships with others. Do not let that go - the team you have created, the support you have given, and the long hours you have dedicated to each other to create something beautiful.
Dance will raise your Energy - Research proves that just one dance class per week can improve physical performance and increase energy levels.
There are so many health benefits to dance and movement that we need in times like this. So please keep dancing! We may be doing it online right now, and, yes, it is different, but, as long as we continue to move, we will MOVE through this together!
At the beginning of Lockdown 1.0, I wrote a blog about The Many Benefits of Online Learning, which you may be interested in reading if you missed it earlier in the year.
Take care, and I hope to see you dancing soon!
Miss Karlie x