Posted by Maeve Hendrix, LPCA, RYT
In some cultures it would be common to receive medicine healing for most ailments by being asked:
When was the last time you danced?
When was the last time you sang?
When was the last time you told a story?
When was the last time you sat alone in stillness?
When you hear these questions, what comes up for you?
Our western culture does not encourage or promote these forms of expression as a way of life.
Instead, we are told that we have to be "a professional dancer" in order to dance, "a trained singer" in order to sing, "an accomplished writer/speaker" in order to tell stories.
Western, capitalistic culture is so deeply caught on the hamster wheel of doing and achieving that the mere suggestion of sitting alone in stillness can bring up feelings of panic, terror and confusion.
We shut down before we give ourselves the opportunity to tune in and see what is ripening inside of us.
Take a moment to genuine ask yourself - WHAT IF - The phrases: "I'm not a dancer, Im not an artist, Im not a singer/storyteller" did not exist in your inner dialogue?
Instead: what would it be like to offer these statements as an experiment? - "I give myself permission to express myself through dance. The world wants to hear my story. I learn about myself through art and movement and expressing my voice. I connect to myself and others through creative expression."
"I acknowledge the lifelong relationship I have with myself and honor it through quietly sitting and feeling my own presence."
These are all just examples of different conversations we could have with ourself. Rather than judging whether we are "good enough" or "up to par" in order to sing, dance, meditate, or tell stories - we might offer enough spaciousness and flexibility in our mind to let whatever is alive inside to flow out, (especially if) it's not pretty, tidy, or polished.
Tell Me, She Said
Tell me, she said:
What is the story you are telling?
What wild song is singing itself through you?
Listen:
In the silence between there is music;
In the spaces between there is story.
It is the song you are living now,
It is the story of the place where you are.
It contains the shapes of these old mountains,
The green of the rhododendron leaves.
It is happening right now in your breath,
In your heart beat still
Drumming the deeper rhythm
Beneath your cracking words.
It matters what you did this morning
And last Saturday night
And last year,
Not because you are important
But because you are in it
And it is still moving.
We are all in this story together.
Listen:
In the silence between there is music;
In the spaces between there is story.
Pay attention:
We are listening each other into being.
-Sally Atkins, Picking Clean the Bones
Inner Light Counseling Collective is dedicated to providing safe and supportive space for individuals to discover and express their inner life through voice work, storytelling, movement, writing, art and meditation. We offer playshops, retreats, and individual sessions that provide a supportive space for inner exploration and creative self expression.
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