Permission to feel ________.

Oh man, last week was so great. Thank you for joining me as we explored giving ourselves permission to feel joy even when ____ (whatever it may be).

This week, we're going to expand that one a bit. We'll start with:

1). Permission to feel however you feel.

We talked a bit last week about how, along with permission to feel joy, there's also no pressure to feel joy while you are dancing. That, really, you are just invited to feel however you truly, authentically feel moment to moment. So this week, we'll just expand the focus a bit more broadly to include all feelings, whatever they may be. Permission to feel any/all the feels. To allow them. To notice them. To let them flow. And to keep dancing through it all. 

Questions to perhaps ponder:

• Are there any feelings that you a hard time allowing yourself to feel?

• How does that feeling feel in your body? What do you notice in your toes? Jaw? Knees? Chest? Forehead? Shoulders? Hands?

• Are there any feelings that, when you're feeling them, you don't let yourself come to dance?

• Are there any feelings that, if you're feeling them, you try to keep them to yourself? Or stuffed down, so no one can tell? 

And then, if you'd like, here's another one to play with... 

2). Permission to change how you feel (permission to change).

Aya's tagline since the very beginning has always been dance yourself free. The music, the movement, the joy, the mindfulness, the flow of emotions and energy.... it's magic. It's medicine. And each dance reminds me once again how truly free we are. Free to be. Free to move. Free to feel. Free to express ourselves. Free to change. A song comes on and I'm suddenly moving and feeling grounded and present. The next comes on and I'm suddenly feeling fluid, soft, and sexy. The next, and I'm assertive, fiery, strong, and powerful. The next, I'm joyful, open, and light as a feather -- skipping about like a playful 7-year old. The next, I'm rooted again and feeling spacious and still. The whirlwind we experience through the dance is such a beautiful reminder that we are agile. Dynamic. Fluid. Pliable. We are responsive. And... responsible. We are empowered to both feel, and to do things that help us to change how we feel. What's that saying? With great freedom comes great responsibility? Or something like that? With that in mind... 

Questions to perhaps ponder:

• How do you want to feel?

• What helps you feel that way? Actions? Environments? People? Practices? Habits?

• Can you picture yourself as being someone who feels that way regularly (i.e., happy, peaceful, confident, sexy, grounded, playful, etc.)? 

• What if you try one of those desired feelings on for a bit? How does it feel in your body? What do you notice/sense in your posture? Your feet? Your neck? Your shoulders? Your face? Your hands? Your belly?

• What might it take to feel that way more often? What can you do?

• Can you allow yourself to feel that way/be that person? Does it conflict with your current sense of self? Would you have to let go of one way of being in order to feel/be ____?

Thoughts?

As always, I can't wait to see what we discover together this week. See you soon!

Much love,

💛 Dani