When pain cushions your shoulders with its weight, there’s something guaranteed to change something, inside and out, and that’s movement. Movement is movement, it propels us somewhere and it is fluid, it is alive.

If that movement is channeled into a purposeful activity, the benefits multiply. Particularly during times of extreme stress, such as when we’re grieving, such movement has the ability to release knots of tension stuck in our grooves and provide a form of escape for the pain captured in our hearts.

There are many types of movement that are beneficial to our health and well-being. We can walk, run, bike, swim, surf, go to a yoga class, or do tai chi in the park. The options are endless and varied. Then there is the dance.

The ability to dance is freedom in movement. There may be gentleness, there may be savagery. Whether we kick it off alone in our living room or dance with others. Whether we express ourselves through free movement or dance with set steps, we are energizing ourselves from within. We are getting into the rhythm of the music and allowing ourselves to forget for a moment how painful the loss of a loved one is. We are escaping and investing in the power of dance to heal our weary hearts and aching bodies. We are transporting ourselves to that place where music and movement combine to make our own magic, ours.

I have tried many different forms of dance, but there is one that I return to again and again. Wu Tao is a harmonious dance that enriches my physical, emotional and spiritual part. Touch each one giving me the opportunity to bring energy and flow, not only to my body, but also to my life. Through the dances of air, water, wood and fire I release my sorrow and dance my joy. I let go of my past and am present for my future. I ignite the flame of promise and possibility and in the dance of the earth I am finally home and bring peace to my heart. I leave balanced and at peace.

Wu Tao has been described as:

“Dance-based therapy that balances and harmonizes the flow of Qi (vital force energy in the body). It has its foundations in Oriental Medicine, and like Tai Chi and Qi Gong it is a healing system, with a holistic philosophy and practice, which restores balance to the person at all levels”. © Wu Tao: The way of the dance.

I feel very lucky that Wu Tao is so readily available in my region of Western Australia, because it really enhances my life in so many ways. Developed by Michelle Locke, a Western Australian dancer and therapist in 2001, Wu Tao’s appeal is now growing around the world. When I share with you how wonderful it is right now, there is a very real possibility that it will show up or come your way. So many people are recognizing the benefits and enjoyment of the dance that its reach is growing in many regions of the world, including an upcoming US tour in November. All the details can be found in Wu Tao: The Dancing Way.

Whatever dance form you decide on, let it flow and take you to the place where music and movement merge as one.

“The journey between what you once were and what you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place.” ~ Barbara De Angelis