Dancing With The Wild

Combing Yoga with dance and free flow movement can offer a way to let go of any preconceived restrictions, explore movement and connect to your body. Yoga and dance are a unique combination that can be ideal for self-expression and inviting different types of movement to dance through the body. It can really give you the chance to listen to what the body has to say, asking thoughts and the analytical mind to step aside so that the body has full freedom to explore whatever movement feels right in the moment.

Yoga and dance can be an expression of a person’s truth. Combined, they can be a way to move through various different emotions, states of mind, or to simply loosen up the body in order to feel less restricted. It’s really a way to free up the structure of a set Yoga routine so that you can tap into your creativity, maybe even invite your inner child to play and connect to what it feels like to move without judging what comes. Many types of Yoga can feel like a dance without explicitly setting out to combine dance with Yoga.

In vinyasa flow particularly, the way the breath guides the movement through graceful transitions can feel like a carefully choreographed dance. You can also set the intention to embrace free flow, inviting your body to free up the movement, following no set routine and making space to express yourself without any expectations or limits. Invite yourself to take these asanas as inspiration and allow yourself to move in your own way, exploring any kind of movement that feels interesting. Here are some ideas of asanas that can be explored in a free flow, but of course, be free to add, adapt and change:

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)

For a variation of down dog and to invite free movement, lift the heels in down dog, take the gaze forward and transition between down dog and plank or move the hips from side to side. Down dog lends itself to free movement exploration whilst helping to build strength in the upper body, as well as stretching the hamstrings and calf muscles.

Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2)

From warrior 2, experiment with how the feet connect to the floor and soften the position of the arms. You could lift the front heel and circle out the hands or move the arms around in any way that comes naturally. This will build strength in the legs, stretch the hips, whilst the free movement explores mobility and your natural range of movement.

Vasisthasana (Side Plank)

From side plank, where one hand is rested on the floor propping up the body, dip the hips down towards the floor and allow the top leg and arm to move freely.

This helps to develop strength in the arms, shoulders and wrists and improves balance.

Natarajasana (Dancer or Lord-Of-The-Dance)

Balancing on one leg, lift the other leg and kick the foot up and away with the hand holding it. Keep the chest lifted. This balance is a great way to bring focus and tune into the qualities that dancing Shiva embodies linked to transformation, change and dancing through the chaotic cycles of birth, life and death.