DANCING WITH PURPOSE

Dhiya Arora holds a BSc in Psychology & Business, is an ACT Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, and has multiple qualifications in dance. idhiya.com

THE PHILOSOPHY OF DANCING WITH PURPOSE

The muscles in our body have memory, just like our mind. This incredibly intricate, bilateral relationship demonstrates the brilliance of the Mind-Body connection.

Neurolinguistic-Programming (NLP) presupposes that the mind and body are one linked system; meaning there is a cause-effect relationship between the two. What the mind gives attention to, the body experiences and feeds back to the mind, which then decides what action to take; unless the body has instinctively reacted to the stimulus it faces - fight or flight. Dancers, performers, acrobats, athletes, surgeons and those in physically demanding roles understand this mindbody relationship as they cultivate a strong physical sense or movement dexterity by learning through physicality. Successful people invest time training their sensory awareness and co-ordination to help them perform their goals and/or personal objectives, moving between intention and action with mental prowess. (Think Usain Bolt pacing the track before a 100m race.) “Yato Hasta Tato Drishti, Yato Drishti Tato Mana, Yato Mana Tato Bhava, Yato Bhava Tato Ras.” ~ Natya Shastra (Indian Treaties of Dramatic Arts) “Where the hands go, the eyes must follow, where the eyes go, the mind must follow, where the mind goes the (mental) state must follow and where the mental state goes the emotion will arise.” As a classically trained Kathak dancer, this Sanskrit proverb encourages me to deliver immersive, believable expression on stage, infused with emotion and spiritualism and to dance with purpose; for the movement to carry a greater intention or purpose and to literally ‘move’ an audience. People are emotionally open and often vulnerable whilst learning dance and great teachers hold this space to encourage a deeper kinaesthetic exploration of the self. It’s very effective to coach when the unconscious mind is already open and receptive. Coaching in a dance studio challenges the mind (as the setting is atypical) and gives the client physical ‘space to think.’ Ideas can be taken to the floor to physically explore situations and thoughts, often using music. This helps to physically recognise where they are versus where they want to be and helps guide me - as their coach - to support them; making the whole coaching process a tactile experience. In a digital age, we can find our physical expression managed into controlled environments such as a yoga class or the gym; so it’s important to remember to incorporate the understanding of state and movement into our daily interactions through a sense of somatic play. Physical alienation leads to apathy, but emotional expression encourages empathy which helps us make sense of our ideas, remain open to those of others and encourages us to make decisions through both mind and body thus creating greater congruency within.

Active in the dance industry as a teacher, performer and presenter, Dhiya promotes the philosophy of Dancing with Purpose.