Why Sensual Movement?
THERE IS A SHORT ANSWER AND A LONG ANSWER
The short answer is that sensuality is the language of the present moment. By tuning in to one or more of our 5 senses, we can pull ourselves away from distractions and back into an experience of presence. That said, sensual movement is the practice of listening and responding with our bodies - it’s a practice that nurtures a state of mindfulness, the benefits of which are wide-ranging.
SENSUAL MOVEMENT CAN HAVE MANY BENEFITS
The long answer is more layered and rich. While I think there are infinite reasons one may engage in sensual movement practice, I’m sharing just a few that resonate with me and have brought me back to my own practice time and time again.
IT SLOWS US DOWN. The practice of tuning into our senses invites us to slow our roll. Slowing down in a world that encourages us to “hurry up” can be unfamiliar or uncomfortable at first, it was for me, but sensual movement invites us into a slower lane, to linger, discover, relish, and indulge. While sensual movement doesn’t always have to be slow, I have found that to engage with our senses, it helps to take our time so that we can become familiar with the sensations that flow through us as we breathe and move. By engaging more fully with the sensations of our bodies, we bravely allow feeling, and when we meet these feelings with unconditional friendliness, we begin building a space of trust within ourselves. In this way, sensual movement may aid us in developing more bodily awareness and our body can become our most intimate ally.
THE DOOR TO PLEASURE OPENS. Sensual movement is pleasure-led movement. We ground into our senses and then follow or luxuriate in the sensual cues that feel (really) good to us. In doing so, we may widen our capacity to experience and even generate pleasure through our bodies. By flowing in moment-to-moment pleasure we can delight in the possibility of accessing more vitality, creativity, and joy - more aliveness! And what’s cool is that no two of us will move in pleasure in the same ways all the time. We may find deep satisfaction in arching and opening our chest in one moment, in another moment feel enlivened by a slow hip grind, and in yet another, a slow roll of our wrist is just the thing to light us up. What connects us to pleasure can evolve and change moment to moment, or day to day - the possibilities are endless. The more we explore, the more we discover how our unique bodies like to move. The FUN of sensual movement is the invitation into pleasurable play!
Here, it is impossible to ignore that sensual, pleasure-led movement may open the door to a fuller experience of our sexuality and the erotic nature within us. This notion can be enticing, provocative, intimidating, or all of those at the same time. However it unfolds for each of us, I find it is important to center our own experience and let sensual movement support us as we learn to recognize our boundaries and honor ourselves first. That said, sensual movement aims to teach us how to please ourselves, turn us on to life, and, ultimately, expand our body sovereignty.
SELF-EXPRESSION EXPANDS. As sensual movement allows more sensation and pleasure to flow through our bodies, we expand our capacity for self-expression because we begin listening and responding to ourselves more intimately. As we practice, we may begin opening to facets of ourselves we’ve ignored, inhibited, or never imagined we had! By learning to channel our pleasure through an endless spectrum of expressive possibilities, we are more able to recognize and/or release emotions through our practice, and often, develop healthier emotional expression in our daily lives.
A powerful sensual movement practice welcomes exploration of a wide variety of emotional and archetypal flavors, which offer us the opportunity to embody all the facets of our being. By experiencing more of ourselves, our truest nature begins to amplify and we may feel more open, full, whole, and titillated by the world around us.
SENSUAL MOVEMENT AS A SACRED PRACTICE
When I trained sensual movement teachers, I was known to discuss these concepts during training at great length and with deep fascination. I loved posing and answering questions for our collective curiosity! However, here’s the thing…sensual movement is personal. The way our sensual movement unfolds is distinctive. It can be powerful, vulnerable, sassy, exposing, surprising, sexy, and/or messy, depending on what’s alive for each of us. To me, it is a sacred practice, where we learn to dance with ourselves, first, and then, if desired, with those around us and with the world, including the mystical nature of the cosmos…
"Sensuality calls us out of numbness.”
-Rashida KhanBey Miller
YOUR BODY IS YOUR TEACHER
There are many valid entry points for engaging in sensual movement practice and an ever-growing number of wonderful teachers. My approach as a sensual movement teacher incorporates both foundational movement and free movement + dance. By introducing foundational ways of moving, our bodies have varied opportunities to release tension, expand movement range, and flow with more ease. By also guiding exploration beyond prescriptive movement, we can learn to move in ways that truly feel good to our particular bodies. My role is to open doorways for potential exploration while leaving the decision to walk through those doors for each person and their body to make. My ultimate wish is for each of us to honor our bodies as trusted teachers.
*Note: I don’t claim a sensual movement practice will absolutely deliver any particular benefit. My statements are based on my observation of hundreds of feminine-spectrum bodies of all ages - from adolescence through to their 80s - with a wide range of life experiences, including physical limitations, and sometimes, a history of trauma. For anyone exploring a new practice, physical or otherwise, connecting with a trusted mental health professional can be supportive.