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The Inner Dancer — the Priceless Present – Part 2

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Perhaps the greatest gift you can give to yourself is the ability to live in the present. Especially for an artist, this state of being is paramount. And what does it mean to be present? How can it be a present unto yourself?

Dancing takes a focussed concentration and for many it is described as moving meditation. If you are totally in the present Now of the moment then there is a transformation which is accessible. In this state you will be in harmony with your body and your mind in a state of the here and now.

What happens in the Now of the moment? There is no past or future. There is no what if or I should have. Concentration is easy and fluid and there is no effort needed. When you enter your ballet class there is an opportunity to put the present in action. Perhaps by putting the present in action while you are in class, one day this awareness might be a constant companion.

Walking into class ready to warm up you focus on the ritual and the sacredness of what to do. With complete presence you need to begin the adventure of the present moment of class. You find your position at the barre. Not just thinking about how your body feels, but feeling how your body feels.

Connect with your individuality and link into your inner body. Know that the inner body has space, fluidity, luminosity and freedom. Begin to warm up your body with this in mind. Take you awareness completely up through the spine and imagine a cylinder of light.

By being so aware, something else occurs. Look at it. How can you judge and compare if you are in the present moment, the beauty of the NOW? When we dissolve such thoughts we have freedom to soar and fly. We adjust as we go along, not attached to areas of self sabotage. If we apply these principles we find ourselves actually in a balance with our feeling, our body and most of all we can communicate with that inner feeling. After all, dance is about feeling our energy, shaping ourselves through space and communicating with the present moment of how it all feels.

Try this exercise. Make it your own. Open yourself to greater possibilities.

Continue to reach for the stars!