The Joyful Dance of Transformation

This past weekend I started teaching songs from the Nia routine Butterfly. I have been working with this routine for months. I struggled to learn it. Since March, something wasn’t connecting for me with the routine. I would feel a combination of sadness and frustration when doing the moves and listening to the music. I found myself putting the routine away and nearly gave up on learning it.

A couple of weeks ago I felt compelled to pick it up again and it flowed through me. The movements came with ease. It was easy for me to visualize dancing my colorful big beautiful wings around the room. My body felt open, receptive and joyous.

I don’t know what changed or when but some big shift occurred that allowed me to receive Butterfly into my body, heart, mind and soul.

When I started teaching songs from Butterfly this week, I noticed that she appeared everywhere. It was as if she was asking me to embody her message. So I did some research…

Butterfly represents transformation, metamorphosis, change, freedom, beauty, spirit, transmutation and the dance of joy. She represents going within to come out whole again. She asks us to dance joyfully through changes in our lives and to savor the sweetness that comes.

From “Animal Speak” by Ted Andrews:

“Butterflies appear to dance as they light upon flowers and such. They remind us not to take things quite so seriously in our lives. They awaken a sense of lightness and joy. They remind us that life is a dance, and dance, though powerful, is also a great pleasure. Butterflies can be reminders to get up and move, for if you can move you can dance. Dance brings the sweetness of life back.”

From “Power Animal Meditations” by Nicki Scully:

“Take an idea or concept of what you want to be and how you want to see yourself, then take this journey and go within. When you break out of your cocoon, you will have become that which you intended. The costume that the butterfly brings back from within the darkness and mystery of the cocoon is the beauty of the spirit of yourself in all your glory. The metamorphosis of the Butterfly is about the mystery of what happens when you go within to the darkness to manifest the beauty you were born to create.”

Butterfly is asking me to dance, to unfold into the changes in my life with grace and without resistance, to go within and transmute whatever darkness or shadow is holding me back, to break out of my cocoon and step into my glory…whatever that is. It got me thinking about what it is I want to manifest. My simple answer for now is that I want to manifest joy, healing and beauty in the world. In the present time, I have chosen Nia to help me share this vision and am receptive to what comes next.

This week, our class focus will be the joyful dance of transformation. The intent is to go within, connect with your deepest desire, transmute any barriers and unfold your wings of freedom so that you can pursue your hearts desire. Butterfly is here to joyfully and playfully guide us.

Experience the transformative energy of Butterfly anytime this week:

• Monday, August 15, 2011, 10:45am - 11:45am at Community Fitness 65th St Studio (for Randee Fox)
• Monday, August 15, 2011, 5:30pm - 6:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District
• Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 6:00pm - 7:00pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood (Tuesdays through August 30)
• Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 10:45am - 11:45am at Community Fitness 65th St Studio (for Jill Pagano)
• Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 5:30pm - 6:30pm at Community Fitness 65th St Studio
• Thursday, August 18, 2011, 6:30pm - 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford
• Sunday, August 21, 2011, 10:30am - 11:30am at Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont