Dancing Mindfulness

Develop a personal practice of living in the moment without judgment using dance as the medium of discovery.

Mindfulness is the ancient practice of living in the present moment?a practice so simple, yet so often neglected in our fast-paced, modern lives. Dancing mindfulness invokes the art of dance as the primary medium for discovering and practicing mindful awareness. It can be a gateway to higher spiritual growth, a path to more balanced living, a healing experience and an ignition for your creativity.

Using theory and step-by-step exercises, dancer, recovery ambassador and clinical counselor Dr. Jamie Marich expertly guides readers through seven primary elements of mindfulness in motion: breath, sound, body, story, mind, spirit and fusion. By dancing through these seven elements, either in personal practice or in a group, novices of dance and meditation as well as those experienced in both arts are better able to:

• Access their body's own healing resources through informal dance
• Realize the transformative power of their personal creativity
• Strengthen their abilities to exercise non-judgment, patience, a sense of play, trust, acceptance and letting go
• Practice mindfulness even if they?ve struggled with traditional sitting meditation
• Share healing dances with others to build on their own strengths, resources and experiences

Resources for leading dancing mindfulness classes are included for clinical professionals, spiritual directors, ministry leaders, yoga and fitness professionals and anyone receiving the call to lead transformative, creative movement.

Jamie Marich, PhD, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, a life-long dancer and the founder of the Dancing Mindfulness community and facilitator-training program, is a clinical counselor who leads trainings and retreats on trauma, addiction and mindfulness worldwide. An author of several books on topics related to trauma and recovery, Marich actively trains facilitators in the Dancing Mindfulness practice, and maintains a private clinical practice in her home base of Youngstown-Warren, Ohio.