Free-movement dance doesn’t have to be something you pay for, or something you even do with other people, although we feel more resistance when in the presence of others, and so may have a more fulfilling experience. When I’m feeling restricted in my mind, or trapped by a situation, I’ll clear a space in my bedroom, crank up the music, close my eyes and just let go. I always surprise myself at how much more love and compassion I have for myself afterwards.

No one’s watching

Free dance is about listening to your body and allowing it to move in the way that it wants. My first experience of free dance was during an hour’s class, which at first I baulked at. Eyes shut, arms waving and legs swaying, I thought the rest of the class was watching me, laughing. I wanted to sit down. I wanted to stop. The feelings I experienced proved how resistant my mind was to letting my body move freely. But, by giving in to the body, we are given the chance to let go of the mind – although it won’t go down without a fight. Every limiting belief, every self-doubt, every word of negativity that I could muster made itself heard during that first challenging hour.

Once I began to push the resistance aside, that’s when time began to have no meaning. I laughed. I cried. Not just tears but sobs, shaken out of me by jumping and bending. I felt powerful. I felt free.

Stop fighting it

I still feel a little internal resistance when I free dance at home. If my fiancé is watching TV in our living room, my mind will try to convince me that he is about to walk in and ‘catch me’ doing it. Even when no one is home, I’ll still have thoughts that tell me I’m silly or indulgent or just plain crazy. But, after the first couple of songs, my body takes over, my mind clears and the negativity subsides.

It’s like taking a break from the nonsense. It allows feeling to take over from the reflection. And it’s fun! Sometimes, I’m tempted to keep my eyes open, but it’s so much easier to go deeper inside myself when I have no stimulation from anything other than the music.

Songs to get you started 

• Chandra by Prem Joshua
• Waheguru by Jai- Jagdeesh (Krishan Remix)
• Bliss by Sirgun Kaur & Sat Darshan Singh
• The Polish Ambassador Let the Rhythm Just featuring Mr Lif & Ayla Nereo
• Yesterday by Rara Avis

Find these tracks on YouTube

Photograph: iStock