Working with emotions is a real personal enrichment. The practice of Movement Medicine has transformed my emotions, freeing them from an oppressive burden and transforming them into gifts for my personal growth. Simply by creating a safe space for their free expression. 

The dance of emotions in my life

Last night, I lost control during an argument with my daughter. As usual, I blamed myself for not containing my anger. However, this morning, this affirmation came from within: "My emotions are right, whatever they are. They are the fruit of my personal history and the essence of who I am. No one has the right to judge them, not even me."

My best enemy - that's me

The problem is not the emotion itself, but rather what I do with it. When they're held back too long, they spill over, triggering a series of reactions. So, anger makes me aggressive, fear makes me flee, sadness prevents me from moving forward and my joy remains blocked, altering my ability to relate. Because of these automatic reactions, I question my emotions. I judge my anger as inappropriate, my fears as ridiculous, my sadness as exaggerated, and when I'm joyful, I don't express it too much, for fear it will bring me bad luck. I've even come to believe that I can't trust my emotions.

So I try to contain them, especially the anger. As soon as I feel it rising, I block it. But if I manage to hold it back, it turns against me, dragging me into a vicious circle of judgment and self-deprecation. These protective reactions, although useful during childhood, are now obsolete. Fortunately, for some years now, dance spaces have offered a refuge, a way of channeling and expressing these emotions in a healthier, more constructive way.

Dance it before it explodes - before it explodes you

It's the work on emotions that has touched me the most at conscious dance. The permission to express them in complete safety, for myself and others, is a precious experience. So let's dance those emotions. Even after 85 days of filming my daily dances, I can still feel the camera. However, it's hard for this dance to fully express itself and reach you. Ultimately, emotions are intimate. But is it necessary to show them to others? In the end, I could just do this work on my own and show the "beautiful" dances from before or after. Showing your emotions means showing your vulnerability. We often feel that we're revealing our weaknesses. But showing your emotions is also about sharing your reality and your humanity, which creates deep, authentic bonds.

In dance, with all my attention on my moving body, the mind lets down its guard and emotions escape. My body trusts my emotions, and when I let it express itself, it goes wild. Finally, emotions can move and express themselves. Even if it's often uncomfortable at the time, how good it feels afterwards! Expressed in the dance space, my emotions don't hurt anyone. What's more, it can be anonymous: if I don't say it, no one knows what I'm dancing, what's going on inside me. But being able to put it into words is even more liberating.

A balance between Body, Heart and Mind

In Movement Medicine, we may even go in search of emotions to get to know and accept them better. So, when we feel them rising, we are able to recognize and welcome them. This allows us to know which part of ourselves is affected, enabling us to make room for it without hurting others.

Dance is a refuge when my head gets in the way of expressing my heart, or when my emotions confuse my thoughts. It brings me back to my body, where every movement expresses my intellectual and emotional being, helping me to get out of my infinite loops. This practice restores the balance between my Body, my Heart and my Spirit. I realize that my emotions are right, that I can trust my heart. Previously, I thought my heart was turned upside down: it was simply that I refused to listen to it. From now on, emotions become a source of learning and self-knowledge. Every emotion is a gift to be fully felt, a doorway to greater self-awareness and greater awareness of the way we relate to each other.

Contained, fluid, polished, free as air, overflowing...

And how do you deal with your emotions?

Dancing your emotions - Video demo

On August 17, I challenged myself to dance for 100 days and post 25 seconds of that dance every day.

My intention for this challenge is todare to dance the dance of my life, and for everyone to find the inner resources to dance the dance of their own life.

Here's the video and intentions for Week 13

Daily themes or intentions

• Monday : 3min quiet time : Just listen
• Tuesday : The playlist of the heart chambers - part 2
• Wednesday: part 3
• Thursday : part 4 
• Friday: part 5
• Saturday : Conclusion: Don't spend too long on your computers
• Sunday: The heart room playlist - part 7

 Music

1. Lava by Thomasz Kraal
2. Tempête by Les Tambours du Bronx
3. Cargo by Les Tambours du Bronx
4. Experience by Ludovico Einaudi
5. Clouds, The Mind on the (re)Wind by Ezio Bosso
6. The snow prelude no 15 by Ludovic Einaudi
7. Dead again by Asa

Check out the weekly 100 Days of Dance Challenge recaps

on my Vimeo account or every day in my story