Invitation to Dance: Community – Who is your tribe?

We continue our theme this month of “Community — Who is your tribe?” which arose from our Community Lectio Divina practice with the story from the Third Principle of the Monk Manifesto and continued with this month’s Photo Party and Poetry Party.

I invite you into a movement practice.  Allow yourself just 5 minutes this day to pause and listen and savor what arises.

• Begin with a full minute of slow and deep breathing.  Let your breath bring your awareness down into your body.  When thoughts come up, just let them go and return to your breath. Hold this question of “Who is my tribe?” as the gentlest of intentions, planting a seed as you prepare to step into the dance.
• Play the piece of music below (Ravel’s “Bolero” performed live, outdoors in Algemesí City, Spain) and let your body move in response, without needing to guide the movements. Listen to how your body wants to move through space in response to your breath. Remember that this is a prayer, an act of deep listening. Pause at any time and rest in stillness again. As more instruments are added to the song, see what arises in your own imagination about your community.
• After the music has finished, sit for another minute in silence, connecting again to your breath. Just notice your energy and any images rising up.
• Is there a word or image that could express what you encountered in this time? (You can share about your experience, or even just a single word in the comments section below or join our Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks Facebook group and post there.)
• If you have time, spend another five minutes journaling in a free-writing form, just to give some space for what you are discovering.
• To extend this practice, sit longer in the silence before and after and feel free to play the song through a second time. Often repetition brings a new depth.