Journal
Why I Stopped Going to Yoga Class and Started Listening to My Body Instead
I used to look at the clock during yoga class. Then I discovered authentic movement, a practice with no choreography, no steps, no teacher telling you what to do.
I used to look at the clock during yoga class.
I'd be in Warrior II, sweat dripping into my eye, counting how many more breaths until child's pose. Counting how many more poses until savasana. Counting how many minutes until I could leave and get back to my day.
I loved my teacher. I loved the studio. I just hated being told exactly what to do with my body. The pose was the pose. The sequence was the sequence. There was no room for my body to say what it actually needed that day.
Then I discovered something else. And I haven't been able to go back.
What is free-form authentic movement?
Authentic movement (sometimes called free movement, somatic movement, or movement meditation) is a practice with no choreography, no steps, no teacher telling you what to do. There's music, there's intention, and there's your body. That's it.
You move however your body wants to move. Sometimes that looks like dance. Sometimes like rolling on the floor. Sometimes like standing still for ten minutes with one hand on your chest. There's no wrong way to do it because there's no right way to begin with.
Why does the body know things the mind doesn't?
In my experience, the body notices things before the conscious mind can put them into words. Joy can be felt in the body. Many people also notice tension they don't remember acquiring, in their shoulders, their jaw, their hips.
When you give the body permission to move without instruction, it often seems to go to the places that want attention. The hip that wants to circle slowly. The hand that wants to push something away. The spine that wants to undulate. None of this is choreographed, and yet all of it is precise. Your body knows.
Talking is great. Thinking is great. But there are things you cannot reach with words. For me, movement is one of the only ways through.
How is this different from yoga or dance class?
Yoga, classical dance, pilates: these are all wonderful disciplines. They give your body specific shapes to inhabit. There's discipline and beauty in that. But there's a teacher telling you what's correct, and there's an implicit standard of how it should look.
Authentic movement removes all of that. There's no shape you're trying to achieve. There's no aesthetic goal. The movement is the conversation between you and yourself. Sometimes it looks beautiful from the outside. Sometimes it looks strange. Neither matters.
Many people I meet come to authentic movement after years of class-based movement because they finally want to stop performing and just be in their body for an hour.
What happens during a free movement session at The Womb?
Our movement gatherings at Ecstatic Living Florida in Lake Worth Beach follow a simple arc. We open with a brief grounding: usually breath, sometimes a few gentle stretches, a moment of intention.
Then the music begins. A facilitator (sometimes me) holds the space, meaning we watch over the room energetically and make sure everyone feels safe. We don't demonstrate or instruct. Your body finds its way.
The music journeys through different qualities: slow opening, building energy, climax, cool down. Your movement journey follows the music or doesn't. You can dance the whole time. You can lie down the whole time. You can do both.
We close with stillness, then a brief sharing circle if people want to speak. Many leave without saying much. The body has done the talking.
Why does free movement feel so emotional?
Because emotion is movement. The word itself, emotion, contains "motion." When you let the body move without instruction, what you've been holding sometimes starts to move with it. For some people, grief seems to move through the hips. Joy through the chest. Anger through the arms.
Most of us spend the day suppressing emotional movement. We hold still in meetings. We control our facial expressions. We tighten our muscles to contain feelings we don't have time to feel. An hour of free movement is sometimes the first time in a week our body gets to express any of it.
Tears in movement aren't a problem. They're often the point.
Who is free movement for?
Anyone with a body. Truly. We've had teenagers, grandparents, athletes, people who haven't moved their bodies recreationally in twenty years. People recovering from injuries. People in deep grief. People in deep joy.
If you're embarrassed by the idea of moving freely in a room, that's actually a really good sign that you need this. In my experience, the embarrassment fades faster than you'd think. Usually within ten minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need any dance experience?
Absolutely none. In fact, having no formal dance training is often easier: there's less to unlearn. Your body knows how to move. It's been doing it your whole life.
What should I wear?
Comfortable clothes you can move freely in. Most people go barefoot. Loose pants, a t-shirt, leggings: whatever lets you stretch, roll, and bend without thinking about it.
What if I just want to lie on the floor the whole time?
Then lie on the floor the whole time. Genuinely. Movement is whatever your body needs that day. Sometimes the best movement is no movement.
Will other people watch me?
No. The container is intentionally non-performative. Everyone is focused inward. There's no audience. You'll likely be too inside your own experience to notice what others are doing either.
How often does Ecstatic Living Florida host free movement?
We host regular free movement and ecstatic dance gatherings at The Womb in Lake Worth Beach. Some are mid-week mornings, some are weekend evenings. Check our events page for the next one. First-timers especially welcome.
Alexis Chacin is a movement facilitator and regular face on the Ecstatic Living FL floor. She believes the body holds more wisdom than the mind is ready to admit, and that the only requirement for moving freely is willingness to begin.