Dance-The Sacred Art: The Joy of Movement as a Spiritual Practice (The Art of Spiritual Living) - Softcover

Cynthia Winton-Henry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159473268X ISBN 13: 9781594732683

Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

For many people, the idea of dance is relegated to professionals. But for Cynthia Winton-Henry, dance is the movement of life. In the pages of this book, she invites all of us, regardless of experience, into the possibility of dance/movement as a spiritual practice. Offering simple movement suggestions that even the clumsy among us can try, Winton-Henry opens up a liberating form of spiritual practice that can lead to spirit-centred living in our human bodies. Drawing on her extensive background in movement and dance and her studies and understanding of spirituality, she combines her lived experience to introduce such practices as: · Dance for Soul Retrieval: Movements that can bring serenity, energy, humour, strength and healing · Seven Minutes of Heaven Therapy, or Just Vacation: Movement practices for invoking, blessing, releasing, balancing, discerning · A Few Elegant Forms: Open, loose movement structures to help us follow our own instincts to move DANCE THE SACRED ART is a simple, approachable resource for people at all levels on the movement path who want to explore how dance and movement can be an important element in their spiritual growth. The book, also, includes suggestions for Creating Dancing Community for readers who want to take their dance and movement practices to the next level.

About this title

Review:

Do you sometimes feel as if you are experiencing information overload? Then pick up this book and learn the technique of "exformation" through dance. That is only one of the many ideas Winton-Henry shares in this creative contribution to spiritual practice.

The author presents the Divine as asking each person "May I have this dance?" Yet so many religious traditions downplay or deny the value of the body in spite of numerous traditions of God's movement toward creatures and the lively response of followers. This repression was not always so nor need it be so in the future, according to the author. In fact, words such as “carol” and “chorus” mean to dance and to dance together.

Winton-Henry develops ways in which to approach the Holy through unlocking the dance of joy, approaching wholeness through movement and dancing for healing. Interestingly, she also promotes dancing as a part of spiritual direction, as action of the beloved community and as a form of peacemaking.

Included in the book are a variety of movement practices for each theme, additional reading suggestions and resources for particular forms of dancing. No matter what age, what physical ability or limitation or what spiritual tradition you are, there is much in this volume to invite you to the sacred dance.

(Colette Hanlon Catholic Library World)

About the Author:

Cynthia Winton-Henry, cofounder of InterPlay (an international not-for-profit organization with locations in over fifty cities on five continents), teaches people to unlock the wisdom of the body through movement and creativity. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at Pacific School of Religion and the Sophia Center at Holy Names University, and is author of Chasing the Dance of Life: A Faith Journey; What the Body Wants and Dance―The Sacred Art: The Joy of Movement as a Spiritual Practice (SkyLight Paths).

About this edition

• Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 159473268X
• ISBN 13: 9781594732683
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160