[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”35475|full” max_width=”” style_type=”dropshadow” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”zoomin” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”” linktarget=”_self” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]http://consciousdancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Monday-Love-to-your-Roster.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”shadow” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”30″ bottom_margin=”30″ border_size=”2″ icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_title title_type=”text” rotation_effect=”bounceIn” display_time=”1200″ highlight_effect=”circle” loop_animation=”off” highlight_width=”9″ highlight_top_margin=”0″ before_text=”” rotation_text=”” highlight_text=”” after_text=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” content_align=”left” size=”1″ font_size=”” animated_font_size=”” fusion_font_family_title_font=”” fusion_font_subset_title_font=”” fusion_font_variant_title_font=”” line_height=”” letter_spacing=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” margin_top_mobile=”” margin_bottom_mobile=”” text_color=”” animated_text_color=”” highlight_color=”” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””]
“If theater is ritual, then dance is too… When you dance, you can enjoy the luxury of being you.“
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~ Paulo Coelho
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What are the special moments in your life that anchor you? Why are some activities more than just routine? How do you know when something becomes a ritual?
Webster says the word ritual can be either a noun or an adjective. “The established form for a ceremony” “Done in accordance with social custom” or most germane to my train of thought today “An act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner.”
Ritual and routine are similar words, for all I know they share some of the same etymological roots. To my thinking, your routine has more to do with the overall shape and sequence of your habits, while ritual refers to some of the specific activities within.
Habits can be fully intentional or totally mindless. Stanford researcher B.J. Fogg is my favorite expert on the topic, his work shows that the most profound shifts in personal growth are all derived from the smallest adjustments in routine, thus his book title “Tiny Habits.”
He shows that the simple act of properly making your bed each morning can have a cornerstone effect that bolsters self-esteem and makes it easier to tackle larger issues in your life that arise throughout the day.
Rituals can be found embedded within any habit, although rituals aren’t always habitual. If you have a religious background or come from a culture with strong traditions you may have times of day, dates on the calendar, or periodic celestial events that call for observance.
Some rituals are your own inventions, quirks, or idiosyncrasies that have significance only to you that may be invisible or unimportant to an outside observer. Other rituals are imposed by outside events, prior to coronavirus how often did you wear a face mask?
I like to look for the little actions that gradually take on more meaning and significance as time goes on, until one day I notice that they’ve become important rituals that enrich my existence in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Reading a few pages of narrative fiction before going to sleep puts me into a mental state conducive to dreaming. An hour out with the dog before sunset clears my head. Putting a nice vintage jazz record on the turntable sets the stage for sitting down to dinner.
Mornings are an especially important time for rituals. Almost everyone has some sort of hot drink habit, caffeinated or not. My preferred mode is to lift off slow with black tea and then kick in the afterburners with a French Press of French Roast coffee later in the morning.
It’s important to pause occasionally and appreciate how much richness, satisfaction, and texture practices like this contribute to your life. Every ritual, regardless of how mundane, is an opportunity to drop into mindfulness and simply enjoy the present moments in life.
Take, for instance, the subject of citrus. One might take the topic of orange juice to be of the slightest consequence in the grand scheme of things, but I beg to differ. Around our house the idea of frozen concentrate or pre-packaged and pre-pasteurized juice is sacrilege.
Indeed, our journey into the exalted ranks of citrus connoisseurs began well over a decade ago with a cursory reading of Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens. He writes about the SOEFs (Subtle Organizing Energy Fields) present in raw fruits and vegetables.
According to Cousens, these energy fields are present only while the cellular structure is still intact. Within minutes of breaking the cell walls by juicing, cutting, or cooking, the most highly energized vitamins and nutrients begin to break down.
Whether his theory has scientific merit or is just more New Age nonsense is neither here nor there. My own subjective personal experience, validated by my family and friends, is that the nectar from fresh citrus drank within minutes of juicing, is simply sublime.
From pre-school on, my daughter has started each day with fresh juice. To meet the standards of her own ritual, it has to be strained, free of pulp, and served in her special tiny white mug. Navels, of course, but also Valencias, Mandarins, and Tangerines. Grapefruit? Never!
While her peers in grade school would be constantly out with colds or down with a fever, she rarely had even the slightest sniffle. Could we credit her near-perfect attendance record to the daily ritual of fresh citrus? No, but either way, her immune system seems to be made of iron.
Nowadays my mindful morning citrus session has three parts. While the tea water is coming to a boil I start by juicing a few oranges. Isa prefers hers with pulp so it goes straight into the glass. Some gets strained for G. I’m hardcore with my grapefruit, so that gets the final squeeze.
It’s such a regular feature of our mornings that we don’t give it a second thought. Yet it’s one of those things that adds so much and asks so little. From the first slice with the knife to the last sip from the glass, it’s a simple sequence that reveals a rich ritual.
You surely have such sequences in your life that invite moments of mindfulness to come to the fore. Things that bring you joy and bolster your health in these topsy-turvy times are especially worth your appreciation and attention. Delight dwells in the smallest of moments.
May your week be mindful and your rituals rewarding,
Much love till next Monday!
M+
Mark Metz
Director of the Dance First Association
Publisher of Conscious Dancer Magazine
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Open Floor Ground Floor Lab
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The Ground Floor Lab is a five-day, in-depth tour of the Open Floor movement practice. Three of the Open Floor International’s most seasoned teachers ~ Stacey Butcher, Jenny Macke & Heather Ehlers ~ team up to immerse students in the curriculum. You will come away with an understanding of the core teachings and the skills to use them in your life, both on and off the dance floor. This program attracts a diverse, international community of like-minded dancers who are interested in bringing embodied movement into their work and incorporating it into their lives. Attending a Ground Floor Lab is a prerequisite for anyone interested in training with Open Floor, and it is also open to those who simply want to go deeper into their practice.
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[/fusion_text][fusion_button link=”http://www.staceybutcher.com/ground-floor-lab–sept-9-13-online.html” text_transform=”” title=”” target=”_self” link_attributes=”” alignment=”center” modal=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” color=”default” button_gradient_top_color=”” button_gradient_bottom_color=”” button_gradient_top_color_hover=”” button_gradient_bottom_color_hover=”” accent_color=”” accent_hover_color=”” type=”” bevel_color=”” border_width=”” border_radius=”” border_color=”” border_hover_color=”” size=”” stretch=”default” icon=”” icon_position=”left” icon_divider=”no” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=””] Lab Dates September 9-13 Learn More & Apply Now[/fusion_button][fusion_separator style_type=”shadow” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”30″ bottom_margin=”30″ border_size=”2″ icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][fusion_builder_row_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_2″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”35430|full” max_width=”” style_type=”dropshadow” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”zoomin” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”https://www.tamalpa.org/” linktarget=”_blank” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]http://consciousdancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Tampla.png[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_2″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_imageframe image_id=”33675|full” max_width=”” style_type=”dropshadow” blur=”” stylecolor=”” hover_type=”zoomin” bordersize=”” bordercolor=”” borderradius=”” align=”none” lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” lightbox_image_id=”” alt=”” link=”https://www.damselflyorganicclothing.com/” linktarget=”_blank” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” filter_hue=”0″ filter_saturation=”100″ filter_brightness=”100″ filter_contrast=”100″ filter_invert=”0″ filter_sepia=”0″ filter_opacity=”100″ filter_blur=”0″ filter_hue_hover=”0″ filter_saturation_hover=”100″ filter_brightness_hover=”100″ filter_contrast_hover=”100″ filter_invert_hover=”0″ filter_sepia_hover=”0″ filter_opacity_hover=”100″ filter_blur_hover=”0″]http://consciousdancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/damselflyorganicclothing.jpg[/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column_inner][/fusion_builder_row_inner][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]