Soul Motion with Vinn Marti - Experience Your Whole Being

... become aware of the space behind you (the past), in front of you (what is to come), above you (the people that stand on your shoulders), beneath you (the people on who's shoulders you stand), and besides you (the people you travel with).



Last week I attended one of the soul motion workshops with Vinn Marti. It was an experience of a lifetime. Vinn embodies his practice, which radiates through his dedicated following.

In just a few days Vinn lead us through an exploration of how to be committed, stay present, explore the omniverse, and be part of a community.

Commitment: by showing up on time and doing the work.

Staying present: by being in the moment. Not seeking (e.g., joy) rather be open to what's available. Exploring the energy: make it move you or let you be still. Be alert, be patient, and be a container for others and the entire space.

Exploring the omniverse: become aware of the space behind you (the past), in front of you (what is to come), above you (the people that stand on your shoulders), beneath you (the people on whom's shoulders you stand), and besides you (the people you travel with).

Becoming part of a community: learning to listen, to serve, to be aware of everyone, and to understand that you don't want anything from anybody (including praise). It is through the tale of your story that communication with the community occurs and the juices flow. Allowing to serve yourself by servings others.

I deeply want to thank everyone and the community that we created.

Humbly, --Raymond.

Links

• Soul Motion with Vinn Marti
• Journey Dance - Local dance events in your area
• Kripalu : exploring the life of yoga.

Related Posts

• Quieting the mind with Journey Dance
• Choreographed dance movement to promote health and balance

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About the author

Raymond Bokenkamp, MBA, MS is the founder of Bokenkamp Consulting. He holds a Masters degree in .....Read More

Quieting Your Mind with Journey Dance

On a given day, the average person spends much of their attention in their mind with way too little attention directed to the body and to the soul. Our mind and egos are so powerful that they often make us see reality as a substantially distorted reflection.

This is a sign of our times and many of us seek to change this imbalance by practicing mindfulness, meditation and yoga. Other sports such as running, walking, or team sports can be powerful as well. The only catch is that if you get overly competitive over a prolonged period of time then your ego takes charge again.

Why should you care about Journey Dance? Your ego is so powerful that it will convince you and try to convince others of distorted realities. However when you dance, the ego has to surrender to the body and your soul. This may be uncomfortable for many, but it is an extremely powerful way of expressing and processing what is really going on in your life. And it's not about how "good" of a dancer you are. The only currency is that you bring your authentic self. It is quite natural actually, although it may feel a bit rusty at first.

Where can you attend a Journey Dance event? I attended a Journey Dance event at the Elkins Estate in Philadelphia last Friday. The Journey Dance founder, the talented Toni Bergins, took 75 people through an empowering journey. She made me feel extremely comfortable in sharing inner and outer spaces through dance and music. I loved that we peaked on "Break on Through" by the Doors. I actually felt like I was at a rock concert. The event was a great success and all 75 attendees were certified rock stars by the end of the night.

Toni travels nationally and internationally to host Journey Dance events, teacher trainings and dance related workshops. She will be back in Philadelphia on May 14th and 15th at Dhyana Yoga studio. Mark your calendar so that you can experience this great event and become rock stars, too.

What do you think about using movement/dance to reach a content state?
What do you to quiet the mind?

Choreographed Dance Movement to promote health and balance.

I just came back from Kripalu in the Berkshires, MA, where I completed the JourneyDance(TM) teacher training. It was a demanding experience with many gratifying moments. Mostly, seeing a group of 38 woman and 4 men coming together as one and dance like we danced together for years after just 40 hours of intensive training in 5 days.

There is plenty of literature available concerning dance and its therapeutic properties mostly concerning anxiety, depression, dementia, group dynamics, personal development, authentic communication, trans-cultural (and let me add cross-gender) relationships, and transformational leadership (i.e. Dance Movement Therapy by Helen Payne, Dance As a Healing Art : Returning to Health Through Movement & Imagery by Anna Halprin and Dance and other Expressive Art Therapies, and Therapy in Motion by Maureen Costonis). Perhaps still little is known about this “up and coming” modality called JourneyDance (TM).

Toni Bergens, M. Ed developed JourneyDance(TM) as an opportunity for personal growth and healing. Her authenticity, experience and energy draws many students and teachers into a choreographed journey of dance and music. Starting with embodiment, the student experiences movements on the floor, grounding herself into the body (and out of the mind). I valued the experience of crawling like a baby again. It made me feel in the moment without concern of future or past activities. Once embodied, the student goes through the awakening and immersion stages that (among other benefits) lubricate the spine, knees and other joints. The student is then lead into an expansion stage. Toni is a gifted leader that reads the energy of the group. She brings the students together on movement when needed, but leaves a lot of time for self-exploration. Toni refers to this powerful leadership tool as the “accordion technique.”

All stages are guided by complementing movements, music and sounds. In the expansion stage, students are encouraged to let go of the old and let in the new. This stage releases stuck energy and leaves a student feeling big and clear. The next stage, “Shamanic Empowerment” brings the student back to African rhythms and rituals. This stage stimulates release and students can go into a mild trance like state that brings them back to primordial memories. This particular stage is associated with a primordial masculine energy.

After the student has reached an expanded stage and a higher awareness, the JourneyDance teacher holds the space and safely guides the group back to a centered stage. This is done through heart and prayer dance and returning to the earth for deep relaxation. You can learn lots more about JourneyDance by visiting JourneyDance.com. You will find a listing of classes for your area. I had a great time and want to thank Toni, the staff and my fellow students for this incredible experience.

JourneyDance has had an impact in my own life to help me promote health and balance. These experiences have significantly improved the quality in my own life and made me launch a free online directory for therapists: Health Panda. The Directory makes it easy for clients to research therapist referrals and find a good match. Visit the directory by clicking here. The website is called healthpanda.com. I am always curious about your feedback. You can reach me by dropping me an email at raymond@healthpanda.com.


Raymond Bokenkamp
Founder HealthPanda.com