Love. Sex. Desire. EMBODIED

It will be soulful and sacred.
 It will be sexy and wild.
 It will be empowering and life-changing. It will take you back to your party days where you felt TOTALLY FREE AND ALIVE…except, you won’t need drugs or alcohol to get there. And you definitely won’t wake up with a regrettable hangover. Instead, you’ll have so much ENERGY and CREATIVITY and CONFIDENCE and ECSTATIC JOY you won’t even recognise yourself. And that’s a promise.

When I read the intro for the Love. Sex. Desire. EMBODIED Sacred Dance Party held on the 9^th of May; it may be a bit of an understatement that I was intrigued….! I was captured on words like:

Empowering

Life changing

Free

Alive

Mind you I was also slightly a bit excited about the fact that there was no need for drugs or my old friend alcohol, although in the past these thoughts would never have made it past my lips (unless I was hugging the bowl the next day – erase picture from one’s mind) let alone in writing! Usually when it came to events where I felt a tad nervous, I’d turn to a couple of glasses of my old friend champagne to quell the butterflies and then you bet yah… I became the life of the party! A friendly, happy-go-lucky, hug anyone and confess my love to them type of “life of the party”! Ahhhhh memories!

But nerves aside, I was indeed excited! Not only did I encourage two of my girlfriends to come with me so we could share in the experience together but I was looking forward to being TOTALLY FREE AND ALIVE! A statement that could be somewhat of a difficult one when you face some obstacles like mine!

The Sacred Dance Party was held in the most amazing yoga studio (Yoga in Daily Life) in Newstead, Brisbane. We entered, laid out our yoga mats and melted into the arrival ‘chillax’ time. Then… in she floated, gliding through the sea of beautiful women, bathed in blood-red and oozing sex appeal! Her name…. Susana Frioni; and in a fiery red jumpsuit, she was a smokin’ sexy goddess! I can guarantee that there was not one woman in the room that wasn’t in awe of this little vixen!

We were led through some journaling time before we eased into the dance segment of the evening… you know the part about being TOTALLY FREE AND ALIVE! The beats started rippling through our bodies, it was hard at first not to unleash but rather soak it up and take in the music and appreciate how it made us feel. And then… we were given the okay to RELEASE! Release the inhibitions and the metaphorical chains that hold us back and just be one with the music and allow the rest happen with our bodies; dance like we have never danced before! And like a jungle filled with crazy chimpanzees (with kick-ass dance moves mind you!) we went wild! Broad smiles could be seen from the faces surrounding me as they swirled past my little ‘dance space’ that I created, others so engrossed that their eyes were closed as they listened to their souls and allowed their bodies to be free; free to dance however their bodies chose. And then we stopped.

We were given blindfolds at the beginning of the dance session to be used later in the evening… enter the beast APPREHENSION. Isn’t it funny how the act of covering our eyes and plunging into darkness becomes very unnerving. Letting go of control and allowing ourselves to trust sends our nerves into overdrive. So when the blindfold activity came about and we were to move around and begin dancing, I am pretty confidant that my movements somewhat resembled that of the first man on the moon! Slow, and unsure, comical almost…. Maybe, I thought, I’ll take a step here and hope I don’t run flat bang into the chicky next to me…ahhh success! Okay, so that wasn’t too disastrous…. So maybe I might move here … and so on, until I pretty much moved around the entire room in my ‘astronaut dance’! This exercise began as the one I was most nervous about and it ended up being the one that exhilarated me the most by allowing myself to break down the foundations that I had built so sturdy around me, allowing myself to let go and allowing others, who didn’t know me to take this journey beside me and be free. Free from the pressure and tension of all of our lives, free from judgment (our own and others), and free to be OUR SELFS. There is a lot to be said for “Dance like no one is watching”…. I am sure that I am not the only one that busts out the ‘Hammer’ moves in my lounge room, and sometimes singing from the top of my very bespectacled lungs (sorry neighbours!). Because, lets admit it; you really do allow yourself to let go!

But heck, what does it matter to dance publicly? Next time you see a girl… or even a guy (I know this is rare) get up and dance by themselves on a dance floor in a euphoric state of joy… why not join them. You don’t necessarily have to dance their dance; dance your own and revel in the sheer freedom of the feelings it manifests in you. I can tell you no one is really judging, they may snicker but in honesty they love it! Why? Because they want to be able to do the same. And deep down this is the crux… the biggest judges are ourselves! So quell that nasty little demon and allow yourself the freedom to connect with you, with your sexuality, your loves and your desires and RELEASE!

For me, I had the biggest exhaustion hangover the next day! I released at The Sacred Dance Party in every sense of the word. I released myself from the tensions I am experiencing, the pressures I put on myself, the tight grip of control I try to hold on my life and my emotions, and for the first time in a year I felt TOTALLY FREE AND ALIVE!

So do yourself a favour and check out the lovely Susana Frioni, she walks and talks all things “woman”, from authenticity and intimacy to feminine power and sacred sexuality! And keep your eye out for the next Sacred Dance Party heading your way, I will assure you – the best hangover you’ll ever experience is one where you feel free, alive, inspired and empowered!

With love, light and astronaut moves xx

Photographer: Bayleigh Vedelago