Free movement

Over the last few months I have really got into free movement after I did a class on YouTube that encouraged me to listen to my body and move it a way that felt good and aligned with my intuition rather than following a set sequence. I was utterly amazed and overwhelmed by how freeing it felt, I was overwhelmed with emotions- I laughed, I cried and I really felt that I had discovered a part of myself that I had shut away. It was magical. I have been hooked ever since and try to find a little bit of time to move my body freely every single day.

At first it can feel hard, unnatural and embarrassing to move in this way. I have felt silly more times than I can count, I have had to stop as I have been so uncomfortable with moving like this. But I come back to the practice time and time again and now I love it. It is beautiful and magical to dance freely. To move freely. It has helped me come back to myself, connect to who I am. When I’ve felt lost, when I’ve felt down, when I’ve needed a bit of love I know that I have this practice, this space to come and be.

What is free movement?

It is really hard to define free movement as it is so different for everyone but essentially it is moving your body freely, in a way that feels good and is aligned with your intuition. To help me define it, I did a little bit of research and came across this definition which I love

Free Movement: a way of dancing where you find your own movements to different music rhythms (such as swaying, flowing, shaking, chaos, staccato, stillness, drumming/beats) and there is no given sequence or movement patterns to follow.

For me, free movement looks a lot like dancing. But there is no routine or focus on how I look. Just me fully in my body and out of my mind expressing myself.

I believe that free movement is a form of self expression. It gives our bodies a chance to talk, to tell a story, to offer an insight into how we truly feel. Without words, without overthinking. I have learnt so much about myself during my free movement practices and have also started to accept parts of myself that I previously has struggled with.

Tips for starting a free movement practice

• Find some space. You won’t be able to move freely unless you have enough space. I’m not saying you need a giant ballroom but find enough room to really dance it out. This is a practice when you aren’t limited to the rectangle of your yoga mat, embrace it!

• Put on a playlist that you love. This helps you to feel more comfortable and relax into it. Dance to the beat of the music and release your inhibitions. I have made a feel good playlist, which is great if you want some upbeat tunes or listen to the playlist that I made specifically for free movement and have a boogie!

• Try a guided free movement class to get you started. Getting into free movement can feel quite scary and daunting so trying a class is the perfect way to ease yourself into it. I really love this class on Cat Meffan’s YouTube or try this free flow class on my YouTube channel! The classes encourage you to listen to your intuition as well as providing a bit of guidance if you feel stuck.

• Ease yourself into it. Start of slow. I like to ground into the practice by taking a few deep breaths, checking in with my body and setting an intention for the practice. Then I gently start to sway, before beginning to move more fluidly and freely. Be kind to yourself and take it at your own pace, knowing that you can come back to stillness and the breath whenever you need to.

• It’s not about how it looks. When you do free movement it can be so tempting to try and make it look nice or to watch yourself in the mirror but that immediately stops the movement being intuitive and takes the focus off how it feels and onto how it looks. Meaning that you aren’t fully listening to your body. Don’t look in a mirror, don’t try to look a certain way. Just be and move.

"Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free”

I hope that you are inspired to try free movement and that you love it as much as I do!

Let me know in the comments below how moving in this way makes you feel!

Megan x