It is said that dance is a form of meditation and I’ve heard this time and again from many people. Be it a choreographer, a dancer or even a meditation practitioner, all keep saying that dance takes you to another world. Recently, I read some books by Osho, where he insisted that dance is the best method of meditation. I would like to tell you what I gathered through the books of meditation of Osho.
Osho has stated various creative expressions to attain the state of meditation and dance happens to be one of them. According to him, one can be an absolute being by dancing and eventually leads you the state of oneness. In fact that applies to any activity which does not let us feel our present and transcends to another state of mind.
I have a dance studio in Pune and that’s where the Osho ashram is located as well. During my few visits to the plush green and beautiful Osho commune, I met many sanyasinis, who danced effortlessly and enjoyed dancing rather than meditating in one posture. It was sheer delight to see their natural inclination towards dance. It’s not only spontaneous and natural but an authentic expression of their inner selves.
In dance we need to be natural and spontaneous like a small child. Oshos says that we have to allow the dance to happen rather than forcing it in an artificial manner. As long the dancer is present, dancing cannot become meditation. When a dancer is lost and only dance remains then the real meditation happens and this phenomena can’t be forced, it happens when we are not there in the dance.
As basic criteria one should enjoy the dance and dance for oneself and the way one wants to dance. Instead of imitating any dance form one should allow the dance to emerge from our depths. Let the dance flow and takes its own shape.
After reading the books of Osho, now I realise why many a time I have felt that I wasn’t present on earth, but in an another world. It was because I was in meditation. My soul rose to another level taking me out of my consciousness and making me reach closer to the divine. Dance legend Michael Jackson inside the cover of Dangerous album in 2001 had said, “Consciousness expresses itself through creation. This world we live in is the dance of the creator. Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye, but the dance lives on. On many an occasion when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred. In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists. I become the stars and the moon. I become the lover and the beloved. I become the victor and the vanquished. I become the master and the slave. I become the singer and the song. I become the knower and the known. I keep on dancing... then it is the eternal dance of creation. The creator and the creation merge into one wholeness of joy. I keep on dancing and dancing...and dancing. Until there is only ... the dance.