Healing Journeys with Suzie Daggett
The Reverend dj Divine or dj Divine, aka, Michael Stone, is quite the energetic being – he moved from a corporate life style to one where he introduces people to meditation through varies means, including dance, movement and intentional events. His smile and creative teaching ability have inspired many people to get out and get moving. Each year, he produces an alcohol free New Years Dance for Peace. If you are looking for a loving and more meaningful way to energize your New Year physical or spiritual body, you can join the dj Divine and many other locals on New Years Eve at Saint Joseph’s Cultural Center.
What was the catalyst to teach Five-Rhythms and Moving Meditation after a career in business?
For 25 years I worked as an Organizational Development consultant to corporations in Europe and North America. Movement was my meditation and the more I engaged in this practice the more I realized that most people are not at home in their own bodies. We are a nation of shallow breathers, which increases stress levels and leads to a myriad of physical, emotional and mental disorders. We don't recognize the power of centering and grounding and how much time, energy and suffering this knowledge could save us. I left the corporate world to pursue what I loved and what I believed could make a real difference in people's health, happiness and self-expression. I had to follow my heart!
What are some of the many options and benefits you offer to your dancers?
From the outside it looks like dance, as we move our bodies and I play a lot of great music, but it is essentially a form of meditation. As my teacher, Gabrielle Roth says, "The fastest way to still the mind is to move the body." It is a practice of raising awareness and awakening our natural instinct and intuition. In movement, we shake loose the grip that our ego and identity have on us and we experience a kind of divine freedom. I offer many options since I am a certified teacher in three types of moving meditation and ecstatic dance: The Five-Rhythms, Soul Motion and Trance Dance. The Five-Rhythms, developed by movement pioneer Gabrielle Roth, are maps of consciousness that assist us in accessing our inner wisdom. Flowing teaches us about grounding, receiving and moving with life, rather than against it. Staccato shows us how to set boundaries, express our passion in action and be productive. Chaos teaches us about surrender and letting go of our habitual patterns. Lyrical tells us to lighten up, play and see that nothing is fixed, and Stillness takes us home to our essential nature. This is what I facilitate in our Friday Five-Rhythms Classes.
On Sunday, we gather to take a deeper journey into the realm of soul. The classes are about opening our hearts and minds to our interconnectedness and attuning ourselves with the spirit that moves in all things. They are silent meditations with themes such as love, compassion, giving and receiving and discovering the peace within. They provide an opportunity to embody our prayers and celebrate our existence.
And then, I do special events like Trance dances and workshops, where we deepen this inner work. In my Eco-embodiment work, I give people an opportunity to feel their interconnection with all life. Until we experience our relationship to the planet as a living system of which we are all a part, we won't make the necessary changes to protect our environment for future generations.
What does dance do for the body, mind and spirit?
What most people do not realize is that, besides being a good physical workout, this is a spiritual practice. It produces an alignment of the heart, mind and body toward spiritual wholeness. As I often tell people, God is an inside job! We do not need a lot of dogma, rules and people outside ourselves telling us how to live -- as Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is within." Movement is a portal to inner fulfillment and gives us a direct experience of our Divine nature.
Tell us about your Annual New Year's Dance, Give Peace A Dance.
This is an opportunity to have a conscious, alcohol free and soulful New Year's celebration in beautiful St. Joseph's Cultural Center. The event supports us in letting go of the past and reinventing ourselves in a fun way that is consistent with our commitment to the kind of world we want. I will have a number of DJs playing all night. Instead of drinking champagne at midnight we will be doing a deep meditation for inner peace and its reflection into our world. We started doing these in 2000 and it is a highlight in many people's year. It is a lot of fun. We have a potluck dinner and a room where people can relax and talk. New Year's morning we will have a Special Sweat Your Prayers that deepens the process from the previous evening.
What do you get out of the work you do?
This is my spiritual practice. We provide a safe place to be authentic, open and experience our own beauty and magnificence. I feel blessed to have my work be my service...
dj Divine, Michael, teaches Five Rhythms Classes, Fridays 5-7:15 pm and Sweat Your Prayers, Sundays 10 am-Noon at the South Yuba Club in Nevada City. The New Year's Eve Celebration starts 8pm at St. Joseph's Cultural Center. Call 477-7757 or visit welloflight.com/
Healing Journeys is a column written by Suzie Daggett for the Grass Valley Union newspaper. Suzie interviews a variety of health practitioners most Fridays in the Wellness section. Click here to read past articles. Enter "Suzie Daggett" in the search box to get listing of all articles. |
