Surrender
In a 1985 interview for The New York Times, Martha Graham said, “To me the body says what words cannot…. Dance is the hidden language of the soul, of the body. And it’s partly the language we don’t want to show.”
It’s a revealing statement of the power of dance when technique is over-ridden and the art is fully expressed through the cells of the body; the dancer communicates something beyond entertainment. It requires a state of surrender, much like the spiritual journey.
One of the definitions of surrender in the Oxford English Dictionary is: “to abandon oneself entirely to (a powerful emotion or influence).”
The above definition is something to which I can relate; for when I was first exposed to classical ballet at 10 years of age, I had no idea of the enormity of my task. And it would prove to be totally outside the scope of my imagination and beyond my natural ability. While in my youth, I was drawn to the classical music, the immense open space and the beauty of movement. Though challenged by the technique itself, something much larger swept over me and kept me moving toward an invisible goal; until everything was realized in my twenties. Had I known my aim was to become a professional ballet dancer early on, I never would have endured. I had to surrender to the process and rely on something, much larger than imagination, dreams, and teachers, which left much completely out of my hands, except for the hard work.
What did I surrender to? I call it God. I’ve sometimes called it the Source. It could be referred to as Infinite Being, In-Dwelling Awareness, or the Cosmos. I don’t think it matters what name is given to the diabolical inspiration for moving through difficult and joyful experiences on earth. The truth is that everyone is connected to this web. It is part of our DNA and essential goodness. It is the divine essence, the potentiality underlying our mission in life and requires surrender.
For the most part, there is no book or personal Guide, as life experiences gets you going. That’s not to say that some very wise and helpful people aren’t always available along the way, if we are paying attention. At the end of the day there is no trophy awarded or endless applause. There is only the tapestry of your life lived to the fullest, honoring your inner blueprint, and being present to Presence. One thing for sure, your personal agenda doesn’t matter, it’s the soul at work within you that gives you cause to get out of bed.
I feel fortunate that dance is my prime motivator. It provides a unique brand of expression where much can be said without words but the expression is in the form of shapes, aligned with music or silence. Words are not needed, as the body is a clear messenger and if not censored by the mind, truth is revealed.
In a society immersed in entertainment often the true message is lost in extraneous stuff that has nothing to do with the original thought. We are used to interpreting things with words and through sometimes false sensations in form and fail to recognize the deeper feelings in the viscera of our bodies. We fail to fully embrace our embodiment, which to me is the spiritual aspect of our beingness. We are a holistic system! Or in the words of Martha Graham: The body is a sacred garment.
You might be thinking, I’m not a dancer, how do I become more fully embodied? Without any expectations, you pause and listen to your body and allow a silence to embrace you, before reacting to a comment or situation. Throughout your day, you simply rest in stillness, briefly, at first, recognizing the tension in your shoulders, the ache in your belly, the sadness in your heart. Slowly, very slowly, you become aware of other parts of your nervous system that are speaking to you—the old injury that keeps returning, the memory that keeps haunting you, the frightening throb in your chest that occurs when you encounter a similar situation presently, that was from the past—all of those things that keep getting lost in the hurriedness of life—but, now you choose to respond to with reverence and attention.
Eventually and with practice, things that used to annoy you will no longer register. You may even feel lighter and carefree, but more responsible. You won’t care what others say, do, or think. You won’t need any outer endorsements or expect compliments, they’ll come anyway.
You are listening to your body, you are embodied, perhaps for the first time in decades. Then you will know yourself.
Over time you will bear witness to your own transformation and function from a place of inner joy, peace, and tranquility. Then, you are present to this very active state of surrendering to the great SOMETHING that is everywhere and within you. You become a channel for light, giving and receiving grace. You are loving life and living in pure joy.
It’s worth a try. We could use more conscious vessels of light in these times. From my experience, it definitely requires surrender, but it also feels like true FREEDOM.