When you ignore signals from your body.

Dear Reader

Dear All,

I warn you all: never forget you have a body, never forget to listen to it, never forget to listen to yourself. Because doing so, you will forget your needs, your beauty, yourself.

I have to apologise. Yes, it’s not that kind of start for a post you are used to reading, but in fact, I wanted to start in the most authentic way possible. The rest of this special “letter” will also be honest.

If you were part of my Facebook group since the beginning you saw I was posting a lot one year ago, so much energised by happiness because I wanted to share with you a little bit of my path, first with the 3 Days Immersion and then with the new course, “Glowing You!”. I was convinced that with my experience I could be of help and support for you if you would have liked to share a bit of path.

And in fact, this happened to some of you.

Then I was kind of disappearing. I remained present for the students of the course. This was the maximum that I could do.

I was often “proposing” myself to come back and follow up, to hear how you were doing and giving more tips or danced explorations… But something was blocking me.

Yes, the lockdown, moving into a new house and some changes in my private life were happening.

Here and now I will be honest with you.

I am a movement teacher and researcher with a background in science.

I create danced explorations (that someone saw also as meditations in movement) to get in touch again with your body, and deepen the awareness of your body, of yourself. This is because I think (and experienced) that this is giving tools to deal with daily life challenges, little or big.

And yes, it’s working.

So what happened is that I’ve found myself in a very difficult period (just to say it simple and nice) and the reason (or one of the reasons) for this was because I stopped listening to my body, I’ve ignored many signals and went on thinking it was all fine!

WHAAAAAAT?

Yes…

First I’ve only felt something was not sooo right and in fact, I was not able to show up in the group… then, when I’ve understood why it was so difficult, I was shocked.

How could I ever imagine teaching other women and men to listen to their body if I was not doing it… for quite a long time.

That’s why I was not able to show up consistently in this group and kept a little connection with the student of the course.

This (and some other objective situations like lockdown in Covid time) brought to a period of stillness, I felt I could not move, I was feeling stuck, and it was also difficult to explore new dances.

But let’s face it, it was not all that bad.

This special period was so much needed because it allowed and forced me to look inside myself and get in touch again with who I am and the very most important reason I do all this.

I’m anyway always me, as you knew me before. I just added a different approach to my daily challenges.

Every day I’m gently asking myself to stay in touch with myself (sounds strange), I exercise by listening to my body, and I often ask myself “how do I feel NOW in my body regarding this or that situation? Where do I feel it? What’s the need in my body now?” I do it in a joyful and playful way, with respect for what is popping up and for myself. It is not always easy not to judge, I’m still exercising on this… ;-)

If you could read until now you’ve understood or got the feeling that:

I’m not a superhuman, only because I have more experience than you in this area, doesn’t mean I have no pitfalls…

The most important thing is how to deal with those pitfalls. I don’t hide from you that during the moment of “stillness” I was feeling stuck. After a while that I was in that situation I understood it was a needed situation, at that moment, the stillness was an opportunity to find a new way that had sense.

Looking inside for such a long period helped me to see why am I doing all this.

This Why is at the same time scary and fueling.

I’m feeling that there are many women who need support. They look like warriors and they’ve fought a lot for themselves and their families for many different reasons. They are tired of fighting and they even cannot remember how to feel good.

They begin to realise that the change they want is connected to their choices or no-choices.

I won’t be able to avoid them on this path of suffering, that’s not my role and it’s even not possible.

I want to be there to support them, with tools and vision, so that they can learn to connect to themselves, trust themselves and choose differently.

Of course, if there is the need for a psychotherapist or another professional figure, this group and my work is not the right place, some issues need another place to be solved but through what I teach there will be the possibility to learn how to feel at home in your body, listening to it and learning how to find and use the tools of embodiment (yes this is it ;-) ) in daily life.

As soon as it will be possible I will also take some courses (as I’ve already done also during the lockdown) to be able to serve you in the better way possible.

The why has now a different flavor and I feel the urgency to be present with you all and to share this group with more women than possible.

Who will take my courses will be in another private group, so as to be able to share in a more intimate and safer way and to feel at home.

How do I see the future for the group “Imaginative Inside-Out Dance”? and for the courses?

Due to logistic reasons, what I honestly see is my presence in the group, once a month.

“Tickling posts” during the time we don’t see each other and

1 or 2 times the “3 Days Immersion” during the year.

The course will be again available (and completely renewed) probably at the end of 2021.

I also have an idea for another course which I will share with you in the next few months to see if you find it helpful (I’m here for you… and we learn together).

Thank you all for being in this group, for your presence, for the feedback some of you gave me during this period, and for the possibility to be here.

Thank you for reading until here.. Hey.. it was a loooong letter…

See you next time in the next possible month, looking forward to being back.

Wishing you all the best from my heart,

Alessandra Carelse

“Dancing is a state of the Being,

If you are alive, you are already dancing, your cells are dancing, your fluids are dancing, your whole you is dancing, … “just” because you are Alive”

(cit. me ;-) )