The Dance of Six Year Old You

In my Kundalini yoga classes I often ask my students to get up and dance as part of a kriya. Most of the time, they shyly get off the mat and start looking around. They listen to the music and sway slightly, waiting for someone else to be the first to pick up the rythym of the music. They look at me, as if I am going to show them exactly how to dance and which steps to use. I’ll tell them to get off the mat and move to the music. They hesitate. Sometimes they ignore me altogether. Usually there is one free spirit who gets things going, and the rest of the group loosens up and begins to dance. Most of the time, it is not a full-tilt boogie, but rather a nursing home bossa nova.

Today in class, I decided this kind of half-hearted dancing was unacceptable. “What would the six year old you say if I told him or her that when they grew up, they wouldn’t even like dancing? That when I asked them to dance in class, they would just stand there? What on earth would six year old you think of you now?”

“I think the six year old you would say ‘Nuh-uh! Not me, I’m gonna be a great dancer! I’m gonna show you! I’m gonna jump and leap and twirl. I’m gonna love dancing!’ Put aside your ego! There no such thing as a dancing fool, only a fool who doesn’t dance!”

The class got in touch with their younger selves and beautiful dancers emerged. Swinging, twirling, whirling little girls with ballerina dreams appeared before my eyes and became the dance. I could see temple dancers from ancient India emerge from within them and saw old men reclaim their youth on the dance floors of their memories.

When was the last time you really danced? Danced like six year old you dreamed you would? Put your whole heart and your whole body into the music and left it there? When was the last time you swam in a pool of music? Angels envy us these bodies, with which we dance for God. Use them! Put on some high vibration music and dance the Dance of Six Year Old You!