Dancing Mindfulness: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Emerging Practice.

A review of quantitative and qualitative literature links mindfulness practice to psychological well-being. Dancing Mindfulness, a holistic wellness practice, uses dance as a vehicle for mindfulness meditation. Ten women who first learned the practice in a community setting shared their lived experiences, analyzed using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological psychological method. They reported positive experiences, with themes indicating improved emotional and spiritual well-being, increased acceptance, positive self-changes, and greater application of mindfulness to daily life. Dancing and music were identified as the two major components driving these benefits.

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Abstract

An extensive review of both quantitative and qualitative literature reveals numerous connections between mindfulness practice and psychological well-being. Dancing Mindfulness, as a holistic wellness practice, is a creative approach to mindfulness meditation that draws on dance as the vehicle for engaging in the ancient practice characterized by non-judgment, loving kindness, and present-centered awareness. Of the first participants who learned the Dancing Mindfulness practice in a community-based setting, 10 shared their lived experience with the practice, and these experiences were analyzed using A.P. Giorgi׳s descriptive phenomenological psychological method. As a collective sample, the women described positive experiences with the Dancing Mindfulness practice. Specific themes indicated improvements in emotional and spiritual well-being, increased acceptance, positive changes to the self, and increased application of mindfulness techniques and strategies to real-world living. Another thematic area suggested that dancing and music are the two major components of action within Dancing Mindfulness leading to these benefits.