The relationship between dance and yoga
There are moments in life when the body remembers what the mind has forgotten.
It remembers how to hold itself gently, how to inhabit the chest without rushing, how to open space in the heart so something larger can enter.
Dance knows this.
Yoga knows it too.
Both were born to guide us inward.
To refine our listening.
To lead us back home.
But sometimes we dance on autopilot…
And sometimes we breathe without truly breathing.
Then movement becomes empty form — effort without essence.
The meeting place between dance and yoga is the invitation to return.
The body as a soft temple
In dance, the body tells a story.
In yoga, the body remembers itself.
Both share something essential:
Nothing begins on the outside.
First, it is felt.
Then, it moves.
Only then is it shown.
When we breathe with awareness, the body stops being an instrument to control and becomes a home to live in.
The spine lengthens without force.
The pelvis finds its root.
The feet recognize the earth.
And suddenly, the dance flows by itself…
as if it wasn’t created, but remembered.
The breath as a quiet teacher
We can practice steps for hours, but if the breath is tense, the movement does not rise from the heart — it rises from effort.
A dancer who breathes consciously transforms her dance without adding anything new:
- The gaze softens.
- The neck becomes a bridge instead of a support.
- Energy expands instead of being pushed.
- Expression becomes real.
Breath is what turns technique into poetry.
Movement as offering
In India, they say dance is not performed — it is offered.
Each mudra is a flower.
Each step, a heartbeat.
Each facial expression, a silent prayer.
When we dance from this place, we’re not pretending anything.
We are remembering ourselves.
We don’t dance to be seen.
We dance to see ourselves again.
A gentle ritual to unite breath and movement
(You can practice this before rehearsing, teaching, or performing)
- Sit or stand with your spine long.
- Inhale through the nose for a count of 4, exhale for 6.
(Let the exhale empty you softly.) - Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly.
- Feel that your body is full of breathe, inhaling through your belly and then your chest.
- Then start moving slowly… with each inhale and exhale. Let your body just move, as a warming up.
- Start dancing with your breath… doesn’t care what it looks like, even if there is music… just how it feels.
- Enjoy!
No more is needed. Everything essential is already within you. But in case you need a guide: let me introduce you my favorite dance and breathing course ever. MANTRIC DANCE
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To close
Dance and yoga are not separate paths.
They are two rivers that spring from the same mountain.
Dance teaches us to expand.
Yoga teaches us to return.
When they meet, the body becomes a bridge,
and dance stops being movement…
To become presence.
