MICHELLE DUBREUIL MACEK
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A human encounter inspires a poetic life

11/7/2018

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I happened upon Biodanza during a very low point in my life. I was seven years into my fourteen year journey in Africa, having given up my secure, independent life in the US and a tenured teaching job that defined me. I had married and had two children, but had lost myself somewhere along the way in the morass of new motherhood and the difficult task of adapting to new and challenging environments in poverty stricken African cities. 




BIODANZA, poetry of human encounter


Discovering Biodanza was the product of pure serendipity in the form of a flyer on a gym wall. With trepidation, I made my first encounter, pregnant with my third child, in an outdoor Biodanza class. 


I was initially taken back by the personal connections during the sessions, staring into someone’s eyes or holding hands with a stranger during the walking exercise. However, as the facilitator wove specific exercises into each class, I began to develop a comfort level with these connections and in time, a deep desire for this authenticity. The constant pulsation from me to the group and back helped me acknowledge that in my own adventurous and nomadic life, I was indeed strong and quite capable of embracing life’s authentic flow. 


Peeling off the layers


With passion in my heart and a newly born baby, I decided to join the Biodanza School in Johannesburg. I was challenged by the level of intimacy that was carefully and progressively introduced. However, I felt safe connecting first with myself. What is that mask I am hiding behind?  How is this showing up in my dance?  As I began to peel away the layers with self-regulation and feedback, I felt the emergence of the real me within every dance. These are two important concepts reinforced in the Biodanza space. Self-regulation allows you to care for your physical needs in the dance—if you need to slow down, speed up, or even  rest, you need to make the decision. Extending this concept to the other dancers, being in communication with them through awareness of their space, gestures, and need for contact is also stressed. 


Connecting to presence


Next, and perhaps the biggest challenge, was learning to be present with others. Not superficially present as we tend to be in our busy Western society, but really connected with someone else in the dance. Holding hands, gazing into the “eyes of humanity” as Biodanza creator Rolando Toro describes it, or lying in a warm nest or “puppy puddle” on the ground, I felt increasingly comforted, contained, and liberated from cultural constraints of how we are supposed to relate to one another.  


Deepening this ability to be authentically present with myself and others also allowed me to connect more profoundly to the Divine. When I dance now, I am filled with the presence of the numinous and feel this awesome energy in dancers with whom I ignite on the dance floor. 


Full circle


As a wife and mother of three, I am more connected in mind, body, and spirit ways that replaced the distraction I felt before. I look people in the eyes, focus on them, and don’t answer my ringing phone or look away with disinterest. I can say that I know what it truly is to be present with someone and I know that each moment of life is sacred and precious My “poetic encounters” now extend beyond the dance floor and spill over into my daily life.


Biodanza, the dance and blessing of my life...

www.biodanzausa.com for more on the dance of life 

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0 Comments

    "small talk about rEVOLutionary
    LOVE"

    "I love, therefore, I am"
    Rolando Toro

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    Welcome to...

    "small talk about rEVOLutionary LOVE"...

    because both big and small love is sacred...from your little puppy, the stranger who smiles at you, the bank teller who makes your day to your soul mate who makes your bells ring!

    My intention is to spark your imagination with my musings on life, science, love, and other yummy stuff that invites us all to think about what life is all about. 

    Enjoy!

    Feel free to leave me a comment and engage in the love dialogue.

    And remember...life is all about the LOVE so try and get some!

    Peace
    Michelle


    Michelle is an Intuitive Movement Life Coach and Biodanza Facilitator who combines her skills as a Martha Beck trained life coach, a BARE certified life coach, a Reiki Master and a Qigong and Yoga teacher to serve others in their quest for joy and vitality in life!

    She is currently, 2021, adding Ayurvedic Wellness Coaching to her skills to guide clients to heal from the inside out!


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www.biodanzausa.com 
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  • Welcome
    • Michelle
    • Contact Me
    • Calendar
  • Guatemala Retreat 2023
    • Africa Restorative Retreat 2024
  • BIODANZA
    • Kids Biodanza
  • Work with Me
    • QiGong Classes Here >
      • BACK CARE ONLINE
      • Dance of the Phoenix
      • Qigong & Restorative Yoga
    • Ayurvedic Wellness
    • Intuitive Coaching >
      • Grief Support Coaching
      • Teen Life Coaching
      • Expatriate Life-on the road with Michelle
    • Hypnosis >
      • Hypnosis FAQs
    • Aroma Dance
    • Essential Oils Barista
    • Reiki
  • Heartfelt Reviews
    • Media
  • rEVOLution blog
  • Life Dance Me Podcast