Stalling Walter - Sacred Dance Meditations 365 Globally Inspired Movement Practices Enhancing Awakening, Clarity, and Connection

Copyright 2020 by Carla Stalling Walter. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

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Sacred Dance Meditations: 365 Globally Inspired Movement Practices Enhancing Awakening, Clarity, and Connection is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Walter, Carla Stalling, 1961 author.
Title: Sacred dance meditations : 365 globally inspired movement practices
enhancing awakening, clarity, and connection / Carla Stalling Walter.
Description: Berkeley, California : North Atlantic Books, [2020] | Includes
bibliographical references and index. | Summary: 365 dances from around
the globe that are sacred conduits for hope, love, connection,
community, and spiritualityProvided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020031794 (print) | LCCN 2020031795 (ebook) | ISBN
9781623174811 (paperback) | ISBN 9781623174828 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Religious dance. | Movement, Psychology ofReligious
aspects. | Spirituality.
Classification: LCC GV1783.5 .W35 2020 (print) | LCC GV1783.5 (ebook) |
DDC 793.3/1dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020031794
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020031795

This book includes recycled material and material from well-managed forests. North Atlantic Books is committed to the protection of our environment. We print on recycled paper whenever possible and partner with printers who strive to use environmentally responsible practices.

For My Parents, Alma and Donald

W e know that sacred dance has told the story of the human Spirit since before recorded time. In this book, the author has responded to a hunger I have had for many years but was not even fully aware of. Just reading the Introduction and the Table of Contents caused a quickening of my heart with a feeling that I was coming home to re-experience something that my body, mind, and Soul had always known and was longing to be reacquainted with. It was somewhat like driving into a town that you grew up in as a young person and had the opportunity to revisit as an eldermemories flood back, and you begin to breathe deeply into the history of who you are, all the while connecting to all that you have experienced throughout your life.

Carla takes us on a journey of discoveryan adventure for the whole self to dive deeply into! Her background, in both her studies and her many years of exploration and work in the field, uniquely positions her to share this adventure in a way that provides us grounding in the history of cultures that dance around the globe, and then leads us through a body-based emotional and spiritual meditative experience that is truly transformational.

I am amazed at the level of detail and precision that Carla gives us in these pages. When you open the door of page 1, I know that you too will be awed by each page as it unfolds its treasures for you to embrace. In addition to the deeply powerful words that will fill your mind and heart, the practical ideas and suggestions are the golden nuggets in the treasure chest! Carlas descriptions and instructions are clear, concise, and easily understandable, and having the videos is incredibly helpful in seeing what the daily movements look like. However you choose to take this 365 day journeywhether it be each day one at a time from the beginning of the year through to the end, whether you start in the middle of a year, whether you jump in here, there, and everywhere as the Spirit calls you, or if you join together with others and make this a group journeyyou WILL be inspired in ways that will surprise you. I wanted to find one of those nuggets to share with youone example of something specific that particularly touched me personallybut I simply cannot! I have always been drawn to the many cultural and spiritual expressions of dance and have studied most of them over many years. This book is like I have fallen into the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and everything is there in one place that I can delight in and explore to my hearts content. What an amazing gift to receive.

Whatever your personal understanding of The Divine is, this book engages in an inclusive and deeply personal way, while also connecting you back to people from another time, to others on this journey in the present, and to those who will be in your future. This book draws from a plethora of spiritual and religious traditions, and I am sure you, like me, will have many aha moments as you learn, laugh, and dance your way through each day.

In addition to the incredible personal benefits of taking this journey of discovery with Carla, I believe this is an important book for our times. As we engage and understand globally, we are called to actionto be and do what we each personally can to create a world that is kinder, more compassionate, and caring to each and every Soul on the planet. I am grateful to have Carla as a colleague and member of the Sacred Dance Guild (www.sacreddanceguild.org)an organization that has been dedicated to advocating and celebrating dance as an expression of the sacred since 1958. As the president of this organization, I wholeheartedly embrace the words in our statement One People, One Planet and One Heart in the Dance of Life. Carlas book underlines this in a bold, meaningful, and timely way.

I suggest you take a deep breath and dance in with the whole of who you are! You will be changed.

Wendy Morrell, President, Sacred Dance Guild

I have had a love of sacred dance for as long as I can remember, but I didnt know why. Ive realized over the course of my life through dancing, meditating, teaching, and choreographing that sacred dance is key to well-being, healing, and wholeness. With that knowledge, my purpose is to offer this modality to as many people as possible so that we can elevate ourselves, and thereby change the way we are in relation to each other and the Universe. Sacred Dance Meditation offers a focus on nonmaterial matters that often gets neglected at the expense of perpetuating or causing harm unknowingly.

In the Spirit of love and compassion, I offer you these meditations and hope youll share them with others in your communities.

A special word of appreciation goes to Cherie Hill, who worked tirelessly to demonstrate the choreography for this book. Please realize the suggested videos arent professionally done; they are meant to help you visualize what the sacred dances look like in practice. Id also like to thank reviewers who helped with drafts of the work, providing clarity and support when I needed it most. Of course, I am very grateful for the editors at North Atlantic Books for their dedication to ensuring you have this book to help you continue moving on your spiritual path.