Foreward by Goldie Hawn
“Why not just live in the moment, especially if it has a good beat?”
Mindfulness has been a profound guide throughout my dancing career, shaping not only the way I move but also how I engage with my own body, my emotions, and the energy surrounding me. Dance, in its most powerful form, is not just about technical execution; it is a journey of self-awareness and presence. From the beginning of my training, mindfulness allowed me to be deeply connected to every movement, every breath, and every nuance of the music I danced to. This practice helped me learn what it was to stay in the present moment.
Mindfulness taught me to tune into my body—to listen to its needs, respect its limits, and nurture its strengths. I learned to appreciate the subtleties of each muscle’s engagement, each joint’s articulation. I embodied them, allowing my mind and body to become one in the dance.
Music has always been at the heart of my connection to movement, largely because of my father. He was a violin player, and from a young age, I was immersed in the sound of strings that filled our home. The music that surrounded me became the backdrop to my childhood, and as my father played, I instinctively danced. The sound of the violin swelling through the air, and my body responding naturally, fluidly, to every note and rhythm.
My father’s violin became the foundation for how I learned to interpret music through my body. Every time I danced, I felt as if I was collaborating with the sound, not just moving to it but moving with it, letting the music guide my steps.
I found that the practice of mindfulness allowed me to remain connected to that childlike joy I felt when I first danced alongside my father’s violin always reminding me that dance, at its core, is about joy, about feeling the energy in the room, in the music, and within myself. I used to call it the joy of moving the molecules in the air with intention, creating ripples of energy that extend far beyond my own body. I could feel in every movement, in every interaction between music and motion.
The music that once filled our home became the foundation for my love of movement, my love of music and the deep secret of mindfulness.
Goldie Hawn
