Moving Toward Worship: Whole Person Worship

For the past few months I’ve felt the Spirit urging me to explore Nia. As an activity it is movement that is spiritually oriented, contributing massively to the human side to spirituality for many. I believe it can equally be movement and spirituality that is worshipfully oriented and hence can contribute greatly toward the divine side to spirituality.A few of us have started exploring Nia with a view toward developing a model of worship centred around movement.

What is Nia?

The Nia Technique ® is a cardiovascular blend of dance arts, martial arts and the healing arts. It integrates these movements, concepts, and philosophies by embracing the gifts of the healing arts; the power and mindfulness of the martial arts and the meditative techniques; the grace and fluidity of the dance techniques; and the awareness and alignement through integrative body therapies. Movement becomes self-empowering fostering personal growth and well-being.www.niasouthafrica.co.za

A small group of us did two sessions of Nia® with Kathy Wolstenholme, the woman who brought and developed Nia in South Africa. Though the Wikipedia articles don’t add much to those familiar with Nia those unfamiliar may benefit from two articles on Wikipedia The Nia Technique and Neuromuscular Integrative Action.

What was my experience during these sessions?

We did two sessions and both struck me in different ways.In both sessions I really worked up a sweat and was able to be present in my body for at least half of each session. The other bits my consciousness would explore myself, taking a 3rd person perspective on what I was doing, as well as other individuals as well as the group as a whole. As movement in this sense is unfamiliar to me – I don’t dance! – I had to keep getting back in step as we did structured movement.

After session one I redeveloped a healthy sense for my thighs. Clearly they don’t see enough exercise. I was stiff for 3 days! After the second session I had my side muscles sore and my one set of core stomach muscles from my op last year. It looks like I’m still able to bounce right back toward fitness. I’m convinced that 2008 is going to be the year wherein I recapture my fitness and become more and more mindful of the present.After session one I also experienced a sense of “sharer’s remorse”, a term I picked up from counselling. It is the feeling of being raw emotionally, of having been vulnerable, of having stretched and opened up intimately to others. Though the term carries a negative connotation I mean it in a positive light. After a whole childhood of having to survive and deny emotions I’m finally coming to rest with myself as an emotional being.

I must admit that I expected Nia to be “naff” and “girly” and I certainly did not expect myself to “enjoy” the experience but more “endure” it. What I experienced was everything but that. I thoroughly enjoyed both sessions! It felt so good to move again, to play, and to express myself. For those who like myself hated being a child and so battle with children and the child within each of us I wholeheartedly recommend a few Nia sessions. Nia helps you re-visit play from another perspective.The only time in my life I don’t experience two left feet is when I’m rock climbing or fighting. By session two I discovered that I to can keep in step! At lest, there was a moment… Also, that I can balance what Kathy termed masculine and feminine movements. Feminine movements are more flowy, round and circular movements and masculine movements are more determined, direct and cutting and more lower body. Admittedly I’m a bit of practice away from such movement being natural but it’s something that has finally come in sight for me. I’m a guy who’s never danced. I’ve faked it once or twice but movement and dance have never been the vehicles through which I’ve expresed myself.

Moving Toward Worship

Our experience of Nia was a two session introduction to Nia and movement. As a loose group of people we experienced each session differently and appreciated different aspects in different ways. I find myself challenged by the idea of a movement oriented worship experience. The plus side to the idea is an experience that is community centred, being participator and experiential as well as co-created rather than something that is attended.

I find that it helps to distinguish between the human and the divine sides or dimensions to religion and spirituality. The human side is everything we are and bring to the experience. The divine side is everything God/-ess is and brings to the table. Worship is both an individual experience as well as a community experience. It is something we do as individuals but also something that we do together with others. In addition to being a shared experience when we worship we also worship something or someone. The challenge I’m chewing through here relates to how movement can be a suitable vehicle for us to express worship as well as create and opportunity for us to intimately meet with God/-ess.

I would like to continue experimenting, exploring drumming and rhythm along with a session focused on “waiting on God/-ess”. Only then can we put together the various elements and see how to go further. The elements I’m “sensing” coming together are: 1) movement; 2) live music; 3) the use of visuals and movies; and, 4) “waiting” on God/-ess.Having done two Nia sessions and participated in the conversations that have arisen I foresee a number of challenges and benefits:

• The challenges of movement as worship: the challenge is a physical one as not everyone is necessarily able to worship through movement. Our abilities and disabilities come into the picture here. We need to consider how to include those who’s capacity of movement is limited. Perhaps not everyone can participate in this. Certainly, there will be a number of emotional reasons why people aren’t able to enter into a worshipful connection through movement. We may need to create various kinds of movement experiences enabling people to develop fitness and/or surpass emotional and physical disabilities.
• Familiarity with the medium. Another challenge, especially initially, is our fluency with movement as a language of expression. For many there is a massive learning curve associated with getting comfortable in one’s body. While learning to do so, and while learning ones own repertoire of movement, it will be difficult to lose oneself in the experience. This is akin to worshipping in a foreign language.
• The challenge of structured versus free movement. Those familiar with the language of movement may be more comfortable with free movement sets while those less familiar may be more comfortable with structured movement sets (or vice versa for that matter).
  •  Additionally, there may be an internal tension versus facilitated expression. In a structured environment a person may be asked or invited to throw their arms open while internally they may want to curl up. This could help the individual open up but they may equally need to curl up. It may be good for a closed person to be open and expressive while on the other hand it may be more beneficial for people to be open where they’re at and perhaps express this through movement.
  • In practice this may be easier than in theory as we face the same challenge in song as worship where the worship set of songs, or even just the statements of the songs, do not necessarily correspond to the internal world of the individual.
• The journey versus the destination. Both the experience of movement as well as the connection with God/-ess is important. We’ll need to process the question as to how suitable the medium of movement is as a vehicle facilitating the individual and community connecting with God/-ess and staying in that place. Is it the journey, the dance, primary or the destination, connecting with God/-ess? Understandably this is both/and rather than either/or. As we become familiar with the language of movement we’ll surely find it easier to enter into an experience of connecting with God/-ess. But when we become familiar with this will God/-ess meet with us? I know that S/He desires intimacy with us and am convinced that we’ll meet God/-ess in this.
• The self versus God/-ess. There is a constant message in Christianity that we shouldn’t focus on our “self” as the “self” is bad. Hence, we ought to rather focus on God/-ess.o   As we re-connect with ourselves in dance and movement and become centred in ourselves – body and emotions and mind – I can hear the critique already. In response I’d have to say that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we should pay as much attention to it as is fitting.o   A healthy body is not just a healthy vehicle for living but also a valid offering to God/-ess. As you become in touch with yourself you are more honest with yourself and with God/-ess. Some consider the idea of healing oneself, emotionally and physically, through movement and energy as a promotional of a “self-reliance” or “self-sustainability” versus a reliance on God/-ess.o   Increased fitness and seratonin. Essentially this leads to a happier and healthy life. Period.
• Creating a non-rational and experiential model of worship. We’ve generally majored on the cognitive and rational. As the postmodern influence grows in the world around us so does the demand for participatory and experiential models of spirituality. During the modernist period there was a demand that Christians articulate first before people were prepared to consider the validity of the Christian experience. The generally accepted idea of a worship session consists of song-based worship followed by a sermon and in a few situations experiencing God/-ess. In the postmodern world there is a demand to introduce the goods before people are willing to inquire further. There are a number of ways in which we can do this, but a fusion between Nia, live music, and safely facilitated spiritual encounter is worthy of exploration. There is a need and opportunity to create alternative expressions of worship considered equally valid. In worship so many instruments are used while through dance/movement we use our whole body, and as Nia is a bit more expansive in this, our whole being becomes an instrument.
• Participatory worship that leads toward community. Dance and movement is an expressive and creative experience is hence by nature a personally revealing experience. This can contribute toward creating, strengthening and sustaining community as those involved share an experience of an intuitive harmony, a oneness in spirit.
• Yoga, the martial arts, energy and healing. Nia is a fusion of dance, martial arts and healing techniques. I don’t know many Christians who’re comfortable with the idea of energy and few who’re happy with the idea of the chakras. Most are quite unhappy with the idea of using energy to heal yourself or even others.
  • What some call spirit others call light or energy. The “new agey” terms link in with quantum physics, which refers to the underlying fabric of visible and invisible reality as energy or light. Let’s not forget that In the beginning God/-ess spoke this light into being and therefore shaped day and night along with all things visible and invisible from it. It may be helpful to draw a distinction between our experience as primarily urban-based creatures versus other environments we can access. We are generraly ignorant of life in the desert, life in snow, the oceans, forests, etc. And similarly we’re ignorant of the spiritual dimension.
  • There are several sources of energy – creation as visible and invisible; the human being as a bioenergetic being; pure energy beings various referenced but noted here as angels and demons; and God/-ess who is likened to being spirit in substance though that is a referencial term similar to using the term person in reference to God/-ess.
  • In the past things like anthropology, archeology, sociology, medicine, science and psychology were hostile toward Christianity and vice versa. In time all parties have lightened up though the kraal is still drawn around certain groups. Each have lent support to our preaching and practice of ministry. Christians have not just appropriated each of these but also contributed to them. All parties have benefited from mutual cross-pollination. I believe we’ll similarly experience a move from tension, to appropriation to contribution in the healing arts.

Other Synchroblogs

Andrew Hendrickse – Curing the Incurable and Authentic Miracle

Sound & Silence – Moving Toward Worship: Homo Festivus – Man the Celebrant

Spiritual Meanderings – Moving Toward Worship

Tim Victor – Moving Toward Worship: Whole Person Worship