Myriam talks with Alysh Doyle who is launching her own business called Dance2Heel. Dance2Heel is a workshop that helps children, preteens adults of all ages to learn about their emotions and to learn how to express and release their emotions, and what grabbed in this workshop is that Alysh uses dance, movement and music to approach this way of meditation, healing and mindfulness.
I have decided to call my podcast Learning through different voices and different eyes as I am interested in hearing views of practitioners, parents and other businesses interested in the values of play, learning, education and parenting. Surely other topics will come up as we go along with the podcast!
Transcription of our conversation:
Myriam – Hi and welcome to my podcast learning through different voices and different eyes. My name is Myriam. I’m the owner of Mimitoys.ie. I’m a mom, I’m self employed, and I work from home. The objective of the podcast actually, what’s behind the podcast is what led me to start Mimitoys back in 2004, which is encouraging children to use their natural ability to play and learn, and grow their confidence and self esteem through you know, using their senses imagination, creativity, talents and skills. So the objective of this podcast is to give practical insights to parents and carers.
So you’re all very welcome.
Today, we’ll have a chat with Alysh Doyle who is just launching her new business: Dance2Heel.
Dance2Heel is a workshop that helps children, preteens adults of all ages to learn about their emotions and to learn how to express and release their emotions, and what grabbed me in this workshop is that Alysh you use dance, movement and music to approach this way of meditation, healing and mindfulness.
Can you tell us about Dance2Heel?
Alysh – So thanks very much Myriam for having me on the podcast first of all, and so really it all started with me.
I’ve been on a journey of self development for the last few years and I suppose about four years ago I was just feeling a bit lost I was feeling like I had no passion in my life and I started working with a therapist and kind of doing my own self discovery and realized that all of the things that I love doing as a child I had lost.
The thing that children know themselves , children are so charming to adults because we get to see that pureness and that’s what I found when I went back to dancing and then I just felt so compelled to share this with the world and then I started offering classes to my my friends first of all
We know the benefits of yoga but this was kind of similar to yoga but more in the line of dance on music and expression and it it it just really I knew that there was something in it so I started digging and learning about trauma and emotions and how that they can get stuck in our bodies and when we move we actually create an energy in our body which we know about but emotions are basically just energy in motion and if we come to an experience in our lives that we don’t like or that we don’t want to accept we can actually suppress emotions and they can get stuck in our bodies and what I learned was that when you dance or when you move of any kind and you allow yourself to start feeling the emotional waves they will literally just flow out of you and you will feel so much lighter it’s so much better .
So what Dance2Heel is, it’s a way of teaching people of all ages but especially kids because kids are already so there they want it and they’re so ready for it
Myriam – exactly and they maybe they have less inhibitions with their bodies so they do that naturally they do make movements and it doesn’t have to be coordinated or it doesn’t have to be a special five steps it’s just natural it’s just flow
Alysh – it’s beautiful and that’s the way I like, you stick on music and a child just starts dancing naturally, you don’t need to guide them or anything and that’s why I’m really passionate about it because it is what we’re meant to do as human beings who express ourselves and then if you can encompass any sort of healing tools as well then it becomes very beneficial, it’s a very moralistic approach to mindfulness and self healing but when you get there at a very young age with kids they just run away with it and they they basically teach us.
Myriam – it’s interesting what you’re saying because it got me thinking you know sometimes I have ranges of toys with emotions and there is a picture or a face that shows an emotion but what I like about your approach is that sometimes children do not have a word to express the emotion but the emotion is there and is strong and it could bottle them up or it could make them feel sad or happy but they don’t know how to express that and I suppose what you’re offering is a way to release this emotion.
And what you are saying maybe we don’t have to put the words you just need to let it all out.
Alysh – I actually think that’s better Myriam because the words is how we kind of label the emotions but emotions are feelings like they’re not words so when kids are actually feeling the emotion it’s in their body they’re embodying that emotion.
All they need is a safe space and that emotion will just flow out of them, they will naturally just let it go and that’s what Dance2Heel allows, it provides a really safe space where they can express themselves.
We might put on a song and we might have a conversation about anger and how it might feel and I’d open up for open dialogue how do you feel when you’re angry or what makes you angry then we will imagine the anger leaving our fists and it’s just like an embodiment experience.
Myriam – experiential learning…that is fantastic it sounds really good I can see how well it can work with kids. do you think it’s a bit more tricky for adults to reach that point of feeling again lighter and more expressive with their bodies?
Alysh – definitely it’s more challenging with adults because people come in and it’s called and the word dance is petrifying for so many people but it’s movement it’s slow its expression it’s creativity but yes coming back to that adults come in and they fear what to expect so a little bit of a wall then we put it there and try and create the safest of space and that’s why meditation really helps so we’ll start a workshop maybe with a meditation to help bring people out of their heads ’cause that’s where a lot of the chaos and the fear exists and bring them back into their bodies so that will relax and bring down a bit of the wall.
Adults have learned to have a fear of emotions and that’s where a lot of this suppression of emotions comes from too and so yeah it definitely it is more challenging but once we get moving people do start to lean into it more it’s just it just takes that little bit more time and it’s different for everybody and depending on what everybody’s story is it can look different but once you get there that’s when I find people were just like I’m here now I have to just give it a go and everybody gets what they need.
Myriam – And that’s something you can bring home as well and share with your children and vice versa, children can go and parents can learn from the kids which is also beautiful because a lot of the time we can think that as parents you need to be the one that’s always teaching the child.
that’s so inspiring and exciting I have to say, everything you mentioned, mindfulness, creativity you know embodiment of your emotions this is something I really believe in and am passionate about.
So thanks very much for your time Alysh.
All the information on the podcast will be on the Mimitoys.ie website Podcast page and the Mimitoys YouTube channel.
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