Have you ever considered burlesque as a mind-body wellness practice? Previously, I shared other reasons people take burlesque classes, but what about burlesque striptease dance classes being an essential tool for your ongoing mind-body wellness practice?
Does that seem absurd? Let’s break it down. I believe alignment between your mind, body, and spirit/soul is key to your overall health and wellness. The scientists now agree. Wellness has been a buzzword. Yes, most of us get it. I’m curious though, about the lingering sessions and energies that exist after a session or experience of self-care.
“The key is to remember that how our minds feel as we go about our day—how relaxed, happy, and fulfilled we are—gets translated into the physiology of the body.”
― Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself
If you consider some of the “universal agreements” of mind-body wellness, a SpeakEasy Noir burlesque class provides you with a sacred space for your self-care practice.
Breathe: Breathe Play and Breathe Work in Burlesque as a Mind-Body Wellness Practice
- Breathe matters. Slowing down to inhale and exhale matters. Experiencing the value of a breathwork session can truly impact your wellness. In my SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque classes, our “Grounding Ritual” that begins every class and our “Sensual Flow Ritual” focus acutely on breath. One of the secret foundations of our “Sensual Core Flow” prompts is breath also! Attending a class guides you through a sensual mini breathwork and breathplay session as part of your weekly self-care ritual.
Meditation in Burlesque as a Mind-Body Wellness Practice
- It’s 2018. (Edits to this have now happened in 2023. ) You get why meditation matters. It’s okay if you aren’t meditating every five minutes. It’s okay if meditating is sometimes challenging for you. And with so many resources available, it’s easier now to find a meditation that’s right for each of us, no matter our personality type or level of “Woo Woo.” Well, for those curious and sensuous, shadowy souls experiencing SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque with me, our “Sensual Flow Ritual” and “Sensual Power Ritual” are both considered moving meditations. In the planning stages of our curriculum, we considered having an “ecstatic meditation” or induced state of trance as part of one of our rituals, but we figured that might be a bit too much, too soon. (This is now one of our workshops, “Pole Spirals,” “Evening Erotics,” and “Rituals of the Divine.”) Meditations can guide you to presence and mindful consciousness. Most of the foundations of our “Sensual Core Flow” principles focus primarily on presence and consciousness put into motion.
Vulnerability in Burlesque as a Mind-Body Wellness Practice
- Brene Brown says, “Yet we too often lose sight of the fact that vulnerability is also the birthplace of joy, belonging, creativity, authenticity, and love.” That sounds like vulnerability pairs wonderfully with wellness. With that being said, having students explore their emotions and their primal core natures is important while playing and engaging with others and/or while being on stage is an extreme and wonderful form of vulnerability. I see students blossom and radiate the more they move their vulnerability throughout class. They put themselves out, on center stage in their glamour and mess.
Purpose in Burlesque as a Mind-Body Wellness Practice
- One of my life mottos is “Live on Purpose.” By doing so, you live intentionally, in ritual. Everything is sacred. You’re tuned in sensually. One way of exploring your various life purposes is by exploring your curiosities and letting them inspire you as you uncover your calling. There are so many different types of music used, so many different teaching techniques, movement prompts, freestyle “Sensual Core Prompts,” journal questions, and more that taking the class….is like living the “Artist Way Book.” The class is a form of creative inspiration.
Self-Love in Burlesque as a Mind-Body Wellness Practice
- If you’re looking for a way to embody self-love, that’s literally the definition of “burlesque.” SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque is all about exploring your power, your play, and your pleasure. It’s about finding your primal erotic core and moving in ways that extravagantly please you. The freedom of burlesque is that you can also use it to explore the ways that you don’t quite love yourself until you do. We might help get you there with the community, freedom of play and sacred space we create. We call these ceremonies an exploration in shadow play for our shadow work.
Body Wellness in Burlesque, as a Mind-Body Wellness Practice
- We designed the SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque curriculum to intentionally gently wake your body up, to then activate your body, and then to provoke your body. This is followed by ritualistic aftercare like a dedicated simmer-down ritual or reflections. This means we get you grounded into space, we activate your heart and shift its pace, we provoke your endurance while edging you a bit, then we bring you down and gently welcome you back to your everyday life with daily burlesque enchantments and provocations. SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque was created to give you a holistic, sensual, and erotic workout while also nurturing your soul.
So can Burlesque be a form of a Mind-Body Wellness Practice? Hell yeah!!!
Over the years, I’ve received messages and testimonials based on my SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque offerings that center on exploring our power and pleasure in eroticism, sexuality, and sensuality. They go exactly like this.
- “I haven’t fully tapped into my sensuality/sexuality There is a side of me that is dying to get out and I have no idea how to let it out. You are an inspiration to me in that area.”
- “I have been on quite a journey in the past year but the past 3 months especially. This is my year for sexual exploration, healing and embracing this dance that has been wanting to happen for a very long time. As part of this journey I need [to talk] to some women who have no reservations fully expressing their sexuality and as a result are experiencing the ripple effects that I believe happen when sexuality is fully embraced- confidence, creative expression, success, living life “out loud”. You were the first person that came to mind for me.”
- “I’ve been having this sexuality mid life crisis, if that makes sense. I feel free and want to break out in an overt and uncomfortable/awkward (for others) way but for myself and the boo.”
- “Hey beautiful woman, I’m so in awe as a survivor like myself that you are able to “own” your femininity and sexuality. I still feel at odds with my needs or desires- sexually. You’ve obviously done a lot of work around this- I’ve worked too on the coming out of it, but still feel tethered to feelings of guilt, shame and power shift when I sleep with someone. Any words or advice? I trust you completely.”
- “You & I need to have a drink and I wanna talk to you all about hate fucking vs. trust fucking and how my vagina wasn’t breathing for years!!!!! It’s a whole new epiphany for me.”
- “I want to be you when I grow up. Just read this and my heart is broken open again. You taught me to keep at it even when I want to hide – like all of this year.”
- “I don’t know how but I’m coming to you. There are things I need to be taught that I believe you could teach me. Sexual siren things. Embrace your sexy kinky things. I don’t know how but I’m coming to you. That is all. I need to start embracing everything.”
- “Just dropping by to say I’m watching you kill it lately and as always super proud of you, and in lust with your alpha female business finesse sex appeal Hope you’re well!”
- “I Met [her]through a hashtag. Her tweets were snarky, and salacious simultaneously. I love her I think because she is parts of myself I wish I was more often, and more unapologetically. She’s given me a good amount of quiet courage and strengthening, simply by being her sexual, intelligent, genuine self. It’s a different kind of intoxication, not so much that she inspires projects, but she inspires my sense of self, and my self is then poured into my artistry. She is a muse because she shares with the world all her muses, and the way she looks at things shows the hidden magic in things I see as ordinary, even when the ordinary is simply myself. If Femininity and Eroticism and Intellect were interwoven into one physical manifestation it would be this woman… she is a librarian of all things fierce and I consistently look forward to what she will share with me.”
So I ask again, can Burlesque be a form of a Mind-Body Wellness Practice? Hell yeah!!!
My SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque classes are for you if”
- …You want to feel good and have a lot of fun…
- …There’s a part of you dying to get out. A part of you that hasn’t been fully realized. If you want to have no reservations in fully expressing your sexuality. If you want to own your identity. If you’re ready to embrace all of who you are. If you want to be unapologetic…
- …There’s a part of you that needs to go deeper. If you’re free but you want to be overt, uncomfortable and push your edges…
- …You’re yearning for more sexual exploration and healing or are having a sexuality mid life crisis…
- …You want to have a deeper pronounced experience in being confident, exploring creative expression, experiencing success and living life out loud…
- …You feel tethered to guilt, shame and power shifts and you don’t want to feel at odds with your desires and needs…
- …You want to feel the power of your sexuality, your sensuality and your eroticism…
- …You want to be broken open…
- …You want to explore vulnerability, authenticity and expression…
- …You want to feel intimacy, transformation, mindfulness and consciousness.
SpeakEasy Noir Burlesque, a mysterious order of society for dreamstormers and shadow players, is a mind-body wellness practice and immersive movement experience for intensely sensuous and deeply curious souls. Explore through archetypal play, sensual movement, erotic expression, freestyle flow, photography, burlesque, pole dance, enchantments, mind-body rituals, and creative healing arts.