Written by A Wild Dove | Photographed by Angela Baltra
OK mamas, what exactly is Medicine Dance, you ask?
Luciana Naclerio, describes Medicine Dance as “the call to remember the sacredness of the body and the power of its expression.” Think of it as a fusion between dance and yoga, where the warm-up and the breath work stems from yoga teachings, while the dance comes from one’s own rhythm. The practice is then capped off by a healing session using reiki to balance and bless the spirit.
Luciana was inspired to create Medicine Dance while studying under Deborah Hanekamp, aka Mama Medicine, an Initiated Amazonian Shaman, Reiki Master and Yogini who has facilitated her famous Medicine Readings and Medicine Reading ceremonies all over the world. These full-sensory experiences engages the faculties of scent, sound, and feeling that result in deep joy, physical radiance and the ability to be open to love.
Well, we at A Wild Dove thought that Luciana and Medicine Dance would make for a perfect workshop for our wee ones, who need no reason to shake things up! Even more so, what child wouldn’t benefit from understanding that in Medicine Dance, the message is that we are our own healers? That we can discover that all that we want in life is already inside of us!
So we gathered, some of our favorites from the under 12-set and gathered at Mama Medicine to get dancing, Medicine Dancing, that is. While the mamas watched enjoying snacks from Sakara and Kombucha’s from Health-Ade, Luciana led kids in the five stages of the practice - beginning with dropping the body into the breath, shaking to release, dancing to celebrate, sitting in stillness to bless and finally using reiki to seal. “Kids are so responsive to Medicine Dance because there is less ego involved,” said Luciana. “They surrender to their bodies almost right away and let the music and movement carry them. Each group of kids is so wildly different. By now I know that while some structure is important, the purpose of this workshop is for the kids to let loose however they feel they need to that day.”
Luciana taught the kids this very active form of meditation, the root of which she learned from Deborah, who serves as her personal mentor and inspiration. But what surprised her most was what she learned through them. “Children have always been my biggest teachers,” Luciana said. “When working with them, I find myself being the best version of myself. During this particular workshop I learned the importance of not forcing a structure upon the group and allowing the class to flow in a way the kids could comfortably express themselves.”
Check out some pics from our Mama Medicine workshop below, and don’t forget to sign up below for our upcoming workshops, where we’re creating activities and adventures for our children to discover the spirit of mindfulness and wellness!
