Dancing Through Emotions: How Movement Heals
The Healing Power of Movement
Life brings challenges and healing isn’t always linear.
At times, grief, loss, change, or stress can feel overwhelming, making healing and moving forward feel overwhelmingly impossible.
Have you ever considered how movement can offer a gentle, powerful way to care for yourself along the healing journey? When guided by emotion, movement becomes more than exercise; it becomes medicine for the body, mind, and spirit.
My own story embodies this truth about the restorative power of movement. After experiencing profound loss, I found myself navigating deep, inescapable grief and uncertainty. Nia® (an embodied movement practice rooted in expressiveness, mindfulness, and curiosity) helped me reconnect with my body, ground my emotions, and rediscover joy in everyday moments. I discovered how movement can be a process and a path forward through grief.
In this blog, I will encourage you to consider how movement for grief and healing through dance can support emotional resilience, release tension, and restore a sense of balance. As you read, I ask you to consider how to practice compassion and listen to your body. And if you find yourself curious, visit me at my Nia® studio to explore emotional wellness and dance therapy in Eugene, Oregon.
Why Emotions Get Stuck in the Body
Our bodies hold more than we often realize.
Somatic theory explains that emotional experiences aren’t just stored in the mind. The emotional energy is stored in the body, that our body holds these emotional experiences, whether they are grief or trauma. Essentially, the body remembers what the mind forgets.
When we encounter such emotions as stress or trauma, the nervous system responds with fight, flight, or freeze reactions. The fight/flight/freeze responses are survival mechanisms designed to protect us in the moment. However, if the energy associated with them isn’t released, it can remain trapped in our bodies. Over time, this can show up in physical pain like tight shoulders, shallow breathing, digestive issues, or even chronic pain. All of these reverberate as physical echoes of unresolved emotions.
Traditional talk therapy is invaluable for processing thoughts, memories, and emotions, but healing and understanding can be elevated by somatic, mindful movement. Without movement or somatic awareness, emotions can remain stuck inside of us.
Practices that engage both body and mind, like Nia® with mindful, intentional movement, help release this trapped energy.
Moving Through Grief
When my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, my world and life completely shifted overnight. The months that followed were filled with fear, uncertainty, anger, deep sadness, and profound grief. After he passed, I was emotionally raw and physically depleted. All these emotions buried in me and stayed.
It was in this space that daily movement, especially Nia®, became an emotional anchor.
Through the expressive, mindful movements of Nia®, I could release tension, honor my feelings, and reconnect my mind-body-spirit in ways words alone could not. Each class allowed me to breathe, to feel, to navigate the seas of deep emotions, and to slowly rebuild a sense of stability amidst the chaos of grief.
It is important, self-care, when it comes to grief. Not just mentally, but physically. For me, self-care during this time of grief wasn’t just about processing; it was about tending to my body, giving it the care and attention it needed to carry me through loss.
Equally as important was the community around me. Being held, seen, and supported by others through all the ups and downs reminded me that grief doesn’t have to be faced alone. I found healing surrounded by community. Movement, self-care, and connection became the tools to help rebuild myself.
The Science Behind Movement and Emotion
As seen through my own journey, movement has a profound effect on the nervous system and emotional wellbeing.
According to researchers on somatic movement, Polyvagal Theory, and other experts in the field, mindful, intentional movement helps regulate the body’s stress responses, supporting balance between the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest) systems. Emphasizing the role of the nervous system, Polyvagal Theory highlights the vagus nerve as a key pathway for calming the nervous system, and engaging the body through somatic or dance movement can activate this restorative response.
Physical activity also stimulates the release of feel-good chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin, which can improve mood, reduce stress, and foster connection. While high-intensity workouts have their place, low-impact, expressive movement (like Nia® or dance) offers unique benefits and is particularly healing. These forms of movement allow the body to release tension and process emotions safely and gently.
The key to movement and healing emotions is safety and intention.
When the focus of movement shifts from achievement to presence, the body and mind can relax, emotions can flow, and healing can take place. By prioritizing expressive, mindful movement, we support both physical health and emotional resilience.
Movement Practices That Help Process Emotions
Movement has the remarkable ability to help us process emotions, especially when approached intentionally with guidance.
The practice I follow and teach, Nia®, is a full-spectrum movement modality that integrates music, mindfulness, martial arts, and dance. This unique, exciting combination allows the body to move freely while cultivating curiosity and awareness, making it a powerful tool for emotional expression and release.
Expressive and improvisational movement in Nia® builds emotional vocabulary. Instead of relying solely on words, which may not be apt to define certain feelings, those who practice Nia® learn to sense and communicate feelings through pose, rhythm, and flow. Nonverbal language supports deeper self-understanding and emotional integration, giving the body space to process experiences that our mind alone may struggle to articulate.
I incorporate a variety of techniques:
Free-dance so my students can learn to let go.
Floorplay to reconnect the body to the ground, fostering stability.
Breath and sound for expression of feelings and emotions so they don’t need to be held inside.
These practices encourage my students to listen inward and find their movement. Nia® offers a path to release, insight, and empowerment.There is no right or wrong way to move. What matters is presence.
Why Nia® Isn’t Just for Dancers
You don’t have to “know how to dance” to practice Nia®.
This isn’t about performance and perfection. It’s about feeling, sensing, and moving your body in ways that honor your emotions and feel good to you. Emotions don’t need choreography, they need space.
Nia® and embodied movements create space for whatever arises, letting emotions flow through dance-inspired moves, rather than being trapped or ignored.
Every body is welcome, every emotion belongs. Whether you’re flexible, stiff, experienced, or brand-new, the practice adapts to you and lets you find what feels right for you. It’s about connecting with yourself, discovering joy in moving, and healing.
How to Get Started
Starting your journey with Nia® and embodied movement is easier than you might think and it begins with simply showing up.
I offer both in-person and online classes, making it easy to find a format that fits your schedule and comfort level. Each session is designed to guide you through mindful, expressive movement that supports both body and mind, no matter your experience or ability.
For a deeper, more immersive experience, consider attending one of my workshops or retreats. Next year, we will be healing in Bali and Cambodia.
These events create a dedicated space for emotional reset, slowing down, self-discovery, and connection, among a community of other women navigating emotions through movement.
Every class and retreat is intentionally structured to be a safe, welcoming container for those feeling vulnerable. During these times away, vulnerability is honored, and participants are encouraged to move at their own pace, without judgment or pressure. Whether you’re stepping onto the floor for the first time or returning to movement after a break, you’ll find guidance, encouragement, and a space where every emotion and movement is valid.
Getting started doesn’t require perfection, it just requires showing up. Bring yourself, your body, and your curiosity and willingness to explore, and my classes and retreats will help you discover the transformative power of movement, expression, and emotional connection.
Let Movement Hold You
Emotions are natural, but we don’t have to hold them alone.
Sometimes, life can overwhelm us, and we can hold in all those uncertain feelings like grief. But your body is wise. And your body is ready.
Movement can offer a way to heal. Step onto the floor whether in your kitchen, a retreat center, or my Nia® studio.