How Ecstatic Dance Unlocks Your Flow State
When was the last time you danced in the kitchen to your favorite song and completely lost yourself in the moment?
Not performative. Not for a workout. Not for anyone else watching. Just pure, full-bodied freedom. That right there? That's a taste of flow state. And it might be the very thing your brain has been starving for.
This Isn’t Just Dance. It’s Flow Activation
For over 20 years, ecstatic dance has been my sacred portal back to myself. My church. My reset button. My most reliable access into flow. I first found it in Venice Beach at a wild, radical Sunday morning ritual where barefoot bodies moved like lightning and lava, laughter and sobs colliding in every corner. Sometimes it was too much. But it also cracked me open in a way nothing else ever has.
What Is Flow, Really?
Flow state is more than a productivity buzzword. It’s a neurological symphony of presence, pleasure, and purpose.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, aka the OG Flow Guru, defined it as the state where your sense of self vanishes, time warps, and you become completely immersed in what you’re doing. Check out the legendary psychologist’s book, Flow.
Stephen Kotler takes it further, describing it as an optimal state of consciousness where we feel and perform at our best like a chemical cocktail of dopamine and endorphins fueling creativity, clarity, and momentum.
Returning to Rhythm: The Glow Lab Awakening
When I stepped into the Glow Lab for the Bend Ecstatic Dance experience in Bend, Oregon, after years away from the scene, every version of my highest self whispered: "You're back. Where have you been? We've been waiting."
Ecstatic dance isn’t just music and movement. It’s medicine. The space is intentional and sacred. It begins with a grounding conversation, lovingly led by a master facilitator Ryan Re. Each week, a different DJ curates a sonic journey designed to invite you into yourself. No choreography. No rules. Just radical permission to be as you are and move as you must.
Everyone’s Flow Looks Different And That’s the Magic Sauce
The way people move is like glorious chaos. Picture a full-grown adult doing the energetically doing the running man next to someone twirling like a prima ballerina. A guy in the corner is stomping like a caveman while someone else is roboting their way to enlightenment. Freestyle movement, joyful expression, ballet meets breakdance meets spiritual possession. And then BAM! you’ll spot someone in the center pulling off a high-level performative dance that looks like they just stepped out of a music video. It’s so precise, so embodied, it takes your breath away. It doesn’t intimidate, it inspires. Makes you want to find your own groove, your own flavor of freedom.
It’s a cosmic buffet of movement and there’s something electric about watching dozens of people all dropping into their own unique flow. It lifts the whole damn room. You can't help but feel it.
Sometimes, it’s soft and sensual. Other times, it’s raw and primal. I’ve danced through grief, rage, joy, and transcendence. I've witnessed people scream, sob, and explode with joy. It can be intense. But it's real. And it’s yours.
Flow, to me, is a dance with life.
It’s that exquisite moment when your mind quiets, your body leads, and you stop trying to control everything. It’s when your cells are singing, time dissolves, and you feel plugged into the divine power strip of the universe. I used to hit this state as a pro athlete, mid-game, when everything slowed down and magic happened. I would enter the matrix. Now, I find it through rhythm and movement.
Here’s the truth: Flow isn’t reserved for the elite. It doesn’t require a Michael Jordan mindset. You can find it in your living room. On your morning walk. In a dance floor of 70 barefoot souls under glowing lights.
Want to Access Flow More Consistently?
Claim a space and time just for you. Sacred. Repeating. Non-negotiable.
Create a transition ritual to shift from thinking to feeling. A breath. A mantra. A candle lit.
Create a playlist with your favorite tracks, or explore Ecstatic Dance playlists on your preferred music platform.
Let the beats find their way to your body and let them lead your movement. Into the body. Out of your head.
Allow all emotions. No judgment. Let them rise, roar, and release.
Reflect. What came through? What fell away? What truths did your body whisper?
Flow is available. You just have to listen.
Want to start your day in alignment and ease into your flow state more often?
Read my blog, “The Me Recipe,” where I break down the exact morning routine that helps high performers shift from hustle to harmony.
If you’re craving more flow in your life, more clarity, creativity, and alignment…I got you.
Are you ready to access your flow state more consistently? Book a 30-minute consult and I’ll help you uncover exactly where and how you naturally enter flow.
Let your body lead. The rest will follow.
