Salto Divina - Embodied Lectio Divina Practise

Many people are familiar with the practise of Lectio Divina or "sacred reading", which was set down as a formal practise by Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Ignatian order of the Catholic church. Originally this practise was about reading scripture, but in the modern day many new forms have become popular, using the same form but using materials like poetry, photographs or art to prompt reflection and inner growth. In the practise of Salto Divina (Sacred Dance or Embodied Lectio), we are "reading" and responding to our own bodies, becoming partners with our bodies as we pray/connect to the Divine.

From time to time I run workshops about this, so if you are interested in this please let me know and sign up to receive updates. However, I wanted to put the basic process below for everyone to follow.

Setup: Have some music you enjoy moving to ready to go. Ensure you have a space where you can move freely and won't be interrupted, that you have water nearby, and that you are in comfortable clothes. You might possibly have a question or intention that you want to dance with as well, but it isn't necessary.

Step 1 - Lectio: In this section you will "read" your body by doing a body scan. Start by sitting or lying down in a comfortable position. Take a few deep breaths to centre yourself and close your eyes. You can ask God or your Higher Power to be with you as you go through this process. If you had set an intention or question, focus briefly on it before beginning the body scan. Starting from your toes, slowly move your awareness up through your feet, legs, back, arms, shoulders, neck, face and head. Try to have a sense of gratitude for your body as it sustains you and allows you to interact with the world. See if any part calls out to you for any reason - maybe a sensation, or just a sense it wants to move in a certain way.

Step 2 - Meditatio: Slowly open your eyes and come to a standing position. Put your music on and spend 1-2 tracks going through the parts of your body that grabbed your attention today. Did your feet want to wiggle? Wiggle them! Does your torso want to roll or your knees want to bend? Do you have tender shoulders that need gentle movement? Do you have any injuries that need careful attention? Make sure you give each of these body parts safe attention and movement if appropriate, or just a little bit of love if they are tender. See if anything else unfolds during this time, and attend to that as well. Notice what is happening within you, what your body wants to do, and any emotions that arise.

Step 3 - Oratio: Let the meditatio flow into an extended time of response. Dance freely to music, expressing in your bodies what is happening for you, and "dancing out" all that is within. If you start getting lost in your thoughts, you could remind yourself of your intention or question if you had one, and dance with that until you find your way back into your body. Alternatively, try to focus on the sensations within your body. Keep dancing for as long as you want to, until it feels you have expressed everything that you want to express and you come to the deep place without words.

Step 4 - Contemplatio: Turn the music off or transition to a gentle background track such as gongs, birdsong, ocean waves, etc. Come to a lying or seated position and rest in love and quietness. Again, do this for as long as you like. Then slowly come back to the present moment and take in the room around you.

Closing: To finish, you might want to process the experience through journalling, art, poetry etc. If doing this in a group you might want to share your experience with the group. You could also take any insights to a spiritual companion, fellow traveller, mentor, sponsor or counsellor.