"Just relax."

It's one of the least relaxing things you can say to someone whose body is already tense.

A dentist once said those words to me just before starting a procedure.

I looked back at him, still holding my breath.

"Are you kidding?"

It took me years to realise that my body doesn't understand commands. It understands breathing.

A tense body might need to hear those words sometimes: be calm. But only if they become an invitation to breathe.

That is the language our bodies understand. Not the thought itself, but the conscious act of taking a deeper breath.

Taking a few slow breaths before entering a milonga, or even before a single tanda, can do wonders for helping us settle. It is what therapists often describe as cultivating a somatic sense of safety.

Let’s explore intentional breathing in tango.

We can approach breath from many directions.

Anatomically, what happens in the body when we inhale and exhale?

Physically, how does breathing change our state? What happens when two people begin to breathe in sync?

Spiritually, breath is the first thing we receive when we are born and the last thing to leave us when we die.

But what interests us most in our Tango Sensaciones circles is this: what does breath mean in our dance?

When do you need it? What changes when you begin breathing more deeply in a milonga? How might breathing help in uncomfortable moments: when you are not getting dances, when you are overthinking your steps, or when someone declines an invitation? How can it regulate your nervous system when you become overexcited or overwhelmed by the joy of dancing?

And what happens when two people begin to breathe together?

Saturday, August 22
We’ll meet on Zoom at 5 pm UK time.

Stay attuned
Jesus Acosta & Alla Petcheniouk