Make a Joyful Noise

Sing. Dance. Move to the rhythm. Tap out the rhythm. Drum the rhythm on a Native American drum or an African drum.

Sound it out because the rhythms that come out when we sing and dance and drum really move us in ways that are exquisitely joyful.

I have always loved to sing and dance. At the age of 50, these joys seemed so far from me. I resolved to do something about it. I created a weekly activity session of dancing, drumming, or toning at the Sunshine Center in Sutton village, down in the valley below my mountainside home. After a few months, it became a monthly activity, rather than a weekly one, but to my delight, it is still happening on the third Sunday of every month. People gather to feel the rhythms, make the rhythms and move to the rhythms. It feels great and does a world of good. It gets the blood flowing and the joy glowing.

We begin with dancing to recorded music. The music begins a bit slowly. We ease ourselves gently into the dancing. Slowly we move our bodies and warm our blood. The music gains in rhythmic intensity and I usually end up picking up a pair of rhythm sticks and hitting them in time with the music as I move around the large room.

Oh, it feels so wonderful to be able to move freely to some great dance music and to add my own feel for the rhythm to the sounds!

We dance until we are breathless and sated. Our bodies feel grounded, joyful, warm and calm. The music slows and we cool down a little bit. Then the recorded music stops and we get out our drums.

We drum simple beats and everybody joins in. There is never any worry about how it sounds or whether it meets some standard. We just do it. There are sticks which can be struck against each other to make a nice sound and rattles and shakers too for people who don't own a drum. So even someone who has never drummed before can participate.

There is never any judgement in these activities, which I call In the Moment. And that is the freedom of it, that's the joy of it and that's the feeling of incredible safety and love in it. We support each other by asking absolutely nothing of each other. Come as you are. Be as you are while you are there. Leave changed!

When we are drumming, we simply enjoy being in the moment. We move and sway. We sound or sit silent. The choice is always ours and is a free and clear choice from within us. That is the beauty of being in a safe space to play with sound and rhythm.

The rhythms, as we drum, inspire us to move in our seats and to tone and sing whatever notes come out of us. We feel moved and we move each other, sitting in a circle together and sharing the moments as they weave through our beating hands and sounding voices.

We do this for some time. It never feels too short and it never feels too long. It is perfect being in the Now.

Singing groups also meet this joyful urge in us to sound and breathe and sound again. I am so glad to have an opportunity this autumn to join a singing group. I've already met with the group briefly and we sang a little bit. Oh! It felt so good!

I think that it is the deep, sustained breathing that we have to do when we sing that takes us into such a feeling of well-being. We know, medically speaking, that highly oxygenated blood improves our health and wellness. Breathing deeply oxygenates our blood, so singing is good for our health! But breathing deeply in a sustained way also brings a sense of deep peace to us. It's biological, but it has an impact on our spiritual aspects as well.

Singing, dancing and drumming feel so good and have such a positive impact on our physical bodies, it seems strange to me that more people don't take advantage of these expressions of joy and gladness. Having a safe and comfortable place to do these things is such a gift, too! That's why I began the In the Moment activities and the more places that offer such activities, the more people get to enjoy doing them, the better!

The benefits of these rhythmic expressions go even further. Our emotional state is eased, our stresses are given room and time to be released and our minds are quieted by the singing, the movements, the beat in the Now. I am so glad that I get to do these things, right here in our little village.

People in cities usually have a variety of these kinds of things to take part in. There are all kinds of dance styles and drumming groups these days. For me, the most important thing is that you feel safe in all of your being and doing in that space where you move, tone, sing or drum. And if there is nothing that you feel drawn to in your area, create your own! You can use your own living room to move to a beat. You can hit two wooden spoons together to the rhythm coming out of the radio or computer or mp3 player. You can sing in the shower or in the car - a great place to sing!

I used to think that dancing was something that people did when they went out for the evening. So dancing was associated with the consumption of alcohol, wine or beer. It was a courtship ritual. Girls danced with boys and boys danced with girls, and nobody hit a drum unless they were in the band. Now that's all changed. When I dance, I drink lots of good clean water. I join in with the music without any self-consciousness, moving my body any way I choose. It's tremendous fun!

Dancing, singing and drumming fill me with joy in the moment and it carries over into other moments and gifts me with a more joyful life. What a great way to tune your frequency to joy! These are largely non-verbal forms of expression. They are ancient and yet highly appropriate to our culture and society.

I love these activities and I urge you to participate if you are not already doing so.

Make a joyful noise! Move your body and raise your frequency! It's simple. It's fun. And as often as not, it doesn't cost a penny.

YIPPEE!