5th Workshop
Body Mapping
On December 7th, 2024, a Dance Movement Therapy workshop "Body Mapping" was executed by a certified Dance Movement Therapist Darja Krizska-Popova. The workshop took place in a dance studio "We Dance", Riga, and was organized by the youth organization "Young Folks". The workshop was opened by a welcoming circle during which the therapist introduced herself and presented the aims and rules of the workshop. Afterwards, the participants introduced themselves and shared their expectations regarding the workshop.
The welcoming circle was followed by a warm-up to help the participants to switch their attention to their bodies.. The participants were asked to focus on their breath and bodies, to gently tap, rub and shake their bodies in order to release tension, increase body awareness and the feeling of the body boundaries. Then each participant called their name accompanied with a movement, and others were asked to echo the movement. Such an activity works as an ice-breaker and lets the participants feel the connection with the group. Then free walking around the space was offered, starting with focusing on feet, and gradually moving every body part and joint.
Then the participants were asked to choose a comfortable place to stay and a Guided Body Scan was offered. This activity helped the participants to connect more with their bodies, to pay attention to every single body part, to connect with their physical sensations and emotions.
Afterwards, the main activity was executed: Body Mapping. The therapist helped the participants to set up the space by laying out large sheets of paper on the floor and offering colourful markers and crayons. The participants then were invited to lie down on the paper and create the outline of their bodies, and then - by using creativity and intuition to fill in their body outlines with colours, shapes and symbols to represent their physical sensations, associations and emotions, and so, creating their personal Body Maps.
After completing the body maps, the participants were encouraged to share their reflections on a paper by answering several self-reflection questions. The workshop was closed by a feedback circle during which every participant was invited to share the experience, any thoughts and feelings that appeared during the process. It's important to mention that such a profound activity helps to deepen the self-awareness and understand the connection between the body and mind. The participants shared that they had many insights about their bodies and their relationships with their body; it was mentioned that after the activity they even revealed something new about their bodies and had an opportunity to feel and connect with some body parts that were ignored previously. Obviously, working with their body maps evoked the previous experience and attitudes and there were lots of thoughts that the participants "took away" from the workshop.
Areas for future consideration: it's important to remember that the Body Mapping activity implies direct connection with one's body, it's more direct and confronting, and less projective compared to an activity when the participants have to colour a random body shape on a small A4 paper. Such an activity as Body Mapping with a life-sized outlines of bodies may provoke deep feelings and sensations, especially, if there has been any negative body-related experience or violence. That is why, it's crucial for the person leading such an activity to be prepared and, first, set up the boundaries at the beginning of the workshop by encouraging the participants not to "dig deep" since it's not a personal therapy, rather a workshop. Second, the therapist should be prepared to assist the participants if they need and if they reveal any experience that is hard to process. It's preferable that a person leading such an activity has some therapeutic or psychological background, or at least has a good understanding and can implement good communication skills.