Dancing is a gift for the body: exploring embodied mindfulness and influences of dance on wellbeing.
Arts & health September 15, 2025 Lucy Woodham, Jazmín Cevasco
Dance supports mental well-being through embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive cognitive processes. A mixed-methods online study of 64 adult dancers from ten countries found that only the 'Connection to Body' subscale of the Embodied Mindfulness Questionnaire supported the hypothesis that dance fosters embodied mindfulness. Thematic analysis revealed that dancers achieve connection to the body through pathways distinct from embodied mindfulness, such as self-care. Dancers also reported developing cognitive and social skills, including empathy and communication, that transfer to everyday life. The findings align with research on creativity, identity, and community, highlighting dance's flexibility in meeting well-being needs.