Slowing Down, Conscious Dance & Taking Off “The Mask” with Marjolein Akkerman

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At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we understand that true healing extends beyond traditional approaches to encompass the profound connection between movement and wellness. Through our Ending Body Burnout Method, we explore how conscious dance and mindful movement can serve as powerful tools for healing from within.

The Hidden Connection Between Movement and Healing

In the realm of holistic health and integrative medicine, we've discovered that chronic body pain often persists despite normal medical test results. This phenomenon highlights the importance of addressing the mind-body connection through alternative medicine approaches that honour the body's innate wisdom.

At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we recognise that when conventional testing shows everything as "fine" yet symptoms persist, there's often a deeper story waiting to be uncovered through natural healing modalities.

Understanding Conscious Dance as Medicine

Conscious dance represents a revolutionary approach to health and wellness that goes beyond traditional exercise. This form of mindful movement allows individuals to connect with their bodies in ways that support both physical and emotional healing. Through our work in functional nutrition and root cause medicine, we've witnessed how movement can unlock healing pathways that other approaches might miss.

The practice of conscious dance involves tuning into the body's natural rhythms and allowing authentic expression through movement. This naturopathic medicine approach recognises that the body holds wisdom and memories that can be accessed through intentional movement practices.

The Five Rhythms: A Framework for Emotional Expression

The 5Rhythms dance practice offers a structured yet fluid approach to exploring emotions through movement. Each rhythm corresponds to different emotional states and life experiences, providing a comprehensive framework for processing and releasing stored tension and trauma.

This mind body medicine approach acknowledges that emotions become stored in our physical bodies, and conscious movement can help release these patterns that contribute to chronic pain and burnout. Through our Ending Body Burnout Method, we integrate these principles to support comprehensive healing.

Breaking Free from Cultural Movement Restrictions

Modern culture has significantly limited our natural relationship with movement and expression. This disconnection from our bodies contributes to the epidemic of burnout and chronic health issues we see today. At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we help clients rediscover their authentic relationship with movement as part of their wellness journey.

The process of reconnecting with conscious movement often involves removing the metaphorical "masks" we wear to fit societal expectations. This authentic expression becomes a powerful tool for healing naturally and supporting whole body health.

Slowing Down in a Fast-Paced World

One of the most profound aspects of conscious dance is its invitation to slow down and truly connect with ourselves. In our achievement-oriented culture, this slowing down becomes an act of rebellion that supports preventative health and sustainable wellbeing.

Through our personalised medicine approach, we help clients understand that slowing down isn't about being lazy or unproductive—it's about creating space for the body's natural healing processes to occur. This shift in perspective often marks the beginning of profound transformation.

The Therapeutic Benefits of Mindful Movement

Research in health optimisation continues to reveal the numerous benefits of conscious movement practices. These include reduced inflammation, improved nervous system regulation, enhanced emotional processing, and greater body awareness. Our holistic wellness approach incorporates these findings to support comprehensive healing.

At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we've observed how clients who engage in conscious movement practices often experience breakthroughs in areas where traditional treatments have fallen short. This integration of movement with functional medicine creates powerful synergies for healing.

Creating Safe Spaces for Authentic Expression

The healing power of conscious dance lies not just in the movement itself, but in the creation of safe spaces where authentic expression can occur. This aspect of healing from within recognises that many of our health challenges stem from suppressed emotions and unexpressed aspects of ourselves.

Through our Ending Body Burnout Method, we create supportive environments where clients can explore these deeper aspects of healing through various modalities, including conscious movement practices.

Integrating Movement into Your Healing Journey

For those dealing with chronic pain, fatigue, or other symptoms of body burnout, conscious dance offers a gentle yet powerful pathway to healing. This approach honours the body's current limitations while gradually expanding capacity for movement and expression.

The beauty of conscious dance lies in its accessibility—there's no right or wrong way to move, and every body is welcomed exactly as it is. This inclusive approach aligns perfectly with our philosophy of personalised medicine and individualised healing paths.

Ready to explore how conscious movement could transform your healing journey? We invite you to discover how integrating mindful movement with functional medicine could support your path to optimal wellness. Book a Discovery Call with us to learn more about our comprehensive approach to healing, or take the first step through our Connect the Dots consultation to begin understanding how movement might support your unique healing journey.

Remember, your body holds incredible wisdom and healing potential. When you're ready to explore this deeper connection through conscious movement and comprehensive functional medicine, we're here to guide you on your path to vibrant health and authentic expression.

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Chris & Filipa Bellette are the Founders of multi award-winning health practice Chris & Filly Functional Medicine, which is best known for ending body burnout (for good!) in “busy” people with energy, mood and gut issues. They have worked with over 2,000+ burned-out clients in the past combined 25+ years, with their own passion for ending body burnout coming from their own personal experience of body, mind, family & business breakdown, after a prolonged period of physical and mental stress.

Filipa is an accredited Clinical Nutritionist, Functional Medicine Practitioner, Coach & Trauma Therapist. She is also a Ph.D. Scholar, author & regularly featured the media, such as Forbes, Body+Soul and The Daily Telegraph. Chris is a Burnout Recovery Coach & an accredited Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner, with a Bachelor of Human Movement Science. He has existed in high-performance realms of the sporting (think national athlete) & business industries and knows what it takes to get out of hustle-and-grind culture to thriving. 

They were recently awarded as the Tasmanian State Winner & National Finalist for the Telstra Best of Business Awards 2022, and Winner of the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards 2022.