Yechu Mha – Inner dance
(Tranquility of the soul)
The Yechu Mha Inner dance is a component of the ancient sacred Buddhist ritual dance form ‘Chariya’. The three elements of this dance form are inner observation of the sensations, story-telling through use of mudras, and embodiment of the characteristics and qualities of the Buddha. Yechu Mha focusses on the first of these and means ‘tranquility of the soul’ or ‘pure clean body’. Chariya dance is passed down through the generations and traditionally practiced in secret on behalf of the whole community. When practicing Yechu Mha, the person dancing flows with their own movements and enters a meditative state. The mind simply observes the movements of the body, becoming aware of and tracking the sensations inside and outside their body. They practice acceptance of whatever sensations appear, neither expecting nor ignoring them. They train to adapt to and easily accept emotions, deepening their understanding of change being the only thing that’s permanent, and coming to know that everything arises and passes away. The dance movement that emerges spontaneously in the body can not be imagined in advanced, it is simply experienced.