A psychotherapist, Zen master and an author, Mary Jaksch lists helping people be happy as her passion in life. Through her blog, Mary chronicles her experience of a Zen lifestyle and gives spiritual advice. We bring you select few of Mary's insightful works.   

I love dancing. When I was 3 years old I suddenly appeared in the lounge at 11 o’clock at night - stark naked and completely silent.

My parents told me that they watched open-mouthed as I began to dance to a complete Beethoven symphony they were listening to.

After 30 minutes of dancing, I went back to bed without speaking a single word - so my mother told me.

Some years ago, when my mother was slipping into dementia, I told her that I was going to tango classes and was surprised to feel so at home.

She looked at me and said, “Oh, you silly mutt- how you could forget how much you love dancing?”

I know that some people find it strange that a Zen master should also be passionate about dancing. As if Zen should be severe and otherworldly!

In the West we imagine that sensuality and spirituality are at opposite ends of a spectrum.

There is a close link between dancing and spirituality. I think that one dance in particular is closely aligned to Zen. That’s Argentine tango. To dance the tango you have to abide in mindfulness. The moment a tango dancer falls out of mindfulness into thinking, the connection to the dance and to one’s partner is broken. It’s like falling out of heaven with a thud!

There is an interesting book by Chan Park, called Tango Zen. In it he traces the connection between tango and Zen.

When we dance we tap into deeper patterns of the universe and link into life’s vital energy. That is why dance is one of the ancient ways of connection with the sacred and dance forms part of ritual for many spiritual traditions.

In the photograph: A couple dancing Tango

Photographs: Getty Images