An Invitation Into Your Presence
A Note for Our Community
This practice was created specifically for members of the AFD Mentorship Portal.
Please keep this recording within our community and avoid sharing or reposting it outside the portal.
Thank you for helping protect the integrity of this space and the work we’re doing together.
The moments before rehearsal, auditions, or performance often carry more pressure than the moment itself.
The mind starts racing.
The body tightens.
You begin thinking about whether you’re good enough, prepared enough, ready enough.
Most dancers try to push through this feeling.
But the truth is, performance doesn’t begin when the music starts.
It begins in the moments before you walk into the room.
This guided practice is designed to help you pause, breathe, and return to yourself before stepping into your work.
Instead of entering from pressure or self-judgment, you’ll practice arriving grounded, open, and connected to your body.
From this place, your artistry can actually be seen.
Guided Practice
A 10-Minute Breathwork & Visualization Practice for Dancers
*This recording is part of the AFD Mentorship Portal and is intended for members of this community. Please keep it within the portal rather than sharing publicly.
*Dancers are welcome to stand (with eyes closed) for the second visualization portion of the practice.
This session is a 10-minute guided breathwork and visualization designed to help you:
• calm the nervous system
• reconnect with your breath and body
• release unnecessary pressure
• step into rehearsal, auditions, or performance with clarity and presence
You can return to this practice anytime you feel overwhelmed before stepping into a performance space.
Presence is not something you force — it’s something you return to.
Listen Before…
Many dancers find it helpful to use this practice:
• before an audition
• before rehearsal
• backstage before a performance
• before performing a competition solo
• before stepping into an important class
• anytime nerves begin to take over
Think of it as a reset for your mind and nervous system before you step into the room.
Suggested Use
Find a quiet place where you can sit or lie comfortably.
Allow yourself the full 10 minutes without interruption. Close your eyes, follow the guidance of the breath, and allow the visualization (can be done standing) to gently bring you back to center.
There is nothing you need to achieve here — simply allow yourself to arrive.
Reflection
After completing the practice, take a moment to notice what feels different in your body.
What shifts when you enter a room from presence instead of pressure?
If you’d like to dive deeper into this process and building a strong pre-performance routine. Join me for a 1-to-1 session.
Available times listed below.