In my head I’m much more graceful. The first time I took an online movement class, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thought, Is that me flailing like a toddler? It was far from the instructor’s guidance or what I thought I was doing. 

Years ago, I met Dr. S. Ama Wray while collaborating on a session for AI for Good, the United Nations’ leading platform on Artificial Intelligence for sustainable development. Dr. Wray is a Professor of Dance at UC Irvine, as well as an improviser, choreographer, director, teacher, and scholar. Her impressive accolades include being a former UK National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts fellow and receiving the Emerging Scholar Award from the International Comparative & International Education Society in 2018. She developed her theory and practice of Embodiology®—a neo-African approach to contemporary dance improvisation—during her Ph.D. studies at the University of Surrey.

It was through Dr. Wray that I was introduced to Embodiology®, a methodology she created that honors ancestral wisdom while seamlessly bridging the gap between creative practice, innovation, and well-being. At its core, Embodiology® is about movement, breath, and human connection as tools for unlocking creativity, focus, and community-building. While initially intrigued, I could not have imagined the profound impact this practice would have on my life and work.

Joy-In-Motion: Becoming a Moving Thinker

During the 2020 global quarantine, I joined Dr. Wray’s online community, Joy in Motion. The weekly sessions became a much-needed practice for movement and breath work. At first, I felt out of place, standing in front of my computer, moving alongside a group that ranged from professionally trained dancers to occasional movers and people with two left feet.

As a public speaker, I’ve stood on stages of all sizes, from small venues to convention centers, but nothing felt as vulnerable as moving in front of a screen with strangers. However, learning to embrace vulnerability proved to be the most valuable part of the experience.

Through this community, I realized how much I had forgotten: forgotten to breathe, forgotten to move, forgotten to connect with my instincts, my body, and my creative self. So much of our time is spent in environments that dictate how we speak, act, and perform, often to a degree that stifles creative output.

It’s easy to become so focused on pushing forward an agenda that you neglect the simple, profound act of being present in your own humanity.

Rediscovering the joy of movement, not dancing, but simply moving, reconnected me to parts of myself I had set aside. I found that expanding my creative space wasn’t about adopting more tools or working harder or faster; it was about slowing down and reconnecting. Sometimes, the body knows best.

Reimagining Work: Using Movement to Drive Ideation and Collaboration

Years later, I invited Dr. Wray to lead a session with my team during one of our annual staff retreats in New York. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was somewhat skeptical that a movement-based practice would resonate in a conference room setting, with a group of tech professionals accustomed to sitting behind screens, approaching problems analytically, and keeping their work lives at a distance. (Let’s be honest—the “bring your full self to work” movement isn’t attainable for most of us.)

The session began with simple, intentional movements, synchronizing breath and body. It didn’t take long to notice the shift in the room. My team, typically heads-down and analytical, began engaging with one another in entirely new ways. The practice sharpened our focus, enhanced our creative problem-solving, and created space for ideation and renewed sense of collaboration.

Embodiology® and Unlocking Human Potential

In a time when emerging technologies dominate our attention and define our progress, Embodiology® offers something truly unique. It honors ancestral knowledge while showing how traditional practices can coexist with and enhance modern innovation.

Dr. Wray’s methodology is more than a practice; it’s a philosophy. It positions the body as a vital tool for creativity, cognition, and well-being. For those who spend their days tethered to devices, driven by deadlines and algorithms, it’s easy to lose sight of the profound power of human potential.

Embodiology® serves as a powerful reminder that unlocking human potential starts with recognizing the body as our most vital and transformative resource. Elevating that potential is essential to creating a better world. As humans, we are both the greatest source of problems and the most powerful solution to them.

More Information

As a computer scientist and entrepreneur, I’m honored to call myself a member of Dr. Wray’s community of moving-thinkers. Her work has profoundly shaped the way I approach creativity, focus, and collaboration.

I encourage you to click to learn more about Embodiology® or Joy in Motion.