What salsa has taught me about the mind

If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll know that 2026 was the year I decided to take up something that's always scared me - dancing!

I started off with an 80s dance class, progressed onto Zumba and then finally took my courage in both hands and booked onto some Cuban salsa classes.

And with every class I took, something unexpected happened; I began to see parallels between what I was learning and the changes my client go through with hypnotherapy.

So let me explain to you what salsa has taught me about the mind ...

Change happens one step at a time

For instance - to begin with, every single step I danced required conscious thought. I had to consider -

Where do my feet go? Am I on time? What comes next? Am I doing this right?

It didn’t feel natural at all - it felt deliberate, uncertain and unfamiliar.

I wanted to give up - often! And yet, I didn't - I kept showing up, kept moving forward and kept reminding myself of what I wanted to achieve.

Repetition Creates Ease

And with each class, I noticed that, little by little, something began to shift.

The steps that once felt unfamiliar started to feel more natural as I created muscle memory and my body began to remember what to do. The things I had to consciously think about at first slowly came more naturally to me.

This is exactly what happens when we begin to retrain the mind.

Many of my clients come to me feeling stuck in patterns that feel automatic - overthinking, anxiety, low mood or self-doubt - and very often these responses can feel like something that happens to you, rather than something you have any influence over.

But through gentle repetition and consistency, we can begin to introduce something new - whether that's a different response, a calmer feeling or a more supportive way of thinking.

At first, it can feel as unfamiliar as learning new steps in a dance. But the more you practise, the more natural it becomes.

Until one day, you realise… you’re no longer trying ... you’re simply responding differently!

One step forward ... two steps back

Learning to dance isn't a linear process - you will have ups and downs - and change works in the same way. Sometimes you move forward with ease; sometimes you revisit what you’ve already learned; and sometimes, progress happens in those quieter moments, below the surface of your awareness.

Trust the process

When I was dancing I noticed that the more I would overthink things, the harder it would become. But when I began to trust my body, allowing the music or my partner to guide me, movement became more fluid. Less effort, more flow - and the same is true for the mind.

So many people have become used to monitoring themselves closely, analysing every thought, questioning every feeling. But real change happens when you step out of that constant self-checking and allow something deeper to take over. Sometimes you just need to trust yourself and give your mind and body the space to find the new techniques you have been learning.

Forget what you no longer need

Salsa is based on an 8-beat musical structure - you step on beats 1-2-3 and 5-6-7 only; 4 and 8 are pauses. I was amazed at how quickly 4 and 8 disappeared from my mind when dancing! The same is true of the changes my clients experience with hypnotherapy - one day they just notice they are doing things differently ... and the things that once seemed so uppermost and problematic in their mind have faded into the background.

Go with the flow

In salsa you learn how to dance with a partner, which teaches you a lot about communication and flexibility. Sometimes you have to adjust to a new partner, a new rhythm, a new movement. Occasionally, you get it wrong, but the music doesn't stop when you do - the most important thing is how you adjust, recover and continue.

This is such an important part of changework, too

You don’t need to get everything right straight away. You simply need to keep moving forward - responding, adapting and allowing yourself to grow into something new.

Shaping your identity

What has helped me most in learning salsa hasn’t just been memorising the steps - it’s been immersing myself in the whole scene - the music, the energy, the culture. My Instagram feed is now full of salsa technique videos and my Spotify playlist is all latino rhythms. Even my Spanish has improved! Because when you immerse yourself fully in something, it begins to shape how you see yourself.

Now I no longer see myself as someone trying to dance salsa.

I have become someone who dances salsa.

"Soy salsera."

And in exactly the same way, when you consistently engage with new ways of thinking and feeling, your identity begins to shift accordingly.

You’re no longer someone who feels defined by your anxiety or self-doubt.

You become someone who feels calm, capable and more in control instead.

Make sure your social media feed is full of the positive, uplifitng, inspiring and supportive stuff. Do the same with the people you surround yourself with in real life. Read book, watch videos and become interested and curious about how your mind works - it will align you with a whole new mindset and way of thinking.

Look back and see how far you’ve come

After I'd been learning salsa for a while I had some weeks where I just felt incredibly frustrated - my progress wasn't always obvious to me. Some weeks I felt I was flying, others felt slow and agonising. When you’re learning something new, it can sometimes feel like you’re repeating the same steps again and again. But it's essential to remember that every single repetition is moving you closer to your goals.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is pause ... look back ... and realise just how far you’ve already come!

A new way of dancing through life

Retraining your mind is about creating the change you want - gently, consistently and in a way that feels natural over time. And just like learning to dance, what once felt unfamiliar can become easy and effortless!

To find out more about how hypnotherapy can help you, drop me a line to book your free discovery session - a friendly, no-obligation chat that will open up a whole new world of possibilities for you! No dance skills required.

(Disclaimer: the practice of hypnotherapy may cause you to be free of all previous limitations and wanting you to take part in activities that previously scared you. If that's the case, I can highly recommend the Salsa Explosion team for a truly authentic Cuban salsa learning experience!)