Yunn-Wen Lien
Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University
Shan-Chuan Teng
National Taiwan University, Department of Psychology
Chun-Hui Jen
Science Education Center, National Taiwan Normal University
Theresa Chyi
Department of Exercise and Health Promotion, Chinese Culture University
The authors argue that Ya-Yue, a kind of music and dance ensemble believed to serve as a ritual practice for heavenly worship in Ancient China, can be regarded as a way toward a transcendental experience (the oneness of the heaven and humanity) and as an optimal experience special to the Li-Yue tradition that has been spread over Confucian culture. In addition, empirical data about the positive effects of practicing Ya-Yue dance on the mind and body are reported and/or reviewed, including: a) the subjective reports of children Yi-Wu practitioners (a kind of Ya-Yue dance); b) the effects of Yi-Wu on divergent thinking and movement coordination; c) the effects of a short-term mind-body training program based on the principle of Ya-Yue dance (Body-Mind Axial Awareness, or BMAA) on the executive function of children and adults; and d) neuroimaging data of the mind-wandering reduction effects of listening to Ya-Yue.
Keywords: cognitive enhancement, heavenly-man unity, mind-body balance, mindfulness, optimal experience, Ya-Yue, Yi-Wu