The Joy and Healing Power of Dance — with Selene Yilmaz | BlissTalk Podcast

What if joy, healing, and personal growth were just one dance away?

In this uplifting and soul-nourishing episode of BlissTalk, we’re joined by Selene Yilmaz, internationally renowned dance educator and the visionary founder of Joimove — a global movement that helps people reconnect with their bodies, their communities, and their joy through the healing power of dance.

Selene believes that dance is more than movement — it’s a universal language of joy, a gateway to deeper self-expression, and a powerful catalyst for healing. Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or have never taken a step on the dance floor, her message is clear: everyone can dance, and everyone deserves joy.

From leading dance sessions in refugee camps and hospitals to coaching people around the world to use movement as medicine, Selene brings passion, wisdom, and warmth to this heart-opening conversation.

 In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How to invite more joy, health, and self-expression into your daily life through dance
• Why movement is a natural tool for healing trauma and releasing emotion
• Selene’s journey creating Joimove and its global impact
• Simple ways to reconnect with your body, regardless of age or ability
• How to use dance as a form of meditation, empowerment, and personal growth
• Why joy is a radical and essential act of wellbeing — not a luxury

If you’ve been feeling disconnected from your body, stuck in stress, or longing for more lightness and vitality in your life, this episode will inspire you to move — not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually too.

“Dance is joy in motion. When we move with intention, we come home to ourselves.” – Selene Yilmaz

✅ Links & Resources:
Discover the Joy Booster Workout: https://learn.blisspot.com/courses/Joy-Booster-Workout
Website: https://blisspot.com

Transcript

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Welcome to the Blisspot podcast series, where we interview global wellbeing leaders to share ideas that invite more joy and happiness into your life. Hello! I'm absolutely delighted to be here today as part of our Blisspot Expert Podcast series to talk with Selen Yilmaz. I was lucky enough to be introduced to her a few months ago because of the beautiful work she does around Joy Move. Joy Move is a global movement. Selen herself has an incredible story, and I feel so privileged and honored to be talking to people from all over the globe—people like Selen whose life’s work is to make the world a better place through their unique gifts and talents. That was just a broad introduction, but I’ll get Selen to tell you more about herself, how she came to this, and why she is so highly qualified in this area. So, Selen, tell me, what got you on this path that ultimately led to founding Joy Move? Thank you so much, Deborah. It was lovely to meet you, and it has already been an incredible journey we’ve shared together. I’m very delighted to have this podcast opportunity to share with everybody today. I’m currently in Scotland, originally from Istanbul. I trained as a professional classical ballet dancer and ballet master, which is my background. Later, I developed various teaching qualifications in dance and fitness, including prenatal and postnatal training. Much of my work involved hospitals and prisons, working with people recovering from mental or physical challenges. I am very involved in dance and music and have learned to use these as tools to brighten people’s lives. But it all started, of course, by helping myself. This journey led us to set up an international movement called Joy Move. That’s quite an achievement—an incredible achievement. And Selen, I was really intrigued last time we spoke when you told me about your classical dance training and what an incredible skill that is. That alone is amazing. But then, as an instructor, you started to think about ballet differently—how you gave corrections to your students—and as a result, some quite amazing things happened. Could you share a bit about that journey? When I started classical ballet, I was three years old. I also trained in rhythmic gymnastics and competed. Following my path as a classical ballet dancer brought many good skills and qualities into my life, such as punctuality, discipline, teamwork, and learning to be a good community member. But it also brought a lot of stress and sometimes led to perfectionism, lack of self-love, and emotional challenges. It’s not easy as a teenager or a young woman to look in the mirror and like what you see. When I started teaching at 16, that was a shift in my life. I was a good, hardworking dancer, but it was a challenge to truly enjoy it. Dancing begins with love for movement and music, but professional life can make it stressful—focusing on faults and fearing failure on stage. When I started teaching, I realized I didn’t want to pass that stress onto my students. I wanted them to be happy, to see the bright spark in their eyes, and to find joy through dance. So I encouraged them to find what made them happy and used dance and music as tools for that. My teaching journey began with preschoolers who wanted to dance with their parents, but often the parents were too tired or busy. That made me think—wouldn’t it be wonderful if children could see their parents celebrating life together? Usually, children see stressed, busy parents, not joyful and childlike adults. That was my first big shift when I was 16. Later, I expanded to conservatories, academies, and universities, training professional dancers who later became teachers themselves. This journey showed me how much unique potential each person holds. The key is to appreciate that uniqueness. Alongside ballet technique, we practiced morning meditations and gratitude journaling, which helped my students perform beautifully on stage and exams. That was the magic we created together—they started to love what they saw in themselves. Amazing! I love that. And it was all in the way you gave corrections, wasn’t it? You didn’t say, “Do it better,” or “Be better.” You said, “That’s beautiful.” You really expanded on that. The way you gave feedback is a great lesson. Exactly. Normally, you hear things like, “Look how Selen is doing, can you be like her?” or, “You were rubbish today, you need to work harder.” Those things never worked for me. I understood the intention behind them—they see potential and want you to improve—but for me, it just made me think, “If Deborah is better, maybe she should do it.” I never felt motivated to work harder because of criticism. My approach was the opposite. I would say, “Look at you, Deborah! Can you see when you lift your hand like that? Look at those long lines!” I took photos to show the difference when they breathed in and smiled. They felt lighter, jumped higher, and it was magical—like a universal force in their lungs. Oh gosh, I just love talking to you! I find so much joy in this conversation. It’s a real lesson—we flourish in loving, nurturing environments, not harsh ones. That’s what you created in your teaching, and it’s a beautiful story. It’s about knowing you won’t be judged. We all have good days and bad days. Women have hormonal changes, sometimes a rough night, lack of sleep—that affects performance day to day. What matters is feeling welcomed and supported by teachers who are there to help build something together. That makes sense—so beautiful. And you expanded this philosophy far beyond dance studios, right? How did you come to establish Joy Move? It all started flourishing after I became a mum. Before that, I worked with charity and fundraising projects in communities. I was passionate about bringing dance, especially classical ballet and salsa, tango, to communities that couldn’t afford dance education. In Istanbul and worldwide, dance is a luxury hobby requiring payment, unlike fitness classes, which may be more accessible. I worked with street children and children who lost their families, bringing dance into their lives. Joy Move began to appear during that time but was officially established after I became a mum. I was working as an author and dance critic, then got pregnant and moved to Scotland. Shortly after having my daughter, who was three months old, I changed my life—I left everything behind, not knowing anyone, not speaking English well, and unsure where to start. I started dancing with my daughter. I’m social, so I told friends I was doing baby dance exercise classes, and they wanted to try. It began in my living room, combining everything I’d learned in Istanbul to create a joyful technique for me and my friends. We danced with our babies in carriers or holding them, sometimes sleeping nearby. We danced for 30–40 minutes to a mix of salsa, cha-cha, ragga, classical ballet, belly dancing, tango, and world music. It helped us zone out from life’s stresses. Our babies started napping longer after sessions, and we enjoyed chatting and coffee afterward. Word spread fast. I rented a studio and started classes. I learned legislation and rules because people wanted to become instructors and bring Joy Move to other cities. It was a chain effect. Within six months, I was on BBC Radio talking about dance with babies and movement. I trained instructors, created programs, and worked with health professionals. Thanks to my perfectionism, I covered all important health and safety details, and it just grew. In one year, Joy Move was in eight countries. My daughter was a toddler then, and I created toddler classes—sensory sessions with music, finger painting, games, and songs for their attention span. Then came “Dance with Kids” in schools, nurseries, and summer camps, and “Dance with Friends,” where adults regardless of background share joy in community circles. I needed a name to put it all under one roof, so “Joy Move” was born. It expanded mostly through recommendations and word of mouth. It’s a community business model, not a franchise. It’s built on trust and has grown magically. It was meant to be! The world needs more joy, and your work is so pure and genuine. I’ve seen some of your videos and classes—they’re beyond belief. They just make you happy watching people having so much fun. I understand why it spread so quickly and became an international movement. Massive credit to you. Where can people access Joy Move if they want to get involved or take a class? If there’s a certified instructor nearby, people should try a live class. Otherwise, they can consider becoming an instructor to bring Joy Move to their community. We also have online classes via Zoom—thanks to the pandemic, everyone’s become IT savvy. We hold festivals and events occasionally, hopefully resuming soon. Classes can be downloaded and done anytime, which is nice for personal experience. Even if you feel down, a 40-minute workout changes your perspective and boosts everything positively. It’s a great thing to do, even alone late at night—just play a session before bed. It’s lovely. Beautiful. We’ll make Selen’s incredible work available on Blisspot soon. If anyone wants to look her up online, it’s spelled J-O-Y M-O-V-E. Also, Selen, I’d love for you to share more about the philosophy and science behind dance and joyous movement. How it helps free you and elevate your spirit. During lockdown, I was glued to my computer and had to remind myself to get moving—it really helps. Dancing takes it to a new level because music impacts your senses. Could you explain the physical, mental, and emotional benefits? Dancing or any movement is amazing for blood circulation. Being outside adds oxygen to your lungs, helping your body work better. Even moving at home after sitting for a while helps joints, spine, and posture, improving overall health. Posture affects how healthy we feel from feet to head. My workouts combine fitness and dance moves, including circular motions we don’t use in everyday life. Tango, cha-cha, belly dance moves are basic but improve mobility in hips, knees, shoulders quickly. This helps with mobility issues, injury recovery, or long hours at a desk. Together with health professionals, our main focus is improving daily life quality, not training professionals. Mentally, focusing on something positive helps achieve goals. But first, we must release distractions and emotions, being aware without ignoring them. Life’s phases bring challenges. Music transports us—playing Bachata, for example, can make you feel like you’re at the beach. It lifts you out of your current space and mood. We work with workplaces offering “joy booster” breaks—20-minute sessions at lunchtime. After sessions, meetings go better because people feel positive, less judgmental, and more accepting of diversity. It makes so much sense! I was writing notes, inspired by everything you said. We all know more oxygen means feeling better. When moving, breathing deepens naturally. Music gets you out of your head and into your body, stopping overthinking. You tap into intuition and your natural state. Emotions are energy in motion, designed to flow. When trapped or repressed, they can cause illness. Dance helps emotions flow instead of getting stuck. Would you say that, Selen? Exactly. My recent book, titled Choosing Joy to Overcome Life’s Challenges, says just that. Choosing joy doesn’t mean suppressing or hiding emotions but acknowledging them. We all have emotions—that’s what makes us human. Hard times will come, and challenges will happen. You can push them away or go through them. Choosing joy even for a split second helps emotional, mental, and physical health day by day. Tools to support this vary—gardening, cooking, reading, not just dancing. But if anyone is open to trying dance, I believe it benefits everyone. It’s beautiful. We spend ten minutes brushing our teeth, and that’s important. But spending ten minutes a day dancing could make a huge difference. When my kids were little, I always said singing and dancing would never be banned in our house. Singing and dancing automatically make you feel good. Cranking up music and dancing in the kitchen or following one of your sessions is amazing. Even belly dancing is great for reproductive health and hormones. The fact you choreographed movements to get people out of routines is incredible and helpful.