Someone asked me what spiritual growth means to me …
Here is what I spoke about in a nutshell
Harmony in mind body & spirit Integration in Self awareness Developing greater understanding & Empathy Humility & Kindness Humanity & Compassion.
Living in the lightness of being Acknowledging Grace in Gratitude Sensing true freedom to be…for the self and others. To flow with life in serenity. Sensing the joy in the ordinary.
It’s about acknowledging & sensing the space in around me
It’s about giving in the receiving and receiving in the giving
Witnessing the evolving patterns and freeing the self from limitations of the mind.
Evolving in the learnings, valuing the connection built in time. A mindful & heartful practice in conscious awareness. Letting go of unnecessary things Understanding the value Of the gift of life Making life meaningful. Living life lovingly!
And in knowing it’s so much more….
Please feel free to add what spiritual growth means to you?
Where there are no rules that bound Where the music leads and you follow Where there is end and no beginning All is in the flow as you sense you are the flow.. Ecstatic dancing indeed!
I remember participating in an Ecstatic Dance session in Zurich last year.
It was my first live session although I have been attending many such events online.
As a Ballroom and social dance teacher I have always got into the dance floor with a partner. So I first went in with an intention to experience first hand what it felt like to dance independently with others.
There were people of all ages walking in to register. I soon was surrounded by strangers who were finding a space for themselves to settle. Some started warming up some meditating, and I decided to follow suit.
I found people around me from all ages & walks of life, some seemed lithe and athletic like professional dancers, a few pregnant women, a few elderly people.
Each were on their own as if by practice, no one was really about conversation. For late comers it was about finding a space for many were already in their own warming up practices.
I could see all kinds of poses, some moving around a bit, flaying their arms and legs, some very restless some breathing consciously, some meditating, some sitting doing nothing but aware. A lady next to me managed to smile a bit when we look at each other, but mostly all were in their own world.
Soon the facilitator arrived and the she began a few warm up practices as the music flowed. The movements that she initiated were somewhat picked up by the crowd but interpreted in their own way. The tempo changed and the movements changed. The energy was palpable. What was interesting was there was no structure to the seeming madness and all were expressing from their own state of being. The mind body and spirit has a way of expressing in the flow if we only choose to allow it.
Our body is intelligent and capable. If we only understand that our body can heal itself much through instinctual expression as it helps regenerate itself. The somatic expressions are deeply authentic as no two people will move alike even though they hear the same music. For their emotions have different interpretations.
I was first a little cautious about my own movements especially conscious about the space I was occupying as the room was truly was full of people. Initially my experience in dancing spot dances like Jive or Salsa came to use so that I am aware of the dancers around me. And then after a while I realised I was unknowingly began using my skills of Waltz and Tango etc to move through the floor. I was dancing all the way from one end of the room to the other. I was in my own zen state of flow… like the others around me into their own unique moves…
I witnessed a few people in a trance like state, some truly rhythmic moving together without effort, and a few others doing weird gyrations as if the body is desperately releasing emotions. Suffice to say the experience was a soulful and intriguing one.
What is beautiful is that it is a safe space to move your own way…
No one leading no one following as a practice.
A non judgemental inclusive space…bringing people together to express themselves without fear, inhibitions and complete acceptance.
In mutual respect for one another as and how are.
The way a body moves to music is pure fascination. We are so uniquely ordained. Respect to the creator and creativity. 🙏
Create a space of calm Inviting you to a journey Alluding you in subtlety Through natural authenticity Keeping it simple & minimal With intriguing unintentionality Allowing a space for austerity Sparking divine connectivity Evoking movements in the stillness. Invoking stillness in the movements.
At the 49th World Dance Congress UNESCO Mumbai. 2018. My lecture presentation on The Relevance of Dance Education in Communities to a distinguished world audience from the field of Dance and Dance Research.
I spoke about how learning to dance brought out massive changes in marginalised communities, senior citizens and also recited in a poem format, my learnings while teaching dance to Visually impaired school children.
There is so much power to movement to encourage, to give hope, and empower a life to sense the possibilities in their potential beyond situations and circumstances.
This image came up as a great reminder of that beautiful day five years ago.
At the heart of it all is the love I have to share the joy of dance movements. I have had some amazing experiences along the way over the last two decades of being a dance educator. I have enjoyed every bit of it. The learnings and the sharings.
Suffice to say that after all these years though I have moved to doing many more things along with my writings, the simple joy of dance will always keep me happy at heart.
Once there came to the court of the Prince of Birkasha a dancer and her musicians. And she was admitted to the court. And she danced to the music of the flute, the lute, and the zither. She danced the dance of flames and fire, and the dance of swords and spears; she danced the dance of stars and the dance of space, and then she danced the dance of flowers in the wind.
When she had finished, she approached the prince and bowed her body before him. The price bade her to come nearer, and said unto her, “Beautiful woman, daughter of grace and delight, whence comes your art? And how is it that you command all the elements in your rhythms and your rhymes?”
And the dancer came near and bowed her body again and said, “Gracious majesty, I know not the answer to your questionings. Only this I know: The philosopher soul dwells within his head, the poets soul dwells within his heart, the singers soul dwells about his throat, but the soul of the dancer abides in all her body.
You can’t talk Spirituality You got to live it. Often when life takes you far Far away from it…
You got to know The divine that you seek Is with you in every moment Your actions thoughts and words Decides the distance between You and your spiritual self.
A house on a tree? Sure that would be an experience But the way of life Is if you are living on a tree Make sure that within you You plant the tree of Gratitude For life is a circle Circle in with a grateful heart.
A thought in kindness A word of kindness A deed in kindness Count up much more Than you realise Imagine the wealth of joy You will have created In a lifetime.
Gratitude makes us recognize and value things we already have even more. That is how it brings a sense of abundance.
Every day a practice of gratitude could include a variety of things that may feel right to you. From seeing the positives in a situation or in people, focusing on the good in life journaling regularly and being thankful, etc
A practice of living life with a positive attitude makes life more meaningful.
Give gratitude freely without holding back.
Thank you dear reader, Truly grateful for your time. Pls consider sharing this message of giving gratitude in this now.
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