In the stillness of the now
Is a divine orchestration.
Of the rapturous flow
Of the beauty of nature
And its wonder in awe!
All is peace All is well!
Savvy
Stillness
Category Archives: Dance
A Dedication To Dance
Life reflects itself through the things you do, the people you meet as well as in your passions and perseverances, in so many intriguing yet enthralling ways.
One such beautiful reflection I experienced in my travels earlier in France.
A sense of deja vu, a throwback to the fond memories of teaching dances to people in the different places, all thanks to the Dance & the magic of movements.
While visiting France I met my colleague from the world of dance, Celine Maheo who resides in Rennes
Celine is a practicing clinical psychologist and an Argentine tango dancer.
What’s beautiful is that she is a dedicated professional who uses the dance therapy for helping Parkinson’s patients with their movements through Tango dance sessions.
My interest was piqued, as earlier I had been conducting very similar dance sessions as well, especially remembered our Seniors Dance for Wellness workshops back in India.
So over a beautiful meet and greet sipping cups of hot herbal tea at the Les Grands Gamin at the heart of Rennes, ensued a free flowing conversation where we exchanged notes on each others life. Our passion for dancing was the visible to see as we hardly knew how moments passed by.
To dance is to sense connections beyond the dancing bodies.
To dance is to honour life and its unique expressions in the movements.
Savvy Raj
And when Celine invited me to her next Tango Therapy Workshop, it was an offer I could not refuse. I was actually keen to understand whether and how the cultural differences change the way of conducting and experiencing workshops here.
Dancing can improve the mobility and balance in senior adults.
Adapting the dance to suit the requirements of the group, like simplifying the steps, the placement of the feet, improves their coordination, mobility and balance.
The dance session was deeply engrossing & truly inspiring to witness and participate as well. The music played that day stayed with me well after the session.
So the next step turned out to be me conducting a Chacha session for them. The challenges of language barriers were surrmounted easily as Celine offered to translate my teaching from English to French.
Everything fell in place beautifully and voila time flew again.We danced a bit of Chacha that day and also some more in the next few sessions as well. I was told later by the learners how much they enjoyed it!
It was an amazing experience sharing the joys of movements and I thank Celine for her inclusivity in requesting me to conduct the dance sessions as well. And I deeply appreciate all her beautiful learners that I met,connected and danced with. It was a truly warm and wonderful time spent with them all.
After the sessions we would gather together and discuss opening many facets of the learning and imbibing. It was a beautiful way of empathising and understanding each other.
Some of the beautiful souls I got to interact with in the few months I was there.
Dance has a way of soothing your entire being and bringing forth and connecting you with the depth of who you are. That is when dance begins to feel meaningful and transforms life.
The dance connects established, in those sessions is a beautiful memory etched in my heart, that I will cherish forever.
I chanced on these beautiful moments again as I found the photos I clicked back then and I decided to give them a little artistic effect.
All across the world April 29th every year is celebrated as International Dance Day, although every day is a great day to dance!
I dedicate this post to all my dance friends and colleagues and all the dance educators in the world who are making the world a better place, with every step in time.
Savvy Raj
Dance of Connection
Universal Oneness is an awareness
In reflections of the truth of the being
Interweaved and interconnected in every life .
Strength shines through the vulnerabilities.
As a power in the very fragility
Touched by divine grace
Enmeshed in the senses
Fired in the cauldron of life and living
Comes a consciousness of the flow
In and around us
Beyond the illusion of separation.
Is the dance of connection.
Savvy
Dance of life
Be the brave heart that learns to dance with life.
Dream on and take the chances.
And let your soul thrive in this dance of life.”
Savvy
Art of Speaking
There is more to speaking than what we simply hear.
And the power of positive speech cannot be underestimated.
Speak as you would like to be spoken to
Speak clearly with confidence & certainty
Speak to convey the message than try to control.
Speak using positively affirming words.
Speak politely and avoid sarcasm.
Speak with empathy and avoid criticism.
While speaking to children…
A child hears and understands the tone of your voice well.
Keep it balanced as far as possible
Use it well to convey the messsge without yelling.
And most of all
Speak with words that appreciate than admonish.
It makes all the difference.
Savvy
Happy People Habits
What does it take to be happy?
Nothing much really! Just a practice of good attitude and ease of being. Often a number of happy people do have these things in common …
Good nature :
Simple living, Keen listening, Friendliness
Good friends :
Nurturing Relationships, Non judgmental
Good intentions :
Gratitude Thankfulness Contentment
Good habits :
Meditation Exercise, Balanced lifestyle
Think about it…
Every day is a new opportunity to turn the day around!
All it takes is a little help from yourself
To make things happen!
Savvy
Dancers Soul
THE DANCER An Excerpt From The Wanderer by Khalil Gibran,
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.
A reflection
Just as how we treat another reflects who we are,the way we choose to dance with another too often reflects who we are!
Think about answers for the following questions …
What kind of a dancer are you?
Do you like dancing alone?
Do you prefer dancing socially on a moments notice?
Or do you freeze when in front of a crowd but love to dance when you are on your own?
Do you fancy yourself to be a performer on stage,a cynosure of all eyes?
Or do you love dancing because it makes you feel better inside out?
Do you crave attention recognition from your audience?
Do you prefer to dance in a group setting?
Or are you just a dancing soul who waltzes with life?
Whatever is your way
Keep dancing with all of you
The way you want to!
Savvy
Make it a beautiful day!
Step up on a soul shaking stir to free the mind, to realize the calm that actually is this moment.💙
Make this moment beautiful!
Have a beautiful day!
Savvy
Conquering the Invisible
Exactly six years ago, I was approached by my friend now, Maria Teresa to write a chapter and contribute to her book from the perspective of healing through the art of movements.
Privileged to have contributed my bit to this book on PTSD and how Dance can play a vital role in reducing the symptoms of the same . Available on Amazon now at http://tinyurl.com/qbcvqjs
Savvy
Truth of movements
True learning happens when we realize we are the teacher and we are the student. And life teaches the greatest lessons without anyone uttering a word or at times in just the sheer presence of a good soul .
Likewise as we dance from our heart without a spoken word and open ourselves to realization and acceptance of new possibilities… true dancing happens!
Savvy
Cherish The Gift
Cherish the gift of movement…
Isn’t it wonderful to be able to dance…. to tell your body what you want it to do?
If you are a dancer respect the gift of dance in you .
Even if you are not a trained dancer, acknowledge the ability of expressions and respect the beauty of movements in them .
After all we have a beating heart ….We are all gifted with movements . Let’s cherish the gifts of both the movements and moments in time.
Savvy
Cosmic Dance
Across the Star spangled Space
A celebration of Universal Consciousness
In the eternal dance of Cosmic Lights …
💙👌💙
Healing Moves
Wisdom of Moderation
‘My first intentional practice of Tai Chi began years ago on a rainy day in the month of June. The sweet cadence of the rain in all it’s rhythmic glory, the cleansing nature of the rain was just as wonderfully comforting as much as the experience of Tai Chi, with its movement in stillness and the stillness of its movements.
As I tried to move in unison with breath and learned to direct the momentum for the movements from the central core of the body to the outward, I could draw the parallels of the simple yet profound principles of Tai chi giving a lifetime’s guidance.
A life lived in the middle path gives one equanimity to see beyond the obvious. To envision the duality of existence enough to understand joy and sorrow, are not something eternal. Life becomes simple and just as easy to live as we make it , letting go of excesses of any kind, which ultimately works towards healing oneself from within.
It only adds to the fact that this moderation makes you want to work at building progressively, instead of pushing the boundaries and stretching beyond your abilities to the point of probably injuring yourself and giving up altogether.
The rain’s rhythmic tapping on my open window sill, the occasional bursts of cool breeze surrounding me now and then was in tune with my learning to release and melt away the accumulated stresses through conscious gentle outward movements . I felt a few varied sensations coming to me vying for attention, but as soon as my focus returned to simply witness the flow of breath in the movements the very same sensations completely vanished.
It was so peaceful to end the practice with breath awareness and mindful movements that I must add that like everything else in life, Tai Chi must be ideally learned under the guidance of a good teacher to experience the gamut of life enriching experiences it surely has to offer.
As I completed my practice for the moment , suddenly there was thunder and lightning signifying the release of feel good endorphins and hopefully parting with some of the tensions within me. This is after all the essence of Tai chi , to be one with Nature and learn to nurture it .
A humble dedication to Tai Chi form and the powers of the supreme in and around us.
Savvy Raj
Interconnections
Today I share my artwork
All is in the strength of the interconnections.
Savvy
Savvy Raj 