Dinner under a lemon tree Capri
I saw this picture and paused…
For it spoke of abundance of being.
Of Sight, sense and smell.
Emoting in the sensing
Evoking in freshness of fragrance
Nature is abundance personified
Rewards aplenty, with fruits to share
The little joys of dining together
Socializing seem like a dream
With the world in its now from here.
Yet the picture paints cheer & hope.
Of giving and living generously.
Happiness is in the sensing
Have a wonderful weekend š
Savvy
There is always a path meant for u
Explore the myriad colors of life
In all shades and hue…
What you choose to see
Is how it appears to be
Acknowledge the gifts of life
As they come to you in time.
For Colors make life come alive.
Savvy
Came across this forward today….paints a very relevant picture of times we live in … do read.
Someone has nicely explained the irony in the present situation:
ā Never have I seen
such a mess in life.
The air is pure but
wearing a mask is
mandatory.
Roads are empty
but it is impossible
to go on long drive.
People have clean
hands but there is a
ban on shaking hands.
Friends have time to
sit together but they
cannot get together.
The cook inside you
is crazy, but you cannot
call anyone for lunch or
dinner.
Every Monday,
the heart longs to go out, but the weekend does not seem to end.
Those who have money
have no way to spend it.
Those who don’t have
money have no way to
earn it.
The culprit is all around
but cannot be seen.
A world full of irony!
Be positive but test negative.ā
If the cup of life you have in this now
Is filled with doubts and insecurities
Can you stir up some positive intent
Within the cup , adding awareness
Can u brim the cup with humanity
So that when it spilleth over
There is healing in hope
There is goodwill and grace
Allowing some space for reflection
To let peace in and let it flow….
Savvy
ImageCredit to unknown photographer
Strength in the grounding
Here is a truly powerful image
Speaking volumes without a word.
Depicting the power of nature
Breaking through a rock…
Life cannot be undermined
It finds a way to flourish
Nature has a way of nurturing itself
To survive against all odds.
The strength of the spirit
The intention of the soul
Courses through its veins
Until it finds a path to grow
Rooting itself steadfastly
Its grounding is its strength
Nourishing the life
To stay centered .
And grow it does and how…
Spring through summer
Come rain or shine
No autumn can last too long …
As that seemingly leafless tree
Springs forth a hopeful bloom
Sharing the fruits of life and living.
As the seasons change….
Breakthrough are a way of being
Course correcting itself no matter
Finding its bearing in full bloom
Nature is meant to thrive!
Savvy
Life is a reflection of our way of living.
The attitudes, the thoughts we carry
The nature of our deeds
All is deeply significant to our states of being.
In depth of gratitude arises acknowledgement
Everything that is, has a reason
Nothing is accidental
In deep gratitude, there is clarity
Clearing the debris of uncertainty
Crystallizing the dimensions in-between
Every once in a while
Partaking in the profoundness of wisdom garnered
Beyond the apparitions
Illusions in the making
And the reality in the reflections
Flowing along in this river of time.
Savvy
Happiness is a state of being
The simple act of acknowledgement
Even in our little wins…
With a heart felt smile , a self hug,
All can create a positive impact
On our state of being.
Remember to celebrate yourself
You can change the way you feel
Make yourself available to you
Your life is a precious gift
Acknowledge, & Celebrate yourself.
Savvy
The world we see today
Is changing rapidly
New norms are setting in
We are in a state of flux
From fighting pandemic
To accepting lockdowns
As a way of being
People starved of socialization
Are appeased by bytes of reality
We are attuning ourselves
To being masked at all times
Practicing distancing and being indoors.
But life goes on no matter what
Sensitizing us to new ways of living
What matters most then is
Is that here we are, inspite of it all
We learn to align with ourselves
Moving with care and compassion
From here on empathy guides
Leading us to knowing ourselves.
This is the truth for us all
Of tommorow’s world.
Savvy
To every question that arises
To every puzzle that confronts you.
Know you are entrusted with answers…
Deeply embedded with in you.
Simply trust in the knowing
It will deliver you the way.
The pathways will reveal itself
All in the right time and place.
All you need is trust in yourself …
And the courage to follow through.
But remember you have all the answers.
Savvy
This lovely picture above by award winning photographer, Steve McCurry, of National Geographic fame, tells a story. Steve was passing through the Rajasthan, India desert by taxi, when he was caught in a furious dust storm. This is when he spotted a group of women in a huddle trying to brave its fury. The only way they could protect themselves was by taking support of one another. It had not rained in the region for 13 years and a dust storm like this forebode coming rains. While life hung precariously in this devastating storm, together they not only could fight it, but even sang happily on the prospect of possible rains. What better metaphor to show that women have the inherent strength and resilience to literally brave any storm and also at the same time rejoice on the positive side of even the most hostile situation. Together we stand. .. !!!
I came across this striking picture and story on Social Media and I just felt like sharing this today.
Positives in Negatives
A young woman was sitting at her dining table, worried about taxes to be paid, house-work to be done and to top it all, her extended family was coming over for festival lunch the next day. She was not feeling very thankful at that time.
As she turned her gaze sideways, she noticed her young daughter scribbling furiously into her notebook.
āMy teacher asked us to write a paragraph on āNegative Thanks givingā for homework today,ā said the daughter.
āShe asked us to write down things that we are thankful for, things that make us feel not so good in the beginning, but turn out to be good after all.ā
With curiosity, the mother peeked into the book. This is what her daughter wrote:
āIām thankful for Final Exams, because that means school is almost over.
Iām thankful for bad-tasting medicine, because it helps me feel better.
Iām thankful for waking up to alarm clocks, because it means Iām still alive.ā
It then dawned on the mother, that she had a lot of things to be thankful for!
She thought againā¦
She had to pay taxes but that meant she was fortunate to be employed.
She had house-work to do but that meant she had a shelter to live in.
She had to cook for her many family members for lunch but that meant she had a family with whom she could celebrate.
We generally complain about the negative things in life but we fail to look at the positive side of it.
Yes there is a positive in every negative .
What is the positive in your negatives? Look at the better part of life today and make everyday a great day.
Good Day š»
Be safeš·
Reflections in the stillness
On a patch of water
Reflections of sunlight
On a passing cloud
Reflecting colours
We humans have namedā¦
The truth of clarity
Is the freedom in the uncertain
What seems to be, may not be
What is, may be not
What is apparent, may be invisible
What is assumption, may become a contradiction
Or simply delusions of our own imagination.
Or simply a clarity of illusions in the reflections.
Savvy
Was watching the reflections of sunlight dancing on this patch of water on the window sill of my terrace one evening. I was mesmerized by the fleeting cloud it had captured and its amazing colours that held my fancy for a long whileā¦
Savvy Raj
So much wisdom in these two lines.
Speaking and listening is an elegant dance of words
As you hear more you are learning
And as you speak you are expressing
The power of what mere words can do
At the right time said in the right tone
To the right audience in all its simplicity of delivery
As much as in the profoundness of understanding
Taking time to understand
What matters before you speak
Taking time to know whom to say what
All is a dance, in the wisdom in the being
Savvy
When I started listening to my inner calling, I realized all that which makes me happy to be in this present moment … makes me at my receptive, attentive, creative, connective, positive best.
At this juncture I guess the moment I feel most centred is the moment I connect with the art of dancing whether with words or movement … in whatsoever way possible. Be it in thoughts, action or deeds, like learning a new dance form practicing, teaching dance techniques to the interested, imparting a workshop, sharing a dance, creating new patterns or even writing about it!
Somehow a sense of serene alertness sets in and yet it manages to keep me in the state of joyous flow.
I realize this space to be my healing abode that which lets me be me, as expansive as I want to be! I am aware how much my connect with dancing is growing. I am thankful to those who have helped to be where I am … and hopefully evolving in the being!
We are all beautiful unique beings, and it is important to understand that which makes us unique is our distinct differences…
Likewise, with regard to partner dancing, there are many different perspectives as far as learning is concerned.
From Social Dancing (which I identify naturally with,possibly due to my own personal traits) to Show dancing at performances, an ideal platform for people who like to be at their theatrical , glamorous best and love to entertain, to Competitive dancing which would be ideal for those who would like a rigorous and vigorous , athletic approach to dance training, where the syllabus is watertight and there are judges to keep scores and evaluate your training in different levels and where there are certificates awarded for levels completed with proficiency in perfect execution of well-rehearsed patterns.
Each of these are beautiful pathways and has its own takers according to and as per the individual’s nature. The scope of each is very different and yet the health benefits are common to all with consistent practice.
But my point here is, that among them the important factor which differentiates Social dancing to choreographed sequences of the Exhibition and Show dancing and the Competition dances, lies in the expansion of the ability to accommodate , adjust and act according to the needs of the situation, which can be developed an applied very creatively in Social dancing … as you learn the art of partnering for e.g to lead and follow, no matter what the age, gender, height, weight or proficiency level is.
This call’s for a heightened attentive response to stimulus …(average response time to a visual stimulus for the human brain is about 1.23 seconds or so for the human brain to body connection and response to happen).
Dancing socially is a natural way to bring out the creative potential in the dancers as there is no room for monotony to set in after a while, which could be possible in rigorous performance-based dance training, or with strict adherence to the syllabus in competition dances.
And yes … I love the fact that no longer is the old rigid viewpoint true of the leader being always in the lead and the follower always the follow … I hope to reach out and train and send out more people on the dance floor who realize the importance of equality in partner connections .. after all without a follower there can be no leader … I hope the word ‘Hijack ‘which technically could mean a follower taking over the job of the leading … is replaced with responsible ‘Alert Partnering ‘ which improvises the creative quotient of the dance partners …..and brings out the essence of great dancing!
Let us join hands to promote the simplicity of Dance a Spatial Art, for I do believe that it’s so much more than just a floor craft.
All across the world April 29th every year is celebrated as the International Dance Day… as I share this as a dedication to the Art of Dance …do remember to keep the spirit of dance in your heart and keep on dancing!
Savvy Raj
Member of International Dance Council UNESCO
Do you need something to happen
To be happy?
Does someone have to make you smile?
Do you need something to be done by another to feel joyous
Do you want others to impress upon you for you to be cheerful?
If you have answered yes to any of these questions …
Do you care to motivate another to be happy?
How many times have you smiled for another?
Motivation to be happy works best when its intrinsic.
Yes you have this life you are living
Make sure to make your moments happy š
Yes everyday is different
Life is not perhaps easy for any of us.
Sometimes the night is long
And light shines a little later than you may want it to
But know there is always a day after the night…
And light is meant to shine on your path once again.
Be happy with yourself first!
For your happiness is all around you!
Trust yourself and your life to live!
And live life lovingly!
Savvy
