A true learners mind never ages
For they have the curiosity of a child
A blank slate where learning can be added
An earnestness in exploration
A trustful disposition
An open mind that allows expansion…
And most of all a readiness to learn
To imbibe knowledge and update the self.
When the mind is ready
The understanding happens
Savvy
How far have we come
From the many versions of ourselves
In this river of time
Where like water, that flows onwards
Time can never be visited backwards…
Only in memories
Held within the hearts & minds
Reminding us of the paths traveled in time.
Life continues to evolve in every now.
As life flows on …
Colouring itself
Along the way.
I share this above digital artwork here from back in time…when AI prompting and image creation was very nascent.
Savvy
The way of peace is not in war & conflicts
The way of peace is in heartful awareness, as much as in mindful living.
And for peace to sustain itself…
We need to evolve with awareness
We need to recognize the truth of our interdependence.
We need to adapt ourselves
To the changing times.
It will take a realization of the interconnects between
individual well being & collective wellbeing.
Anf it certainly needs acceptance and aligning with the dynamics that peace brings forth …
For peace needs embodiment through conscious choice & practice as a way of life.
Make the way of peace
A way of life.
Savvy
Your birth is not the only time you are born
You are born in every moment of awareness
You are born in every conscious breath.
You are born in the pain and the pleasures of living life.
You are born in every deed of compassion & kindness.
You are born in the joy of both inclusion and expansion.
You are born in the moments of heartfelt connections.
The truth is you can birth yourself in every now.
Align your breath with presence.
Savvy
Was reading an article today on how education today has become more and more transactional…and how it robs the learner of the critical thinking.
I share my musings…
When education is not a buisness
When learning is not about grades
When teaching is a passion than profession.
Where doubts, perspectives are welcomed
And not sidelined or ridiculed
When questions are not means to an end
Curiosity and wonder will find its purpose…
That I am fond of writing is nothing new after all these years of blogging and writing but as a child, I remember clearly when I was asked by a school teacher to read a famous poem and share its meaning in class I dared to share a new interpretation to it…that resonated with me.
The teacher then, was not open to a change of perspective… nor ready for a deep dive on why I saw it differently. She simply wanted to finish her work without deviation. I remember sitting down that day, without feedback.
But it didn’t stop me from wonder and writing…in fact I continued to write free verses in time till date.
I write this all, for I have shifted many schools in my childhood… as my father served in the Armed forces. I have seen upclose the good, bad and ugly side of schooling.
And the plus side is, it certainly has shaped me to be, adaptable and resilient as a person in time.
There is always the plus side…
What do you think ?
Savvy
Meeting an old friend
A kindered spirit
Or a loved one …
The joy of uniting
After being afar
Speaks of interconnections…
Where time and space
Evaporates without a trace
In the moments together.
Its often said
Absence makes the heart
Grow fonder…
So is it the distance
That makes reunion sweeter?
Gibran wisely said…
Let there be spaces
In your togetherness
So whatever the relationship
With another or with the self , the very act of reconnecting with an old hobby, that you were once passionate about, makes it truly memorable.
For what is truly meaningful, is never lost … it’s simply awaiting a return.
Savvy
PS: The word Retourvaille (often spelled Retrouvailles in French) is a beautiful, untranslatable French word that perfectly captures a specific, deeply felt human experience.
Literally translated, it means “rediscovery” or “the finding of something again.”
I wrote this piece earlier but it was in my drafts as I missed posting it. Better late than never they say and I hope the movie is still streaming on Netflix.
As a lover of dance and as a ballroom and latin dance educator for two decades and more, I have always been delighted to watch any good dance related movies, especially those centered on partner dancing. Having enjoyed wonderful movies like’ Shall we dance’ and ‘Dance with me’ and so many more, I eagerly await such rare kind of movies. As the love of movements runs in my blood and passion for dance in my spirit and soul.
They are truly far and few good movies in this genre. So in these holiday times while exploring Netflix , I stumbled upon 10 dances as a movie to watch and immediately set a reminder for it .
The film depicts all the Ten dances that are danced in the Ballroom & Latin dancing repertoire. I have been teaching them socially over the years. So from the first poetic sequence I was hooked.
Though the movie is set in the backdrop of the world dance competitions, at its heart is partner dancing which is my favorite of dancing forms. It captures, the sheer joy and thrill of dancing with another, matching move to move… I loved the beginning of the movie, the introduction to the dances and also the way it brought out the distinctive difference in both styles.
The movie at its core is based on competitiveness and the complexity of human emotions. The entanglement of love & rivalry in personal relationships & most of all the importance trust in and between one another. Though at times I did feel the narrative steered too much into their personal stories, that I felt it diluted the dance essence.
Yet the movie also revealed the truth of how much adaptability is the key and how challenging, it can be for different personalities who are dancing together, be it as a learner or a teacher and how difficult it is to unlearn to learn…
Someone trained in structured forms finds it so challenging to let go and dance from the heart. Whereas someone who dances with all their heart may feel stifled by excessive structures.
Over all, it was compelling to watch the changing dynamics portrayed at times, so very poetically in a dance movie to say the least. Do watch if you love dancing and especially so the magic of partner dancing.
Savvy Raj
Resilience is developed in time.
In every fall.
In every blow
In every painful experience.
The power rests with you to work on yourself.
Resilience is about nurturing what is beautiful within you,no matter, while battling the situation at hand.
Resilience is the art of appreacting the ordinary moments that you have with you.
Resilience is being able to smile from the heart, knowing your circumstances dont define you.
In your deepest breakdown there is a choice to emerge from it stronger.
While resilience is in learning from experiences and strengthening & refining the self for the better. Resilience is also about allowing life to happen…
Bending when necessary like a blade of grass without breaking like the mighty oak tree,
Resilience is creating yourself in such times without fear of the inevitable, for change is part of the flow of life.
Resilience means, you are very much present and it means you are evolving from your experiences for the better.
In times of being resilience
You become the master of your life.
You steer on in faith
no matter the rudder is way off.
Knowing you are meant to be, do all that you are ordained to.
Yet resilience m is not blind faith but a faith born out of inner self belief. In knowing that the road is yet to clear, you are ready for possibilities using the time to see options and new perspectives
You are like an artist creating something from what seems to be blank and formless. Yet resilience is full of potential.And in exercising this muscle of resilience results are awaiting you in trust & time.
Trust that this very resilience is in you and in me and it surfaces in our difficulties to tide us through in time.
What is resilience to you?
When did you last feel your need to exercise your resilience?
Do share your thoughts how you create and develop your resilience muscle.
Savvy Raj
Life is a series of interconnections.The conversations and dialogues make life meaningful.
Life is meant to be expressed and experienced.You are healthier as you speak create love and listen.And you are even healthier if you feel heard. Being heard and understood feels like a boost for the body mind & spirit.
The cost of loneliness is a heavy price to pay.And so is the cost being ignored, undervalued, humiliated.And equally heavy is the price of indifference.
When voices are minimized and presence dismissed, the direct effects are loneliness and isolation.The body remembers and reacts to the rejection showing up in symptoms and diseases, for the emotional walls manifests itself in inexplicable ways…
Restoring the sense of self is about creating sharing opportunities fornot just personal expression but about being heard & feeling understood.
It’s not about the space we occupy, but the life we live.
The conversations & dialogues we have,
The learnings & understanding we share
Makes life meaningful in the interactions.
Life cannot be contained in a vacuum.
We are healthier in expression
Life is not just to exist but to to lived.
To express & create
To speak & listen
Is to bridge the gaps
Healing one another
In inclusion that we matter.
Creating belonging & restoration of wellbeing
Shielding hearts in health
And a sense of community.
Such is the power of health in feeling heard .
Savvy
Listen on Spotify
All is not light
All is not dark
Between both
The day & night
Are shades & tones
Existing in every now
Nothing is definite
Where there is infinite
In ways & deeds
Then who are we
To judge one another
And frame them
As only black or white.
If we only could understand
The story of every shade
And every tint & tone of light.
We would think twice
Before the final verdict.
So much to discover
So much to understand
So much to know more
On who we are.
Savvy
Listen to this poem and its further contemplations here on my podcast Live Life Lovingly
Light
A space of darkness
Is bound to beam with light
Clarity
A space of uncertainty
becomes a space of clarity.
Breath
In the inhale of purpose
Perseverance exhales with passion
Thoughts
In the racing of thoughts
A quiet mind finds itself.
Mind
A mind that allows itself to know
Can be inclusive in expansiveness.
Heart
A heart that wanders
Can be the heart that wonders
Of the yet unknown.
Flowing unbridled with spirit
It can find its anchor in time.
Peace
A place of great unrest
Is truly the place for peace.
To seed and nurture
And evolve the being.
Success
Success births itself
In every bud to a bloom.
In every new moment.
Savvy Raj
Unframe & Reframe
Breakthroughs happen
In the unframing.
As you break through limiting yourself
From cycles of conditioning
You will realize the truths
Of your potential.
You are far more
Than you allow yourself
To believe.
So move beyond
Cycles of limitations
Choose to rise above & see beyond
And over the challenges
Change the narrative
Reframe your thoughts
You are more than you know now
Sustain yourself
To find your limitless being.
Savvy
To dance is to move with all of you.
To dance is to have hope in the living.
To dance is to feel the spirit of life in the movement.
To dance is to know the value of time.
To dance is to feel the rhythm in the beat.
To dance is to sense the subtlety of life.
To dance is to acknowledge the life in every moment.
I share a capture of one of the International Dance Research Congress, that I was honoured to have attended in Athens.
Today is celebrated as the International Day of Dance…
Yet everyday I am thankful… and deeply grateful to the art of dance in bringing positive difference to my life.
Thankful to dance in my life, & all the wonderful people I have been priveleged to meet, connect, learn & share my passion for dance… 🙏✨
©Savvy Raj
A slice of life
Poets may carve with words…
Emerging from life experiences
Lived or observed.
Poets may offer fresh perspectives Embedded in words in a flow…
In Poets, empathy makes you sense and relate with compassion, It makes you feel one with another.
Yet the poet is strategic as to be a poem the verses need to be well thought as much as well felt, as words manage to touch another soul in inexplicable ways.
Every poet balances the flow uniquely…
What are your thoughts on the above?
And how can empathy connect with poetry?
©Savvy Raj
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
Comes a consciousness of the flow
In and around us
Beyond the illusion of separation
Is the dance of connection.
Savvy Raj
Savvy Raj 
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