As promised, I’m here with a Move It Monday of 8 basic exercises to keep you strong and flexible as you age! Alrighty, truth be told it’s not the power workout I was aiming for but it is the basic foundation that will keep you strong and flexible as you age. What do you expect…
8 Basic Exercises from Now into Aging
I share this with a lot of love for my dear friend Cindy and her work. Watch her inspiring video that makes strength training simple & such fun.
Savvy Raj
The wind on the water
Dancing divine
Riveting rhythm
Forming in the flow.
Patterns performing
Orchestras in the ocean
Savvy
Art on black paper
The artist is engrossed
Working relentlessly
Charcoal on black
Revealing the light from the dark
Reversing the fundamentals of art
Shaping the light into form
Contouring the edges
White charcoal lifts and highlights
Speckling with light
Black ones adding depth
Matting the shine
The fluid fingers flowing
Almost dancing on paper
Sweeping strokes
Creating softness of light
In contrast they meet
Sharp staccato moves
Accenting tension and texture.
Arresting the eyes.
This waltz with light on dark
And dark on light
In shades & tones
Applying and erasing
Refining in the rendering
Form merges and emerges…
Savvy
A river runs its course
Shifting its shape
It meanders through
Yet is perseverant enough
In reaching the sea
Yet,all in its own time.
Its persistence legendary
In carved imprints
On rocks and stones
Making its way in the flow
A river is a transporter
That lifts and deposits
Nurturing ecosystems
Dedicated in purpose
To reach the sea.
Savvy
Creative connects
As a dance instructor I remember a time more than a decade ago, I built a community of dance lovers who loved the connecting over a few moves every weekend. The tribe gew organically… as for all these lovers of dance, including me, the art of movements and sharing the creative passion… became a way of life.
I often sensed how much the times spent dancing together was a transformative experience. I also witnessed how many of them found friendships and supported each other through thick and thin.
Though I moved on to another city and began exploring and discovering many more interests in time, the times we all manage to connect again, even now always brings a joyful smile from the heart ❤️
Savvy
Covered in the grime of life
Masked in the mire of living
Seasoned in the sands of time.
Life may seem meaningless,
Submerged in the shadows.
Yet trust time in its flow
As it unearths the Self.
In its own unique way
P.S
This poem flowed in a moment of silent contemplation…
I pose a question to you
Looking back at the layers
Life brought forth in time
Are there more, that are shielding you?
Or are there more that you want to wash away?
And more importantly…
Are you ready to unearth the Self?
I hope in reading these verses, it brings in a sense of pause and trust, wherever you are in your own unique journey of unearthing the self .
Savvy
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
Pockets of peace
Are powerful healers
That you can invoke
Anytime, anywhere.
Identify your pockets of peace
In a day, times that feel peaceful
Is it early morning, noon
Or is it evening or night?
What places makes you feel at ease?
Mountains, oceans or forests
Or do you enjoy a quiet open space…
Like looking at the vast blue sky,
Or the twinkling stars at night.
Do you breathe easy in silence,
Or do you feel lonely for some company?
Does, being with animals birds and nature
Feel peaceful to you?
Alone or with company,
Find your pockets of peace
And sense the connection
Whenever & wherever.
Savvy
Simply bringing the body into movement heals, empowers and brings positive changes in the body in time gradually … but most of all it brings on empathy and a divine connection to the living you and that’s the alluring magnetic charm of a body in blissful motion.
Savvy Raj
Between & betwixt spaces
Of pause and activity
In the thinking and doing
Overcome the challenges
Of the conflicts of being.
Move on from valleys of reactions
From impulsive actions
That stems from assumptions
Reach out in responsiveness
Being positively intentional
Leading to clarity
In the deeper listening.
Savvy
Our body is a field of energy
Feed it well
Move with the energy
Make a choice
Eat with joy
With a purpose
To be aligned
To your best self.
Tune in to trust your being
And you will find yourself
Living in rhythm.
Savvy
Here are top 5 tips to relieve back pain.
1. Sit less duration in the same position. Avoid long duration of sitting or lying down, choose to walk and move more
2. Strengthen your spine with exercises and especially for back muscles .
3 Straighten your posture and align your spine whenever you find yourself slouching
4. Sleep well using the right kind of mattress . If you sleep sideways, support your back and hip alignment with pillows between your legs while sleeping.
5. Stretch and move often to make the back supple.
Take care of your back and it will have your back all of your life.
Savvy
Often expectations become a burden.
For it gets imposed without realization.
Creating fear for change
Fear chains you in restrictions
Learn to unshackle your being.
You have one life
Think of life like a new book
That is meant to be written by you
Make sure you hold the pen
And do not give it away
Live beyond your fear
For life is what you make of it.
Savvy
Every move has a reaction
In the cause and effect world
Forms shifting shapes
Colours changing hues
Where even the blink of an eye
A touch of the breeze
Or even a silent intention
Can set off a symphony in response
For all is aligned in connection.
Twisted or helical structure
In a Self arranging universe
Reflecting retracting
Rotating revolving
Tuning itself in time
Blending in the balancing
Altered by sensitivity in subtlety
Interplay of Intelligence
Telling phenomenonal stories
Holding immense possibilities
In its infinite potential
Awaiting mindful application
In the journey of awakenings .
All is a dance of matter.
Savvy
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Savvy Raj 
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