When we realise the Eternity of time in the Circle of Life we will be able to see beyond the illusory perceptions… And most of all accept and respect the significance of every being in the cosmos as they are…
Each of us here is divinely orchestrated towards the purpose of our being, strengthened by the Circle of Interconnects that run deeper than we can fathom …. we may not need all the answers that we seek but they are always there with us for us to understand.
If we must seek… Let us Seek Connectedness,
If we must awaken… Let us Awaken the Spirit of Being
If we must move, Let us Move with Empathy in Action
If we must choose Let us Choose the Simplicity of Authenticity
If we must rest… Let us Rest with Contentment
If we must pursue… Let us Pursue Thankfulness in Gratitude
If we must strive…Let us Strive for Patience and Tolerance
If we must fight… Let us Fight Apathy and Ignorance
If we must reach …Let us Reach out with Kindness
If we must become …Let us Become a Better version of Us!
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.
In the vividness of imagination At times there is a turbulence of thoughts. Of emotions entwined in the sensing. Moving beyond, patterns forming…
Inspiration & ingenuity births itself In the very uniqueness of individuality Yet the source of creativity is infinity Such is the divine artistry of creation
Every tree is beautiful No matter where it is But some take your breath away In the sheer grace of abundance Of nature’s manifestation.
Speaking of trees There is tree that comes to mind That I used to always be charmed by In my daily walk while in a distant land It is a beautiful tree in Rennes France A glance would be enough to feel The gratitude welling up in me For the bounties of nature! So grateful!
“We human beings are tuned such that we crave great melody and great lyrics. And if somebody writes a great song, it’s timeless that we as humans are going to feel something for that and there’s going to be a real appreciation.” -Art Garunkel
What is great music to you?
Is it the song how it sounds to you ?
Do you pay attention to the lyrics?
Sometimes great lyrics alone don’t make a great song,
And often great song has hardly any depth to its lyrics
So what are your favorite or evergreensongs the ones you listen to always?
Throwback to last week when I recorded a demo and forgot about it
Shown here is one of the riskiest parts of the process — removing myself from the fragile balance without disturbing it.
In order to balance something like this, I usually need to basically wrap my body around it while sitting and building.. using knees to hug / stabilize the lower section(s) like a scaffold. But once I find zero, I need to remove my body without causing the structure to collapse.. on my body.. it’s when I’m most vulnerable.
But as seen here, I keep my gaze firmly on the structure while maneuvering my body away. It’s like a weird hyper focus where I’m spatially entranced on the relative positions of the rocks, and if any data point deviates from the whole, I have maybe a second to react before it becomes dangerous, especially for my left hand here which is planted on the stump I was sitting on, hoisting my body away.. if that top decides to fall on that hand, bones would likely break… not a situation where I can afford to break focus.
Some self removals are easier than others — it really just depends on a firm hold for my right hand behind me, the sensitivity of the structure itself, and what the wind is doing..
The Antwerpen Christmas Market is spread out over several streets and squares lighting up the entire historical centre of Antwerp beautifully into a huge and happening zone to stroll around in…
Glowing in the night! Beating the winters chill Sitting by warm fire pits… Sipping hot glühwein!
And the mistletoe? Well its no small branch But a giant one indeed! Fit for all the crowd that gather under Just to share their love for each other….💞
Bruges’ is an absolutely fascinating fairytale kind of town,and at night, under the moonlight, it’s magical atmosphere intensifies. A canal trip in the Reie named after the river Roya totally worth it.
Savvy Raj 