Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!


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Settling into new norms.

A few reflections

As the world grapples with the current scenario of a pandemic, we need to support one another to be emotionally stable to deal with the challenges ahead.
Often the fear of being infected by being anywhere near a quarantine area is scary for most of us. We overthink of infections of many kinds that are looming large around us.

Our inner demons surface and we need to put to rest our internal fears of panic to survive through this all.

We are all unique individuals and are differently motivated. But in these difficult times, we need to rise above our individual perspectives and opinions and think about how we can be more responsible from where we are.

First of all we need to update ourselves of the changing times and educate ourselves as to what measures we can begin to adopt. Like home quarantine or self isolation. If so then we need to know how to effectively manage our existing resources and most importantly efficiently use our time at hand.

The initial euphoria of unexpected holidays will soon wear off as after all humans are social beings. They will begin to miss the sense of community and interaction in time.

What is important…

We need to come up with, how we plan to structure our day. Each of us in different parts of the world is affected in one way or another.
But acceptance of what is, and adapting along the way helps us tide through to be more positive and productive instead of getting depressed and demotivated.

Our immune system needs to be cared for by the intake of healthy hygienically prepared food. We need to stay hydrated.
Besides that, we also can ensure we are able to set aside some time for movement and physical exercises be it in the form of yoga pilates dance or workouts.

The importance of sleep and play in keeping us healthy cannot be stressed enough.
Exercising consideration and care in expression becomes paramount in these times.

It is necessary to stay motivated and empowered in empathy in these difficult times.

In case of lockdown situations if applicable besides working out on self-sufficiency to survive, we need to make an effort to create amicable situations at home as emotions can be highly strung in time.

If we are working from home, then a bit of forethought and planning can help better the entire experience for you as well those you live with.

If there are broken links and spaces created all of a sudden, remember light enters through them all to reset everything to alignment.

And despite all the gloom and doom that we are experiencing at this moment remember there is always something positive that springs forth in time.

In the meantime let’s be grateful enough to appreciate the blessings we already have and pray for those who need them most now.

God bless all.

Savvy


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Everything is going to be alright

When our lives feels overwhelming

By emotions running a muck

Let us take care to remember

Every thing is going to be alright!

When our words felt lost

They were lost in the incessant chatter

Where we went about creating noise

But never learned to sustain the world.

Yet all is not lost

Hope is here to stay

Let’s truly believe

Every things is going to be alright.

In these times of anxiety.

Let’s keep saying

All is meant to be well

We need to assure ourselves and others

More often than before

Everything is going to be alright!

Savvy

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Life

Your thoughts are an extension of you.

But your thoughts are just a part of you.

There is infinite abundance that you are made of.

Only a part of which you may be conscious of.

The rest are within you for the knowing

To explore the potential in the possibilities

What you choose to do

With your life

It’s all up to you!

Savvy


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Free the spirit Feed the soul.

How important is feeding your soul to you

Have you had moments
Where you have nothing to feed your soul
Except your own listless mind.

Have you experienced days when minutes seem like hours?
When every second drags endlessly
Have u wished you were somewhere else far away from the familiar
Just to see what that might rustle up?

Have you longed to dance with unknown
To sense the spectrum of what lies ahead.
Have you felt the days come and go
Bringing nothing but monotony?

Have you wondered if this is the will of God
That you must endure with no one to share.
Have you wanted to dance in the wind,
Be free as a feather and flow light and easy?

Without freedom we are stifled souls
With nothing to look forward
Suppressed emotions all bottled within
Rebellion bursting at the seams
A breakdown awaiting itself.

 

Feeding the soul

Begins with freeing the soul

Unshackling it from self limitations.

Of fear and repression.

Freedom is that which frees up the spirit of the soul.
Enthuses enterprise and initiative.
Values expression & creative spirit
To honor the life in the being.

Free the spirit and feed the soul.

Savvy


Serenity of Silence

Silence is serene

There is a general consensus

That Silence is deep

So much is submerged

Between the apparent and the hidden

Beneath the layers of learnings.

Is the truth of solitude.

In the serenity of silence,

One can tap the wisdom within!

Savvy


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As we are

Introvert or Extrovert?

How can we be boxed in frames.

Life is unique and cannot be boxed in frames
We cannot be a confined statement, as we are so much more.
To accept to be defined, is a defeat of possibilities.
As we are unpredictable in spontaneity,
As much as we are disciplined in character.
But we cannot be one without the other.
There is much of everything in us
That is how we are born
As a cosmic expression
Of creation asserting itself as a
being.

Each individual needs space and sound in the right balance.
To each his own
The choice to speak, share
And stay silent
Rests within us.

In every shy person there is a voice and opinion waiting to speak.
In every gregarious person there is a need for quiet and silence.
There are shades and tones hues and gradients in every one.
Every one is best the way they are.

Savvy


Art of Dance Coaching

When dance lessons are adapted to suit the requirements of a specific group there is greater relevance in dance education and its application.

Here are 6 Valuable Tips while conducting Adapted Dancing workshops.

1. Empathetic Communication

Communication is a very important part of any dance education. Especially so in dance workshops in special groups. When addressing a session it is important to keep a clear and empathic tone to establish a sense of connection and care. Whatever the language of communication, maintaining appropriate eye contact provides the necessary connect of being spoken to in the session.

2. Simplicity of Steps

Breaking a pattern to teach by dividing it into simple steps or simplifying it all for every one by choosing easy to do steps makes it more relatable.
In case of dancers with balance issues it is necessary to initially modify / alter steps or reduce directional changes to suit these parameters and progress from there.

Ideally starting of with simply the foot work without working on the arm movements helps focusing on learning one thing at a time. The progression must be gradual in time.

Photo& Artwork credits Savvy Raj

3. Matter of Repetitions.

It is necessary to do a number of repetitive movements of the same steps in order for the muscle memory to form. Hence repetition helps more than switching to other movements.
Depending on the groups capacity to continue, taking a pause, interspersed with explanation or some motivation in between is also a good idea so that it does not get too challenging or monotonous.

4. Ease of Formations

There are different dance formations like the square circle and line etc. However conducting the dance workshop in circular formation is known to bring about a sense of community.
Adapting other dances creatively to this formation initially helps when the participants can see the instructors movements in the center.

5. Slower Music

Besides choosing appropriate songs even decreasing the tempo of the music aids in keeping up with the music Especially for new group of dancers and dancers with special needs.

6. Value of Inclusiveness

Most importantly ensuring everyone in the group is feeling included & addressed to, is positively impactful.

Coaching another and transferring skillsets is an art.

An art with responsibility!

Savvy Raj

Member International Dance Council


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Body likes it best when you…dance !

Dance, it feels wonderful when you do.
Dance for your life to feel at ease.
Dance when you feel like and dance often!
Dance makes it all worthwhile.

Your body feels light and easy, as you dance.
The trick is to keep flowing
With the moves and continue dancing
As long as you enjoy the feeling…

Dance is not meant to harm the body.
But to heal your body and mind.
Integrating the spirit within you
So keep dancing …whenever you choose
For the body likes it best when you dance!

Savvy


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A life well lived!

How is life well lived asked someone to me recently.

While each of us has an answer that is perfectly tuned for our souls purpose.

Yet life is well lived…

In the letting go
Of the unnecessary
For then we experience life best
In the lightness of being.

When we persevere enough to let go…
Let go of the little niggles along the way
Those that seem to bother for the moment
They will diminish in time
Let go for the need for self importance
Remember our uniqueness
There is truly no one like another.
Let go of over stretching,
to meet up to overcommitment,
And the over expectations of society.
It is a disastrous road not worth taking .
Let go of over perfecting
Every thing said or done.
It can be truly overwhelming .

Let go of unkind and inconsiderate behavior.
One cannot and need not please them all .
We are born to do better than that.
Let of the unnecessary squabbles and arguments.
Leave it for there are others who wish to do so.

In the letting go, gratitude and contentment begin to surface
From the depths of our being.
Let us be drawn by just our vision and dreams.
For they are related to our purpose of being.
Let’s continue on our path in
perseverance..
We will have a journey well done.

Savvy


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Reflections in Rennes

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 am experiencing is right here happening in France.
A sense of deja vu, a throwback to a decade ago, fond memories of teaching dances to people in the different places, all thanks to the magic of movements.

I am visiting Rennes France currently and last week I went to met my colleague from the world of dance, Celine Maheo who resides here.

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 similar dance sessions for Seniors, namely the 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.

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.

As dancers, our every endeavour to bring smiles from the heart is a beautiful and creatively fulfilling experience.

Savvy

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 these few months…

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 here in these sessions will be a beautiful memory etched in my heart, that I will take back home with me and cherish forever.

Today is 8th March 2020 and celebrated as Womens Day all over the world.

I dedicate this post to my friend and colleague Celine Maheo and all the women in the world who are making the world a better place, with every step in time.

Savvy Raj


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You are enough!

As women we put off taking a stand

We may choose to stay on the shoreline

Too often we put off till tommorow

What needs to be done today.

Choose to chance the unexpected

Dare to dance with spontaneity

To dance is to be powerful enough

To express yourself as your self.

To be all you want to be.

Experience this power in you.

It is yours for the taking & sharing

Be happy, be you, today and every day!

Happy Womans Day’ today and every day to all the Women reading this.

Savvy


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Matrix Of Matter

All life is a creation that matters
What engineers matter, designs.
Simplifying the complexities
Of the matrix of matter.

In the ultimum equilibrium
All exists in resonance
But as creativity unfolds
The matrices dance in its vibrations

The profoundness of it all
Leaves lasting impression
Impacting every life in every now
This is the eternal truth of creation

Every vibrancy is a dance in infinity
In its quantum state of being.
Life matters, as it acts and responds
In every moment there is.

Mind of the matter propels and distorts
Heart of the matter creates and vibrates
Conjoined the matrix of the matter
Stabilizes creation across dimensions.

Savvy


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Behind the Apparent

Story behind the photographs

Yesterday I posted a verse that came to me inspired by these captures. Here is the link https://wp.me/p6a0yZ-4CX

There is more to these photos…

While visiting Lourve Museum in France and while walking around those endless galleries of amazing artists and their creativity galore, my eyes turned to a glassdoor near the flight of steps.
I chanced upon this wonderful sculpture on the roof top of the facade, reaching out to the yonder as if to tell something… I filled in the blanks.

Sometimes we are so deeply caught in the maze of life around us.
But if we only care to look beyond it all, we are inspired to see so much more.

Art is in the way you see life.
Art is all around us and is but a perspective of the nuances.
All you need is the heart to appreciate.

Savvy


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Beautiful piece of sky!

Photo by Savvy Raj

@ Louvre Museum Paris.

Oh beautiful piece of sky!
Lighting our heart with liberty!

Forage in us the spirit of freedom.
Let us breath in the beauty of openness.
Let us witness the ethereal light across the horizon.
Let us rejoice in your dance of abundance.

May you bless us every day
Painting our hearts with hope.
And let us live in love.
In gratitude and good energies.

Savvy


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Your place in the sun

What does it take to live life well?

A whole lot of passion
To go after your dreams
A whole lot of perseverance
To achieve your intentions

A whole lot of patience
To wait out the storms.
A whole lot of common sense
To find your way around.

But most of all
A whole lot of thankfulness
And a whole lot of gratitude
To know your place in the sun.

Savvy