# #awareness #balance | Savvy Raj

March 12, 2020
by Savvy Raj

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

February 23, 2020
by Savvy Raj 8 Comments

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

February 19, 2020
by Savvy Raj 3 Comments

Art of Management

Art of Giving Feedbacks

There are many types of feedbacks given and solicited in a typical corporate environment.
In the art of management the topic of critical appraisals and sharing feedbacks is a nerve wracking process on both sides. For the truth is feedbacks at work take not only a whole lot of in- depth analysis, but it takes courage and common sense deliver. And often they can be the toughest of conversations to have.

Are you feeling uncertain about how to confront a feedback session.At work there will be time where you might have faced a feedback session .

If you have been the one who is giving feedback to your team or a member of your team here are six tips that can help you master the art of giving feedbacks.

Prepare

Keep the perspectives clear of what was expected and agreed upon earlier and the issues that is evident. Give a clear picture of what has been observed to the receiver. Remember you are addressing the work issues, dont get personal.

Proper time and place

Ensure you are slotting a feedback time that is mutually least distracting.
This will ensure there is the required focus and necessary attention to the discussion at hand.

Ask and listen well

Contrary to what is understood about feedbacks time the reviewer needs to hear more and speak less often to deliver objective feedbacks to resolve issues.
Avoid letting your own ego from taking too much space. Instead Inquire more into why certain things are not going well. Speak less ask more open ended questions and let them speak and ask for feedbacks and own up to their mistakes. That way you will not be crushing egos but resolving issues you are facing as a team .Avoid bombarding. Be empathetic but assertive.

Sandwich

Choose your words and sentences well.Feedbacks and critical analysis involves being mindful of the words you choose and conveying the criticism in a well meaning way so that you are not directly attacking the receiver. This will ensure they are able to digest and understand what is going wrong and not stagnate by becoming defensive.
Remember it is not a war of egos and ensure you avoid making it one .

Be clear & concise

Vagueness is not going to resolve anything. Be objective in your feedback . If someone is a perpetual latecomer then mention specifically how many times they are late in the last month .
This will make them more accountable and lead to ownership and better productivity at work.

See the Bigger Picture

When you giving feedback address the issue and do not attack the person’s character. Try your best to see things in the larger frame . Avoid being petty and leave your own ego aside before you begin.Remind yourself always to envision the bigger picture. And remember that it is not personal.

Feedbacks in general can be a very valuable tool for companies.and there are many types of feedbacks.

Have you given or received feedbacks recently.

What are your expectations and experiences on feedbacks?

Savvy

February 18, 2020
by Savvy Raj 6 Comments

The Art & The Artist

The above clip is my dedication to my dear mother. They are a compilation from her own set of artworks dated around 55 years back in time or more.

The reason I share this is to encourage people to see possibilities in creativity and how it can soulfully connect us all, through creative enrichments.

To give you the background…my mother had and still has a fine sense of design and her drawings always had an artistic flow. But unfortunately the daily grind of life and living took its toll and art and creativity was pushed into the background perhaps not realizing the innate talents. But the truth is, a lot happens in appreciation than in indifference.

So her skills were lying untapped and unrecognized. In time as I grew up and while on a visit to my maternal grandparents home in the village, I chanced upon her collection of drawings and paintings stacked in the attic gathering dust in complete ignorance.

The moment I saw them I knew they have to be brought out to see the light of the day… although sadly it was personally disheartening, to see many of the beautiful pieces made on paper, crackling and crumbling in time.

I brought them back with me to the city and took pictures of what was left of it and tried to salvage it piecing them together.

By then I was encouraged by friends and relatives who saw and deeply appreciated them too.

I hit upon the idea of creating a video clip using technology to enhance her original design sense. Yes, they are not as good as her original artworks, for technology is way too perfect to bring out the joy of uniqueness in the human hand.

Yet it is my humble attempt to value the time spent in creating by her own hand with the limitations of the resources available to her in those times.

There are far too many paintings, so I pieced them like a kaleidoscope of sorts to get a sense of her artistic endeavours.

Many times we fail to see the hidden talents in our loved ones. We relate with them for years and hardly know the depth of who they truly are.

Art has a way of bringing out the brilliance of the light within us by bridging gaps in our understandings but also opening new perspectives of thinking.

Today is the day I was born, and one of the ways I choose to celebrate it, is by dedicating this post to my dear mother Anjana.

Thank you, mom, for the beauty you create, being who you are! God bless.

Savvy

February 11, 2020
by Savvy Raj 15 Comments

Make Peace Not War

Every weapon made, adds to the fear
And false satisfaction of keeping you safe.
You can never be safe, when at war
Every armor is simply a pointer
Of the state of things.
Of the need of peace than war.

Every need to create ammunition
Shows the truth of retaliations.
Revenge in fear or dare is never the answer.
Resolution is where peace makes its way.

If we must be led, let us be lead
In strength of patience.
To explore possibilities
Let us choose to disarm.
Let us disengage and make amends.
Let us choose peace than war.
Let us find the middle path
In reconciliation.
Let us recognize the wrongs done.
Let us learn to undo the mistakes.
And move in harmony and oneness.
That is when we can together
Heal the world in peace
And make it worth living.

Savvy

February 10, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

Art of Discernment

Our thoughts and our intentions create the possibilities and our will manifests it . Truly then awareness of actions its approach and the consequences start to matter. Every bit of creation has a purpose and the trick is to steer it towards the purpose of being . But the path is the journey of our life and is rife with challenges along the way.

Common sense, balance & equanimity of our thoughts & intentions, all begins to matter then. Yes, moderation is the key but be mindful of moderation as well.. You never know how things slowly get out of hand .

There is not much time that passes
When the glass in hand reaches the lip
The sip becomes a gulp
What’s one becomes two
And two becomes four
And so it goes…

Or when the thoughts in our heart gets spoken
When old habits surface & shape out of no where
Without your intentions, inspite of you
When what’s in you gets truly out of hand!

Be aware to be mindful
Be mindful to be heartful
Be mindful to be moderate
But be conscious to be mindful.

In throes of life and living
Emerges many facets of being
From meagre to excess
Both, two ends of the spectrum

To live life well
Is to understand
The necessity of discernment
Between what is need & what is want

Anything in time can become excess
Everything in time can become redundant.
Something always changes
Nothing stays the same

A life of excess
Will never find contentment
For you will tire
Sooner than you know

A life of lack
Will keep you in dearth
In angst for a silver lining
In the misery of poverty

But again what is little to one
Is much to another
What is complex to one
Is too simple to another

What is beautiful to one
Is ugly to another
What is extravagance to one
Seems a norm to another

What is a subject to one
Becomes an object to another
What is absurd to one
Becomes perfection to another

To each his own really
In this life that is given
Sometimes it’s easy
At times it is truly challenging.

So if in life you are ever flummoxed
Just remember
Nobody is perfect
But you are almost there!

Savvy

February 5, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

Dance baby dance…

Dance Baby Dance…

As simple as that!

Delight the soul

Lighten the heart.

When you move freely

Beyond fear and apprehensions

Beyond self doubts & restrictions

Beyond assumptions & judgements

You are in tune with the spirit within.

Stay tuned in & keep dancing!

Savvy

February 1, 2020
by Savvy Raj 4 Comments

Life & Living

All one needs to do

Is experience the journey

Cos the destination

Takes care of itself!

Savvy

January 21, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

Birthing ideas

A beautiful post on Germination of Ideas by my dear friend Ali Anani brought me to spring forth with some of my reflections.

Birthing ideas…

Ideas find their own way to germinate
At times they stay dormant almost invisible and untraceable.
And sometimes they emerge out of nowhere
As if they have a mind all their own.

So whether there are plenty of ideas or one is starved of ideas.
It matters not where they originated from…if it is the mind or heart spaces.
But it matters what path they take how they are applied?
What seeds they sprout in the emergence?

And yet, an idea that remains undeveloped, unappreciated today becomes a genius breakthrough someday.

On too much and too less

Too much of liberty and free will
At times may lead to aimless explorations and confusions.
Too less freedom leads to slavery and subjugation.
Too much thinking can create stress and be overwhelming
Too many ideas can be hard to contain.
Too little fodder for thoughts leads to bland existence.
It’s our choice actually…
Are we to live or simply exist?

Is there a paradox of enrichment?

Is overdoing a crime
To answer this, I ask
Is there bad in the good and good in the bad?
Too much of anything will lose its charm and character.
Appreciation declines and contentment reduces.

As it all turns to excess!

So I believe in equanimity that comes in finding equilibrium
Moderation is the key.
Too much sadness is unbearable
Too much happiness may lead to boredom.
For in too much of the good times
Values are lost and things are taken for granted.

Let there be a balance
In thoughts words and deeds
So there is neither depression of deprivations
Nor extravagance in enrichments.

Guess like ideas find their way to shoot in suitable time in time.

Like life itself, ideas also know how to balance and counterbalance themselves in life and living.

Life itself is a great idea after all!

What say, aren’t you one?🙂👍

Savvy

January 18, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

Life has a way of finding itself!

The power you have.
Is the ultimate gamechanger
Doubt not its propensity
To change your destiny

Life moves on in will & design
You chart your path as you go
Your next moment is for you to intend
Keep your hopes and dreams alive

You hold the reins of happiness
You are in charge
You can steer life as you choose to
And trust yourself to find your way.

Time may seem to be flying
Faith may seem to diminish
Belief may seem to waver
But keep the hope alive in your heart

Life has a way of finding itself!

Savvy

January 17, 2020
by Savvy Raj 3 Comments

Are you You?

We all have our good and bad days.

We can seem totally confident and be raring to go one day and feel completely strained and stressed out on another day.

We are only human and its perfectly ok to feel so.

We don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

It’s our life and we have just this life and this moment with us, if we are not living with joy in our heart then perhaps we have some questions we need to answer for ourselves.

Ask yourself these questions honestly…

Do you dare to be as you are?

Do you express yourself without doubts and fears?

Do you mince words, avoid stepping forward, play too safe

That you hardly dare to live your life?

Do you wear what you like?

Feel comfortable with what you wear

Or choose to conform to fashion trends or what’s expected of you?

Do you eat with all your heart?

Do you binge or fast in guilt or insecurity?

Or do you care to nourish and nurture yourself with food?

Do you check your weight?

To be sure you are in a healthy range.

Or do you find yourself too often on the scales, almost every day?

Do you dare to speak your mind,

To voice what’s in your heart.

Or shut up in fear of ridicule, of what others will say?

Do you measure your words to talk

In fear of being judged or criticized.

Or…to be the best version of you.

Are you happy in your skin

Do you care about your appearance

To the extent that it ruins your day

Or to feel good for yourself.

Remember you are most beautiful when you wholeheartedly accept the way you are.

Do you wake up because you have to?

Or do you have the joy of waking up…

To a new dawn in the hope of possibilities.

Make this moment special the best you can as you are.

Remember every moment in every day is a challenge

It sometimes gets easier or even tougher in the ups and downs.

It’s all in your journey and the way you take.

You have the power to choose your path

The choice is with you

To groan or be grateful

To make it bitter or better

It’s all up to you now!

Choose well!

Savvy

January 9, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

When wisdom flows

It sees no borders that bound

Humanity speaks for itself

Beyond the east or west

To let go of the trivial niggles

In the unity of understanding.

Of the bigger picture…

There is much wisdom in integration, in finding meaning in the divergences.

What a poet relates to the truth in humanity.

What a scientist relates with theories of relativity

Are all drawn from the same well,

Of cosmic vibrations,

Of conscious awareness,

Of the eternal truths of life.

Where wisdom flows

There is Universal consciousness

Savvy

Here is a beautiful conversation I came across between the great minds, of Albert Einstein and Rabindranath Tagore…..when the two met and spoke at length.

Do take time to read this interesting dialogue between them in this article link below.

Tagore and Einstein in conversation

January 7, 2020
by Savvy Raj 1 Comment

Gift of Gentleness

A gift of gentleness

Could never go wrong

Such is the strength of sublimity.

When wrapped in the warmth of kindness

When sent as a gift in goodwill

And sealed with heartfelt love and gratitude.

Soft is the way of the gentle at hearts.

Soft is the strength of the soul within.

How gentle are you?

Savvy

January 6, 2020
by Savvy Raj 2 Comments

Art of Management

Here are 5 R’s of Coaching

& Conflict Resolution.

Recognize
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. So a team or an organization is more than just the number of individual members put together.

Reframe

To bring different factions into consideration and consensus it is necessary to reframe the issues in a more inclusive way that speaks for one and all. It is important to validate the needs and apprehensions of all to find common ground.

Reconcile:
All are parts of an interdependent system.
So every move impacting one will impact one and all.

Remember :
The strength is in the interconnects.

So think beyond the immediate self and work towards envisioning & understanding the larger picture.

Resolve :

Be inclusive and expansive.

Be mindful to be positively impactful.

In every organization whenever there is a need to examine the pressing issues of individual human nature and/ or behavior in a team and come to a resolution, it is mindful to be aware of the surfacing of hidden dynamics at play in communication and its impact on personal /professional relationships.

Any mediation is, after all, a process of balancing the ways of engaging, managing and productively finding resolutions that can help make a positive difference towards peace and goodwill.

Savvy