Just a little bloom
Caught my attention
Sparkling with brightness
On the edge of a sidewalk
The bloom made me turn around
And capture its striking beauty!
Conveying a message to me
Just bloom from where you are.
Be the best version of you
Who is meant to, will walk your way
The world will turn to notice after all.
Have a beautiful blooming day!
Savvy
A humble dedication on Father’s Day
‘Thank you Dad for sharing with me this ‘Magic of Dance’
Learning to dance is indeed a labor of love and I cherish every moment . How privileged are we to share this indescribable Magic of Dance.
Hoping to continue to take this beautiful art of Dance to empower more and more people to sense and love the beauty of every movement in the moments called Life.
Savvy
Happy Fathers Day! God Bless Dads!
This is one of those moments when writing and sharing stories from our lives bring us a deep sense of connection… with our readers and ourselves in gratitude for the learnings. And there is that sense of magic sensed in our hearts which evokes poignant feeling of fond memories of the people that are attached to it.
Savvy
Today I touched a milestone on WordPress.
Have completed more than 365 days of writing a post every single day.
WordPress reminds me I have written a post every day for 365 days in a row.
Here I reminisce about my experience of writing a post every day on WordPress.
What is it to write 365 days consecutively?
A lot of passion patience and perseverance.
But above all is the joy of writing…
Looking back I realise the amount of contentment in the personal fulfilment of a promise I made to myself to write every day for a year.
The 365 days have certainly had their share of challenges..like relocation, health issues medical emergencies, and ensuing operations and recovery phase, marriages and demise in the family and a host of all those sudden changes of both the personal and professional kind that is prone to occur in the span of an entire year’s time.
But the whole idea for me was to see how committed I was to my writing and if writing every day would make me short of ideas ever.
What was the purpose? Simply to see if I can truly sustain in making time to do something I love and enjoy every bit of it for a long period of time.
The only clause I set for my self is to never write with a pressure to publish but to write with a passion for self-expression and send out positively charged messages through these words into space… hoping it will make a difference!
My heartfelt gratitude to my wonderful readers and followers for your support and insights that sparked much of the creativity.
Some would take time to share relevant quotes and resources, some beautiful thoughts that were truly inspiring and some would send emails sharing their personal stories and experiences and even express a desire to connect and collaborate on artistic endeavours.
So this year of committed and consistent writing on varied topics has had its rewards too inspite of the grind. Like an offer for conducting my dance workshops. an opportunity to speak on motivation and womens empowement, invitations to judge local school competitions, write and compile a book of these blogs and two enquiries to ghostwrite their books. More importantly to have come across some truly amazing people and their writings many of who have turned into great friends here in these interactions.
Good start I would say! There is, after all, no writer without a reader. Thank you all for your generous words and comments that kept pouring in motivation required to continue in those challenging times.
Looking back at the posts published, I found my life experiences of the day moving like imagery through these words and I am truly happy to have written and published my positive reflections in time.
Sharing my thoughts on what writing truly is to me in verses…
The Joy Of Writing
Never force the words out
For then there is no joy.
In fact, let your words flow from you
And remember you are just a channel.
The giving vessel will pour the words
Water this gift of creativity.
Your innate sense of understanding
Will summarize and summon the words for you.
Be proactive and prepared.
Provide time for reflections.
Reference from life and experiences.
Contemplate and convey.
The joy of writing is in the trust
Of allowing and accepting
The endless possibilities
Of creativity in the flow.
Know your thoughts are unique
In the way, they arrive and arrange
In the flow is the magic
That is playing out through you.
Enjoy witnessing the tumble through
Of words in their own arrangement.
Trust in yourself and your maker
For all is pre ordained in time.
Savvy Raj
A good dancer invites you on a journey
You choose to flow along if you wish
Never in compulsion but in emulsion
Of the spirit of the moves
In unison from the heart of the art
In emulation of the joy of the dance
That frees you into acknowledging
The rhythm within so divine.
Listening to the melody in reverance
Tuning to the beat of the distant drums
Movements in momentous vibrance
Then all is harmony in the symphony.
Savvy
Some songs weild power over us
Of playing with our emotions
Of altering reality in just a while!
Merging reality and dreams
Shifting our perceptions and reactions
Making us cry or laugh as we tune in
Some songs bring memories rushing in
Of moments lived and loved
Songs can create moods
Play on our senses
Shake thoughts up
Or make things feel alright!!
Everyone of us may have
Our own special song
Appealing to our senses
Touching base to who we truly are
Have so many favorite songs
That leave lasting impressions
Of life made a little more memorable
All evoked through those untold stories!
What about you?
Savvy
The Creative touchIs in the hands of the artistA simple stroke here a drag thereCreates a whole new meaning.Bringing life to the art.While embellishments adorn the art in the artistryThe message conveyed well, even in the simplest formAdds the depth of authenticity to the story telling.The genius is in the ingenuityIn the portrayal of the abstractsWith an intuitive intellect of insightsAll in the astute acumen of innovation.Art can be both joyful and painstaking in the process…To cast and carve, chiselling awayTowards the finesse of the elusive perfection.All is but a masterstroke of the creative touch.
An ode to artistry I must thank this unknown artist in the clip who created this beautiful depiction of the festival of Pongal celebration in South India.Watching this video clip made me write a few dedicated verses on the art and flair of the creative touch.Savvy
When you dance with another, what matters most is the trust you place in yourself and your partner to dance as one unit, moving in synchrony and feeling the harmony of your beating hearts. This is the ideal connection that makes dance come alive in the moment.
Yet as much as trust is a much-needed trait in dancing as a couple, often trust takes time to build and is subjective amongst dancers.
To trust is to let go of doubt.
To trust is to allow space for growth.
To trust is to know patience in waiting.
To trust is to allow space for faith.
To trust another is not easy
For one and all.
To some, it may be very difficult.
But trust is certainly worth trying.
To trust takes effort, not assumptions.
It takes practice in time and space.
For trust can be on many levels
Emotional, mental, or physical.
Trust is built to evolve along
For in building the relationship
The foundation needs to endure
The winds of change.
Trust what trust does.
Try to pin it down.
Watch how it turns out to be
Confusing and elusive…
Before you trust, you will
Spend time sensing,
And witnessing the energy,
The tension in the transactions
Being ready for changes,
Being prepared to brave
Through disappointments and dissatisfactions
That may arise at any moment.
And yet…
Trust is not only about building
But about the ability to let go
Of worry and insecurities,
Fear and failures.
To trust is to reach out
Without any expectations
But in utter faith and belief
That you will be supported!
A dance between a couple is a blissful feeling only when there is trust in both the self and the other, just as much as the passion, as only when there is the letting go, can there be the flow manifesting itself through the movements.
Savvy Raj
Member International Dance Council
UNESCO
Your true source strength in every living moment!
Friends and families are your circles of protection
What is family?
Relationships that bond through a lifetime
Through the winds of changes
In hopes and hurt
In challenges and conflicts
In confusion and chaos
In the circumstances and consequences…
Healing and helping
Caring and consoling
Being there throw the thick and thin
In support and encouragement
Amidst the pain and pleasures
Of life and living
Families and friends are strength giving
Value and nourish them
Through attention and time.
For only they will stand the test of time
In moments of despair desperation.
And after all what use is happiness With no one to partake the joy?
Keep your friend and families close to your heart.
Savvy
A writers soul is found dancing in the letters as he writes.
A painters soul is found between the colours in the canvas
The potters soul is in his fingers shaping the clay passionately.
The singers soul is in the sounds created by the voice.
The dancers soul is flowing through in every movement made.
The Soul is a restless wanderer
It breathes free not in captivity,
But in every movement of creation.
It cannot be fathomed or even sensed
Other than in the light of passion in the being.
For then the soul shines in its own light
For it has found its purpose of being.
Savvy
This note above has a true story that happened with me…. I have published it in my earlier article called the Magic of Movements.
This is one of those moments when writing and sharing stories from our lives bring us a deep sense of connection… with our readers and ourselves in gratitude for the learnings. And there is that sense of magic through words.
This is an old story but to me, but sharing it evokes the same poignant feeling of fond memories of the people that are attached to it
Here is the story if you would like to read.
The Magic of Movements
‘Life is a dance’….A painting by Savvy Raj
Savvy
A great piece of choreography and cinematography from the movie Shall we Dance.
Watch the sensous swivels and the tantalising twirls of tango and be mesmerized by the lead pair of Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.
I love the line she says to him…
‘Be this alive!’…
Savvy
💙💖💙
In 1997, Pamela Redmond Satran wrote a list for Glamour Magazine. Having already passed her thirtieth birthday, her goal was to tell younger women about “the things I really wished I’d had and known by that important milestone.” It not only resonated, it became a phenomenon. To this day, the now bestselling author’s list continues to make its way across the web, via sites, inboxes, and social feeds, experiencing recurring surges of viral popularity. Yet, up until very recently, in typical not-giving-credit-where-credit-is-due internet form, it was most often shared with either no attribution to Pamela or tagged as someone else’s work, including “Maya Angelou’s Best Poem Ever.”
Here are 15 interesting points from that list …
1)”A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to…
……..
2)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she’s content to leave behind….
3)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
………..
4)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…
………..
5)A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a feeling of control over her destiny…
6)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to fall in love without losing herself..
7)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without; ruining the friendship…
8)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…
9)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
10)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that her childhood may not have been perfect..but its over…
11)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…
12)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…
13)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…
14)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming inn in the woods…
when her soul needs soothing…
15)EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…
So much for the creativity passed on without credit.
And here is a dedication to Every Woman out there…Enjoy 💖👍💖
An interesting article for those who believe that all we see is all that exists.
It stimulates our lateral thinking :
To something that is beyond!!
This lovely parable is from “Your Sacred Self” by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”
“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”
The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”
The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”
The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”
The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”
“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”
The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”
The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”
Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”
To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”
*May be this is one of the best explanations to the concept of ‘GOD/Source’!*
Do you love to dance?
Do you enjoy leading a dance?
What makes a dance enjoyable?
Dance is a lot like life . Here I bring forth a few simple pointers on Partner Dancing.
Important lessons in leadership are easily learned, on the dance floor…as you lead and as you follow.
They are very simple lessons and yet very powerful and contribute in making one a better dancer immediately. But more importantly it helps to know how to be a better leader in life too.
About two decades or more, Social dancing workshops and lessons in India were rarely common. We decided to do something about it and the Dance Concepts Latin &ballroom dance workshops began . We started with the basics :a Foxtrot , a Waltz , Jive , Rock n Roll and of course a Cha Cha Cha.
The idea was to teach as naturally and as simply as possible, so that the students made quick progress in learning the concepts of dancing rather than just a routine. Having had the privilege of sharing our social dancing skills with so many eager learners over the years we made a few observations … when the learners were learning the footwork side by side they would find it a breeze. But when we instructed them to join hands and dance together in an open hold some of them felt as if they were wrestling more than dancing with the lady pulling one way, while the man was pushing her another way Each had their ideas about how they should move and how it would look.
Social Dancing is a partnership, a partnership where there is a leader and a follower. Even if you don’t like to follow, to dance well together it is wise to respect the partnership rules. Learning to follow is a skill that one needs to develop and is not necessarily easy. It’s difficult as you have to do the same thing your partner is doing, except backward.
Just as important, you have to follow his lead even if it seems as if he’s going the wrong way. And thus if one learns to lead well, the partner may actually enjoy the feeling of being led than feeling yanked and shoved around.
Traditionally the man takes the lead on the dance floor. Yes, in ballroom dancing – even in these days -mostly the man leads. But roles can be and are reversed as well. After all it takes two to tango… if one leads the other follows.
Being a leader is more about sensitivity and definitely not about pushing your partner around, but to lead well, it is necessary to develop spatial awareness so you know exactly where your partner is at every moment, which foot their weight is balanced on without looking. You have to be aware of their pacing, and be mindful of the strengths, and weaknesses. And you have to take all that into consideration every time you move with a partner in your arms.
A good leader connects than controls.
Savvy
Sense what you are going to do before you do it. Just be aware of what your next step is going to be, and give your partner the signal at the right time so they can follow you gracefully. Like so in life: Having some foresight of what your life should become is like knowing what type of dance you want to do. But being a good leader requires more of you than that. It demands that you also have good ideas about the medium- and short-term tasks that are required to achieve that vision. And it means you have to communicate those ideas to your partners – those who are working closely with you to achieve your vision.
When dancing together it is very important to …
Signal your intentions with clarity. To lead well, and the way to avoid using force is to give strong, clear signals. The clearer your signals are, the easier it is to follow you. And the easier it is for your partner to follow you, the better you will look and feel together and the better they will like dancing with you.
In life: knowing what you want from your partners, colleagues etc is not enough. You have to let them know what you want them to do by communicating it to them with clarity. And most of all you have to develop the art of patience.
Lead to demonstrate your partner’s strengths.In dancing, the purpose of the leader is to lead – but the purpose of the dance itself is to enjoy the moment with your partner, each focusing on the bringing the best of each others strengths than the weaknesses…
Wise leaders hardly blame the follower when things go haphazard , which it might at times! After all exhilaration and excitement are a stones throw away from comfort zones that one might trespass at times , yet when ever the leader and the follower work in harmony … it is magnetic and mesmerizing indeed! It is then a dance beyond all expectations!
Savvy Raj
Member of International Dance Council
UNESCO
True peace flows
In the middle path.
In between the extremes
Of nature is the path.
Extreme states create vulnerability
For the very strength of rigidity
Is in its ability to structure into solidity.
But solidity may not quantify solidarity.
Shaping matter to form
Is prone to creating cracks
In the spaces between shapes,
And gaps are prone to fragility.
To thrive in the optimum
Is to value continuum,
Which brings adaptability
Along with acceptability.
Our beautiful world,
This ball of blue,
Has much at stake
In these times of vulnerability.
Our nations may play on
With tactics and goodwill,
Balancing acts in deliberation,
Taking much into consideration.
To reach out,
To stay put,
To align,
To withdraw
For extreme states
Are a weakness in itself.
Extreme power by itself
Is a very dangerous tool,
Denoting self-destruction
As much as calamity in chaos.
The solution is thus,
Steering into the middle path.
When a structure gets too rigid,
Allow spaces for destressing.
When situations become hostile,
Breathe in to empathize.
When a war of words ensues,
Consider the art of negotiation.
For it is never bullets that truly win;
It is the people who do.
Steer into the path of peace.
Allay fears and acknowledge the futility
Of living in the extremes.
Tread in awareness of the middle path.
Peace is not won in battles.
Peace reigns in the heart of man.
Make way for the inner light to step out.
Let peace and goodwill guide the way!
Savvy
#peace #goodwill #globaloneness #middlepath #acceptance #adaptability #universalpeace #heartspeaks #
Savvy Raj 