A happy ‘Third year Anniversary’in writing and sharing to me today as I just got informed that I am officially 3 year old here on Word press.đŸ˜€
It’s neither too long a way back in time nor too young to let go a look back in time .
Amazing memories of writing and sharing and learning here on WordPress with you all my friends.
Yes the learnings are a treasure I welcome all thanks to you my lovely readers and cowriters who have been so very thoughtful and inspiring as well as engaging in each of these posts.Thank you so much for the appreciation of my writings and paintings.
My artwork and poetry has definitely flourished in the patronage extended by so many of you kind souls. I extend my deepest gratitude for the caring and kind and encouraging words you share in your posts and comments.
Well as I look around the bend and take a bow in gratitude for the memories past am eagerly looking forward to writing and hoping to share so much more in time in love and goodwill.
Wishing you all lovely day and a wonderful weekend!
Change is inevitable , but you are the one in charge of how the change impacts you.
Breath and Movement:
We are the sum of our individual parts
There is no heart without our mind and no action without our sensing.
No two moments of our life are alike. Our body is made of cells that are renewed in time. Emotions and behaviour that we manifest are deeply integral to how we feel about ourselves and the situation at hand … so our movements are as unique as we are.
Cultivating an awareness of our own breath can give us much needed support and inner healing through the vagaries of life and living
Just make sure to sense your inner calm and be one with your breath no matter the situation you are in. That is the way you can gradually connect with yourself on a deeper level.
The more connected you are with your breath you gradually begin to relax in the moment.
Attuning your Breath and Movement
Let your breath guide and lead your movement. Value the subtle energies of your own self that encompasses your own breath.
Sense the integration of your breath and your movements. Breath gives your movement a shape and direction. So not only can you link your breath and your movement but also practise initiating your movements with your breath.
Your awareness will gradually increase of how your own inbreath (inhale)and out breath (exhale) are being used in your movements. What powers and energizes your actions and what calms and assists relaxation. And how it can flow enveloping and encompassing, connecting and complementing each other like an elegant dance!
Soon in practice you will learn to
‘Dance with it ‘
That’s how you learn to flow and dance with life!
I wrote these words as a part of one of my lectures that I was invited to deliver at a MUN conference. But it has always been there with me as my personal affirmation .
My reflections after a chance visit to Swadhaa A Waldorf School in Pune.
In my spare time as a hobby, I enjoy visiting offbeat places and interacting with people from all walks of life to broaden my perspectives. To envision the world through the eyes of another is always an insightful experience.
When I visited Auroville in Pondicherry last year amongst the many inspirational insights I came across a bit about how Waldorf Schools started by Rudolf Steiner who was inspired by Sir Aurobindo, stands for holistic education that speaks to the soul and strives for human goodwill and integrity and instilling a sense of creativity and wonder through its unconventional schooling methods.
Besides that, I also had come across words of praise for her schooling and education received from the well-known actress Jennifer Anniston an alumnus of a Waldorf School herself.
“I was always fascinated by acting, but my experience at Rudolf Steiner [school] encouraged me to pursue it as a career.” “Steiner was a free-spirited school that encouraged creativity and individualism.”
As a dance educator myself I have always felt schooling at conventional schools can be rather stifling for it focuses more on procedure and protocol than allowing freedom to explore. The root of our individuality and personal expression is often stubbed in the process of conforming to the norms and practices unless it is balanced out when there is a gateway to open communication and positive support on the homefront.
Recently having shifted my residence in Pune City and in my foray into understanding what my area had on offer as a creative educator myself, I came across. SWADHA Learning Centre. My interest was piqued that it was based on the principles of a Waldorf school.
I decided to experience the place on my own. Luckily for me the day I visited the school it turned out to be their Annual Day and there were elaborate festivities planned out for the entire day by the school for one and all.
There were workshops galore… I attended a few out of curiosity and came away heartened by the immense enthusiasm and support from the parents and children alike for this schools annual activity. I took my time to interact with some of the parents.
What I was immediately drawn to was the amount of openness that was there reflected in so many ways from children who were learning life skills experientially to how parents were so beautifully integrated into the educational activities of the children.
The pictures speak for themselves I must say!
In an era of grades and marks that decides destinies of children as future adults,
the learning concepts observed here come as a breath of fresh air. Like the lack of grading systems and adding only an individual assessment by the educator annually to ensure that each child is addressed and understood for their unique potential. And the breakdown of hierarchy which makes everyone an involved collaborator working towards positive transformations. And I believe they also help and guide a child gradually, who wants to integrate into conventional schooling system if they wish or need to for whatever reasons. The question is would we want to?
Perhaps the varied schools under the Waldorf umbrella are as unique as the people collectively managing them, but the fact remains that there is a happier learning space we can co-create for our future children if we have the willingness to come together and contribute our time and resources.
” A space that’s open yet bounded with a focus can be conducive to learning as when the process of exploration begins it is helped by a structured approach. But while boundaries may be reminding of a journey having a destination, it is the openness that reflects the never-ending source of creative possibilities.”
Savvy
An excerpt from my reflections on Learning spaces…. (read more )
I am starting a short post series on Balancing Life & Work from today.. I invite your share of thoughts and personal tips from your life experiences here…
Life and work balance is truly important to ensure you are able to live better and lead meaningful lives.
Tip 1 Take a Break! :
Take short break off from your job to refocus.
Even if you are the most excited about a new project that you are working on, taking short breaks to revitalize regenerate and renew yourself will bring a huge difference to the way you work and live.
Only when you learn to unplug will you know what you have been missing all along .Our body needs timely rest to function its optimum best. After all we are humans and not machines … so dont stretch it too far! Take a break!
Parenting is a long term learning process. With the first born every parent is going through a variety of emotions and various stages of parenting. It is true as an infant it is entirely on the parents- be its safety, its cleanliness, understanding its cries for various needs- all done with so much love and care without prior experience. As the child grows so does its mode of expression, tantrums, seeking attention, and the parents learn to cope up with all of it like experts. Cherubic angels with devilish moods. It’s a 24/ 7 job with full focus. The teacher in the child starts teaching valuable lessons, you may have not come across so far in any university.
You have to constantly learn new techniques with every child. One lesson will not work with the other as they are different individuals teaching you to handle the same issues with various means.
You will be learning new lessons with every stage of their growing up. Infants to toddlers to kids, youngsters to teen agers, Young adults to grown up,men and women, each stage teaches you different lessons.
You will be learning new lessons on changing generations, their changing values, how to maintain the balance and be a bridge to keep up the tranquility and peace at home. Though every phase has its testing period, it is challenging period when they are in their teens with their need to balance their inner and outer worlds. Once you cross that successfully you can enjoy a momentary peace till the next one starts.
Coping up with the the new relations that springs up in their lives, and the need to understand their changing priorities, to accept gracefully and take the back seat in their life though they remain as ur priority , without regrets. Ability to know the strength of the bond though invisible still remains strong and intact. The list of life lessons the child teaches goes on till the end.
That is the way life has to go on.
And all the while we pride ourselves as parents and that we teach and guide our children!
Who is the real teacher here?
These are a few reflections from my mothers perspectives on Parenting.
There may be many styles of parenting and the nurturing they instill may be relative to what they received. There is no foolproof way to successful parenting as success is itself subjective. However the idea of nurturing abilities and giving space for evolving helps the holistic development of individual.On Nurturing
In a nutshell …can think of 5 A’s of Nurturing as parents… but the list never ends .
Acknowledge abilities as uniquely significant.
Appreciate the good qualities & its application.
Allow the potential of personal expression.
Accept the challenges as part of life
Adapt to changing nature.
What are your views on Parenting and nurturing? Do share.
When I shared this beautiful picture of the Jacaranda Trees on the social media yesterday this post got a lot of responses… and continues to pour in still. Perhaps it touches the chord of connectedness somewhere amidst the roots.
Am highlighting a few learnings along the way for me through this post.
My friend John Rylance mentioned about how much the beautiful work ‘ Endymion’ the poem with the opening line ….
‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever’ by John Keats applies to this picture . In his words ..
So much of this poem reflects your Jacaranda tree picture, it could so easily be an illustration to accompany the work.@John Rylance
Sharing a few curated verses from the poem Endymion-
A thing-beauty-joy-ever…
Paths there were many,
Winding through palmy fern, and rushes fenny,
And ivy banks; all leading pleasantly To a wide lawn,
whence one could only see Stems thronging all around between
the swell Of turf and slanting branches: who could tell
The freshness of the space of heaven above,
Edg’d round with dark tree tops? through which a dove
Would often beat its wings, and often too
A little cloud would move across the blue.
Endymion is a poem by John Keats first published in 1818. It begins with the line “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”. Endymion is written in rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter. WikipediaOriginally published:1818
I also came across the video clip about these trees there..
In response my friends Claire Cardwell and Gert Scholtz mentioned about Pretoria and Johanesburg in South Africa having huge number of these trees still.. inspite of the opposition to these so called alien invasions …
@Savvy Raj there was a very vocal minority a few years back that wanted to chop down all the Jacaranda trees as they are not indigenous to South Africa. Fortunately the majority over-ruled them! You can’t however now buy a Jacaranda sapling at the nursery to plant in your garden. I do love them, I think the best places to see them in Joburg are in Linden, Northcliff Hill and in an office block in Rosebank – looking down all you can see is purple. Thanks for the post! Claire Cardwell
@Savvy Raj Jacaranda’s are truly beautiful. They bloom this time of year and our street plus many surrounding areas are covered with bright blue-purple flowers. Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda city, but Johannesburg where I live, actually has more of these trees lining the streets. Very nice post Savvy – thanks for the video too.
And then as I happened to share this photograph with my family and here is what my mother comes up with…
“The twisted branches signify the conflicts in our wavering minds and the clarity of the sky of the blue in the background with the bewitching pink flowers assures us of the positive solutions at the end .” Anjana
It is beautiful to reflect and revel in joyfulness
Cos it does your body  mind and spirit
A whole deal of good.
Contrary to opinion of what mindfulness is … being in the now is also about being able to witness the joys of your life in the sensing but  without dependence.
Your own lifes better moments are deeply healing experience for your state of being.
The neurons that fire in the rememberance of positive experiences can bring association of memory banks long long forgotten in time. Â And suddenly you find yourself recharged, reinvigourated and regenerated in the wake of such moments.
Mindfulness comes to play in the simple witnessing and letting the memory move on in time naturally as it would rather than wallowing in the wake of  and in the aftermath of  happy memories.
So next time you find yourself in the beautiful times of the then, dont worry, a lot of healing is  taking place sub consciously. Just take care to cross the bridge of the then to the now, steering away consciously and gradually from any self remorse and self pity.
This is where  cultivation of gratitude comes in to help simply feeling grateful to have had some very blessed moments, and that creates space for abundance to move into your present moment.
Have a blessed day and blessed life!
You are your deepest intention.
Intend well. Live well.
Savvy Raj
Although I am no medical expert this reflection has come simply from many of my personal observations in life and living. As a dance educator and trainer, and having facilitated workshops for many seniors I have been blessed with many beautiful memories . But more specifically have been a witness to how fond recollections can be for them of a take back in time when I play music of 40s and 60s with dances from that era. Suddenly their faces light up with smiles and there is a spring in their steps.
There are so many incidents of positive reflections that come to mind and touch my heart….I particularly remember one of my senior most student at a glorious 89, mentioning to me excitedly how even a single class on a Monday evening would have them charged up with positivity for the whole week ahead . I know it is not just about the dance form but about the triggered recollections of the joyous times of the then and its associations that made their day ! The goodwill and cheer was almost palpable. Life is truly to live than just exist!
Savvy Raj
I wrote this as a self reflective piece, on what it is to be a teacher, trainer or educator and its varied perspectives in life and living.
There is always more than what meets the eye…
# Behind the scenes
When I say I am a Ballroom and Latin dance form trainer… there is this natural association with everything glamorous, high heels, fancy bare all clothes, svelte tanned bodies , hairdos and glitter, there is youth, shows and events galore, a fancy personal life filled with parties and a fabulous nightlife life may be .
Far from it is the truth, actually it’s so much more than just that, it’s about raising your conscious awareness in harmony and balance of the mind and body .
It’s about empowering your mind and heart with care and understanding of the relative nonverbal communication sensed through the medium of movement as patterns.
It’s about taking time to internalize at times complicated moves yet being able to be at ease with your own self so much that the strain of practice never shows.
It’s about making friends with your mental physical and spiritual body and creating a dimension of composure and gratitude for another to be inspired enough to want to learn from you.
It’s a huge responsibility, to make a connection with a human being and sustain it gratefully whether it is for a class a, a dance or a lifetime. Savvy Raj
It’s a huge juggling act more so, if you have other interests as well, professionally and even personally, being a mother, a wife, a daughter and most of all a free spirit. Its about understanding the perspective of the space in between all that you are and all that you want to be and managing your creative resources the best you can.
As one fine tunes the self to understand and accept the value of the pauses between our moves we reach to our potential heights gradually and learn to be at peace within and around us.
In the truest realm when we focus on any art form it’s about bringing discipline and dedication in every aspect of one‘s life , learning and growing all the way .In the journey that‘s ever enriching, with experiences that must be savored along the way.
Savvy Raj 
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