Nritya MāyāNanda
Soumya’s vision:
To guide and facilitate people connect with their body and mind. My mission is to be a part of a healthy growing community by sharing the benefits of Yoga. Guide and inspire people to practice, develop skills and make yoga a part of their daily lives.
Yoga and Dance
The word ‘Yoga’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’ which means ‘to unite’.
Yoga is the peaceful union of Human consciousness to the universal consciousness. It is the alignment of the mind-body-soul connect through a series of Asanas (postures) practiced correctly in a systematic fashion. Lord Shiva is considered to be the first Yogi.
Yoga & Dance are the two disciplines that emerged from Lord Nataraja . He is a yogi also known also a cosmic dancer. So , let’s learn what happens when Dance is combined with this most practiced age-old discipline that transforms the mind, body and soul.
Why yoga ?
It teaches individuals to listen to their body , heart-rate, breathing, sensations, feelings.
In other words, yoga connects the mind, body, and spirit and can definitely teach dancers how to listen to and respect their bodies and physical needs.
It helps stay focused , Connects breath , body and alignment and most importantly helps relieve pain.
Contrary to popular belief, yoga is not just about stretching. “Although dancers tend to have great posture, yoga can also help improve core strength to help the dancer have stronger back and abdominal muscles.This, in turn, will help in all movements and protect your joints from pain and injury .
In its simplest definitions, yoga and dance can be reduced to breath with movement, or breath-guided movement. This identifies one major link between these two: prana or life-force, as breath. ... The yogi and dancer, however, have a closer relationship with prana and their own breathing habits.
Reasons to Love Both Yoga and Dance
1. Increased Flexibility
2. Captivating Routine
4. Group Movement
5. Resistance training
6. Intensifies focus
7. Builds and tones muscle strength
8. Helps introspect our thoughts
9. Challenges our balance
10. It’s you and your own practice
11. The list and go on !!
Finally, both are based on the movement of your own body. It’s one of the things I love most about the two activities. You can practice yoga or dance practically anywhere since all you need is you!
Hindustani Music and Kathak- A Visual Poetry
Sejal's Vision:
Nada Brahma’ which means Sound is God. Through music one can reach God. I have experienced the divinity of Music my entire life with the blessings of Gurus and now it’s my turn to help the music lovers to expand and express their abilities.
Hindustani Music is the north Indian style of Indian classical music originated from Vedic ritual chants. Kathak is one of the prominent eight forms of Indian Classical dances.
Hindustani Music is the heart and soul of Kathak dance. Sangeet ( Music) in the Indian tradition originally referred to the shared and composite aesthetic space for vocal and instrumental music and dance. The exchange of ideas between the three disciplines resonates to this day in their use of common terminology In the early evolutionary period.
Kathak adopted the “Kirtanas” and “Dhrupad” style of singing while in Mughal era Thumris, Dadras and Ghazal types with different types of “Rasas” including romantic aspects were brought in. Out of them Thumri, dadra and many other light classical forms of music became heart of soul of Kathak, specifically for the ‘ Abhinaya ‘ (Expression) part.
I see Kathak and Hindustani Music as a Visual Poetry. Hindustani music is a heart and soul of Kathak dance. Every dance requires some understanding of or at least hands on experience with musical form, rhythmical structure, and the other ingredients of music. Music provides energy to dance and I strongly believe that even a little knowledge of Hindustani music will create a strong foundation for every Kathak dancer.