Uma Goswami Dance

Uma danced last night. It is her spiritual practice.

She spoke of Dance as collective spiritual practice. That it only happens in sacred space and you can never plan, it has a plan of its own.

With Uschi, Uma demonstrated the similar forms of the dance and hatha yoga. This was so beautiful. I wished that she allowed photos and that I had a camera.

She danced a dance to Shiva.
(I feel like she danced another one here)
She danced the story of Krishna's Birth.
And she danced to the Divine Mother.

She spoke a great deal about bhakti yoga. Bhakti Yoga is the longing to be with God. Wanting with all your heart to be united with God. Her words allowed me to understand that I do not know what it feels like to want something with all my heart.

Krishna's Birth as told by Uma
Krishna was born in prison. The evil king had been told that he would be killed by the 8th child of his sister?, so he locked her and her husband up. When Krishna was born, his father prayed to God and his shackles were broken and the jail opened up. He was able to sneak out and head to the neighboring village. With the help of God, the flooding river parted and a snake became his umbrella in the rain to protect the child. He exchanged Krishna for his brother's daughter? This part was confusing. Uma said something about the young gir being the Divine Mother, but why did he need a child unless she was going to be a stand in for being killed? So I looked it up and this Version of the Story matches her but tells the conclusion.

Dance to the Divine Mother
Uma was going to do a dance to Krishna and his 16,000 wives, but the music was not working. So she danced to the Divine Mother. She spoke of the energies of the mother. And of White Tara who was on the altar.

And we all danced together.

After the Performance
At the end, Uma spoke of dance being an important part of yoga teacher training. That hatha yoga has no eyes, head or hand movements and the bhakti element of dance would enrich hatha yoga. She spoke of it needing to be part of the the training.

Arturo Peal: Touching the Heart Day 2

Opening

Arturo took questions and offered talks from there.

Beginning questions focused around how to use the safe touch principle in big group glasses and massage and yoga clients.

A asked a really good question about feeling anxious around receiving touch.  She really allowed herself to be vulnerable in sharing her nervousness about pleasing the other person in her ability to relax.  This question hit me in the guts as it is right in line with what I have been noticing in myself.

Arturo used the question to talk about the Evolution of Developmental Psychology and how it is only recently in the development of the Human Being that we are being asked to be in contact with so many people.

This riffed off towards the irony of trying to protect ourselves which creates stress but "feels" safer.

Exercise 1

Dancing.  Because J was there and she majored in Dance in College, this resulted in a lot of great sharing around our culture and the lack of one dance, or accepted container to allow for touch.  I have a lot of mixed feelings about this but it was not the place to share as J and others seemed so strong in their opinions and I have lots of outlets to express mine.

Break @ 3 for 10 minutes.

Exercise 2

Partner Touch Exercise.

The play was to begin the touch way above the "physical body" and start to sense the may koshas and layers.  Eventually allowing the hands to rest on the body and the awareness to go all the way to the center of the bone.  Very cool exercise, one of my favorite.  Also this is the work that let me stop adjusting people in yoga postures.

Legs up the Wall

Legs Supported in BK with Self Touch to Heart

OM

Namaste