Tandava

Tandava Yoga – Unhooking Habitual Patterns through Spontaneous Movement and Dance

Tandava in myth is the dance of Shiva riding the waves of phenomena, symbolizing clear aware consciousness manifesting in form, informed yet not defined, limited or controlled by the passing layers and waves of thought, impulse and emotion. In this practice, tandava is the tantric dance meditation of the sahaja, the embodiment of spontaneity who resides in and moves from a natural state. The sahaja is one who practices consciously fine-tuning the instruments of body and mind to be agile and adaptive, stilling momentum to go beyond habit and compulsion to connect to and orient from the underlying state of turiya, the unfettered background from which all other states of consciousness arise and pass back into. In this clear, unattached, open awareness we are perhaps able to become present to the subtleties of each moment, helping ourselves respond appropriately and with relative ease to the specifics of each unique circumstance as it arises.    

In this workshop we will experiment with guided meditative yoga and movement exercises to awaken awareness both in and with the body, individually and together, inspiring our own intuitive sense of alignment and dexterity in body mechanics as well as retraining unconscious yet familiar ways of moving by consciously introducing new possibilities into our movement repertoire. Noticing how the forces of momentum, familiar habit, preconceptions, our own will, each other, the environment around us and even the music direct our movement, we will experiment with consciously unhooking ourselves from following this momentum to tune into the silence behind the sound, the spaciousness inside our form and the stillness of each moment within the movement to make space for new insight to arise and something fresh to become through us. Informed yet not defined, limited or controlled by everything we have experienced so far in our lives.

While I will be giving cues and leading movement and exercises, it is not to specifically teach yoga or dance so much as to offer a possibility of a way of relating in open awareness rather than in preconceived thought. Experiencing this potential through spontaneous dance meditation helps us refine and recall this quality of fluid presence in everything we do.

All levels welcome, no prior experience necessary. I will offer variations to suit every body.