Overview
THE DANCING YOGIS is a bold and beautifully conceived imagining of yoga, dance and Indian travel, where each of the journey's components informs and supports the other.
In majestic environments in Kerala, Amritsar and Dharmasala, morning sessions develop your yoga and meditation practice. In mid-morning the yogic journey evolves into an exploration of movement as you discover the grace and controlled physicality of Indian classical dance. Dance in India is an expression of culture, story and celebration.
In the afternoon we venture out; into the villages and temples; into the backwaters of Kerala, into Sufi dances in Amritsar and Tibetan culture in Dharamshala.
Tanvi Mehir - yoga and dance
In each location we will engage local practitioners in dance and yoga. However your guiding light will be Tanvi Mehri, an extraordinary young woman whose devotion to yoga grew from her background in dance. Tanvi trained at the respected IndeaYoga institute in Mysore. As an advanced yoga teacher, she leads a variety of specialized weekend workshops under the brand Yoga Station, and is trained to lead pre and post-natal yoga. Her Tangerine Art Studio is a haven of peace and green within the hectic world of Mumbai.
Tanvi’s traditional teaching style is alignment driven with a focus on Pranayama and meditation! She teaches a combination of Hatha & Asthana yoga classes and is also known for her restorative classes which will be helpful on this intense experience. CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW to watch a video from her Tangerine Art Studio that shows her practice and philosophy. On The Dancing Yogis the classes will be pitched at various levels with advanced sessions available to smaller groups at different times.
Tanvi's dance background is extensive and includes India-wide performances and studies under various traditional Dance gurus such as Bharat Natyam and Guru Smt. Kirti Naik who hails from the traditional Tanjavur School of Dance. Sufi is a dance form closest to Tanvi’s heart. She learnt under her teacher Mrs Zia Lambrou who took her on an India wide tour performing for such dignitaries as the Mahajraj of Udaipr. And the great news is that Tanvi loves Bollywood, and so we will break out the saris for some joyous Bollywood dancing.
In this journey, movement is a body-prayer that can leads us to understand the ancestral kerygma of Indian philosophy. In India, dance is a language unto itself that allows us to speak, to listen, to describe. It is an experience where certain inherited knowledge such as self-recognition and the beauty of existence can be expressed and realised.
Our yoga and dance will be explored in some marvelous ancestral places, sometimes where humans have been honouring these devotions for thousands of years. Performed with respectful intention, these practices will allow for the possibility of a deeply mystical experience. One belief system holds that the temples and special places carry the memory of thousands of yogis and dancers within them, and that acknowleging that can lead to the experience of a theophany, the so called Darshan, the auspicious sight of the immanence. Irrespective, practising yoga and dance in these places will be like plunging into a timeless stream of thought, observance and tradition. In a way it is like plunging into the soul of India itself.
Santiago Gusardi Girelli - cultural guide
All our Indian programs have Professor Santiago Lusardi Girelli as our cultural director. Santiago leads the Singing into the Mystic programs in the capacity as cultural guide and choral leader.
Santiago is an esteemed philospher who heads a Chair at Goa University and is a former researcher
on Indian Mysticism and Buddhist phenomenology, the subject of his PHD. He teaches philosophy and music, co-hosts a chair set up in conjunction with His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Conflict Resolution. You might look to explore the SINGING INTO THE MYSTIC to get a more complete overview of the context and cultural understanding that Santiago will bring to the program.
In these wonderful guides we have the yogic, academic, cultural and dance capacity to make this a breath taking journey. The practices will allow for India to be 'tuned in' in a profound way. The frequencies of her people, her complexities, and her deep soul, can be felt and appreciated.
THE DANCING YOGIS program does not aim for perfection in th dance, nor in the yoga, nor in any aspect of the practice. The motivation is to explore India through yogic practice, meditation and movement, so that our travels resonate on a deep and powerful and lasting level.
Interesting links