Shakti Dance™
as taught by Sara avtar
Shakti Dance™ is the Yoga of Dance. It’s a type of yoga which incorporates fluent movements to induce a deep state of concentration and calmness. Since the beginning of the class, you have the chance to connect profoundly with yourself in a very natural way. While the rhythm gradually increases, you will feel more grounded, liberated and recharged.
On the other hand, Shakti Dance™ it is also a type of sacred and ecstatic dance, which will inspire you to deepen your consciousness and the understanding of sacred movements. Shakti Dance™ awakes your body, open your mind and release your spirit.
Based on the ancient teaching of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, Shakti Dance™ combines perfectly the art of different types of dance and the wisdom of the Yoga’s science. Shakti Dance™ wants to carry a little bit of sacredness and devotion in its own structure and intention; in fact, it has been created to bring each individual to a state of awareness and deep understanding. It is not just a dance, and it not just a yoga style. Shakti Dance™ brings you deep into your emotional world using your body and mind system to liberate your potential and awake your own inner power of creation.
For this reason, Shakti Dance™ is a sacred dance and it is opened to women and men, since the awakening of the inner grace (Kundalini-Shakti) it is not just a prerogative of one of the two genders.
The patron and protector of Shakti Dance™ is the Goddess Saraswati, Shakti of true knowledge and wisdom, protector of all arts form. Even though Shakti Dance™ is inspired to Kundalini Yoga teachings, it IS NOT Kundalini Yoga; however, it can be considered as a complementary system to enhance your personal spiritual growth.
On the other hand, Shakti Dance™ it is also a type of sacred and ecstatic dance, which will inspire you to deepen your consciousness and the understanding of sacred movements. Shakti Dance™ awakes your body, open your mind and release your spirit.
Based on the ancient teaching of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, Shakti Dance™ combines perfectly the art of different types of dance and the wisdom of the Yoga’s science. Shakti Dance™ wants to carry a little bit of sacredness and devotion in its own structure and intention; in fact, it has been created to bring each individual to a state of awareness and deep understanding. It is not just a dance, and it not just a yoga style. Shakti Dance™ brings you deep into your emotional world using your body and mind system to liberate your potential and awake your own inner power of creation.
For this reason, Shakti Dance™ is a sacred dance and it is opened to women and men, since the awakening of the inner grace (Kundalini-Shakti) it is not just a prerogative of one of the two genders.
The patron and protector of Shakti Dance™ is the Goddess Saraswati, Shakti of true knowledge and wisdom, protector of all arts form. Even though Shakti Dance™ is inspired to Kundalini Yoga teachings, it IS NOT Kundalini Yoga; however, it can be considered as a complementary system to enhance your personal spiritual growth.
The Method
How the system Shakti Dance™ of works?
Shakti Dance™ is structured in 8 phases to allow the energy to flow properly and gradually open up the body and the mind to the new experience. Here a short description of each phase:
Shakti Dance™ is structured in 8 phases to allow the energy to flow properly and gradually open up the body and the mind to the new experience. Here a short description of each phase:
- Tune-in with Celestial Communication: we open the class by chanting a mantra to declare to ourselves that we are changing space and state of awareness, we are entering a different state of mind which separates us from what it is waiting for us outside. We open our hearts to receive guidance and protection during the practice;
- Shakti Stretching: warm-up exercises to prepare the body, to open up your subtle channels (meridians and/or nadis) in which the vital energy flows. It is not just stretching, it is a first step to entering a deeper sense of awareness and understand your own body, its weaknesses and strengthens. Shakti stretching fluent and kind sequences start to awake your body and made it alive again and align the flow of the energy in your energetic body;
- Standing exercises: this is a sequence of guided dance movements and steps. In fact, after you have opened up and warmed up your body all the energy you have awaken has to move and re-circulate. You sometimes need to release stored toxins from the body or you may need to re-charge your energetic flow, either way each movement is designed to obtain the result wanted to create balance and harmony;
- Free Dance: this is the time to let go. After you have release the toxins from the body, re-charged and made your energy circulate again it is time now to open up to a creative experience without guidance. At this point you can dance freely and express your creativity feeling absolutely free from conditioning and self limitation. At this point your emotion are important, and it is a good moment for you to observe yourself and understand what is holding you back from being just what you are;
- Relaxation: after a good free dance your body, your mind, you emotions need rest. Your Aura needs to calm down as well. Free dance can be pretty intense, and you need to give time to your nervous system to process the information received during the free dance and your Prana to relocate where it is needed;
- Celestial Communication: your start with a Celestial Communication and now again. Why? Because through CC we re-organize our Aura, moving our hands with the word of the mantra has the power to re-balance and harmonize the Aura, especially if you have had a quite intense emotional experience. It is like brunching the Aura and giving a new direction to our thoughts and intentions;
- Meditation: just in case the CC is not enough to bring you into balance before you leave the class, the meditation helps you to find focus and clarity. It centers you in your heart and in your mind:
- Closing: with three long Sat Nam it is necessary to ground you back and shield your Aura to be more protected when you leave the class.
The Teachers:
dharma devi (LEAD trainer)
Dharma Devi is a long time Yoga practitioner. She has been practicing Hatha Yoga since childhood until she got inspired to follow the practice of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan in 2000.
Dharma is a Kundalini Yoga Teacher Trainer, she is also the only certified Shakti Dance Lead Trainer in the U.S., and Canada.
Dharma has a very independent spirit no doubt, very creative and curious, Dharma explored and continued her research toward what she calls the merging of arts and mindfulness.
Former Indian Classical Dancer, yogini, healing facilitator, artist and teacher, Dharma brings her own profound yoga experience into her teaching since she believes that yoga is one, but not the only one, of the most effective and transforming tools we have available nowadays.
Dharma is a Kundalini Yoga Teacher Trainer, she is also the only certified Shakti Dance Lead Trainer in the U.S., and Canada.
Dharma has a very independent spirit no doubt, very creative and curious, Dharma explored and continued her research toward what she calls the merging of arts and mindfulness.
Former Indian Classical Dancer, yogini, healing facilitator, artist and teacher, Dharma brings her own profound yoga experience into her teaching since she believes that yoga is one, but not the only one, of the most effective and transforming tools we have available nowadays.
Dharma has used different healing modalities to overcome personal, difficult times that have characterized her youth. She is now specialized/certified to work with people diagnosed with PTSD; she also has a broad experience to working with people with degenerative diseases.
Dharma works to empower women, to inspire them to know themselves deeper and heal past wounds. In fact, Dharma mostly dedicates workshop to honoring the sacred feminine within men and women. Dharma Devi works with students using different modalities, in groups or in private. Working privately with Dharma is an exceptional experience, she will help you reach your desired goal. Her goal is to inspire women and men to discover their truth, empowering human beings of all genders, religions, political views to be real to themselves for a better life. Dharma's Websites: www.simonayoga.com & www.shaktidancusa.com sara avtar (founding creator) Avtar is the founding creator of Shakti Dance®.
This practice has evolved from her lifelong inspiration of movement and 30 years of Kundalini Yoga practice as a teacher, Level 1 & Level 2 teacher trainer and Sat Nam Rasayan healer. The development of Shakti Dance® is not the result of a contrived intention, but rather blossomed organically over many years. When asked, Sara Avtar says that she has always danced for as long as she can remember. She discovered Kundalini yoga when she was 19 and became a Kundalini yoga teacher shortly after. As her personal teaching style developed, she found herself drawn to incorporating more and more meditative dance-like stretches into the opening stages of her classes. She became known as the teacher whose eagerly awaited warm-ups were often longer than the kriyas themselves. |
As her practice of Kundalini Yoga, meditation and dance began to weave together and merge, it became apparent that a new form of yoga was developing. In a meeting with Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga, Sara Avtar presented her development of Shakti Dance® and he approved, giving his blessing as he proclaimed she should “Create the whole dance, systemize it and spread the Teachings.”
With this, Sara Avtar has proceeded to do just that. She has been developing, teaching and training Shakti Dance® in its current form over the past 20 years, although prototypes began to emerge in the early 1990's. To experience a class with Sara Avtar is a real privilege as she is an artist in movement and a true master in her own right. She transmits the essence of Shakti Dance® in such a beautiful, inspiring and powerful way that the essence and depth of this practice is easily transmitted, tasted and embodied.
Sara Avtar is also gifted with a beautiful singing voice and has released two of her own CDs with music for Shakti Dance® and Kundalini Yoga: “Shakti Lila” and “Merging”, with more releases to come.
She regularly teaches Shakti Dance® and Kundalini Yoga in Europe, co-teaching in all the Shakti Dance® teacher training courses, as well as in Kundalini Level 1 and Level 2 Trainings.
Sara Avtar currently resides in Italy.
~ Site Web de Sara Avtar:
www.shaktidanceacademy.com
With this, Sara Avtar has proceeded to do just that. She has been developing, teaching and training Shakti Dance® in its current form over the past 20 years, although prototypes began to emerge in the early 1990's. To experience a class with Sara Avtar is a real privilege as she is an artist in movement and a true master in her own right. She transmits the essence of Shakti Dance® in such a beautiful, inspiring and powerful way that the essence and depth of this practice is easily transmitted, tasted and embodied.
Sara Avtar is also gifted with a beautiful singing voice and has released two of her own CDs with music for Shakti Dance® and Kundalini Yoga: “Shakti Lila” and “Merging”, with more releases to come.
She regularly teaches Shakti Dance® and Kundalini Yoga in Europe, co-teaching in all the Shakti Dance® teacher training courses, as well as in Kundalini Level 1 and Level 2 Trainings.
Sara Avtar currently resides in Italy.
~ Site Web de Sara Avtar:
www.shaktidanceacademy.com
shakti dance canada
Copyright 2016