Independence Day celebrations...

Dear Kethanites,

Yes it was indeed a great celebration which would not been possible without Vijay, Arti, Ranganath, Mr and Mrs Deven, Mr and Mrs Unni, Mr Suresh, Mrs Sri Latha, Mrs Padmini, Suchi's mother [sorry I forgot her name] and all of them who were part of this program. My hearty congratulations for hosting such a wonderful program and making it a very memorable one. It was indeed like a program managed by a professional event management team. Looking forward such wonderful events in coming future.

Hats off...

Thanks and Regards
Karthik-101A

Dancing Meditation 8/8/10 11 AM – 12:30PM

Introduction
This is no normal dance with hi-fi music in the background to shake your body vigorously. This type of dance is subtle and not taught but rather “did” intuitively in a rhythmic fashion. These mild movements are performed with a special type of music in background to wake up your intuitive skills for dancing. It’s an ultimate stress buster.

Who can attend?
Age group > 12 years.

Registration
Limited registrations only 12, Call 98802 96269 for registration

Course fees
100 Rs/adult, children : 50Rs/head. Course fees collected will be given for charity.

Time
8/8/10 11 AM – 12:30PM

Pre-requisites
• Empty stomach. Have breakfast before 9:00AM
• See guidelines and be prepared. Call 98802 96269 for doubts/questions

Venue:
Kethana Enclave, Kagadasapura

Agenda
• Introduction: 15min
• Physical exercise/yoga – 15min
• Breathing exercise/Pranayama – 15 min
• Swaying with music in background [with closed eyes] – 30min
• Experience sharing /Q & A - 15 min

What is dance meditation?
It is a type of meditation in which we use the rhythm, attentiveness, and an intuitive state which are typical qualities of many types of meditation and dancing -- even dancing which is recreational rather than meditational. Any kind of dancing can be meditative, but there is also a classification of "sacred dancing," which is the use of dance to explore and express our identity as soul.

Guidelines for dance meditation
1. Focus on the dance, not the ego (or any of the ego's archetypal field-elements which might be constellated in dysfunctional traits which we might label vanity, shyness, etc.). We are not distracted by a need to impress people who are watching us, or to dance in accordance with our self-image (as a "talented dancer" or a "klutz"), or to set standards for any qualities such as gracefulness or spirituality. Instead, we become immersed in our moment-to-moment expression of the feelings and revelations which emerge. We might say that we "become the dance," or we lose ourselves in the dancing, or we dance to a deity, or we surrender to the dance, or we let the dance happen through us. We allow ourselves to be whatever emerges: wild or silly or sweaty or strange or primitive or ethereal. In order to achieve this unself-consciousness, we must either dance alone or in a group in which the people are accepting and non-judgmental, so that we can improvise, and put aside the persona, and express the intimate aspects our selves -- our spiritual devotion, our unconscious impulses, and the feelings which seem to be too tender to be expressed in our daily life. Allow yourself this freedom, and allow it in the other dancers, too.

2. Find the "dance energy" within yourself. Our body is filled with life, and it is constantly generating energy. While dancing, part of the meditation is to perceive the subtle energies and feelings which emerge from inside of us. We can detect the various places from which the energy radiates most powerfully -- the heart, the digestive organs, the brain, the sexual organs, the hara (about 2" below the navel but in the center of the body), the chakras, and other locations. We can notice the movement of energy throughout our body -- flowing upward from our feet, outward to our hands, etc. These energies propel our body in dance meditation. We sense the energy's uncompromising assertiveness and power; the best that we can do is to administer it respectfully and accurately as the thrust of our own life.

3. Express those energies. Our meditation is to find a balanced point at which we are the intermediary between the impulses which arise and the body which expresses those impulses. We are an interpreter (interpreting energy into action) -- but we are not translating via our mind's analytical function, because neither the impulses nor the body can be fully perceived, understood, or expressed if they are viewed from an analytical perspective. Instead, we appreciate the phenomena of impulses and movement on their own terms, and we make a game of being a precise communicator of our feelings into action. We allow the body to improvise its own movements -- and then we are surprised and perhaps thrilled by the mysterious vitality which moves in ways which we never would have imagined. As we gradually diminish our conscious intrusion, our body asserts its own life. The life is somehow coming directly from the soul and filtering through us until the entire body is such a perfect expression of the energy that the body becomes a light, vibrant entity which is virtually indistinguishable from the soul itself.

4. Allow ecstasy. When we permit the body to express itself and to move in its own way, we are likely to feel a profoundly sensuous and exciting sensation streaming throughout us. This is the body coming to life. This is the state in which the ego's dysfunctional elements no longer control us; they cannot demand that the body conform to any mental image, nor can they convince us that the body is nothing but a stupid machine which has meaning and direction only if guided by the analytical function of mind. This ecstasy -- wild, beautiful, bold -- is perhaps the body's natural state.

Reference : http://www.trans4mind.com/jamesharveystout/dancemed.htm


Thanks and Regards
Karthik