In past posts we’ve discussed ways to use yoga in academic classroom subjects (Social Studies, English, Science, Math). Today I want to give a nod to the artistic side of the spectrum.
Yoga Dance is a growing trend as more and more people explore yoga, flow, and music. For dance enthusiasts this is a wonderful way to combine the creativity of dance with the precise alignment and breath work of yoga. A friend of mine who has danced her entire life was thrilled about the idea of Yoga Dance as soon as I mentioned it recently during yoga class. And I can definitely see the attraction. There is no rule book here. No series or set of asanas that one must follow. This allows for individuality, creativity, and inspiration to come from the individual, the music, the yoga.
Shiva Rea
At the forefront of this movement is Shiva Rea who has used unique music combinations along with powerful yoga practices to connect people with their inner selves, discovering and exploring the gifts of life. Her Vinyasa Flow style of yoga has led others to branch out and create beautiful dance routines based on yoga poses.
There are two ways of using Yoga Dance is the classroom:
- As a free form of self expression. Using music to inspire your body to respond in a natural fashion go with the flow, the feelings that the music invokes, tying it in to basic yoga postures as guided by the teacher. There is lots of spontaneity here. Truly a looser version of yoga class. I can see this style being readily accessible and easy to implement for most teachers. Check out this video for a sampling of how this works.Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
- Becoming proficient in various yoga poses and then choreographing a dance routine joining these poses. This will appeal to anyone looking to understand more of the details, techniques, and performance aspects that Yoga Dance offers. This style of incorporating Yoga Dance requires more knowledge of both dance and yoga than the first. However, when done well, it can be stunning. Watch this video to see what I’m talking about.Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
So if you are looking to combine your yoga and dance workouts, or are simply wanting to connect with your breath and explore prana flow, you may want to crank the tunes and see what happens. Remember this is about self expression, beauty, and grace. Go with the flow and try Yoga Dance today.
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There is a form of dance/meditation to music that Yogi Bhajan taught called Celestial Communication. It is dancing completely in sync, but as you wish, with the music. The merging with the music is very uplifting when the music is uplifting!
Aruna, I would love to know how to find that! I just recently Tweeted about this subject – thank you Donna for the blog post. I have been workign to combine yoga and dance for years, specifically current Hip Hop music (with positive messages, mind you) with yoga for teens. Still looking for the right combo, clips for inspiration….