At the
inaugural session of the International Conference on Yoga in Goa on November 12, 2018, Shovana Narayan,
India’s topmost Kathak dancer par excellence and Anita Dua, a professional yoga
expert cum educationist launched their much awaited book ’Illuminating Indian
Classical Dances through Yoga’. The launch was held in the presence of Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar, the Founder President-Art of Living, Union Minister of AYUSH,
Shripad Naik and several well-known yoga experts from India and abroad.
The coffee-table
book, with scores of photographs of practitioners in different yogic asanas and
dance-mudras, highlights the similarities between Indian classical dance and
yoga. Both these art forms have roots in the 2,000 years old vedic texts of
Patanjali Yogasutra and Natyashashtra. This book endeavours to search and
examine the ‘asanas’ and ‘mudras’ that are practised in both these pursuits and
traces the progression of the practice of yogic asanas and dance movements
through the eight fold path of Yoga, referred to as Patanjali’s ashtanga yoga.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Padma Shree and
Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Shovana Narayan, co-author of the book, explains
that “As a classical dancer, I firmly believe that yoga and dance are two sides
of the same coin. Stemming from the same source, both are spiritual traditions.
As dancers we are constantly traversing the path of ashtanga yoga – the eight
limbs – effortlessly without even realising it. Our common aim is spiritual
upliftment, and the health benefits are many. Dance is a perfect union of
physical, mental and spiritual. Emphasis has been given to the building of a
balanced harmonious personality. Drawing upon the scriptures, she also asserts
that Lord Shiva, the Lord of Dance, is also considered the Supreme Yogi.
Anita
Dua, co-author of the book, outlines the easy to follow instructions for the
relatively simple asanas and pranayama – techniques, an aspect which in recent
years has made yoga widely popular across the world. Its numerous health
benefits have now come to be recognised globally. The book also brings out that
whether one is dealing with specific ailments or wants to improve one’s general
well-being, regular practice of yoga and classical dancing builds up the body’s
inner strength and natural resistance and help to alleviate pain and discomfort
. Both of them tackle the root cause of illnesses rather than only deal with
the symptoms of the problem.
