While treading the path of a graceful dancer, there may appear certain turning points that can take you to unimaginable heights, which you can notice only with keen observation. It is very important then that you keep yourself in a constant state of learning, for you may never know when a stumble over a pebble might teach you another pose. In this secret, let us hear Srividya Varchaswi talk about how being a student is the key to break away from the monotony.
Tip #1: I am a slow learner and feel low on morale. What should I do?
First, stop labelling yourself as a slow learner! If you tag yourself, you give yourself the permission to continue being that way! Instead, take a few minutes to just be with yourself through meditation and see the change happening. Believe, and you will achieve!
Always be a student
It is very important to keep learning, be it dance or life. Whenever I come back from teaching a class, I am wealthier. I have added a little bit more to my treasure of the art form. Look at even the first-timers who move to rhythm—many of their expressions are unparalleled!
It is very important to be open, and for me meditation makes this happen. When you become a keen observer, you’ll realize that even a flower can teach you how to hold a pose! The wind teaches you how to express effortlessly. Watch the raindrops fall and you have a live musical! That freshness and that blossoming of the mind are natural to a student.
Tip #2: How to deal with someone who is a better dancer than me?
Jealousy doesn't lead you anywhere. Here is a great opportunity for you to widen your spectrum! If you can't beat them, join them! You can never be jealous of someone whom you feel belongingness with! Humility is the most precious asset you can have.
The beauty of meditation
Meditation lets you drop your identities completely for a few moments. That is real freedom. It melts away the slight rigidity that might have grown from having an abundance of knowledge. When you are so expanded, learning happens effortlessly as you pick cues from everything your eyes land on. You realize that there is a lot to be learned and there is always scope for improvement. With such humility comes a curiosity to know more. So, while you are teaching your students, you will be amazed to know how much you learn!
Take to a Sahaj Meditation course and establish yourself in a perennial state of learning. Find a course near your place.
Snippets from Srividya’s dancing career
Young, fresh minds are always in a state of fascination. My niece, who just turned 3, loves watching me dance, and manages to replicate all my moves in an instant. Once in a while, she also dances all by herself. Her hand gestures are exquisitely unique —something I have never seen before. They look so graceful, and to be honest, I have used some of those poses even in my choreography at some point or the other. Everything and anything can teach you something if you are observant, which can happen only when you are free from irrelevant thoughts. Else, you're already bogged down with the heavy load you are carrying inside. That is where meditation has helped me a lot —it has taught me to be a good teacher, but an even better student.
How often do we ask ourselves the purpose behind doing what we are doing? We might be doing the same thing for years and not know why we started doing it in the first place. In the next article, hear from Srividya why clarity of purpose must dawn when we take to something as profound as dance.
The author has written this article based on meditation inputs by Chinky Sen, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation Teacher
Related Articles
Dance Your Way to Perfection 1 - Your Talent is for Others
Dance Your Way to Perfection 2 - Use Your iPOD
Dance Your Way to Perfection 4 - Ask Yourself Why Do You Dance?
Dance Your Way to Perfection 5 - Keeping Dance Sacred
Dance Your Way to Perfection 6 - Sensitivity and sensibility brings success
