Dance and Yoga are two sides of the same coin. The two are inter-linked like two rivers emanating from a common source. United in their origins, both are wholesome practices for the body and mind.
We are familiar that the term Yoga whose roots lie in ‘yuj’ ie binding together of the mind, body and spirit – represents union of the individual consciousness or soul with the universal consciousness or the spirit – indicating balance and harmony. It includes a disciplined method for attaining a goal, techniques of controlling the body and the mind, and has a deep philosophy iedarśana – a way of seeing and experiencing. Since Yoga is ‘darsana’, it subtly points to a method by which we can look inwards.
Traditional Indian ethos had recognized the need to balance out the opposing strains present within all people for the development of a ‘wholesome’ individual who is in harmony within himself, as well as with the outer world. Only then would a human being be in control of his thoughts, words and actions.
In Hindu mythology, Shiva is also Yogiraj, the consummate yogi, who is said to have created more than 840,000 asanas, among them being the hatha yoga poses we know today. At the figurative level, ‘hatha’ is the joining of the sun (‘ha’) and the moon (‘tha’), and connotes masculine and feminine energies respectively. Lord Krishna is an example of a Karma Yogi.
A verse from the Kaatha Upanishad says – Yastuvijnanavanbhavatiyuktenamanasasada / Tasyendriyanivasyanisadasvaivasaratheh
“He, who is possessed of supreme knowledge by concentration of mind, must have his senses under control, like spirited steeds controlled by a charioteer” (Katha Upanishad, iii, 6).
Both yoga and dance are spiritual traditions. Of the various types of yoga, namely Bhakti Yoga (selfless devotion towards a personal God), Karma Yoga (unselfish action), Patanjali’sAshtanga yoga, Jnana Yoga (path of knowledge/ path of self-realization), Swara Yoga (study of the breath flow through the nostrils (or swara) in relation to the prevailing phases of the moon, time of day and direction), Raja Yoga (to achieve control over the mind and emotions.) and Kriya Yoga (yoga of actions), I shall take up Patanjali’sAshtanga Yoga for discussion as it has, like the Natyashastra, sought to dissect the process of Yoga itself.
The process that a dancer undergoes to become the dancer reflects the eight limbs of yoga sutras defined by patanjali – the ashtanga yoga. The eight limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga are ‘yama’ (restraint), ‘niyama’ (discipline), ‘asana’ (body postures), ‘pranayama’ (breath control or control over ‘prana’), ‘pratyahara’ (control over senses or gaining mastery over external influences i.e. “control of ahara,”), ‘dharana’ (keeping the mind steady and controlled), ‘dhyana’ (when the mind has been trained to remain fixed on a certain internal or external location) and ‘samadhi’ (where one attains complete supra-consciousness absorption into the true nature of Self).
To the common man, the most visible is the ASANA that immediately finds visual representation in dance forgetting that all other limbs are equally practiced by dancers.
- YAMA:The Yamas serve as guidelines to a healthy relationship with the external world. One can think of it as a general ethical discipline, or the code of conduct for life. Under ‘yama’: ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence – In dance-practice, there are several moments when not getting something right leads to frustration and anger with oneself. Students of dance are advised not to succumb to these emotions and to stay calm and collected. Similarly, teachers too are required to be careful with their admonishment which may demoralize or hurt sentiments. ‘satya’ (commitment to truthfulness to what one is performing), ‘asteya’ (non-stealing ie non exploitation by gurus and students while also being truthful to the source of learnings), ‘brahmacharya’ (control of senses where both the teacher and learner of dance and yoga to not indulge in excesses and addictions.) and ‘aparigraha’ (neutralizing the desire to acquire ie freedom from desire or greed).
- NIYAMA:Practicing Niyama, or the rules of conduct, gives us inner strength, clarity of thought, self-discipline and self-restraint, that we need to progress in our journey. This is as vital for all yogis as it is for dancers. As dancers we all are aware that there are rules of conduct in the process of learning and execution on stage. InPatanjali’s philosophy there are five aspects of Niyama. These are saucha (purification), santosh (contentment), tapas (asceticism), swadhyaya (self-study) and ishvarapranidhan (devotion); but the Hatha Yoga Pradeepika lists ten niyamas, which are tapas (perseverance), santosh (contentment), astikya (faith in God or Guru), dana (generosity), ishwarapoojan (worship of God), siddhantashravana (listening to ancient scriptures), hri (humility), mat (reflection), japa (repetition or recitation of prayers/mantras) and huta or vrata (observance of rituals and rules).
III. ASANA: The most widely known limb of yoga is the Asana are the yogic posture. The practice of Asanas is to promote physical, physiological, mental and spiritual health.
Of course the most visible representations are the ‘asanas’ with the body postures. Herein, all dance forms, in their own distinct manner, utilise body postures that impart uniqueness. Increased awareness of the body, flexibility, better coordination, and improved reaction time and memory-retention are all outcomes of dance-practice that lead to a healthy physical condition.
Like the asana which represents a position that has its parallel in the sthanak and mandala, the karana varies because it is a coordinated flow of movements involving the body, feet and hands. A series of ‘karanas’ forms the ‘angaharas’. ‘Angaharas’ can be compared to the flowing yoga of ‘vinyasa’, in which the “dance” of yoga is experienced as the linking of one ‘asana’ to the next through the breath.
MUDRA
Literally, the word Mudra (gesture) translates to “mud” meaning delight or pleasure, and “dru” meaning “to draw forth”. So, Mudra is defined as a short-cut to draw pleasure. In dance the two widely used terms are hasta and mudra with a thin demarcating line between the two concepts. But they are united in the experiencing of energy flow that unites the pranic force with the cosmic or universal force. The nadis (channels) and the chakras (nerve centres) constantly radiate prana (life force), which would normally escape from the body and dissipate into the external world.
IV: PRANAYAMA: – Literally translated as breath control, Pranayama is the means of controlling the mind and curbing instincts by gaining mastery over breath control. It is an important feature in the awakening process of the kundalini Shakti that involves the systematic system of “vyaniti” (व्यनिति) that is exhalation (रेचकor उच्छ्वास) and inhalation (प्राणिति) and “kumbhaka” i.e. the retention of breath; Such breath control ensures proper supply of oxygen to the lungs and heart. Channelization of the flow of ‘prana’ through the Ida (lunar channel), Pingala (solar channel) and Sushumna ‘nadis’ (sometimes called “silver cord” which is the central channel) is extremely important.
In dance one of the best examples of the practice of Pranayama is seen in the Padhant of Kathak performed by the dancer herself/ himself who utters the syllables of the rhythmic pattern before performing it and coming back to recite the next pattern, without any hint of panting.
Before proceeding, it is useful to briefly outline these eight limbs below:
- PRATYAHARA:The fifth stage of Ashtanga yoga is that of Pratyahara that signifies the withdrawal of senses from external objects.
In dance, it signifies the commencement of the process of internalization, when the dancer starts feeling comfortable with the asanas and is able to derive joy in one’s dance.
LAST 3 STAGES: The last three stages of “dharana”, “dhyana” and “samadhi” are totally interlinked and cannot be separated as each leads to the other. These collectively refer to “sanyam”(control). Patanjali has stated:
त्रयमेकत्रसंयमः॥४॥(Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 3.4, Vibhutipada)
trayam-ekatrasaṁyamaḥ॥4॥
The three processes of dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, when taken together, are the components of meditation (samyama). ||4||
Sanyama, is the integration of the body, breath, mind, intellect and self. The process is as follows:
- Through the controlled mind that is gained in Pratyahara, the mind is able to concentrate on a single thought in DHARANA.
- When concentration is prolonged, Dharana Becomes DHYANA. The meditative mind is one that is pointed, well controlled and balanced. In Kathak, this aspect of yogic kriya is best witnessed in the execution of Tatkar which is Meditative Dhyana.
It is said “lau banana” or “laya banana” – The disciple is exhorted that “aisalaya bane jismeinsangeetsunayi de” (be in such a steady state of rhythm that you are able to hear music in it). = Laya Yoga (a practice that awakens kundalini power and seeks to raise one to a higher state of consciousness or “Turiya.”)
- The experience of SAMADHI is then achieved, as self-awareness merges with the supreme consciousness! Derived from root words “sama” (together or even), “dhi” (intellect, a state of equilibrium, a state of consciousness), “dadhati” (joining together), or “adhi” (to get established), the term denotes the merger into oneness of the subjective meditator, the act of meditation, and the object of meditation. At this point, individual awareness dissolves.
It is therefore the journey to “be” from “to become”!
Finally, for all dancers, it goes without saying that restraint, discipline, mastery over external influences, an ability to keep the mind steady i.e. “ekagra chit”, and training to keep the kinetic and potential energy flowing in a directed manner, are the essentials of dance- practice.
As we have seen, dance is yoga itself and we dancers practice all the various yogas.
The essence of dance is a sacred offering. As the late Guru B.K.S. Iyengar had said “The body is my temple and asanas are my prayers”, similarly for classical dancers “The body is our temple and dance is our prayer”.
