Yoga Dance 101

What exactly is yoga dance?  I've been looking for a good answer to that question, but it's hard to explain in words.  I could say it's a crazy-fun dance party (which it is), or I could say that it cleanses your chakras (which it does), but both answers lack something.  What is it about this practice that makes it so compelling?  I think it comes down to rhythm.

I've heard many people say:  "I don't have rhythm."     Do you have a pulse?     Everyone has rhythm, it's intrinsic to our bodies.  Our breath is rhythm, our heartbeart is rhythm, our cells pulse with it.  But we can lose our connection to that rhythm.  Dancing, any kind of dancing, helps us reconnect.  When we dance we realign--all the parts of our selves moving to the same beat.

The practice of yoga brings consciousness to breath and movement.  We breathe and move all day long, the power of yoga comes from focusing our attention.  Yoga dance brings consciousness to dance, in this practice I surrender to rhythm and let all the scattered pieces fall into place.  That is why I keep coming back to this--when I dance with awareness I give all of myself to the beat.

If you've been to yoga dance, what was it you loved most?

And if you haven't been yet, come to class!

Whatchacallitasana

Cobra or Bhujangasana

Down Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana

Chair or Utkatasana

Or the real question being:  is it important to use Sanskrit, or does sticking with English make yoga more accessible?  Does knowing the Sanskrit make you a "serious yogi" or does it create an intimidating environment for beginniners?

My own teacher training emphasized using both--knowing the Sanskrit to honor the tradition, but giving the English translation to allow students to easily learn poses.  Calling the pose Chair makes a quick connection--we all know what that is and can find the pose in our bodies.  But then, I like using the Sanskrit because it's fun to say (try it with me:  OOT-ka-TAHS-anna).

ut-my-asana

When it comes to poses I think that whatever helps you connect and be comfortable is what you should use.  Where it seems to me useful to use Sanskrit is in the larger concepts that make up yoga philosophy--words that might not have an easy translation into English.  The concept of dharma for example.  A simple translation would be duty, or work.  These have fairly negative connotations, and don't give the full breadth of the idea.  My favorite way of thinking of dharma is as the need to have a meaningful interactions with the world--reminding us that we must work, but we also need that work to express our unique potential.  That's a bit much to cram into any single word, though 'right livelihood' comes close. When I use the word dharma I make space for all my ideas about the concept, and avoid this culture's more puritanical ideas of work.

What is your experience with Sanskrit?  Do you find it a help or a hindrance?