The yoga and classical dance traditions of India have been inextricably entwined for millennia. The exacting hand gestures; postures and movements of Indian classical dance can only be achieved through yogic concentration. Conversely; the esthetics; symmetry; and dynamism of dance enhance the practice of yoga. These two traditions; so complementary and essential to one another; are united and explicated for the first time in A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance. Twenty-five years ago Roxanne Kamayani Gupta embarked on a journey of dance and yoga; yearning to unlock their mysteries and discover their common origins. As a twenty-year-old student from America she was miraculously and mysteriously absorbed into Indian culture; became a Hindu; and began an odyssey so unusual and unique that the reader will be enchanted by its telling. Choosing the path of the dancer; Roxanne Gupta accomplished what no Western woman had done before: being accepted and trained by Indian masters and then performing in the Indian classical traditions--from the palaces of maharajas to the arts festivals of Europe and America--while at the same time achieving a doctorate in the anthropology of religion and being initiated into a number of yogic traditions. Having mastered the classical form of Kuchipudi dance and studied with teachers of the hatha and kriya yoga traditions; she brings together these two great streams of consciousness and practice. In this tantric approach to yoga and dance; expressed through the body and through a yoga of emotions; we see the traditions embodied in a manner that embraces the totality of the human experience. The result is the dance of the yogini; the sacred feminine initiatress who dances with one foot in nature and the other in the realm of the gods. With extensive photographs of innovative yoga routines; Roxanne Kamayani Gupta distills her experience into techniques for yogic study certain to assist students of all levels to achieve a dynamic; beautiful; and graceful practice.
#4199266 in eBooks 2009-07-06 2009-07-06File Name: B007PSF08M
Review
