AKASH WRITES ABOUT THE WORK

"A few years ago, I wandered into the Osho Commune in Pune - something I had resisted for 25 years - and found myself drawn to these strange movements.  Impulsively, I signed up for a 6 week intensive training. What followed was the harrowing, quite terrifying, experience, at the age of 54, of stretching my unfit and unwilling body, to impossible limits.

I stuck on, kicking and screaming, resisting all the way, until one magical moment, a breakthrough, when I emerged completely centered, and peaceful… I then went on to explore a new reality.
I trained as an instructor, and, am now teaching anyone who wants to search for themselves, through (what one of my students calls) this little known form of torture!

We are not dancers. We are all searching for our truth, through the dances, and movements. 
We have all taken time out, to follow this path, while still engaging fully with life, at all levels. 

This work cannot be done as a hobby, or a pastime, or an easy route to fitness and health. It requires a passionate commitment to self and to life.

We have, by no means, reached anywhere close to the standards of precision set forth by Gurdjieff. This is work in progress, and we watch ourselves, as we are, mistakes and all. The process of learning these dances is as beneficial as the actual performance. Through a series of focused movements, learned in silence, accompanied by specific music, we have a chance to become more aware of our inner dialogue. Without the distractions of conversation and the pressure of our "daily rounds," we are able to focus on our feelings, reactions, and location of pain and tension in the body. 

We watch ourselves struggle, compare, judge, gloat, give up, get angry, sad, or frustrated, and, eventually, let go and accept.
Then we feel the body go through the gestures without effort, sensing the energy flow that seems to connect us all to something greater than ourselves.

Learning the movements is learning how to move consciously through life.”

For those who are ready, within the safety of the group, sharing affords the opportunity to explore whatever has come to awareness during the movements, and meditations, under the guidance of a qualified teacher.


JOURNEY TO INACCESSIBLE PLACES :: GURDJIEFF SACRED DANCE RETREAT
USA :: PORTUGAL :: India


© Photo credit: Gili Chen