What is Shakti Dance™?

Shakti Dance™ is the Yoga of Dance. It’s a type of yoga which incorporates fluent movements to induce a deep state of concentration and calmness. Since the beginning of the class, you have the chance to connect profoundly with yourself in a very natural way. While the rhythm gradually increases, you will feel more grounded, liberated and recharged. 
On the other hand, Shakti Dance™ it is also a type of sacred and ecstatic dance, which will inspire you to deepen your consciousness and the understanding of sacred movements. Shakti Dance™ awakes your body, open your mind and release your spirit.
Based on the ancient teaching of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, Shakti Dance™ combines perfectly the art of different types of dance and the wisdom of the Yoga’s science. Shakti Dance™ wants to carry a little bit of sacredness and devotion in its own structure and intention; in fact, it has been created to bring each individual to a state of awareness and deep understanding. It is not just a dance, and it not just a yoga style. Shakti Dance™ brings you deep into your emotional world using your body and mind system to liberate your potential and awake your own inner power of creation.
For this reason, Shakti Dance™ is a sacred dance and it is opened to women and men, since the awakening of the inner grace (Kundalini-Shakti) it is not just a prerogative of one of the two genders.
The patron and protector of Shakti Dance™ is the Goddess Saraswati, Shakti of true knowledge and wisdom, protector of all arts form. Even though Shakti Dance™ is inspired to Kundalini Yoga teachings, it IS NOT Kundalini Yoga; however, it can be considered as a complementary system to enhance your personal spiritual growth. ​

The Method:

How the system Shakti Dance™ of works?
Shakti Dance™ is structured in 8 phases to allow the energy to flow properly and gradually open up the body and the mind to the new experience. Here a short description of each phase:

1. Tune-in with Celestial Communication: we open the class by chanting a mantra to declare to ourselves that we are changing space and state of awareness, we are entering a different state of mind which separates us from what it is waiting for us outside. We open our hearts to receive guidance and protection during the practice;

2. Shakti Stretching: warm-up exercises to prepare the body, to open up your subtle channels (meridians and/or nadis) in which the vital energy flows. It is not just stretching, it is a first step to entering a deeper sense of awareness and understand your own body, its weaknesses and strengthens. Shakti stretching fluent and kind sequences  start to awake your body and made it alive again and align the flow of the energy in your energetic body;

3.  Standing exercises:  this is a sequence of guided dance movements and steps. In fact, after you have opened up and warmed up your body all the energy you have awaken has to move and re-circulate. You sometimes need to release stored toxins from the body or you may need to re-charge your energetic flow, either way each movement is designed to obtain the result wanted to create balance and harmony;

4. Free Dance: this is the time to let go. After you have release the toxins from the body, re-charged and made your energy circulate again it is time now to open up to a creative experience without guidance. At this point you can dance freely and express your creativity feeling absolutely free from conditioning and self limitation. At this point your emotion are important, and it is a good moment for you to observe yourself and understand what is holding you back from being just what you are;

5. Relaxation: after a good free dance your body, your mind, you emotions need rest. Your Aura needs to calm down as well. Free dance can be pretty intense, and you need to give time to your nervous system to process the information received during the free dance and your Prana to relocate where it is needed;

6. Celestial Communication: your start with a Celestial Communication and now again. Why? Because through CC we re-organize our Aura, moving our hands with the word of the mantra has the power to re-balance and harmonize the Aura, especially if you have had a quite intense emotional experience. It is like brunching the Aura and giving a new direction to our thoughts and intentions;

7. Meditation: just in case the CC is not enough to bring you into balance before you leave the class, the meditation helps you to find focus and clarity. It centers you in your heart and in your mind:

8. Closing: with three long Sat Nam it is necessary to ground you back and shield your Aura to be more protected when you leave the class.