Bharatanatyam; More Than a Hobby?

I had a performance recently. I had some crazy revelations recently. Coincidence? I think not!

I am a Bharatanatyam dancer. I have been for 19 years and counting, as quite honestly, it’s one of my greatest achievements. I love the nuanced movements and subtle meanings behind each gesture. There’s a strange sense of both erratic euphoria and meditative tranquility involved that’s hard to describe. It’s one of those things that I’ve been doing for so long that it has become a permanent fixture in my life. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed something, Bharatanatyam is no longer that weird ethnic extra-curricular activity it once was. The movements that are involved in weekly practices clear my mind and provides a stress relief method that any other exercise alone.

The thing I can attribute this sensation to, is the manner in which the art form is developed in a dancer. Like many artistic disciplines, there is a set structure in learning Bharatanatyam and the systematic development of steps, movements and finally choreography means that the dance becomes something that is etched into memory. There’s an underlying autonomy to rhythmic patterns and once they’ve been committed to memory, the body moves as the mind floats. It’s not the bad kind of floating that leads to distraction but the sort of detached meditative trance that I assume yogis of the days long past had.

This, almost spiritual state has become an integral part of my life and now my mind, body, and soul yearn for the dance practices and euphoric classes. I end up finding nuggets of wisdom from classes scattered throughout my life, be it among friends, family and even in my work and studies. Perhaps that is what a hobby is really supposed to do; clear your mind and pave a way to enlightenment.