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I swear I did many many searches for this. And I even asked a few ATS teachers and they couldn't tell me for sure! So if this is posted someplace already, please push me that way!
Puja: what are all the parts' meaning?
I know the first sweep is either those we dance with or the space we dance in (I think the latter?)
Then lotus to the floor, touching to honor the floor we dance on
Then ears for the music we dance to
Then floor
Then Prayer hands to head (for teachers?)
Then to heard (for ancestors?)
Then another sweep which is whatever the first sweep wasn't for (either space or fellow dancers)
Then push up, arms pull down into prayer, and you're good to go!
It's the two sweeps' meanings I am most unclear about, and want confirmation on the head/heart prayer hands to make sure I didn't mishear.
I would check my Level 1 video, but I have misplaced it. Sure I can find every OTHER video level I own...*snort*
Thanks in advance!
Puja: what are all the parts' meaning?
I know the first sweep is either those we dance with or the space we dance in (I think the latter?)
Then lotus to the floor, touching to honor the floor we dance on
Then ears for the music we dance to
Then floor
Then Prayer hands to head (for teachers?)
Then to heard (for ancestors?)
Then another sweep which is whatever the first sweep wasn't for (either space or fellow dancers)
Then push up, arms pull down into prayer, and you're good to go!
It's the two sweeps' meanings I am most unclear about, and want confirmation on the head/heart prayer hands to make sure I didn't mishear.
I would check my Level 1 video, but I have misplaced it. Sure I can find every OTHER video level I own...*snort*
Thanks in advance!
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Thu, March 5, 2009 - 5:14 PMHey Shay! Yes! Check back into your DVD's for the explanation. It's all there!
You're on track:
First sweep: the space we dance in
Lotus to floor, touching floor, honoring the surface that we dance on
Ears: for music....
then floor...
Prayer hands to head for teachers...
Prayer hands to heart center for ancestors....
Second sweep: for the people we dance with whether in the room or all around the world.
I love it before and after class! -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Thu, March 5, 2009 - 5:14 PMFYI It's also broken down in the book included in the box set "The Art of Bellydance". So invaluable... -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Thu, March 5, 2009 - 6:44 PMI didn't even think to look there. *doh* I love that book/CD!
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Thu, March 5, 2009 - 5:35 PMIt's an important part of my classes. After warm-up we do puja together then go straight into slow. Then at classend , in a circle. I love it!
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Thu, March 5, 2009 - 7:13 PMI'd love to know how other teacher's incorporate this into class. I would do our warm up and then the moving meditation, but I found it could drag the energy down (when many people need to get their energy up after a long day at work). I do like the idea of adding it in to the end of class, to bring a sense of completion to the session. -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Thu, March 5, 2009 - 7:20 PMI find it re-centering. It helps clear and open up the mind to let in the contents of class and good movement. I haven't found it to bring the energy down, tho. Just sort of clears the memories of the day so they can focus on dancing. -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Thu, March 5, 2009 - 9:10 PMI think it may have to do with music use, for me. I put on energetic music for warm ups, and to move to quieter music or none at all for the meditation is, to me, quite jarring. For myself I'm beginning to think I may have to choreograph my warm ups including edited music to fit what we're doing, to keep a good flow going on.
It's funny the different energy levels in classes (I think for my students they are all busy people who commute, so it's really crucial to build a good mental and physical energy right at the start of class to shake off the day/long car rides). I do like how the meditation clears the air for the start of class, I may try working it into the beginning to being everyone together and focused on the moment. -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Fri, March 6, 2009 - 10:23 AMThat's funny. I'm just the opposite. Our warm-ups are to slower music and I stay on the more calming centering side of things.
As usual, I do try and mimmick what FC does as much as possible. It works for me and for the format. -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Fri, March 6, 2009 - 10:37 AMI like slow music for any stretching that we do. But I do love a fast song right in the beginning to get the blood moving once we've warmed up! My muscles aren't ready for the tension and control required for slow practice right off the bat... -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Fri, March 6, 2009 - 8:24 PMI've been reworking my ideas on class format and I've definitely moved away from stretching warm ups for much the same reason, and to avoid injury. Slow moves and stretching will probably get bumped to later when people are well warmed up. I'm thinking if I sit down with my favorite warm up music the perfect format for setting it all up will emerge. -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Sat, March 7, 2009 - 1:39 AMWell of course, slow movement does not automatically mean stretching, nor does it mean not getting the blood pumping. Some good, simple large muscle group movements can make a world of difference and be a great way to get "warmed up". Also, for ATS in particular, I find that a good warm-up can be more about bringing awareness to different parts of the body and a gentle "prep", rather than a full warm-up for immediate strenuous movement. Then if from the warm-up you go directly to the slow movement families, they continue to warm the body, prep the muscles, and generally ramp things up until your second-half of class with fast and more demanding movement.
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Fri, March 6, 2009 - 12:00 PMSame here, Carrie.
Often I use meditation music, for the warm up and puja. Diana and I like to give everyone time to shake off the day, ground, center, and "stretch into" our lesson for the evening.
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Fri, March 6, 2009 - 11:38 AMI find it shifts the energy from the "let's get going" excitement of warmup to a "and now let's FOCUS" feelings. When I teach, warmup isn't done in dance posture (because it's not dance-focused), so after we wake up with warmup exercises, we can first get in posture & then do the puja.
It's like warmup is transition into bodily awareness, but the puja is transition into DANCING, which is a different awareness. YMMV, of course! -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Fri, March 6, 2009 - 5:02 PMApril's warm-ups are fantastic, and the puja really does help you focus after the warm-up. My miles are apparently right behind hers *lol*
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Sat, March 7, 2009 - 5:32 AMIs there any video out there showing how it's done? I kinda reminds me of a opening meditation for my thetrical interpretation class -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Sat, March 7, 2009 - 6:58 AMRed Lotus does it here www.youtube.com/watch from 0:20 to 0:50.
Devyani and FatChance, from 0:35 to 0:57 www.youtube.com/watch
Devyani, from 0:08 to 0:41 www.youtube.com/watch -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Sat, March 7, 2009 - 11:24 AMIts also all over the Devotion and SF Beledi dvds. :} -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Sat, March 7, 2009 - 11:24 AM
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Sun, March 8, 2009 - 6:20 PMhmmm-- For the most part I do it right at the onset of class to get everyone grounded and ready to work on their dance. perhaps I will experiment with when I do it now! -
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Re: Puja/Moving Meditation
Wed, March 11, 2009 - 8:32 AMThanks for the videos!!! they're great!!!
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