1. 00 NOVEMBER, 2013 N INDIA TODAY SPICE NOVEMBER, 2013 N INDIA TODAY SPICE 00
FFIITTNNEESSSS
Dance is natural to our body. It is universal. Dance
forms of every tradition has turning and whirling
techniques.Likeballerinapirouettes,kathakchakars,
odissibrahmaris, gypsy spins and the sufi whirls.
Whirling is as old as movement itself. It is natural
to our body. Have you seen children spin, whirl, get
giddy,andgiggly,fall,getupandwhirlagain?Wehave
all done this naturally. It is a natural force within our
body.Itreflectstheforcesoftheearthandtheuniverse.
These spinning forces within us and around us are
vorticesthatshapeourformandtheworldaroundus.
However,atthecenterofthesewhirlingforcesisaful-
crum of stillness. This is the paradoxical reality of ex-
istence. Silence is the origin of sound. Stillness is the
origin of movement.
When I first watched sufi whirling at the Osho
Commune, Pune in 1994 I was awestruck by the ex-
perienceofstillnessthatIfeltwithin.Somethingshift-
ed in me. It was as though I was in meditation while
the whirlers whirled and this experience lingered on
for several days after. I studied extensively, travelling
toAmericaandEuropetostudywithworldrenowned
teachers from the Gurdjieff Bennett tradition.
Sufi whirling is an active movements meditation.
The premise of this work is centering and stillness.
George Gurdjieff, an Armenian mystic from the early
1900sbroughtancientsufitempledancesfromsecret
temples out into the world. He explained how we are
designedtofunction.Weoperatefromthreemaincen-
ters of function – the physical centre being the body,
the heart centre which constitutes our feelings and
emotions and the mind centre that contains our
thoughts and logical cognitive processing. Often we
find ourselves operating in chaos, where our three
centersopposeeachother.Theheartdesiresonething
while the body is acting on another and the mind is
busy with other thoughts. The practice of these exer-
cisesalignsustoacenterwithinwhereallthevarious
facets of ourselves come together to create a harmo-
nious purpose of being. In this centered space we
touch stillness and become silent. It's a space of deep
contentment and a sharpened awareness. From this
stillness dance arises. When participants have
reached this space of centering, whirling techniques
are introduced. The stillness becomes a fulcrum
around which the body turns. The consciousness of
thewhirlerisstill,asthebodycontinuestowhirl.And
then there is no dizziness. The stillness gives us bal-
ance. This balance allows us to whirl.
I believe that in our chaotic world today sufi
whirling is a centering force that brings forth a crys-
talised presence of being. We come in touch with our
source–thespringofhealthandwellnesswithus,the
origin of our existence and touching this space is an
experienceofbliss.Knowingthroughexperience,that
we touched this point of bliss within us and on our
own is an empowering experience that re establish-
es self trust.
People come for whirling from all age groups and
diverselifestyles.Somedoubtiftheycanreallydoitas
they have never danced before. Some inquire if they
canmanagewiththeirvertigo.Bytheendoftheclass,
everyone is whirling and I have a hard time getting
them to stop. Awakened to their higher conscious-
ness, they are thrilled that they can touch this space
againandagain,withoutgoinganywhereelse,except
within. This is the mystique of the sufi whirl.
ThedanseusewillbepartofZambhala,India’sbiggestyogaand
life spirit festival, Goa, on December 21st and 22nd.
THE PRACTICE OF
THESE EXERCISES
ALIGNS US TO A CEN-
TRE WITHIN WHERE
VARIOUS FACETS OF
OURSELVES COME TO-
GETHER TO CREATE A
HARMONIOUS PUR-
POSE OF BEING
“
”
CHAOS
AND CALMWHIRLING IS A MEDITATIVE DANCE FORM THAT ALLOWS
YOU TO CENTRE THE CHAOS WITHIN EXPLAINS
SUFI WHIRLER ZIA NATH
ZZIIAA NNAATTHH,DANSEUSE