Sufi Dance: The Pathway of Divine Relaxation

The universe turns around a secret, majestic and mesmerizing flow of divine happiness. The Sufi Dance is a true form of divinity. It’s a traditional dance form formed from different sacred dances spanning over Egypt, the Middle East and India flavored with devotion and perfume with divinity. It gives a realization that god is at the centre of our being just like what the sacred dances in India signify. The Sufi Dance created by Zia Nath, commonly known as the Sufi splendor, which is a perfect fusion of sacred dances in India and the Islam world like the Classical Odissi, Gurdjieff Movements and Sufi Whirling.

The Sufi whirling workshops in Mumbai are a devotional creation of Zia Nath who is believed to be the founder of Sufi splendor. It makes your head unaware of the feet and the feet unaware of the head as neither of them care for anything, but just one to keep turning. Every moment is filled with a new thrill and optimum enjoyment derived from utter divinity. It sills the air with sweet aroma of Indian classical, fusion and Sufi music with mystical chants and forces you to wave and turn to the tapestry of sounds with a mind free from trauma and reflecting peace and love. The music and dance sandwiched with Rumis poetry is a delightful indispensable integral and enchanting part of a Sufi splendor that along with Odissi mudras take the whole show to an unbelievable height.

The Sufi splendor provides you with brilliant balancing of body, mind and feeling, quick sharpening of motor co-ordination, perfect transcending beyond personality and conditioning, peaceful meditation in motion and stillness with a mix of harmony, inner discipline and silence. The whole basic foundation of this dance form circulated along the theory that man has three source of energy that is the mind, heart and body and where these three powers merge, they give rise to a fourth sacred energy that transforms and begins an eternal authentic divine life.

So when you are in turmoil, you feel yourself to be under the hammer of that time, you see the pressure of your life crossing your shoulders, don’t wait for a second thought. Just jump on board to the Sufi whirling workshops in Mumbai and relieve yourself from all this stress and get your soul free, dancing, enjoying and transforming your life towards a beautiful dimension, which otherwise can only be achieved through the touch of god.

Find yourself in traditional dance - Sufi Whirling

India takes pride in its diversity and heritage. One of the main components of its rich cultural legacy which has been passed on from decade to decade is Sufi dances, although originally adapted from the Turks. The Sufis have always had a steady belief in celebration, and this is predominantly demonstrated in their dance form which is one of the most populous sacred dances in India. A few of which are as follows:

·         Gurdjieff movements

The name of the art form is derived from G.I Gurdjieff, an Armenian psychologist who believed that this collection of sacred dances would embody the calisthenics and aesthetic sensibility that elevated one’s body and mind. This came to be an integral part of the many sacred dances in India as he travelled the world spreading this art which combined the works of Thomas de Hartmann and came to be called the Gurdjieff movements. They all combine to form a collection of 39 parts, each with a different connotation. 

·         Sufi whirling

Sufi whirling dervish dances have a deep historic meaning in Sufi dance performances. It is said that the movements demonstrate the oneness of the body with the universe as the swirls unite the world with a state of individual consciousness. It is through something as simple as continuous turn that we are able to tap into our mind and see the reflection of our state of being. Sufi dances such as this enable us to step away from the sights of the world and recognize ourselves the way we are meant to be.

·         Odissi dances

Unlike the previous two Sufi dance performances, odissi has its roots from Orissa; this classical dance formation is one of the oldest to be still carried out in this day and age. The main component of these dances is embodying the delicate feminine form and presenting it in all its beauty. These dances have survived the test of time and have held ground through almost 2000 years of its existence. The movements and gestures tell stories of beauty and warmth, good enough for the gods to admire.

Just like everything about India, the dances too are like no other. Sufi dances step back from the loud, bright celebrations we all recognize the country by, into a calmer, and a deeper sense of inner rejoicing. Sufi culture gives admirers and participants alike something to take away each time they experience the enchanting and captivating dances of intense meditation.