Tandava

SPIRITUAL EMBODIMENT

In this extract of an interview Lizelot gives us some insights into spiritual embodiment practices, and shares about her approach. Her approach, Moving into Unity (MIU), consists of Ta***ic movement meditations and partner-work she has created over the past 25 years, as well as Inner Fire (Tummo) meditation, which comes from the Ta***ic Buddhist tradition, and Tandava, which is rooted in Kashmir Shaiva Ta**ra.

Q: Lizelot, I often hear you use the word ‘Alignment’ in relation to spiritual embodiment. Can you explain what you mean by ‘Alignment’?

A: Yes, with joy! Let me start by sharing a quote of Ramana Maharshi, which reflects much of my inspiration and motivation to invent ways to align the physical body - which can be seen as the most dense aspect of our being - with the highest light of Consciousness, the Source itself or the Self:

Ramana says:
“The only things that are real are the body and pure Consciousness, or absolute Reality. In between these two the ‘I-thought’ arises.”

(I’m sorry, I don’t find the exact quote… But it is something like this..)

As I understand this, the body in its purity is one with its spiritual essence. But all confusions about this, and ignorance – in the sense that we have lost consciousness of this unity – arise in between these two as a sense of separation and identification with a seemingly separate self.

When I realised this constellation in my own experience, long before I knew anything about Ramana, I became passionate about finding ways to re-align the body directly with pure Consciousness.

Q: So you see this as a way to bring the whole system, or the body-mind in this cosmic order, right?

A: Yes. In this alignment all layers of our being come in accordance with the supreme universal qualities and essence. This is not just a matter of speaking, it is really possible to adjust certain energetic portals, by the use of certain subtle movements, to enable the cosmic prana to enter and pe*****te our body more directly. This is another way of saying that we liberate our body-mind from conditioning and blockages or blind-spots.
It is like we carry many tiny closed doors within our system which we can open to allow the cosmic prana to flow freely. Not just a flow penetrating us, but also for our innermost light to shine outward.

Q: So, what kind of movements do you mean?

A: One of the secrets of the Tandava, and of movement in general, I have been able to discover and expose is the enormous potential of counter-movements, or contra-movements.
Although it is known in the conventional teachings of Tandava that there is a certain power generated by moving in two different directions at the same time, like one arm moving one way, and the other arm going in another direction, in my own approach of transmission I deeply zoom in onto the middle point, or the origin of these movements.
This I call the ‘seeds’ of the movements. When we bring our awareness deeply into this place, which is really prior to the movement or even any feeling of direction, and deeply tune into this moment before time, we evoke tremendous energy to pervade our body and being. You see?
And this is a wonderful way to generate beautiful and powerful uncaused emotions and feelings.

Q: How would you describe feelings and emotions in general?

A: I think too often feeling is confused with emotion. Emotion is mostly reacting to something or someone, right? An emotion is a caused movement, in fact a reaction.
Whilst feeling implies more an awareness, without a reaction, labelling or judgment.

Usually we have certain feelings or emotions caused by a situation or an experience. But here we learn how we have the potential and capacity to generate or evoke positive states from within, in this case by how we move. Because moving and feeling, or a movement and a feeling are the same.
So when we move our body in a certain way, we evoke a feeling.
And feeling is knowing.
As we know this principle from seeing: like that seeing is knowing, right? When we see, we know. Likewise when we feel, meaning we are aware, we ‘taste’ reality. We are in touch with reality.

We become independent of the circumstances for our happiness and bliss is not an experience that comes and goes, but our very state of being.

Q: Is your approach comparable to 5-rhythms or ecstatic dance, or Biodanza for example?

A:
Although the terms “Ta***ic Dance” or “Ecstatic Dance”, or “Sacred Movement Meditation” would really fit well to my approach, as they are in use nowadays these terms are often associated with free movement explorations, mostly aiming at freeing ourselves and feeling boundless. For spontaneous movement and self-expression. We often hear the instruction to ‘let go’, to ‘stop thinking’, and to dissolve our limitations by allowing all movements to naturally arise. In this way we are free from any form, and we are invited to liberate ourselves from form in any way.
This is not the way I work at all to arrive at ecstatic states and enlightenment of the body-mind.
Instead of discarding our mind in order to feel free, we re-direct the capacity of our mind toward our innermost nature. We involve our mind by letting it ‘ride’ the movement and trace it back to its origin.
This may sound abstract, but it is truly tangible. Any movement we make can be used as a pathway which can lead us back to the origin. The formlessness. And all forms arise from the formlessness like this, and dissolve back into it again. This is the movement of the cosmos.

Q: So you say form is required to experience or realise the formlessness?

A: Yes, you could say that. To study this and for the purpose of transformation we need to embrace form. Form as a vehicle. If we only choose formlessness and dwell in it, and we reject form, we may experience wonderful states, but don’t come to transformation and refinement. We remain unconscious and will not be able to embody the qualities we experience and integrate it in our daily life.
We dance to discharge and feel good, which is nice. But here we are looking for refinement and transformation, and for that we must include also the capacity of the mind, and form. Our body is also form. Form and Spirit.

This is how we stay true to the alignment of the physical body with the highest light, and not get caught up and entangled in the stories, or the layers in between. We stay out of any confusion.

Q: Can you give an example of how you use movement for this purpose? What kind of movement you use?

Yes, I will.
For example in teaching Tandava, instead of starting with spontaneous movement, first I usually work from a very clear form or pattern, a very simple movement which we can repeat easily.
So we create a crystal clear form, a subtle and specific movement, which we use as a vessel for a maximum of feeling and awareness.
Then – often - step two is to add a second subtle movement. The two movements then start mixing and work upon one another, generating a still-point between them. This is what happens when we use two opposing movements and we tune deeply into their point of merging and arising. In this pristine energy we tap into, many of our misconceptions and conditioning can melt away. We truly come in touch with Source-energy, as I call it. This is what is sometimes called the zero-point as well.
This causes tremendous bliss.
(The integral interview will be published soon at the website)

TANDAVA for CHARITY

Movement meditations as a preparation for the Tandava.
To support the charity project of my dear friend Dr. Raghav Pathak I have made three special tutorials to transmit to you some major secrets of Tandava sacred movement meditation. In these video’s I share preparational movement meditations that will align the body-mind with the Cosmos.
Do you want to maintain happiness and bliss regardless of the external circumstances?
The movement meditations I will be sharing and transmitting are a beautiful and simple way to open up to the blissful cosmic vibrations at any time.
It really is like drinking directly from the source of life. Like bathing in the light of your being.
You can use the movements as your own, intimate prayer. To be in touch with your deepest longing of the heart. Just feel it. You don’t need to know what it is exactly you’re searching for. Trust that the cosmos knows, your cosmic nature knows…Your heart knows.

http://lizelot.com/tandava-for-charity/

It's now easier to send Tandava a message.

TANDAVA MEDITATIE

TANDAVA. De Kosmische dans van Shiva en Shakti.

Tandava is een heilige dans, oorspronkelijk uit de traditie van Kashmir Shaivisme. Deze zeer subtiele, en tegelijkertijd grootse en oneindige beweging brengt ons in diepe vervoering en extase. De Tandava leert ons voorwaardelijkheid: ons geluk te voelen en realiseren, onafhankelijk van de omstandigheden. Je ontdekt een diep genot en bliss in de kleinste bewegingen
Het is een liefdesdans met je zuivere wezen.
Deze dans kan allerlei vormen aannemen, soms nauwelijks zichtbaar aan de buitenkant. Zo kun je wat deze meditatie jou leert heel mooi integreren en meenemen in je dagelijkse bestaan..
Ook zal je houding verbeteren, en leer je veel bewuster met je energie omgaan.

Vrijdagavonden in Belmani Oosterbeek, Weverstraat 30
19:30 - 21:15 u

Binnenkort in het Hart van Zutphen, Ijselkade 8:
Woensdagavonden
19:30 - 21:15 u

Meer info & aanmelden: [email protected]
Open les, vrije donatie
Deze vorm van meditatie doen we zittend op een meditatiekussen of stoel, en deels ook staand. Neem graag je eigen meditatiekussen mee. Mocht je die niet hebben, laat het ons weten. Dan nemen wij er een voor je mee.

Reacties van deelnemers:

"De Tandava heeft me diep ontroerd. Ik ben ontroerd door mijn eigen schoonheid en zachtheid. Het heeft mijn innerlijke rust versterkt."

(Kika Kok, Yogadocente)

“Lizelot verstaat de kunst om met poëtische woorden en bewegingen de spirituele en technische achtergrond van de Tandava over te brengen. Ze voelt tot in de finesse aan wat er nodig is om iemand bij de essentie van de bewegingen te krijgen. En daarmee zorgt ze ervoor dat je meegenomen wordt in een heerlijke meditatieve extatische dans.”

(Marieke Steegh)

"Dankjewel voor deze liefdevolle verdieping in het toestaan van de bewegingen van het lichaam. Precies zoals zij dat wil voelen en ervaren. De diepte door de lichtheid in, via adem en beweging. Het was een heerlijke beleving. Mijn lijf en ziel vragen om meer."

(Fieke Veldhuis, Psychosomatisch fysiotherapeut)

“Dit is een hele fijne meditatievorm! Met name de herhalende bewegingen brachten me in een diepe ontspanning. Wat ik heel erg mooi vond was dat ik door de Tandava de beperkingen in de bewegelijkheid van mijn rug kon overstijgen.
Lizelot is heel deskundig, heeft een transparante natuur, een warme persoonlijkheid, en ze kan mooi en helder uitleggen.”

(N.)

Over Lizelot:

Lizelot de Stigter is opgeleid als balletdanseres, heeft een internationale carrière gehad als Tangodanseres en docent, en heeft zich verder gespecialiseerd in bezieling en belichaming.
Al op 14 jarige leeftijd herkende ze zich in de Soefi’s, en dit werd haar spirituele pad.
Ze heeft aan de hand van haar spirituele inzicht en ervaring, ook in tradities zoals Kashmir Shaivisme, Advaita-Vedanta, en Tibetaans Ta**ra haar eigen vorm van overdracht ontwikkeld, middels een groot spectrum aan bewegingsmeditaties, waaronder Tandava.
De Kosmische dans van Shiva en Shakti.
Deze meditaties wekken op een zachte en heldere manier onze ecstatische natuur en brengen ons in verbinding en afstemming met de inherente bliss van ons wezen.
In haar lessen combineert ze mystieke visie met heldere taal.
Recent is ze door spiritueel leraar, filosoof, en schrijver Shai Tubali opgeleid en gecertificeerd als meditatieleraar, waarin ze zich heeft verdiept in Kundalini awakening, het subtiele lichaam, en de chakra’s.

Lizelot geeft, naast haar groepslessen en workshops, ook individuele sessies o.a. voor innerlijk leiderschap, spirituele bewustwording, aarding (ook voor bijvoorbeeld hoog sensitieve kinderen), en zelf-realisatie.
Ook is het mogelijk om een transformatief jaartraject bij haar te volgen.

“Lizelot de Stigter knows and speaks the secret language that connects the body and the universal mysteries. Her expertise comes not from the outside – the mechanical understanding of movement – but from deep within. As a teacher, her passion for embodying the Divine is contagious.”

Shai Tubali – Author, speaker and teacher in the fields of self-evolution and practical philosophy.

Meer informatie over de achtergrond van Tandava, de traditie van Kasmir Shaivisme, ook wel Shaiva Ta**ra genoemd:
https://www.lakshmanjooacademy.org/kashmir-shaivism/
https://hareesh.org/blogpage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uunhyNKQ

Tandava updated their website address.