Our sexual energy is not an on/off switch. It is ever-present, like a bubbling spring, feeding into our everyday actions and expressions. In Eastern medicine, the reproductive system is viewed as the “essence” of our being, the source of our vital life force. When our reproductive system is healthy and hormone production is balanced, our skin glows, our mood is pleasant, and we are at ease in our bodies. On the other hand, unnatural restrictions and misaligned demands imposed on our reproductive system and our innate sexual expression can offset our delicate hormonal ecosystem, causing myriad imbalances from depression to obesity, fibroid production, and more.
The pelvis is the center of our sexual (life) energy; tapping into this tremendous powerhouse not only enables us to procreate but also to create; create life, art, dance, relationships, you name it. Through mindful cultivation of our sexuality, we can manifest our wildest dreams and aspirations.
As women, we are biologically designed to create life. The female body can be seen as a clear vessel through which to receive inspiration and ignite transformation. According to ancient wisdom traditions, our creative potential resides in our uterus. By placing our loving awareness in the area between our pelvis and our heart (our belly), we can clear away any residues of projected hatred, abuse, or disregard and open a clear pathway between our “yin” sexual pole (pelvis/yoni/uterus) and our “yang” sexual pole (the breasts). That electric connection will spark the flow of creative potential—abundant and magnificent. By freeing up our sexuality, we can draw upon vast resources of creativity to manifest our potential and shine our power beyond fear, shame, or guilt.
Following the roots of Odissi Dance, as well as in Taoist cultivation practices, we follow this process: we strengthen our connection to the earth by developing strong legs, agile feet, and supple hips. We cultivate dynamic awareness of our pelvis and learn to relax our belly. We maintain a flexible yet strong spine and draw the energy from belly to heart through movement (dance) and stillness (somatic awareness). We guide the flow of energy (shakti) with breath and our eye gaze (drishti) to express a current of feeling (rasa) through our hand gestures (mudras) and facial expressions.
I have been yearning for spiritual awakening from an early age. The quest to transcend mundane reality has taken me around the world and led me to explore many wisdom traditions. I spent years trying to “escape” living in my body, attempting to transcend the sensual-sexual aspect of my being, only to discover there is no spiritual without the sensual, there is no “fantastic afterlife” without fantastic life.
I was brought up in a small socialist community in Israel. It was a very “idealistic” culture; we lived by the Marxist slogan "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Carmel mountain, we were provided with well-rounded education; wholesome values, ample playtime, and rich cultural activities. Yet, something was missing. Religion was looked upon with contempt, and spirituality was not acknowledged. My young child spirit was hungry for both a spiritual context and emotional resonance. Some of my earliest memories involve crying for my mother without a resolution. I learned to “take care” of myself and, to a great extent, shut down emotionally to the outside world. I became an exceptionally shy child, developed a general mistrust in adults, and resorted to my internal world of imagination—making spirit friends and “practicing” mantras, yantras, and asanas obsessively (I could only identify these as such years later once I arrived in India). I also developed a severe fear of death that largely influenced me to become a bonafide “health freak” long before it was popular.
As I blossomed into a teenager, the frequent sexual attention directed toward me induced both a thrill and a shock—it intensified my shyness, and at the same time, gave me a frail sense that maybe I was worthy of love after all. Yet, I wasn’t skilled or mature enough to process it, and as a result, I withdrew deeper into my inner world, petrified of "sex". Denying myself the pleasure of a natural and healthy sexual expression. My fascination with the mirroring aspect of sexuality - spirituality intensified. I left my hometown as soon as I was able to and fulfilled my dream of traveling to India.
I still remember the unfamiliar feeling of ECSTATIC JOY taking me over as soon as I set foot on the dusty ground of Calcutta’s airport, surrounded by unimaginable chaos and shabby ambassador taxis. I was overjoyed by the availability and tangibility of spiritual experience in everyday life. I felt like a sponge submerged in water for the very first time and soaked it all in. I dove deep into the studies of Yoga, Meditation, Buddhism, natural healing, and spiritual arts. One thing led to another, and when I had the chance to catch a glimpse of Odissi Dance, I felt my soul stir. I knew I had to learn this alluring form! I found in it a natural integration of sensuality and spirituality in a way I hadn't conceived of as yet.
Odissi engages both the logical analytical part of our brain as well as the expressive and creative aspect. It is essentially a yogic practice, aimed at uniting these two opposing parts of our being. At its core, Odissi dance is designed to cultivate awareness, purify the heart, and enhance our connection to the divine nature within and around us. At the same time, it is a performative art form utilized to transmit deep spiritual wisdom.
In Odissi dance, we “drum” rhythmic patterns with our feet, tapping into the earth's power, allowing it to vibrate throughout our body to arouse our emotions, nourish our hearts, and awaken our spiritual consciousness. We use our hands to form mudras. These intentional gestures direct and distill energy to express creativity and heal the body and mind. The elaborate use of hand gestures and choreographed eye movements is unique to Indian Dance. Being in command of our eye movement leads to mastery of the mind. Dristhi, or focal point practice, is used as a tool to still the mind and project our intention.
In dance, we aspire to emulate cosmic motion. By engaging with and expressing our creativity, we foster a deeper connection to the world around us, our self, and our divine nature. This process of awakening is profoundly healing and immensely fulfilling.
Our modern society is filled with distractions, superficiality, greed, and confusion. It is up to each of us to apply ourselves to the cultivation of inner wisdom by intimately exploring our creative energy and applying it with clarity of intention to our healing, as well as healing our families, communities, the planet, and beyond.
As my path unfolds, as a healer, coach, and teacher, I’ve been applying the principles of the rich wisdom cultures I’ve been studying into my work with people from all walks of life. Distilling the principles of Odissi Dance, Yoga, Qigong, Taoist Cultivation, and Somatic Therapy, I created a method of guiding people into their embodiment journey. If you’d like to know more I invite you to join us in one of my upcoming retreats and in working with me privately. The temple doors are open.
Ⓒ Revital Carroll www.shaktibhakti.com