One doesn’t really know what nirvana exactly means. But from my experiences I’ve come to accept nirvana as a means of attaining perfect bliss. Now to attain nirvana in times of stress and depression is really difficult and I’ve often wondered when people talk about it. But I realised that it is indeed possible when I met Susheela Rao, an agro chemical consultant, who experienced nirvana through dance.
Susheela, who leads a very busy life like most of us, was looking for some form of relaxation for the mind and exercise for the body, something for the not so young. Her friends suggested her to join a gym, meditation, yoga, tai chi and many more such activities. She tried all one by one and finally desired something that still could continue these magnificent stress busters into one.
But things changed when she took to dance. Susheela was a little apprehensive in the beginning as she had never danced in her life before. Nevertheless, she thought of giving it a shot. She was left stupefied and astounded after watching people dance in a class. The dance steps seemed simple, graceful and the music was just in sync with her thoughts. This was what she had actually wanted to do all her life.
However, as she started with her training, she realised how difficult it is. She soon discovered the joy of beats and realised that one has to co-ordinate steps along with the rhythm of the music. In retrospect she thinks that it seemed so difficult while starting off, but over a period of time she understood the dynamics of it. Like any other addiction, dance too became a sort of addiction. And it is a good addiction of sorts so works well any way. Well Susheela got all that she was looking for and much more. Her body got its necessary exercise as it would get in a gym. The soothing music and the concentration on the steps was almost like meditation and some of the postures were like Yoga asanaas.
It is said “never ask a man his wage and a woman her age”, so looking at her I guessed that at her age, spins and turns helped her balance her body as in an older person sense of balance slowly reduces. But for someone young at heart like Susheela, dance helped her to maintain balance. Also bones tend to get brittle with age but she is confident that the dance moves have helped her retain the flexibility and joint movement. It in turn has helped her body to be light. This gave her such a superior feeling that she now avoids being fat or obese. ‘I don’t need a doctor to tell me to go on a diet,” says Susheela with a smile.
The overall feel-good factor that she has experienced with dance is just amazing. It has taught her to be poised and elegant, which she feels has indirectly helped her mind to maintain good balance and to be calm. In a world full of corporate men, dance has helped Susheela exhibit their feminine side by being gentle, graceful, assertive and in-control of her self. She is an ideal example for people who benefit a lot from dance. The benefits are tremendous and this works well for her. After all this I am quite convinced that this is nirvana.