Dance Meditation with Joan Toder

 

Saturdays - 12:30p - 2p 
Tuesdays - 12:30p - 2p

 

Classes are $16. (Your Second class at Jai Shanti Yoga is free)

First-timers and novices welcome

 

 

Dance Meditation is…

 

  • An expressive, creative, energetic, and FUN workout.
  • A surrendering to our inner knowing – letting the body’s wisdom, rather than the mind, guide our movement.
  • A continual process of letting go while maintaining awareness and exploring our own inner rhythms.
  • A way to quickly get present in the body, disengage from thinking, open to emotions, and shift things that feel “stuck.”
  • A practice of being in the moment – accepting non-judgmentally whatever is present and working with anything that arises.

 

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

   
   

The class is appropriate for all levels of fitness and experience. All you need is a desire to connect deeply within yourself and a willingness to move and have fun!

 

 


In Dance Meditation class we move to music from around the world, using a variety of rhythms and tempos to help access different parts of ourselves. The music varies from slow and meditative to flowing, playful, percussive, and high-energy – inviting us to feel and express the wide range of internal rhythms and emotions that move us.

 

The class has minimal structure – each person moves at their own pace and there is no right or wrong way to move. We dance alone and we also dance together, using the group to create a safe and supportive environment.

 

Comments from students: 

I am sending you an e-mail to let you know how much I enjoyed the Saturday "Dance Meditation" class. Joan was an excellent teacher, facilitator, and guide.

It was fun dancing to the great music and making new friends. It was also a great way to express myself authentically without fear of judgment. Everyone moved in their own unique way.

I do have one complaint...There are not enough of Joan's classes! Twice a week would be perfect.  (Note - Joan now teaches twice weekly - Tuesdays 12:30p & Saturdays 12:30p)

Namaste,     Linda Lee Baia - April 2007

 

On Sep 12, 2008 - Rita Farin wrote an AMAZING  BLOG on Joan's class - Read it here!!

 

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

 

 

About Joan Toder

 

I am very grateful for meditation, which has been at the center of my life for more than 25 years. For many years I practiced silent meditation – sitting in stillness. My meditation now incorporates stillness and movement, sitting and standing, silence and vocalizing. It’s a practice of working with energy – both internal and external – as well as tuning into and trusting my inner wisdom. The combination of movement and meditation is very powerful for me, and I find that it’s often easier to quiet my mind when I’m moving than when I’m physically still.

 

I’ve danced all my life – not as a result of formal training but from love of movement. For ten years I also taught Cajun and Zydeco dance classes and had the great gift of seeing people experience the joy of connecting with their own bodies. But I began to know that I wanted to go beyond teaching specific dance steps. Rather than teaching “how” and "what" to dance, I wanted to offer a format for people to discover and express their own unique dance.

 

Dance Meditation is a merging of my love for dance and meditation and the creation of a space for others to join me in using dance as a spiritual practice. I began leading classes in 2001 and have led Dance Meditation at Jai Shanti Yoga since the studio opened in 2003.

 

 

Back to Teacher's Page

Back to OM Page