A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini's Mirror [Paperback]

Roxanne Kamayani Gupta (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

The yoga and classical dance traditions of India have been inextricably entwined for millennia.  The exacting hand gestures, postures and movements of Indian classical dance can only be achieved through yogic concentration.  Conversely, the esthetics, symmetry, and dynamism of dance enhance the practice of yoga.  These two traditions, so complementary and essential to one another, are united and explicated for the first time in A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance.

Twenty-five years ago Roxanne Kamayani Gupta embarked on a journey of dance and yoga, yearning to unlock their mysteries and discover their common origins.  As a twenty-year-old student from America she was miraculously and mysteriously absorbed into Indian culture, became a Hindu, and began an odyssey so unusual and unique that the reader will be enchanted by its telling. Choosing the path of the dancer, Roxanne Gupta accomplished what no Western woman had done before: being accepted and trained by Indian masters and then performing in the Indian classical traditions--from the palaces of maharajas to the arts festivals of Europe and America--while at the same time achieving a doctorate in the anthropology of religion and being initiated into a number of yogic traditions.  Having mastered the classical form of Kuchipudi dance and studied with teachers of the hatha and kriya yoga traditions, she brings together these two great streams of consciousness and practice.

In this tantric approach to yoga and dance, expressed through the body and through a yoga of emotions, we see the traditions embodied in  a manner that embraces the totality of the human experience.  The result is the dance of the yogini, the sacred feminine initiatress who dances with one foot in nature and the other in the realm of the gods.  With extensive photographs of innovative yoga routines, Roxanne Kamayani Gupta distills her experience into techniques for yogic study certain to assist students of all levels to achieve a dynamic, beautiful, and graceful practice.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Yoga teaches us that everything placed before the mind is a mirror. American-born Gupta (who holds a doctorate combining aspects of cultural anthropology with Indian religious history) has written a captivating personal narrative of her journey to India and the arduous training to become a performer in the Kuchipudi style of Indian classical dance. This unique story is a blend of autobiography, philosophical reflection, and firsthand insight into Indian culture and the performing arts. Also a yoga teacher, Gupta has included a chapter presenting 64 illustrated postures, creatively synthesizing the dual disciplines of traditional hatha yoga and sacred dance. Her explanations of Indian dramatic theory and discussions of yoga and dance in historical and religious terms are clear-cut and informative. The text is amply supplemented with photographs of Gupta performing in authentic dress. Highly recommended for larger public libraries and for academic libraries, especially those building collections in the performing arts, religion, or Eastern culture.
-Deborah Anne Broocker, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Dunwoody
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A captivating personal narrative. This unique story is a blend of autobiography, philosophical reflection, and firsthand insight. [Gupta's] explanations of Indian dramatic theory and discussions of yoga and dance in historical and religions terms are clear-cut and informative."
(Library Journal, April 15, 2000 )

"Fascinating work. One of the outcomes of her creative tantric synthesis of dance and yoga is a series of 64 innovative yoga exercises that are photgraphed and presented in detail in this book." (spiritualityhealth.com )

"An exquisitely presented, magnificently related story. Gupta evinces a fascinating appreciation of the many great dancers with whom she trained in the practice, drama, and philosophy of Indian classical dance. Glorious, original and inspirational book."
(Spirit of Change, Nov/Dec 2000 )

"A very interesting read."
(Dance Magazine, March 2001, Vol. 75, No. 3 )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; First Edition edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892817658
• ISBN-13: 978-0892817658
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,415,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The first book of its kind, January 30, 2007

By 

K. Palani (India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini's Mirror (Paperback)

It is indeed the first and - so far - the only book that attempts to introduce - to the western readership - the spiritual aspects of the classical Indian dance form of Kuchipudi.

So, is it about Natya Yoga? The author is clearly not a Bharata Muni, Abhinavagupta, or even a devadasi or a Siddhendra Yogi, but is obviously a very intellectual (and often a bit too philosophical) lady and made the book easily understandable for the non-Indian readership.

I have never watched Roxanne Kamayani Gupta dance, but, to judge from her book, she is (and has never been) not a contemporary Kuchipudi star like Varsha Ramesh who, true, cannot boast of a PhD and is too young to understand the western mentality.

To have some idea of what is inside the book:

I. Intro (Understanding Yoga and Indian Classical Dance)
1. Discipline and Desire (My Initiation into Indian Spirituality) - page 8
2. Dance of the Gurus (Meetings with Remarkable Men and Women) - page 32
3. Stillness at the Center (The Yoga of Indian Dance) - page 51
4. The Dance of Yoga (The sixty-Four Yogini Asanas) - page 59
5. Yoga of the Emotions (Spiritual Dimensions of Indian Dance) - page 150
6. The Dance of the Yogini (Tantric Dimensions of Indian Classical Dance) - page 162
7. Yoga of the Elements (Nature, Culture and Spirituality) - page 173

Half of the book is dedicated to the asanas but gives hardly anything beyond the instructions for the physical body. So, where is the Kriya Yoga element here then? The author fails to establish the connection between the asanas and the classical Indian dance.

Of course, nobody in India performs the yoga asanas in those kind of tights - sitting in a garden on a deer skin. And nobody in India understands what is "Yogini Asanas". Yoga Asanas is what is known. There is a bit too much of the romantic American feminism here. Roxanne does not know why the founder of Kuchipudi, Siddhendra Yogi, taught it only to men... So, why?

And - my god! - "Tantric Dimensions" are of course in line with the popular western (sex-obsessed) interpretation of the Left Path of Tantra. Roxanne believes that "since the advent of the birth control pill women's sexuality no longer inevitably results in pregnancy...". Roxanne could never explain why the original devadasis were celibate and why nobody was allowed to watch them dance in the temples' shrine's. Explaining it would hurt the pride of the sexually active (majority) part of the potential readership in the USA, of course. It would be shocking for them to read something like the Irumbai legend portraying the devadasi Valli. After reading Roxanne, an average American woman may be lead to wonder if the ancient devadasis, indeed, used to pull condoms over the lingams in the temples!

As for "Yoga of Emotions" section, there are full-page photos of Roxanne attempting to demonstrate the navarasas. While some of the expressions are ok, others (such as Raudra, Sringara, Vira, Adbhuta) are not clearly expressed. Roxanne should better learn what real expressions should be by, for example, watching the DVDs of SriDevi Nrithyalaya's virtuosos.

Ok, all in, if you were not brought up in India, the book is a must-read for all those interested in the yoga side of Kuchipudi. Even if 2% of the book gives you some kind of answer to the question, "Where on earth is Yoga in Kuchipudi???", these 2% are worth gleaning from reading the entire book.

I am quite satisfied with this book's price.

P.S. Since the time this review was written, there appeared a few interesting DVDs on Natya Yoga that make a far more successful attempt to reveal the esoteric Natya Yoga side of the classical Indian dance.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini's Mirror (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful multifaceted combination of exercise instruction, artistic photography and the author's narrative of her experiences with Indian culture. I recommend this book for anyone interested in accessing and better understanding India's living traditions.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, June 26, 2001

By 

Padma Chebrolu (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini's Mirror (Paperback)

Roxanne creates this book by combining her experiences living in India, learning classical dance and yoga. Her style of writing is exquisite and authentic. I grew up in Hyderabad speaking Telugu language. Reading about her experiences from Hyderabad, I felt like I'm back home. I met Dr. Nataraja Rama Krishna, great dance teacher few times. Teachers like him and others expect nothing but the best from their students.

Roxanne incorporates some of the dance movements and hand gestures in the yoga exercises she recommends. It clearly shows, how classical dance and yoga are inter related. Any dance teacher would benefit greatly from reading this book.