Kathak & Yoga hand in hand

“I am not sure whether Yoga came to me or if I came to Yoga. Perhaps we met somewhere in the middle. I remember spending 5 months in India in 2006, where Yoga was of course so accessible but it was not in my radar to pursue at the time. Several of my friends and family also got into Yoga far earlier than I did. I only really got interested whilst recovering from a major operation. So I first looked to Yoga to help me heal, nothing much more than that. My attention actually leaned more towards studying meditation as I envisaged this as being the gateway to spiritual growth.
   Funnily enough my quest to start both Yoga and meditation backfired on a couple of occasions. But I kept my eyes open and interest focused on finding the ‘right’ teacher - something that I couldn’t quite get google to answer for me. Believe me I tried! It wasn’t until I found Chi Kri Yoga in the last months of 2007 that I felt a connection happen and I began my yogic practice. Ironically, all it really took was seeing the attractive warrior-style Chi Kri symbol planted on a postcard in the local health food shop. Later I found that this was the same Yoga company that many friends and family had been telling me about!...
   ... I feel that the combination of patience, perseverance, will and faith practised during the process of finding a guru have been a vital part of my training. These principles become embedded into the attitude I take into class.
   Upholding a deep respect for the knowledge and source of such teachings has directed my experience of both Yoga and Kathak, enabling me to access the less tangible, more spiritual unifying depths of the knowledge. What can I say? I am a purist! In a nutshell, I am definitely finding that Kathak and Yoga go hand in hand in a very purposeful way – both their roots are in spiritual ‘unification’ and are about discovering a higher level of being within.
   The similarities between Yoga and Kathak can be considered at so many levels that I feel I could keep exploring for lifetimes! For example, in terms of personal qualities, both demand discipline, focus, commitment, skilful execution and control...”

Written by Neesha Radia, the article continues to describe how Yoga and Kathak work hand in hand for her, and how each provides reinforcement for the other. Neesha trains and performs Kathak under Guru Padmashri Pratap Pawar. She is a teacher trainee, learning the Chi Kri’s Yoga meditation system from Neil Patel.