Conversations for your dance organisation,
class or troupe.



Dancers & Dance Teachers:
Looking After Your Wellbeing



Dancers and dance teachers pour mind, body, heart, and essence into creative work. While it’s fulfilling, it can sometimes draw a lot out of dancers and teachers to meet tight deadlines and expectations.


A dancer’s physical foundations are not the only ones put to test – so are mental, emotional and energetical sensitivities.


When inner sensitivities are heavily strained, a disconnect happens. External chaos easily flood mental and emotional spaces which eventually lead to buried stress, anxiety, panic, low mood, loss of interest, addiction, exhaustion and more.


This is because the nervous system has a capacity where once overworked, runs on autopilot which affects thoughts, emotions, identity. Dancers then disconnect from themselves unknowingly and try hard to make things work, often at the cost of their worth and wellbeing.


I am a South Asian dancer myself, and a wellbeing practitioner – more about me below. My work is about extending educational conversations, resourcing practices and wellbeing workshops to dance troupes. These conversations offer dancers and dance teachers the education and resources needed to restore self-worth, self-regulate and build self-awareness.





Reviews


The essence of session – reconnecting with body with love, kindness and gratitude – is an invaluable gift transmitted with the most gentleness, honesty and sincerity.

Talking also about emotional nerve endings and muscles is something you instinctively then realize as a dancer. It’s so powerful. Not just the message but the methodology and mannerism that we learn on so many levels…
Parvati Rajamani
Ananda Arts
…There was also a lot of fun in one of the sessions, particularly for children. To convey something so important with a sense of fun and joy makes it easy to imbibe and reproduce. The way you delivered – teaching differently and relating afterwards like you’re not separate from those of us learning. “Active listening” – where you’re not delivering from your own world but very much actively present with all of us listening. 
Parvati Rajamani
Ananda Arts
Raneesha is such a wonderful teacher. She has so much to share about the practise of somatics and meditative mindful practises which she has learned over a lifetime. I have seen first hand how joyfully she is able to convey these practices and knowledge to adults and children alike. She recently shared her knowledge with our Odissi dance school in Bedford for young children and adults alike, who were all able to incorporate some aspect into their dance and life. I recommend working with her, it could change your life.
Nisha Somasundaram
I had the privilege of attending the workshop conducted by Raneesha at our dance class. The workshop was amazing. We can see the hard work put in by Raneesha to develop these tools which are so effective. I especially liked the voice empowerment session. I practice it whenever I have to attend important meetings. Thanks Raneesha for your sessions.
Revati Bothe
Semiconductor Professional


Conversations Examples

Conversations can be structured as a standalone or worked into existing classes.

Self-Worth is a big subject for dancers. Expectations, complements and critic (verbal and nonverbal) become a part of a dancer’s experience. Without clear discernment and self-evaluation, words and expectations of others can easily become internalized. Here are some thoughts for conversation/workshop:

  • Recognising the components that make up Self-Worth
  • The body’s sensitivity towards overstepped boundaries
  • Recognising goodness in oneself
  • Building Self-Compassion
  • Catching unworthiness before it sticks
  • Knowing when the body says no (and yes)
  • Mind-based practices for mental stability and clarity
  • Body-based practices to self-regulate when off-centre
  • Stress, the Autopilot and your Nervous System
  • Befriending shadows
  • Expanding capacity to hold an experience
  • Orienting towards nourishment

Express and Perform from a True Place.
Activate subtler mental and emotional “muscles” before a performance so you perform from a place that is real, brave and true to you.

  • Clear emotional armours before a performance
  • Feel courageous in your own presence using vocal activation
  • Mental grounding: steer the mind from outer to inner, chaos to stillness
  • Self Reconnection: perform from a place of intention and immersion.

A conversation around starting a personal practice at home or returning to practice after a long break (months/years).

  • Acknowledging the realities of starting a home practice
  • Understand the nature of resistance
  • Meet yourself where you are
  • Learn mental and physical practices to create ease and flow

A conversation around meeting bodily “imperfections”, muscular limitations, and learning about their superpowers.

More Soon
(Work In Progress)


Above are guidance only. I would prefer to gain an understanding of your group/students’ needs. Prices: Vary, depending on size of attendees, age, experience, depth of subject. I endeavour to offer at a value that feels right and affordable.





About Me



I’m Raneesha, a South Asian Dance practitioner for about 20 years or so. I’ve trained, performed and taught in the UK and Malaysia. I am trained primarily in Bharatanatyam and Odissi, and equally love Tango, Salsa, and Street styles 🙂

Dance training taught me a lot about mind-body connection but it wasn’t until I felt my own mind and body seek desperate help that this understanding deepened from intellectual to experiential. Over the years I explored ancient practices and studied the sciences from various sources – neuroscience, mindfulness, somatic embodiment, yoga, earth science, mental health & wellbeing, and more. My qualifications and accreditations can be found here.



Member of the Complementary Medical Association



Licensed by Mindfulness Now





Gallery









“What happens when you tune your instrument too tightly?” the Buddha asked.
“The strings break,” the musician replied.
“And what happens when you string it too loosely?”
“No sound comes out,” the musician answered. 
“The string that produces a tuneful sound is not too tight and not too loose.”

“That,” said the Buddha, “is how to practice: not too tight and not too loose.”