The 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.

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.

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.

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