Establishing Receptive Attention (shared by Enryu from her many years of Classical Indian Dance Training)

Enryu took us through a meditation on Nava Rasas moving through the experience of each rasa (a practice in Indian Classical Temple Dance, taken from the Vedic teachings).
Rasa means juice or flavour or essence, a reminder that all flavours can be experienced with the peak potential of all our 5 senses,  without attachment to any one experience. Entering an emotion fully, not getting caught in it and moving on to the next. The double arrowed attention and meditation
Personal and Universal quality
The more we go throuugh the dance the more we realize we don’t own the feeling. Feel the actual expression of the music.
Nine emotions: Feel and drop, FLOW
See if you can bring them up and move on to the next flavour
SHRINGARA: Love, sensuality. Beauty, heightened sense of being alive
BIBATSA: Deep distaste, revulsion, disgust
RAUDRA: Anger, Ill will
ADBHUTA: Awe wonder, Astonishment
BHAYANAKA: The great terror, fear
VIRA:  Confidence Power Strenghth
HASYA Joy Lightness Laughter
KARUNA Compassion Intimacy (includes empathy and sorrow)
SHANTA: Peace

Notice how breathing changes as we enter into different emotions. Images are very different, visualize change in facial expression.
Dance of Parvati – Shakti, in the presence of Shiva, Purusha – Stillness-Our true nature is the canvas that remains unstained, yet the fullness, the rich colours of life express their peak potential – to live each emotion fully AND remember that they are not us.