Sufi Workshops in India

Sheikha Khadija Radin

Sheikha Khadija Radin will be conducting Sufi workshops in India during her scheduled visit in January 2013.

Mumbai

January 5, 2013 & January 6, 2013
The Mystical Principals of Sufism
Taught through Whirling and Meditative Practices
Time: 10 AM to 6 PM, both days Venue: Jivanvikas Sadan (The Retreat House), 6 Kane Road, Bandstand, Bandra (West)
Donation: Rs. 5,000/- for two day workshop, includes tea/coffee and light snacks
Limited to 25 participants

January 19, 2013 & January 20, 2013
Ecstatic Turning and Deeper Journeys into Self Abandonment
Time: 10 AM to 6 PM, both days
Venue: Jivanvikas Sadan (The Retreat House), 6 Kane Road, Bandstand, Bandra (West)
Donation: Rs. 5,000/- for two day workshop, includes tea/coffee and light snacks
Limited to 25 participants

Goa

January 9, 2013 & January 10, 2013
Mevlevi Turning and Meditation
Date: January 9, 2013 & January 10, 2013
Time: 10 AM to 6 PM, both days
Venue: Aranya Retreat, Bhatti, Arpora, Goa
Donation: Rs. 5,500/- for two day workshop, includes lunch, tea/coffee and light snacks
* Accommodation and food on actual expense basis to Aranya Retreat
Limited to 20 participants

Auroville

January 13, 2013 to January 17, 2013
A Retreat into Emptiness
A Turning and Meditative Journey Relinquishing Self Claim

Venue: Quiet Healing Center, Auroville 605 104, Tamil Nadu, India.
Charges: Rs. 15,000/- towards fees
* Accommodation and food on actual expense basis to Quiet Healing Center
Limited to 10 participants

Registration Info

To register for any of the workshops please contact Anupa Mehta on +919892331257 or email khadija.radin.india@gmail.com

To make payments visit Anupa at THE LOFT, New Mahalaxmi Silk Mills, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013. (Opposite Kamala Mills, adjoining ICICI Bank & near Blue Frog nightclub)
In Mumbai, we can arrange for someone to visit your address and collect your payments.

Auroville Contact: http://www.quiethealingcenter.info/, quiet@auroville.org.in, Tel: 0413-2622329 / 0413-2622646

Goa Contact: Aranya Retreat, Bhatti, Arpora, Goa, Tel: +91 9850461676

About Sheikha Khadija Radin

Khadija Radin began turning in 1971 after she first saw whirling performed by the followers of Sufi Murshid Samuel Lewis in San Francisco, California. She was, at the time, a teacher and choreographer of modern dance. She has been teaching turning since 1978. Khadija had been whirling for eight years when she met Postneshin Jelaluddin Loras, and began the study of the classical Mevlevi turn. She has followed the way of Mevlana ever since. She was given permission to teach Mevlevi turning in 1982 by Postneshin Loras.

Khadija Radin is also a Sheikha of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, a Sufi order founded by Murshid Samuel Lewis. She resides at The Dervish Center in upstate New York, teaching Sufi studies, the Mevlevi and other styles of turning and meditation. She is the director of the Body Mind Restoration Retreats, a cleansing and renewal program hosted at the center in the summer.

In January of 1982 she began training with Zen Master Joshu Sasaki Roshi. She was ordained a nun by Sasaki Roshi in 1991. She leads an annual whirling and meditation retreat for women. She travels the world performing and teaching Sufi tradition and whirling.

Visit Sheikha's Website
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First Performance of Sufi Dances

I had an opportunity to perform with Zia Nath's Sufi Splendour group at this years Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF). KGAF is a leading Arts festival held every year in the Kala Ghoda precinct of South Mumbai.

Sufi Whirling and sacred dances are a form of meditation. When you perform them in public the audience get a glimpse of meditativeness. Gurdjieff always encouraged his students to give public performances to deepen their practice.

The show was on the 11th of February. I couldn't help noticing the date palindrome, 11/02/2011!

Here are some photos from the show. These were clicked by a fellow student, Aparna.

Ongoing Practice

My practice has been going well. After experiencing a brief moment of clarity last month, things went downhill. I was overcome with angst, resentment and the whole package. That is when my Sufi Teacher announced the next class and I was so looking forward to it.

The class was very structured. We practiced First Obligatory for one hour and whirled for half hour. I had always whirled freestyle. This time around teacher introduced technique to it. One is supposed to whirl to the rhythm of music. It was a bit faster than the normal pace at which I whirl. I found it a tad difficult to maintain the rhythm, but I am sure I will pick it up soon.

At the end of class there is usually some sharing. This time however, teacher suggested that everyone write down our experiences in the form of a haiku.

Filled with angst and grief
moving in first obligatory
everything goes poof

Sufi Whirling & Sacred Dances

Recently, I attended a Sufi Whirling and Sacred dance workshop conducted by Zia Nath. It was an enriching experience.

At present Zia is the only person, I know of, who is teaching Sufi dance in Mumbai. She is known to have been practicing this for over a decade now. She has also developed Sufi Splendour, a presentation of Sufi Whirling & Sacred Dances and Indian Classical Odissi Temple Dances. The demo video can be seen at www.youtube/sufisplendour.

The workshop started with the first obligatory of Gurdjieff movements and then we went on to do whirling. On the second day, Zia taught us some movements to a Sufi Zikr and introduced us to Persian Waltz. On the third day leg movements were added to the first obligatory, and it started getting increasingly challenging. We also practiced Persian Waltz and whirled for a longer duration.

George Gurdjieff is an east European mystic who trained with Sufi teachers in the middle east. He developed many movements that were based on traditional dances that he studied during his travel across central Asia, India, Tibet, the Orient and Africa. These movements can be peformed correctly only when you are totally present in the moment. This is an exercise in developing your awareness.

Zikr means remembrance. A Sufi Zikr is remembrance of God in the form of recitation or lyrical chanting. "Allahu Akbar" is a Zikr and it means "God is Great". On the second day we performed some movements to the Zikr, "la ilaha ilallah". It means "There is God and only God". I picked the rhythm quickly and in a short while tremendous energy was flowing through my body. It felt like I had blended with the movement. If I had continued with it for some more time, I might have reached a trance like state. It was a totally uplifting experience.

By the end of the workshop I felt some kind of openness in the chest. I guess I had just started connecting with my heart.

The next beginners workshop in Mumbai is happening on 3rd - 5th December, 2010. For registration and information, call: 98214 70396 or 022 2648 7184.

Gurdjieff Movement

Whirling