Oh Bhangra!

There's something about Indian music that makes me want to get up and dance like a wild thing. I'm always up for ecstatic dance/trance dance and/or movement to live drumming. It's like a spark that ignites my body. And best of all -- it's loads of fun (not to mention good exercise).

Recently, I learned of Bhangra, a dance originated by farmers in the Punjab region of India. How appropriate in terms of timing -- historically Bhangra  was used to commemorate the coming Spring and rebirth. It seems only appropriate that I would learn about -- and start practicing -- this dance in its season of significance.

I love the music, I love the graceful movements, and I love how the dance gets my heart pumping. I find it to be an wonderful compliment to my yoga practice. I warn you though -- it's a bit addictive. Here are a few resources for anyone interested in giving this lively aerobic dance a try:

• I started out with a DVD from one of my favorite resources for all things Kundalini, Yoga Technology. They offer Bhangra Workout Volume 1, which is an excellent introduction to this form of dance. The DVD is segmented into sections that make it easy to squeeze a little or a lot of Bhangra into your day. There are 6 instructional sets so you can learn the moves followed by 6 aerobic workouts, which average about 5 minutes a piece. There are also brief warm-up and cool down sets to add on to your workout. Some days I practice for 10 minutes and other days 30 minutes. The flexibility of this DVD makes it possible. The instruction sounds a bit like an aerobics class but I find that the music overtakes me and I barely notice the instruction.
• Shortly after I started practicing to the Bhangra Workout DVD, my friends over at BeYou.tv offered a downloadable video by Sarina Jain who is known to be Jane Fonda's equivalent in India. I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, but I downloaded the video anyway. Another winner! Jain offers high energy and some very interesting moves in her Masala Workout. They take a while to get used to, but learning is fun. Jain calls this a workout Bollywood style, which seems appropriate give that Jain's moves were a bit more complex and flamboyant than the ones found on the Yoga Tech DVD. As soon as I heard the drumming on this video, my body started to move. Again, another great workout and a lot of fun.

If dancing isn't your thing, you can still enjoy the pulsing beats of the Bhangra music with the Bar Bhangra CD. Ironically, I had bought this CD from iTunes before I had even heard of Bhangra. Now I've got Bhangra in audio and video.  One listen and you'll see -- the music (and the movement) is infectious.

Namaste!

 

Comments

[someone]

You might want to chew some pan paraag also -

[linda]

Diane, check out Rajasthani music and dancing....I love it, similar to bhangra