Our friend Scott Badenoch wrote a lovely article describing Sofiah’s Way as he calls it.  It is a moving piece spoken from the heart, please take the time to view it.
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/07/this-weekend-in-boulder-denver-embody-your-graceful-warrior-within-scott-w-badenoch-jr/
 

Dance has always been a part of my life.  Growing up I so very desperately wanted to be a ballerina, I positively adored ballet and everything that had to do with it.  In my mind I was Angelina Ballerina-the clumsy girl who grows up to become a world-class dancer.  I would dream of one day dancing at the Kennedy Center (my family was living in D.C. then).  Later on it was a drill sergeant of a ballet teacher that turned me off.  There really is something to be said of a woman telling 10 year olds that their butt is too big… it really is sad how something as beautiful as ballet can have such a negative impact on young girls.  Luckily I got out of it without an eating disorder, even at 10 the rebel in me was very sure that I was not the one with the problem, she was.  So I quit, but still loved to dance. 
Being a rather shy person, however during my teen years, my dancing stayed confined to my bedroom and my cd player. 
It wasn’t until many years later after practicing yoga that I have rekindled my passion for dance.  It is through the lessons I have learned on my yoga mat, specifically "being present" that have allowed me once again to feel into my own dance.  Through yoga I am learning to accept my body and learn how to move in it in a way that can honor my true essence.  This is what I have learned these past months experiencing the YogaPlay classes.  Yes, I am probably still the clumsy girl, and so help me I was born with out a sense of rhythm and so what? The truth is that I love twirling around!!!I It is the ultimate freedom, to let your body guide you through movement.  Take your own journey, follow your own path, and above all dance like no one is watching!

Laura

One of my favorite places to practice yoga in Costa Rica is Bamboo YogaPlay, in Dominical. Dominical is a sleepy surf town on the Pacific Coast, where the luscious jungle meets the ocean. Developed by Brendan Jaffer and Sofiah Jaffer Thom, Bamboo is a new ‘sanctuary for living artfully’ nestled just off the dusty road, in tropical paradise. This eco-friendly yoga studio is built above shipping container construction living units. With gorgeous bamboo floors and bamboo walls on 3 sides, the open-air studio overlooks the Baru river and jungle foliage as well as the nearby ocean. Practicing on eco-friendly yoga mats with a full view of the jungle feels so good! After class, feel free to lounge on the Balinese sofa, get a massage or acupuncture treatment, shower in the private outdoor shower (also made from Bamboo), or shop in the air-conditioned Bambootique, for organic and –yes, you guessed it: Bamboo fiber—yoga clothes and street ware, hand-crafted tribal jewelry, locally made healing salves, and Buddhist adornments. A truly holistic experience of wellness, with a loving touch of high-end artistry and full immersion in the natural beauty of Costa Rica, makes Bamboo Yoga Play my favorite place to take a savasana and come restore my batteries while I am in Costa Rica.  For more info. On Bamboo Yoga Play, please visit: www.bambooyogaplay.com.

Debra Rubin, MA, CMT, RYT

Founder of SattyaBody Healing Arts & Dance, empowering women’s health through Holistic Health Counseling, Yoga, & Tribal Fusion Belly Dance,
is based in San Francisco, CA.

www.sattyabody.com

www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php

Love and Music is in the air in Dominical for sure.  Two weeks ago Sofiah and Brendan got married. It was a magical ceremony filled with a lot of love and light.  There is always something special when we witness two people making the commitment to honor and cherish each other for the rest of their lives and Sofiah and Brendan’s wedding was certainly exceptional.  What contributed to the uniqueness of the event was all the wonderful artists that participated in the celebration of the coming together of these two souls.  Dominical was fortunate to host wonderful musicians such as Rena Jones, Lady Rizo, Govinda, and Beats Antique that flew down for the wedding.  Each of these spectacular performers added their own magical contribution to the evening’s festivities.

Keeping in theme with Love and Music, Bamboo YogaPlay is hosting Serpent’s Kiss for the second time.  Serpent’s Kiss is a Valentine’s Day event offering you a Tantric celebration indulging in beauty, ice cream from Ruby’s, wine, music, performing arts and dancing.  We have Incus coming back this year as well. Drawing on influences from Middle Eastern, Native American, African and Eastern European musical traditions, Incus is redefining the American Tribal music movement. The combination of keyboards, accordion, violin, and cello with male and female vocals creates a beautifully haunting soundscape, replete with mesmerizing rhythms capable of inducing trance-like states.  Aside from Incus, we have Sofiah Thom aka Bamboodancer dancing her entrancing Firefan Templedance, Amity Mead performing a Fire Dance, Kali Das an amazing Tribal Belly Dancer, and Katie Quarrier performing her Aerial Silks.

We invite you to come, bring a loved one and join us for this one of a kind Valentines’ Day.  Serpent’s Kiss will be held at Bamboo YogaPlay in Dominical, Sunday February 14th at 8:00 p.m., cover charge $15.

We are very excited to be hosting the amazing Deb Rubin from San Francisco this weekend (January 16^th & 17^th) for her Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Workshops.
  In case you’re wondering what exactly Tribal Fusion Belly Dance is, here’s a little background info.  Tribal Fusion is the combination of tribal belly dancing and costuming with influences of other belly dance and related dance styles.    The incorporation of predominantly Indian stylings, such as mudras and footwork might create a fusion. The use of djembes in musical selections, and the addition of African shimmies and stomping could be called a fusion.  The combination of hip hop-inspired pops and locks with modern/interpretive contortions and jazz floor patterns and Western music would create a fusion. So long as the many or most of the basic elements, which define tribal and belly dance, are still predominant in the performance, it could be referred to as a tribal fusion. 

Deb will split up the workshop in two: Super Slow and Slinky and Pop, Locks, and Layers (Get your Glitch on!)  This is the first time Dominical will host this type of event, and really, what better place than to get inspired by your beauty within and releasing your inner dance goddess than this little beach paradise of a town?

So we invite you all to come and shimmy with us!

If you’d like to learn more about Deb Rubin, or Tribal Belly Dance you can check out the following websites:

www.sattayabody.com
www.tribalbellydance.org