Yoga vs Kuchipudi

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During the yoga sessions this past week, I found myself thinking about yoga as a physical practice that feels very scientific to me. When Anna was describing to us the techniques employed in yoga, I noticed that there was a practical and methodical nature of yoga that helps people experience relaxation/self-study in a very scientific way, rather than in a religious way. Although yoga may be considered a performance, there is more emphasis on the self and attaining a state of inner balance through physical asanas. Especially during the Shivasana, or ultimate relaxation and inner peace, I realized that the goal of achieving the highest state of meditation was attainable if one removed the inherent restlessness of mind. Because there is a systematic methodology to yoga, I found it have a scientific basis that I do not associate with Kuchipudi. Since Kuchipudi is a performance-based practice, there is an emphasis on rasa and creating an aesthetic emotion that the audience can relate to, but do not directly experience this emotion. I didn’t feel as though the practice of yoga captures/portrays a rasa. The Kuchipudi dancers portray stories of the Indian culture or of Indian Gods through the dances. Although a dancer needs inner balance in order to dance and portray rasa effectively, the need to establish a state of inner balance and harmony did not seem to be a goal of Kuchipudi. Also, I associate Kuchipudi with religion more so than I do yoga because there are many Kuchipudi dances that portray stories of Gods and praise these Indian Gods, which is not characteristic of yoga practices. Even though I associate Kuchipudi with religion, both practices do not contradict or interfere with any religion. I did notice a similarity between the goals of yoga and Kuchipudi in that both practices are not restricted to one sect or faith and are open to all learning these practices.

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