Learn Odissi and Yoga

Check the Calendar page for current schedule.

Click HERE for a list of Book Recommendations for Odissi Dancers

Preparing to Dance

Sloka – Prayer:

Before we start dancing we initiate our practice reciting a sloka. Slokas are short verses from the Vedas, the ancient scriptures. They usually attributed to specific Gods or Goddesses and serve as an invocation prayer to attain steady and peaceful state of being. Below are the two most common dance slokas from the Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikeshvara, one of the main classical dance texts.

Namaskriya Sloka

Nama  – Salutation, 
Kriya  – Action
Sloka – spiritual poetry

Lord Shiva is praised as the embodiment of the 4 types of abhinaya (1. Body & hand movement, 2. ornaments and costume, 3. Song, 4. Mood/emotional expression) in this following sloka.

Angikam Bhuvanam Yasya (All our body parts are yours)
Vachikam Sarva Bhagmayam (Our words are your world)
Aharyam Chandra Taradi (The Sun and Moon are your ornaments)
Tum Namaa Satvikam Shivam (I salute you Shiva, the embodiment of truth, with my body-mind-spirit)

“We bow to Him the benevolent One whose limbs are the world,
whose song and poetry are the essence of all language,
whose costume is the moon and the stars…”

Guru Brhama Sloka

Guru Brhama (Birth, You are my teacher)
Guru Vishnu (Life, You are my teacher)

Guru Deva Maheshvara (Death, You are my teacher)
Guru Sakshat Param Bramha (Emptiness, You are certainly my teacher)
Tasmay shri Guruveh Namaha (To such respected teacher I offer my devotion)

Practice Time

Bhumi Pranam – Salutation to the earth:

Odissi dancers offer Bhumi Pranam – A Dance-Prayer sequence to initiate and to conclude every dance session. Bhumi is the earth Goddess. We salute the earth before practice, asking permission to stump upon her and generate our creation, and we thank her at the end of our practice, for allowing us to do so.

Odissi dance takes shape as a gradual progression: addressing all aspects of the dance and then layering them together into a complete and intricate whole. We begin every practice session with gentle exercises; joint opening sequences and light stretches, followed by more vigorous exercises that strengthen the legs, open the hips, flex the spine, and develop stamina and rhythm. We proceed with the distinct dance postures in various dance steps, spins, walks and jumps, climaxing in practice of choreography. A session concludes with unwinding and cooling down stretches, as well as refining our mudra practice, developing eye, head, & neck movements, and facial expressions.

Before dancing begins, a dancer always centers and grounds: connecting with her natural and calm breath, with the earth through the sole of her feet, with the heaven through the top of her head, and with space within and around. The dancer is seen as the creator of the universe, creating her own universe with her dance and letting creation happen through her while dancing.  As we prepare ourselves to dance, it is important to view ourselves as the center axis between heaven and earth, and let all manifestation revolve around us. The most profound role of the dancer is her ability to transform her own reality and touch her audience deeply, offering the opportunity to transcend ordinary life moments into extra-ordinary spiritual ones.

workshops Titles

The following courses are presented in Schools, Colleges, Yoga and Dance centers, Conferences, Festivals, and private events. Workshops can be designed per individual needs, and topics can be taught as a single class, a series, or long term studies. The titles and descriptions below are the most popular topics and can be combined and customized into a curriculum to meet your needs.

Odissi Dance, Shakti Yoga, and Temple Goddess Workout workshops provide a renewed sense of inner power and youthful radiance. Classes offer a unique blend of exercises that tone and sculpt your body and uplift your spirit. You will be able to develop strength, flexibility, tone, and balance while having fun and learning to move with the fluid grace of a Temple dancer.

Odissi Dance Basics

Odissi is a devotional dance form originating in the  temples of ancient India. Curvaceous movements, sculptured poses, fluid grace, theatrical expression, and impeccable rhythm characterize this vibrant art.
This workshop covers the fundamental principles of Odissi Dance, including its distinctive body warm-up system and signature torso, eye, and neck movements. The two basic dance positions: Chouka and Tribhangi, representing the male and female principles, will be practiced through a host of dance steps and moves. Classes include instruction in traditional hand mudras, rhythmic foot work, and the unique quality of devotional expression used in Indian Dance.

The Yoga of Indian Dance

Discover a renewed sense of inner power and youthful radiance, combining Yogic empowerment and alignment with innovative and classical Indian Dance moves. Focus is placed on developing proper alignment, moving from our center, and developing fluidity and connectivity in our movement.  Class includes study of our energetic body creating sacred geometry, or Yantras, in space.

Mudras: Powerful Hand Gestures

Mudras are used for healing, concentration, and expanding consciousness, and they are an essential part of Indian Dance, Indian Yoga, Taoist alchemy, and Buddhist meditation. In Indian Dance, mudras are used to communicate deep feelings and tell intricate stories. Energetically, they hold the power to transform r aw life-power into subtle spiritual expression. Join Revital Carroll for a fascinating exploration of traditional hand mudras, and discover this simple and powerful way to access your core being, transform body and mind, and bring an element of beauty and devotion to your spiritual practice.

Shakti Yoga Fusion

Drawing from years of experience in Tantric Yoga and Taoist Alchemy, Revital weaves an ecstatic practice that ignites the sacred feminine and opens the flow of creative energy. Focus is placed on moving naturally from the lower belly, and special emphasis is given to the opening pathway between the pelvis and the heart. Come and explore new dimensions of natural beauty, confidence, vitality and fun.

Temple Goddess Workout

A fusion of Indian Dance and Tantric Yoga to awaken your inner Goddess! This sequence of innovative movements will seduce your heart, enliven your body, and empower you with the magnetism of a temple dancer.

Come and explore new dimensions of natural beauty, confidence, vitality, and joy.

Odissi Choreography

After a student has a grip of the basics, a choreography can be taught. This class is usually offered in private lessons, but can be offered in a group setting for intermediate students and as part of a minimum week long course. Odissi repertoire is very diverse and there are many dance items to choose from. To learn more visit: Odissi Repertoire

More Specialty Workshops

Shakti Yoga Fusion – Roots & Branches

Discover a renewed sense of inner power and youthful radiance, while learning unique exercises that tone and sculpt your body and uplift your spirit. From years of experience in Yoga and Taoist Alchemy, Revital weaves an ecstatic practice to ignite the sacred feminine and open the flow of creative energy. Focus is placed on moving naturally from the lower belly, with a special emphasis on opening the pathway between the pelvis and heart. Explore new dimensions of natural beauty, confidence and vitality.

Shakti Yoga Fusion – Waves & Spirals

Root & Branches workshop is recommended, but not required. This workshop we will explore more detailed expressions introduced in Roots & Branches. Special emphasis will be on connecting to natural movement that nourishes the divine feminine and expresses the spirals and circles inherent in a woman’s body.

Odissi: Indian Temple Dance – Essentials & Mudras

Odissi is a classical dance form originating in the ancient temples of South India. You will learn origins and intentions of the dance, traditional warm up exercises, basic footwork, stances, and movements. Rhythmic patterns and preliminary steps will be practiced using Odissi’s fundamental dance positions (chauka and tribhanga), as well as classical hand gesture (mudras) applications.

Odissi: Indian Temple Dance – Spins, Phrases, Expressions

Essentials & Mudras workshop is recommended, but not required. Initial training exercises will prepare you for more elaborate positions, footwork, spins, jumps and other movements. The subtleties of eye, neck

and torso control will be emphasized to help you learn the traditional Indian art of emotional expression (bhava). Your new skills will be applied in a short dance sequence.

Odissi: Indian Temple Dance – Neck & Facial Expressions

Spins, Phrases & Expressions workshop is recommended, but not required. The subtleties of eye, neck and torso control will be more emphasized in this workshop, allowing you to draw power from your creative center to enhance the upward movement of emotional expression (bhava) through the upper body and into the face.

Rhythm and Flow Fundamentals

Blending yogic alignment principals with the captivating movements of Indian Dance, you will learn a unique way to develop balance, poise, strength and fluid grace. Through the subtle use of your eyes and hands, combined with rhythmic footwork, you will discover new heights of creative potential, and connect with the flow of beauty and devotion.