Vajra Dance – Being Present in Every Movement

Adriana Dal Borgo

One of the characteristics of the Dzogchen Teaching transmitted by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is dynamic meditation methods that simultaneously involve the physical body, voice or energy and mind. In particular, the Vajra Dance and Joyful Khaita Dances coordinate body movement with sound and music through dance. Yantra Yoga has the characteristic of synchronizing postures and movements with breathing. 

Achieving a balance between the body, energy and mind is very important for that mental and physical well-being that allows us to live peacefully, fully and satisfactorily. Good balance also leads to a state of deep relaxation, a necessary condition for embarking on a path of awareness and self-knowledge, such as the Dzogchen path.

These are valuable methods precisely because they teach us to bring presence and awareness into our every gesture or activity, into every experience, into the constant flow of thoughts, emotions and sensations. 

Today, life is often a race between a thousand and one commitments, with more and more duties and tasks to be completed, and it seems as if there is never enough time. For those who wish to devote themselves to a spiritual path, it is not easy to devote many hours a day to sitting sessions nor to find the conditions for long retreats in solitary places.

 “Integrate with dances”, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu replied to me when one day I expressed my difficulty in combining formal personal practice with travel for work and daily needs. 

Dance as a tool for integration

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu: The Mirror 149, 2020: We can also learn to be present with movement. For example, if we go deeper into the Vajra Dance, we integrate with movements. When we are learning the Vajra Dance we are not in the state of contemplation because we are working with our minds thinking about where we should put our feet and which kind of gesture we should do. This is the relative condition. But when we become more familiar with the Dance, by simply being present all our movements are integrated in the state of contemplation in that moment

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu’s way of teaching was always adapted to the time and place in which he lived, showing us how the Teaching can and should be adapted to the time and conditions of a given society. 

For example, Rinpoche introduced many teachings without limitation to all interested students and in all parts of the world, even webcasting, in recent years, without any prerequisites or preparation, the so-called preliminary practices.

While respecting all traditions, he never taught in a traditional way. Aware that an entire lifetime would not be enough to learn all aspects of a teaching, he urged his students to understand its essence directly.  

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu was also a great terton or discoverer of terma [hidden spiritual treasures to be revealed at the appropriate time]. 

We know that the moment a terma is rediscovered has a definite meaning: it means that all the favorable conditions are present for that teaching to be of benefit to beings at that particular time.

The Vajra Dance is a terma, arising in the early 1990s from the clarity of the Master and belonging to the broader cycle of Longsal Teachings.

But what does integration with movement mean? What are the benefits of this practice and what makes it particularly valuable in our day and age? To clarify these points, it may be useful to delve into some of the aspects that characterize it: the mandala, the use of sound and movement, and the collective practice.

The Mandala

The Vajra Dance takes place on a mandala formed by concentric triangles and circles of five colors: it is a diagram that represents the correlation of two dimensions that we usually perceive as separate: the space inside and outside of us, the individual dimension (microcosm) and the dimension of the universe (macrocosm).

The colors of the mandala in fact represent the essence of the five elements that make up everything that exists. Red represents fire, the internal heat and vitality; green represents air, the wind, and is connected to breathing; yellow represents earth and is the solid dimension and what sustains us, such as our skeleton; white represents water, the sea, in the body it corresponds to blood and lymph; blue represents space which contains everything and corresponds to the mind, capable of manifesting any thought or image.

In the Dance we talk about the outer mandala, corresponding to planet Earth, and the inner mandala, our body. The steps of the dance touch precise points in the circles or triangles that form the structure of the mandala: these are points that correspond to sacred places on earth and the life force centers (chakras) of the body. It is also possible to draw a precise map of the earth’s sacred places as well as our chakras. 

By sacred places we mean places where energy is particularly concentrated: they are also defined as places of power from which energy radiates into the surrounding areas and can have specific qualities or functions, e.g., promote fertility, long life, can help cure certain diseases or facilitate spiritual progress by enhancing the outcome of a practice.  

This is the case at Khandroling, home of the Dzogchen Community in Massachusetts, USA, where the Vajra Dance arose and where practicing it leads to its realization much faster. 

The energy or power of a place such as this can have positive as well as negative value. For instance, some parts of the world are repeatedly the scene of conflicts that cause suffering for beings. On the other hand we have all experienced pleasant places that relax us and make us feel good, while others disturb us and we do not want to stay there for long. 

While the potential of a place remains constant over time, its quality may change as it is related to circumstances. For example, Uḍḍiyāna, considered a sacred place for Tibetan Buddhism and the birthplace of Padmasambhava, is located in the Swat Valley, present-day Pakistan. Shambala, described as a harmonious place where Buddha’s teachings are preserved, is considered to be located in the Himalayan region and, according to Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, corresponds to present-day Afghanistan.  Today, however, those countries are hardly places of peace and harmony. 

Knowledge of sacred places opens up further understanding: knowing the qualities and characteristics of a certain place, to which element it is connected, in which area of the mandala it is located, allows us to interact with it through practice, harmonizing it and receiving empowerment from it at the same time. When the energy is purified and harmonized, there will be more peace, prosperity and benefit not only for the individual practitioner but also for all sentient beings and countries around the world.

Sound and movement

The dancers move on the mandala following the melody of certain sacred sounds, or mantras, according to codified sequences of steps that weave clockwise (for men) or counterclockwise (for women). Their movements are sometimes symmetrical, sometimes mirrorlike or complementary, representing the interplay of male and female energy. 

Mantras are syllables in an ancient language, Sanskrit, and their sound represents precisely the essence of the object. Therefore, mantras resonate in the body and, connecting to primordial sounds, activate and harmonize deep energies. 

With practice, the slow, sweeping movements of the Dance become increasingly harmonious and natural, bringing serenity to the mind and joy to the heart.

Rhythm is a central aspect of this training. Staying in time, recognizing and learning to move according to the rhythm of the music and following the melody anchors the mind and helps us to stay focused without chasing thoughts, to be less distracted. It is the basis of training in presence: staying in the here and now instead of following thoughts, memories or anticipating the future.

By dancing and singing in this way, we release the tensions and blockages we have accumulated over time which are consequences of our history, the karmic traces of our past, whether from this life or the previous one. This is why the practice is said to be a great purification. 

Moreover, when movement and sound are combined with the principle of time, duration, and rhythm, a harmonious proportion is naturally created that connects the harmony of the universe to that of the individual.

In this way we reconnect with the essence of the mandala and an understanding of ourselves not so much as separate individuals but in relation to our environment and the universe. 

Collective practice

The aspect of collective practice is another characteristic element that makes the Vajra Dance valuable and effective.

When we sing in unison and move in synchrony on the mandala, it is as if we are no longer separate individuals but form a unity. By tuning in to the same frequency of singing and movement, the potential of the group is amplified and the clarity and presence in each dancer increases due to the effect of resonance. 

It also expands our perceptual boundaries, changes the way we perceive space and sound: we no longer distinguish individual voices, while the movements of one dancer become mirrors of the other, in a game of infinite reflections. 

We observe in an open and relaxed way all that we perceive and what arises such as emotions, thoughts, images, without following or rejecting or judging anything, without being conditioned by it. This is what is also referred to as contemplation.

In this way there is no longer a separation between inside and outside, between outer and inner mandala, there is no longer even the idea of the mandala: it remains a pure and clear presence that, once the dance is over, we take with us, continuing to dance in our daily lives.

I’d like to share the image of going through life dancing: when we have become familiar with harmony, through the experience of being present in every movement by dancing on the mandala, we can recall it at any time. It will help us to face daily challenges with greater serenity and help us free ourselves even in difficult moments. It will be easier to release tensions, we will be more relaxed, and life will become lighter and more joyful, just like a dance. 

I mentioned the mirror, a symbol often used by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu to invite us to look inside ourselves and discover our potential. The other in whom we reflect ourselves during the dance thus becomes an opportunity to look inside, to discover something about ourselves and to evolve.

The idea of evolution, according to Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, implies the ability to observe ourselves honestly and without fear, to discover our limitations and to be able to gradually overcome them, to recognize and release tensions and find a relaxed state. We do not have to wait for others to change but for ourselves to change: this will become an example for others and gradually bring about profound change in our society

When we dance, we do not necessarily have to remember these aspects, such as memorizing sacred places or chakras or whatever. The movements and sounds, accompanied by a fresh and relaxed presence, fully fulfill their function. For a Dzogchen practitioner, understanding is truly such when it arises from experience; only then will it be something that is really ours and that we will not forget.

No theoretical explanation can match the learning that comes directly from experience.

I invite you to attend one of the demonstrations given by the practitioners of the Dzogchen Community and learn it during a class led by a qualified teacher. 

Links to our web page and videos on Youtube: 

https://vajradance.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=var4yRB1Fnc&t=98s

https://youtu.be/vetbM7bTSmk?si=ewXyJVz9BuCDVhpv

For thirty years Adriana Dal Borgo has been teaching contemplative dance and methods of movement awareness, energy harmonization and mindfulness practice through sound and dance, with classes designed for both experienced dancers and beginners. In 1986 she encountered the Dzogchen (Atiyoga) teaching of Master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, from whom she learned the Vajra Dance and later the Joyful Khaita Dances. In 1992 she was entrusted by the Master with the task of teaching Vajra Dance, coordinating activities related to this discipline and taking care of the training of new teachers, becoming one of the two main teachers. 

A dancer and choreographer, she has also been in charge of coordination and training for Khaita Joyful Dances since 2011. To date, Adriana has conducted many courses and trained teachers all over the world, leading students to discover the joy and depth of dance.