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Sah: It all began after I left the fashion industry in 2012. Since I was very young, fashion has always been THE DREAM for me. But even after starting up a successful fashion magazine in NYC and having a “glamorous” industry lifestyle, I found myself addicted, depressed, anxious… I was miserable! My partners at the magazine conspired to buy me out, leaving me jobless and panicked - unsure of what would become of me.
That was my turning point. So in 2014, out of desperation in search of spirituality, purpose and who I am, I travelled across India, Nepal, Indonesia and Thailand for three years, studying under the guidance of many healers and masters Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, and multiple times with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. All Buddhist teachers and masters within my lineage were a massive support system and guiding light for me, who I perceive to be my role models and source of inspiration each day.
Sah: It all started when I shared a series of videos of me doing ecstatic dance along with provocative spiritual captions on Instagram, and people really loved them. As it began creating momentum, a member of Deepak Chopra’s team reached out and asked me whether I had a technique to showcase and teach others, as Deepak would love for me to join him on stage. I was like OH MY GOD! But because most of the content I had been creating was freestyle and unstructured, I had to find a way to package the experience so I could share it with others.
For me, the reason I danced like that was to awaken my heart. It helped me to amplify my best qualities, dismantle the preconceived notions of what spirituality looks like, and feel freedom coursing through my veins. That’s the experience I wanted to share with others - so they could find freedom too. I spent some time putting my thoughts and research into a structure, and the Sah Method was born! It is founded on four key techniques: Ecstatic Dance, Breath Work, Meditation and Mantra. These practices are amazing on their own, but when combined, the effects are truly transformative: People really enjoyed it and from there it just took off!
Sah: Long before verbal language, dance was a tool to communicate. In Ecstatic Dance, a few things happen: 1. No talking on the dance floor, only Mantra (intentional talk). 2. We push through mental barriers like discomfort, fear and awkwardness to condition the mind towards curious exploration. 3. Feeling good in your body. Being one with the music, allowing your body to move freely with the beat, free of negative thinking and critical judgements. Ultimately our goal is to invite an ecstatic state to erupt within. In following these steps, we are using music and dance, a prehistoric technique, to guide our hearts into a state of awakening, primed to receive and give joy.
Ecstatic dance teaches us about the nature of reality. We are constantly in movement, constantly in transience, transitioning between different states of being. It is a technique that leads you to transcend, be present, and equanimous. It is stillness in movement.
Sah: What we are doing is precision. The Method is a mathematical equation that has proven to work. Dance, meditation, breath-work and mantra all have the power to heal and liberate, dating back to ancestral times. Now, we have a method that combines all these techniques with great precision and orientation to awaken the qualities of our heart. After presenting The Method to thousands of people and seeing how it has worked, people tell me “ten years of therapy in one hour!”
Sah: Too many people live in fear of being a burden. Honey, you are NOT a burden! When you assume you are a burden, you start hating yourself. Remind yourself, you are a blessing, and you are a miracle! You are innately good, that is at the base of your being. Recognise it, embrace it and let it flourish!
Sah: My favourite Mantra is The Green Tara Mantra: Om, Tare, Tuttare, Ture, Soha. I even have Green Tara tattooed on my arm! Chanting it is not just asking for a blessing from Tara (Mother of all Buddhas) - we are asking for liberation from our conditioning, to bring us to enlightenment. I use it to constantly train my mind, to ask questions such as, “Am I in the present?” If not, it is a fast and quick way to bring me back and remind myself, I too am developing, growing my heart and my best qualities. We are all experiencing pain and suffering but we all have the potential to be free too!
Q: Opportunity for transformation and growth is ripe in times of challenge. Over the past 12 months, how have you turned your personal challenges to fuel growth and stay grounded to your truest way of being each day?
Sah: Everyday honey, every moment, every opportunity! It is constant work in progress. One recent example, I headed over to the supermarket for bread and the guy held the door to my face. Tells me a two-shopper-at-a-time rule provoked by the pandemic is being enforced here and to wait or come back. At that exact moment, I told myself: “Breathe, it’s okay, he is just doing his job!”
The lesson here is that in the future, with great hindsight, we will see that every blockage, challenge and difficulty that has ever been presented to us was a blessing in drag... blessing us with the understanding that every troubled time we experience is part of our own healing curriculum. When we have these encounters and moments of clarity, we realise that the work is working honey.
For more information or to book your spot on the Joyful Awakening at Balearic Island Retreat with Sah D'Simone, please contact us or follow this link.
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