Dancing with eyes closed

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 11:55:44 +0530

One of my goals this year is to learn to dance.

I haven’t done much about it, but I did snatch one opportunity. At VizChitra, Ashok Kumar led an Afternoon Rhythm “where the drum sets a beat and you find your place within it.” He invited volunteers on stage.

I usually volunteer for uncomfortable things (a habit from school days), so I briskly walked to the stage, waited for a few others to join, then started dancing to the beat.

I’ve been told (as a kid) that I was graceful. I haven’t danced in decades. I tried a few tentative moves.

Then my mind voice went, “Screw this. Just f***ing dance. Don’t worry about looking good.”

I closed my eyes. I danced to the beat.

Here's the video

This is the part where I’m supposed to say something poetic about how I felt. But it wasn’t like that.

Some parts looked awkward. Felt awkward.

Some parts flowed. At least to me.

But for a few minutes, I was back at hostel, dancing to Ilayaraja’s beats in my room, all by myself.

One of my goals this year is to learn to dance. Even more so, now.

Vipassana Experience

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

For those curious about my Vipassana meditation experience, here’s the summary.

I attended a 10-day Vipassana meditation center.
Each day had 12 hours of meditation, 7 hours sleep, 3 hours rest, and 2 hours to eat.

You live like a monk. It’s a hostel life.
The food is basic. You wash utensils and your room.

There are rules. No phone, laptop, no communication.
You can’t speak to anyone. As an introvert, I enjoyed this!
You can’t kill. Sparing cockroaches and mosquitos were hard.
You can’t mix meditations. But I continued daily Yoga.
You can’t steal. But I did smuggle a peanut chikki out.
No intoxicants or sexual misconducts.

You’re woken up by bell at 4 am daily.
You sit cross-legged without moving, which I found impossible.
I was the sole attendee who needed a backrest.
I blame back muscle loss which accompanied my weight loss.

You observe your sensations calmly.
Don’t imagine sensations. Don’t like or hate them.
It’s pragmatic. Accept what works. Reject what doesn’t.
There’s no dogma. More science than religion.
I discovered several cravings and aversions, like fear of losing money and an efficiency obsession.
Also that humor, curiosity and compassion really help.

It was 10 days well spent. I strongly recommend it.

Comic story: https://sanand0.github.io/datastories/vipassana-chatgpt/
ChatGPT conversation: https://chatgpt.com/share/687629fc-c3f4-800c-9ba7-107d542f4373

Download the PDF.

personal-growth on S Anand

Dancing with eyes closed

Vipassana Experience