Embodying Grace
02/11/2005 - By Keri Goldenhar-Lassalle EMBODYING GRACE
by keri goldenhar-lassale
Yogi TimesHer fingers flick the air, her toes are in flight
and everything in between is captivatingly
fluid. As Sofiah Thom’s body responds to an
earthy pulse of drums, one cannot help but be
deeply moved by her embodiment of form,
freedom and grace. The electricity in her
dance flows through the rather large Berkeley
audience in waves of recognition. Whatever it
is that she is expressing is at once human, yet
somehow unexplainably divine.
It is a dance that calls to mind the Temple
Dancers of ancient India or today’s “Trance-
Dancers” who are reaching within themselves
and finding that place of divine connection
through utter surrender to their deepest spiri-
tual selves. From the Bushmen of the Kalahari
to modern gospel choirs, movement has long
been integrated into spiritual practices across
the globe. Historical evidence suggests that
our original relationship with dance was for
the purpose of healing and worship, and that
dance itself was synonymous with prayer – a
demonstration of reverence.
“Surrendering to the one great life force and allow-
ing ourselves to be moved from within can help
us move through life into the unknown with cour-
age,” says Sofiah, who has found and developed
her own inner dance, which she calls “Embody
Grace.” This dance therapy, which she created and
taught in San Francisco to help women awaken
their inner power, is intended to shift focus from
our culture of outer beauty to inner beauty.
Brought up by healers in England, Sofiah discov-
ered her own ability to heal through her life-long
study of dance when she was only nineteen. In the
years which followed she began a fierce study of
devotional dance, first at Naropa University, where
she studied the Five Rhythms of Gabrielle Roth
and received her degree in dance therapy. But it
was the ancient Temple dance that called her to
India, where she studied Odissi Dance, Kama Su-
tra and Yoga. Particularly inspired by the ancient
devotional dancers’ expressions of sensuality, she
taught her own version of the Temple dance in
London before moving back to the U.S. to study
at dance therapy pioneer Anna Halprin’s Tamalpa
Institute. This was where she began to make the
connection between the stories and myths hidden
within the body and the healing that can take
place through physical expression.
Today Sofiah teaches women not only to dance
from the depths of their souls, but also how to
listen to the divine wisdom within and discover
new ways of being that are already present within
their beautiful moving bodies. “Our body is the
container of our life experience,” she says em-
phatically. “Movement is the language to express
and reveal our deepest struggles, knowings and
creative potential. Letting each moment unfold
organically in the dance can teach us how to take
this way of being into the flow our lives.”
Sofiah Thom’s passion is unmistakable. She is
following her dream – a modern-day priestess’
dream. She wants to pass on the gifts she has
inside – including the freedom to move to the
rhythm of her own heartbeat – so that others too
can integrate their own freedom and authenticity
into the flow of their everyday experiences.