Forget Viagra, dance through midlife crisis

CHENNAI: After music therapy and laughter therapy, here is one more alternative therapy. Dance therapy is being used to control obesity and hyper-tension, promote wellness among those affected by diabetes, encourage movement of limbs among pregnant women and arthritic patients and even encourage healthy sexual appetite among couples.

V Satyanarayana, who has been a dancer for 32 years, runs the Shristi Centre of Performing Arts and Institute for Dance Therapy in Bangalore. Satyanarayana has been invited to conferences such as the All Indian Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (2003 and 2004), the European Congress of Prenatal Medicine, Athens  and World Conference of Holistic Medicine, to make presentations about the positive  effects of dance therapy.

About 600 patients have undergone his dance therapy for various conditions, most of them for diabetes and obesity in the five years since Satyanarayana introduced his therapy. But what's caught the fancy of people now is the therapy meant for pregnant women and married couples.

“Many more women are taking to dance therapy these days and I get a lot of enquiries about my sex symphony therapy too,” says Satyanarayana.

“I borrow a lot from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, and from nature and combine it with the moves of classical dance,” says Satyanarayana explaining how the therapy works.

“I tell pregnant women to imagine that they are Yashoda and that their child is Krishna. This creates a bond between the mother and child. Then I take movements that were associated with traditional work done by women in the days gone by, such as churning of butter, pounding wheat, and drawing water from a well. This increases the movement of the abdomen, uterus and bowels,” he says.

Satyanaryana, who has consulted with gynaecologists before actualising his therapy, says pregnant women can start therapy after the 20th week of pregnancy and continue till the seventh month, practicing everyday for five to a maximum of twenty minutes or till one tires. He also stresses upon the fact that gynaecologists should be consulted first, before going in for the therapy.

When it comes to the sex symphony therapy, Satyanarayana asks the couple to get into the characters of Radha and Krishna. He teaches couples the sensual dance moves borrowed from the movement and mating rituals of fish, peacocks and snakes.

“Most people in this age lead hectic lives, with no time or inclination left for a healthy sex life. The concept of my therapy is to make the couple spend time together and rediscover their sex lives through the close dance movements,” he says.

He also clarifies, “This therapy is only for couples to re-kindle their urge and does not work like a performance-enhancing drug. And I am not a consultant for sexual problems.”

Satyanaryana was in Chennai recently to conduct a workshop. His workshops are conducted all over India.