“Movement, Culture, and Healthy Aging” at St. Luke Institute

“Movement, Culture, and Healthy Aging” at Saint Luke Institute 

In February 2026, I am looking forward to sharing with professionals at Saint Luke Institute a talk entitled "“Movement, Culture, and Healthy Aging”.

Description of talk: Movement, particularly dance, has been shown to promote healthy aging. This workshop will share groundbreaking work bringing together neuroscience with a traditional Indian form of dance called Bharatanatyam for healthy aging. (If comfortable), Participants will also engage in movement and co-create narratives among the group.

Learning objectives:

1. Describe the benefits of movement in general, and Bharatanatyam in particular, from the perceptive of neuronal plasticity for healthy aging.
2. Describe Bharatanatyam, which is a 2,000-year-old form of traditional Indian dance with a vocabulary of hand gestures (known as “hastas”), melody (raga), rhythm (tala), and storytelling using these elements.
3. Demonstrate how various aspects of Bharatanatyam can be used for healthy and creative aging in a culturally sensitive manner. Participants will explore this experientially.​
   

Saint Luke Institute "brings the healing ministry of Christ to priests, deacons, consecrated religious, laity and more, through integrated psychological and spiritual treatment, consultation, and education."