BENGALURU: The week of love is upon us, and what better way to celebrate the feeling than showing yourself some much-needed TLC? From February 14 to 16, award-winning costume designer and art director Tabasheer Zutshi will teach Bengalureans all about the 'Fourth Way' or Gurdjieff Movements, conceptualised by Greek-Armenian philosopher George Ivanovich Gurdjieff. Zutshi will be conducting a workshop at Shoonya - Centre for Art and Somatic Practices.
What is the Fourth Way?
The Fourth Way was created by Gurdjieff in the early 20th Century and can be defined as a study of the world based on certain fundamental laws of Nature, and a study of being human, that is closely connected to the idea of evolution.
Zutshi says, “The Gurdjieff Movements are based on the view that a series of specific postures, gestures and movements, supported by an intentional use of melody and rhythm and individual effort, can help evoke an inner condition which is closer to a more conscious existence."
The movements demand effort and attention, as participants are required to coordinate complicated head, arm and leg movements with mental exercises, all the while maintaining a sense of awareness, she adds.
"On one level, the movements are a means to reveal to students the power of conditioned habits, postures and gestures, on another, they act as a catalyst for inner growth. The farthest limits of one’s endurance are reached through the combination of non-natural and non-habitual movements. By performing them, a new quality of sensing is obtained, a new quality of concentration and attention, and a new direction of the mind," she says. The workshops happen in groups.
Awakening process
The Fourth Way may be known as a discipline for human development and transformation, containing enabling practices, concepts and ideas, says Zutshi. "Gurdjieff claimed that the structures he created are to be used as maps and methods to lead one to her own great discovery."The Fourth Way does not require separation from conditions of ordinary life. In fact, these conditions are ideal, especially in times of tumult and uncertainty, for the ‘awakening’ process to start.
Talking about the role thoughts and emotions play in these movements, Zutshi says, "By requiring the participants to make non-habitual postures and movements, the dances can establish a new, more harmonious relationship between the body, mind and emotions."