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ART AND
MEDICINE
There is no upper limit. My pediatric training, particularly in child a little smile trying to escape her lips and she actually does it and
development, helped me to understand the motor skills of these little creates the mood I would have accomplished a great victory as a
children. Some of the observations regarding attention, recollection teacher. As I am teaching the physical strenuous aspects of the dance
and group dynamics was helpful to me in my practice as a neona- and the subtle nuances of depicting emotions, constant fireworks
tologist and in the premature infant development clinic. The stress are going on in my brain and I am in a state of super alertness. I
of the neonatal Intensive care unit melted away as I turned on the come out of the dance studio thoroughly drenched in the exuber-
dance music in the car. Every Friday, I eagerly prepared for class. I ance of movement, my mind equally nourished by concentration
made it a point to dance with the students. At home, instead of the and creation. I am ready for another call night eagerly waiting to see
tread mill, I practice dance steps. Yoga for dancers is a practice very my tiny babies whose mere movement of one skinny leg wants me
popular in India. We incorporated the yoga concept as part of the to dance with excitement. My wish for every physician is involve-
dance training. This has been very invigorating. As I age I find the ment in an activity that is their moment of meditation.
yoga movements are the ones that help me to be flexible and strong.
“Sometimes it is important to work for that pot of gold. But other
When I teach dance my total concentration is on dance, the out- times it is essential to take time off and to make sure that your most
side world does not exist. This to me is mindfulness meditation. To important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which
get a shy 5-year-old to come on the floor to make that first stamping color to slide down on the rainbow.” — Douglas Pagels, “These are
beat with the foot is as exalting as lifting 30 pounds of weight. To the Gifts I would like to give you.”
stand in the half sitting position, which is the hall mark stance in
Bharathanatyam, strains every leg and trunk muscle. The most de- Rajam Ramamurthy, MD
lightful part is what is called ‘Abhinaya’ or the portrayal of emotions. Professor Emeritus, Department of Pediatrics
If I can teach an American born young girl the emotion of UT Health
‘Shringara’— romantic love where the girl casts her eyes down with
visit us at www.bcms.org 27
