This year, I traded July in New York for a month-long workshop at Nrityagram, a dance village and modern gurukul an hour outside of Bangalore, home to the most extraordinary Odissi dancers in the world.

How to summarize my experience? Physically and emotionally challenging, for sure, but also marked by moments of pure wonder and peace. 

Designed by Goan architect, Gerard de Cunha, the campus was as inspiring as the dance itself.

Cottages based on the yurts of Tibet

A peaceful space to wait before class

The office

View from the office 

A pretty nook

A performance space and site of Vasantahabba (Spring festival), an all-night showcase of music and dance

Cows intercepting my morning jog

A panorama of the grasslands surrounding the campus

A flower like I've never seen from the cannonball tree

Hand-washed saris, drying in the breeze

Me in my dance sari, our daily uniform

I'm still marveling at how easy it was to leave my life for a month - perhaps a sign that I should do things like this more often...