Embark on an ancient and joyful path of healing and ascension through the chakras to bring your mind, body, and spirit into coherence... steady your steps... and open your heart to love and possibility amidst chaos, uncertainty, and struggle — through Sufi whirling, sacred dance, and the Divine Feminine wisdom of Mary Magdalene.
Did you know that there’s a dimension of you that holds a higher template for your body that alchemizes illness, pain, despair, fear, isolation, lack, or anxiety into spiritual growth?
Spiritual and mystical traditions around the world call this your light body — the energetic dimension of you that has access to your unlimited, infinite, and divine nature and purpose for being here...
Learning how to activate your light body and allowing it to suffuse your cells can vastly expand the quality and richness of your life experience and wellbeing — and catalyze your spiritual ascension, says Banafsheh Sayyad, sacred dancer and embodiment teacher...
...as you relax into and begin to trust the flow of life and all of its uncertainties and challenges — which allows the deeper wisdom, clarity, presence, and peace of your true nature to emerge.
During this 12-module course with Banafsheh, you’ll discover a profound process for activating your light body that blends the timeless wisdom of Mary Magdalene and the Sufis with sacred dance, the Eastern chakra system, mystical poetry, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and modern science.
You’ll journey into Mary Magdalene’s feminine approach to spiritual ascension through the Great Tree Within, as written in The Gospel of the Beloved Companion, and the Sufi Path of living love — through Banafsheh’s grounded and inspired sacred dance practices, which are designed to help you open your body as a channel of Divine light.
As the founder of Dance of Oneness®, Banafsheh has helped thousands of people around the world break free of limiting beliefs, trauma, and pain — helping them embody their true potential, peace, and clarity through sacred dance.
With her guidance, you’ll learn to receive, hold, and emit light, and you’ll embrace your spiritual nature while grounding it in your everyday life. Instead of transcending your humanness, you’ll learn to integrate and unite spirit and matter, body and soul, energy and form.
Imagine flipping on the light switch within yourself that not only ignites a profound sense of connection, love, peace, healing, and transformation...
... but also suffuses your body, mind, and heart with healing presence, holy sensuality, and awakened spirituality.
Through this activation, you hold the power within yourself to shift any emotional state, come into balance and coherence, and co-create your health and life. Are you ready to activate your light body and step into your true purpose?
During this sacred dance and spiritual ascension journey, you’ll:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the significance of activating your light body through the chakras and its impact on your wellbeing
- Learn original dance routines, Sufi whirling (Sama), and tribal dance to ground your energy, foster presence, awaken your light body, and connect with the Divine
- Deepen your appreciation and understanding of the Divine Feminine by becoming familiar with the teachings of Miryam, the Migdala — popularly known as Mary Magdalene
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your chakras
- Activate your Soul Star chakra to develop clarity about your life’s purpose and connect with your higher self
- Learn the essential postures and alignments to harness your full potential and commence your light body activation journey
- Discover the meridians associated with your chakras — and specific acupoints to access and balance these energy pathways
- Understand the philosophy and short history of Sama as a spiritual path — and receive direct transmissions from Source through whirling
- Activate the inner sun at your center — your womb-dantian — and develop the ability to initiate your movements from there
- And much more...
With Banafsheh, you’ll draw light in and up through the meridians in your body — from your feet to your soul star chakra and spiraling back down again as luminous and loving energy into each cell.
Ultimately, you have the opportunity to become light and love in action as you release what no longer serves you — such as survivalist thoughts and emotions — and fill yourself with the light, beauty, wisdom, and goodness that is Spirit.
By embodying the light and expanding your consciousness, you aid your own ascension and contribute to the ascension of the Earth — and all beings.
— Andrew Harvey, Bestselling Author: “I Believe That Banafsheh
Is Quite Simply the Greatest Living Teacher of Sacred Dance”
What You’ll Discover in These 12 Modules
In this 12-part transformational course, Banafsheh guides you through the fundamental skills and competencies you’ll need to activate your light body through sacred dance and Divine Feminine wisdom.
This course features step-by-step teachings and experiential practices from Banafsheh. Each session builds harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices, tools, and principles you’ll need to become light and love in action through Sufi whirling, sacred dance, and the profoundly wise and loving teachings of Mary Magdalene. Your purchase includes 24/7 ongoing access to your course content, allowing you time to review the materials at your own pace and integration.
Module 1: Mapping the Journey of Spiritual Ascension With Sacred Dance, Mary Magdalene, the Sufi Path & Rumi
Explore the chakra system, Chinese meridians, and key acupoints — all foundational principles of Dance of Oneness, Taoism, Sufism, and the evocative poetry of Rumi.
You’ll also explore basic neuroscience and quantum physics, along with Mary Magdalene’s ascension map through the 8 Boughs of the Great Tree Within , as depicted in The Gospel of the Beloved Companion.
This unique blend provides a holistic framework for personal transformation as you tap into the profound potential of your light body.
In this session, you’ll:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the significance of activating your light body and its impact on your wellbeing
- Learn the essential postures and alignments to harness your full potential and commence your light body activation journey
- Gain an experiential understanding of the energy flow, or Qi, in your body’s meridians
- Deepen your appreciation and understanding of the Divine Feminine by becoming familiar with the teachings of Miryam, the Migdala — popularly known as Mary Magdalene
- Enhance your sense of your body as the sacred temple of your soul — and learn about the ascending and descending spirals of energy
- Uncover the hidden aspects of the Sufi Path as an embodiment of the Sacred Feminine path of love
Module 2: Journey Into the Root Chakra to Release Judgement, Ground in Love & Dedicate Your Dance as a Prayer to Gaia
Embark on a transformative journey to open, balance, and embody your root chakra as you embrace the sacred teaching that All is One.
You’ll connect deeply with the essence of life, recognizing that you are part of one divine family — and that every choice and belief you hold reverberates through the whole of existence.
Your wellbeing and dance flourish through a profound connection with Gaia, our Divine Mother Earth. Revering and honoring the Earth enhances your vitality and vibrancy. Without this reverence, you may find it difficult to honor your body and relationships — and your true presence.
Banafsheh guides you through practices that help you ground you in your body, strengthen your bond with the Earth and the earth element, and establish presence. You’ll learn optimal form and technique in dance and daily movements to feel energized and prevent injury.
You’ll also explore the first bough of Magdalene’s Great Tree Within to release judgment and wrath — and establish love and compassion as the first steps toward ascension and activating your light body.
In this session, you’ll:
- Learn The Weave routine to ground yourself, foster presence throughout your whole body, and awaken loving awareness
- Discover the meridians that correspond with the root chakra — and specific acupoints to access and balance these energy pathways
- Learn how to walk with loving awareness, correct alignment, and ease as you bridge seen and unseen worlds
- Activate and balance your root chakra as you develop an intimate bond with the Earth through tribal dance
- Use tools to quickly shift from head-centric energy to a fully embodied presence
- Practice letting go and relaxing into the present moment as you release tension from daily stimuli
- Cultivate a sense of ease and joy in your body as you experience true belonging regardless of pain or restrictions
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your root chakra
Module 3: Release Ignorance & Intolerance and Activate Wisdom & Understanding in the Sacral Chakra Through Ecstatic Dance & Holy Sensuality
Open, balance, and embody your sacral chakra and its water element — affirming the truth that your sexuality is sacred and marks the beginning of your relationship with power.
You’ll be guided to dance freely and ecstatically to express and celebrate your sensuality as natural and holy...
... and embody the essence of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love, eros, and beauty — who epitomizes the flood of corporeal energy intertwined with celestial spirituality.
Banafsheh shares why true sensuality emerges from self-love and from being at ease with your natural self in the present moment.
Through sacred dance, you’ll free yourself of ignorance and intolerance — and overcome survival emotions such as fear, anxiety, suffering, hostility, anger, judgment, shame, and guilt.
This liberation allows you to free your body from the chains of the past — and creates more energy in your field to shape a vibrant present and future based on wisdom and understanding.
You’ll also explore the second bough of Magdalene’s Great Tree Within, release ignorance and intolerance, so you can open to wisdom and understanding.
In this module, you’ll:
- Activate and open your sacral chakra — and balance the energies of yin and yang, feminine and masculine, within yourself through the powerful Figure 8 Infinity Movements
- Discover the meridians associated with the sacral chakra — and specific acupoints to access and balance these energy pathways
- Learn to activate the Mingmen (Gate of Life) meridian point to enhance your energy levels, vitality, and libido
- Experience bliss in your body as you release limiting emotions of shame and guilt
- Dance away survival emotions to liberate your body and energy, paving the way for a more energized and empowered future
- Feel and embody your own beauty with radiant confidence
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your sacral chakra
Module 4: Release Duplicity & Arrogance and Activate Self-Love, Honor & Humility in the Solar Plexus Chakra — Through the Fiery Flamenco & Your Inner Sun
In this empowering module, you will open, balance, and embody your solar plexus chakra and its corresponding element of fire — and claim its sacred teaching that self-love is your anchor.
Arriving at the third bough of Magdalene’s Great Tree Within, you’ll dance to release duplicity and arrogance — and learn to access a point of light in your center that can expand into a sun.
The degree of this sun’s radiance rests upon how you feel about yourself. The more you regard yourself and your body with kindness and love, the warmer, and more radiant the sun emanates in your body, your life, and out into the world.
Banafsheh guides you in movements inspired by fiery Flamenco that activate self-authority and empower you to take up residence in your body with sovereignty, self-love, and compassion.
Flamenco teaches us the posture of resiliency and prepares us to face life’s challenges with honor and humility. This dignity comes from inner strength and power — from knowing with certainty that nothing in the outside world can limit the human spirit, especially when the spirit is alive with love.
In this session, you’ll:
- Activate the inner sun at your center — your womb-dantian — and develop the ability to initiate your movements from there
- Discover the meridians associated with the solar plexus chakra — and learn key specific acupoints to access and balance these energy pathways that also support optimal digestion
- Boost confidence and self-esteem as you enhance your sense of self-worth and self-respect through dynamic and expressive dance
- Strengthen your nervous system to better handle life’s challenges with grace and strength
- Cultivate and enliven your inherent joy, independent of external circumstances
- Burn away feelings of unworthiness and begin to express yourself with courage, compassion, responsibility, and stewardship towards the greater eco-field
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your solar plexus chakra
Module 5: Integrate Your Root, Sacral & Solar Plexus Chakras to Expand & Amplify Their Energy — And Yours
In this module, you’ll delve into the interconnectedness of the first three chakras, exploring how their energy works in the upward spiral.
The synergy of these three chakras creates a powerful constellation in dance and movement, fostering groundedness, vitality, balance between feminine and masculine energies, sensuality, centeredness, relaxation, ease, stamina, endurance, discipline, resilience, and power.
Often, these chakras, along with the throat chakra, are blocked and require focused effort to open so you can receive the light — and retain and emit it.
In order to activate the light body, you need to release your attachment to your physical identity, so in this module you will also learn to become aware that you are not your body.
In this session, you’ll:
- Gain a mental and visceral understanding of the interrelatedness of chakras 1 through 3
- Cleanse yourself of limiting beliefs and disidentify from the “separate” self through the Shake to Liberate routine
- Ignite your entire body with uplifting life-force energy
- Reclaim your sexuality as sacred — and express your sensuality freely and ecstatically as natural and holy
- Elevate yourself and maintain high energy levels throughout the day
- Become aware that you are not your body
- Visualize and feel the light activating deeper in your physical chakras
Module 6: The Heart Chakra Part I — Release Fear to Activate Courage & Awaken Your Greatest Divine Power
Open, balance, and embody your heart chakra and air, its element, as you activate the sacred teaching that love is your greatest divine power.
Ascending to the fourth bough of the tree within, you’ll dance to release fear and activate strength and courage while balancing them with unconditional love.
In these turbulent times, there’s much pain and suffering on individual and collective levels, yet there’s also immense beauty and goodness present in each moment.
You’ll explore how you can embody the capacity to hold both pain and joy by opening your heart.
Banafsheh also shares the sacred physiology of the heart and lungs, which you can experience viscerally as you open the pathways of the heart and pericardium meridians through movement and the Waves of Love routine.
In this session:
- Learn about the meridians associated with the heart chakra and specific acupoints to access and balance these energy pathways that help reduce tension and treat insomnia
- Gain insights from the wisdom of your anatomical heart and lungs — and their role in your physical and spiritual health
- Activate and open your heart chakra through a dedicated dance routine designed to harness the power of love
- Dance to let your body become an instrument playing a love song, expressing the deepest aspects of your heart
- Learn how to maintain an open heart by staying grounded and centered, creating a balance between giving and receiving love
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your heart chakra
Module 7: The Heart Chakra Part II — Disidentify With Your Emotions, Activate Your Full Potential & Enter the Divine Field of Oneness
The heart chakra, the midpoint of the chakras, mediates between body and spirit, allowing you to tune into your subtle body, become more energy than matter — and enter the quantum field of oneness.
In this module, you’ll explore the science of how love is the most powerful state of being.
You’ll discover what it means to transcend the energy Mary Magdalene refers to as “the master of the world and the deceiver” — the source of the illusion of fear — so you can ascend to the next bough or level.
You’ll also be initiated into the Sufi Path. For the Sufis, life is a love affair, and the heart is “the home of the Beloved” — the “I AM” presence. Falling in love with the Beloved, you polish your heart of the debris of separateness and step into your true self.
In order to activate the light body, you’ll also learn powerful teachings that help you become more aware that you are not your emotions.
In this session, you’ll:
- Discover the Sufi way of living love — by embracing life as a divine romance with the Beloved
- Learn techniques to breathe for optimal health that enhance your physical and emotional wellbeing
- Experience your heart as the gateway to the quantum field of infinite consciousness as you tap into a higher state of being
- Deepen the Waves of Love routine and explore new variations in this powerful routine
- Become aware that you are not your emotions
Module 8: Sufi Whirling & Chanting to Activate Clarity & Truth in the Throat Chakra and Recognize Yourself as a Child of Living Spirit
Open, balance, and embody your throat chakra and the element of sound — and activate its sacred teaching to surrender personal will to Divine will.
The throat chakra is about finding your authentic voice and listening — attuning to its guidance. It bridges the head and heart to create coherence.
In Mary Magdalene’s teachings, once you transcend the illusion of fear through courage and strength, you’re able to activate clarity and truth at the fifth bough and realize that you are the child of the Living Spirit.
You will be initiated into Sama (whirling) through a simple method that allows everyone access to this profound Sufi practice. An inner journey to the Beloved, Sama dissolves the limited mind into the unlimited ocean of presence, allowing you to access clarity and truth — and be a channel for love and wisdom.
You will activate your voice through chanting and experience trance and altered states of mind through whirling and chanting.
In this session:
- Adequately ground and center yourself in preparation for whirling, ensuring a safe and profound practice
- Learn how to whirl without getting dizzy — and persevere in the spin for a sustained period of time
- Understand the philosophy and short history of Sama as a spiritual path
- Create unity, harmony, and coherence between your body, heart, and mind through the profound Sufi movement meditation of Sama
- Learn about the meridians associated with the throat chakra and specific acupoints to access and balance these energy pathways and open your throat
- Begin to surrender your mind and become empty — to create space for inner clarity and divine guidance
- Chant mantras to open your throat chakra
- Become silent and still enough to listen to your inner voice of guidance through a seated meditation following the Sama practice
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your throat chakra
Module 9: Release Attachment to Your Thoughts and Activate Power, Healing & Inner Vision With the Third Eye Chakra & Sama
Open, balance, and embody your third eye chakra, tuning into its corresponding element of light — and activate its sacred teaching to seek only the truth.
Considered the mother of all chakras, the third eye chakra beckons you to open to the unknown, expand your mind, and gain wisdom to guide your actions. As the center of intuition, activating this chakra allows you to access profound inner vision and insight.
Drawing from Mary Magdalene’s teachings, at the level of the sixth bough, power and healing are activated.
Banafsheh also shares some of the mysteries of the pineal gland — and how to awaken it...
... including the Circles and Spheres routine and deepening your journey into Sama to activate intuition and insight — and experience the stillpoint at the center of all movement within your being.
In order to activate the light body, you need to release your attachment to your mind, so you’ll also learn to become aware that you are not your mind.
In this session, you’ll:
- Engage with practices that focus on your third eye to enhance your intuitive capabilities
- Deepen the practice of Sama and receive direct transmissions from Source — enriching your spiritual journey and connection
- Dissolve the illusion of separation through Sama — and loosen your identification with the limited self and realize your interconnectedness with the world
- Embrace Sama and seated meditation to become empty and silent — and create space for deeper wisdom
- Learn about the meridians associated with the third eye chakra
- Experience the Circles and Spheres sequence to observe yourself moving, become aware of the shapes you create — and cultivate inner detachment, harnessing the power of dance to influence and shape consciousness
- Discover the profound stillness that’s always present within you, providing a foundation for your spiritual and physical practices
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your third eye
Module 10: Journey Into the Crown Chakra & the Sacred Spiral to Disidentify With Limitations & Be Filled With the Light & Goodness of Spirit
Open, balance, and embody your crown chakra, tuning into its corresponding element of ether — and activate its sacred teaching to live in the present moment.
The crown chakra is your connection to spirit and the greater field of consciousness that motivates you to seek an intimate connection with the Divine in everything you do. Dance is about experiencing this profound connection.
In this module, you’ll learn to move in spirals — the most advanced human movement, which engages all the chakras, which also spiral in their energy flow...
... as a sacred pattern evident in all living forms — from galaxies to DNA molecules. It’s nature’s way of resolving conflict and restoring balance.
To activate the light body, you must release your attachment to the past and to concepts — whether spiritual or material.
At the seventh bough of Magdalene’s Great Tree Within, we are filled with the light and goodness that is Spirit.
In this session:
- Understand how spiral movements bring you into balance and teach you to remain present, grounded, and centered amidst chaos
- Gain knowledge about the meridians associated with the crown chakra and how they influence your energy and wellbeing
- Dive into the unfathomable depths of your being beyond concepts, dogmas, conditioned activity, and preferences — and access a profound sense of peace
- Learn the art of surrender to be thoughtlessly present beyond sensations of comfort and discomfort, pleasure and aversion — achieving a state of pure presence
- Experience an intimate connection with the Beloved through dance — and cultivate a deep, personal connection with the Divine
- Access inner peace and joy in the present moment regardless of external circumstances as you surrender to what is
- Visualize and feel the light activating in your crown chakra
- Become aware that you are not any of your concepts — spiritual or physical
Module 11: Embody the Grace and Beauty of Spirit Through the Soul Star Chakra to Access Higher Awareness
Connect deeply with your soul star chakra, located above the crown of your head, to activate your body of light and open to profound spiritual insights.
The soul star chakra serves as your energetic portal to higher awareness and soul-level purpose. It’s the gateway to the greater universe and cosmos, the seat of our subconscious mind, and the interplay of our dream space.
This eighth chakra, also known as the transpersonal chakra, embodies unity awareness — which allows you to transcend the limitations of human perception as you remember that you are not alone... because we are all one.
In Mary Magdalene’s teachings, the eighth and final bough is where the grace and beauty of the spirit are activated. Here, the soul and everything visible dissolve into a brilliant light, reminiscent of the sun.
Mary Magdalene described how at this level, she beheld a woman of extraordinary beauty, clothed in brilliant white garments, who drew her soul into an embrace, freeing her from the world.
Drawing inspiration from the Gnostic feminine archetype, Sophia, who represents the soul of the world, you’ll also be guided to embody your soul and step into your unlimited self.
In this session:
- Activate the soul star chakra to develop clarity about your life’s purpose and connect with your higher self
- Embody the teachings of Mary Magdalene and Sophia — the gnostic feminine archetype
- Explore the concept of transfiguration — and tangibly feel the union of matter and light, particle and wave
- Identify and release beliefs that restrict your true potential
- Refine the practice of Sama, releasing layers, habits, thoughts, and emotions that block the Divine flow within you
- Become aware that you are the pure consciousness of love
- Visualize and feel light in your entire body using the descending spiral of energy
Module 12: Experience Yourself as Light & Love in Action
Be empowered to embody the transformation and wisdom you’ve cultivated, and to continue your path with renewed purpose and light.
During the final session, you’ll reflect on the profound insights and transformations you’ve experienced throughout this course...
... and identify action steps you can take to integrate your light body into your daily life in a way that supports a deeper connection to your true self, others, the Earth, and the Divine.
You’ll consider any heavy or unhelpful aspects you have not yet released in your journey — those that no longer serve your higher purpose and calling, even if they were valuable in the past.
This is an opportunity to make conscious choices about what to let go as you embrace the true meaning of sacrifice: to make sacred, to sanctify.
In this session:
- Synthesize and internalize the teachings and practices from all previous modules to create a cohesive understanding of your spiritual journey
- Review and refine the dance and movement sequences to enhance your connection to each chakra and the associated elements
- Begin to perceive and acknowledge the transformation you’ve undergone over the past 12 modules as you celebrate your growth and achievements
- Identify specific practices and commitments to integrate your light body into your everyday life, ensuring sustained spiritual growth
- Feel empowered to move forward with clarity, purpose, and a deep sense of sacredness as you bring the light and wisdom gained into every aspect of your life
The Activating Your Light Body Through Sacred Dance Bonus Offering
In addition to Banafsheh’s transformative 12-module online course, you’ll receive this special bonus offering to complement the course and take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
Dance of Oneness Soulful Stretching Routine
Guided Practice With Banafsheh
In this hour-long mixed-level yoga and stretching practice, Banafsheh guides you through a journey that begins with rigorous asanas and concludes with a lying-down meditation, grounding you deeply in your body. You’ll discover that the deeper you connect with the soil of your body, the more you merge with the essence of being. By diving deeply into your sensations, you’ll realize there is only one sensation. Your sensation is interconnected with everyone else’s and reflects the sensations of the Earth and all its elements.
Activate Your Intuition With Sacred Dance
Video Interview With Banafsheh From the Psychic Summit
In this 46-minute video interview, Banafsheh discusses the sacred dance of whirling and how this profound spiritual practice — which combines movement and deep contemplation — opens your heart to the universal field of love, where you can receive guidance and create coherence between your heart and brain. According to physics, all living forms become coherent through spin. How profound, then, to spin consciously, activating psychic abilities and upgrading yourself.
What Graduates of Banafsheh’s Courses Are Saying...
— Kristi Williamson: “Banafsheh Finds Pathways to Guide People Into Their Natural and Blissful Movement”
— Tatiana Rodeiro: “My Body Feels Relaxed and Alive, and All My Senses Are Drenched in Beauty”
Auburn, California
Canandaigua, New York
Issaquah, Washington
Germany
Here’s What You’ll Receive
Twelve Pre-Recorded 90-Minute Modules
Experience a unique opportunity to learn from sacred dancer and choreographer Banafsheh Sayyad — from the comfort of your own home. Each session includes a streaming video and guides you on a path of spiritual ascension through sacred dance and Divine Feminine wisdom.
Twelve Transcripts of Sessions
You’ll also receive session transcriptions. You can then review, print, and highlight the most important insights and practices you were given.
Exercises and Questions for Each Lesson
Between sessions, you’ll have the option of completing related exercises, practicing new tools, and answering questions to accelerate your learning and integrate each lesson.
An Unprecedented Opportunity to Join the Online Course, Activating Your Light Body Through Sacred Dance
We feel honored that Banafsheh Sayyad has chosen to partner with The Shift Network to offer this exclusive online course. This is a unique opportunity to learn from the founder of Dance of Oneness® whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and awaken ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about activating your light body and catalyzing your spiritual ascension, then you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, and our world to take this one-of-a-kind program.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your own evolution, click the register button below to reserve your space now.
Your Satisfaction Is 100% Guaranteed!
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! If you don’t absolutely LOVE Activating Your Light Body Through Sacred Dance — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form 14 days from your date of purchase and we’ll happily issue qualifying customers a refund.
More Praise for Banafsheh Sayyad
Internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer
Bestselling author, medical intuitive, and the founder of CMED (Caroline Myss Education)
Mystical scholar, spiritual teacher, and the founder of the Institute of Sacred Activism
About Banafsheh Sayyad
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Banafsheh Sayyad is a Persian master sacred dancer, choreographer, acupuncturist, transformational teacher, activist, and founder of Dance of Oneness®. A deeply profound and accessible spiritual teacher of embodiment, Banafsheh performs and teaches internationally, initiating people into the wisdom of their bodies. Her signature style of “holy wildness infused with ancient wisdom” activates transformation and illumination in those who watch and dance with her from around the globe.
Banafsheh invites the dancer within to remember, reclaim, and resource the innate healing intelligence spiraling both in us and all around us. Her easeful instruction and welcoming spirit empower students to feel a true sense of belonging in their bodies. Students often experience more passion in their lives by integrating wisdom teachings from throughout the ages.
She is among the few virtuosos of authentic Persian dance in the world, and a pioneer in creating a liberated feminine expression in the Sufi dance genre, previously performed only by men. Her modality, Dance of Oneness®, is both a spiritual path and a science of embodiment. It is a fusion of three dimensions — healing, wisdom teachings, and the rigorous technique and self-expression of the art of dance.
Banafsheh has a master’s degree in dance and choreography from UCLA, and a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her award-winning work has been presented throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Her dance film In the Fire of Grace, with Andrew Harvey, traces Rumi’s journey of the soul in dance.