Banafsheh Sayyad: Being 100 Percent Present and 100 Pe...
Can the body become a doorway to the divine—not by transcending it, but by fully inhabiting it?
This week, Tami Simon speaks with Banafsheh Sayyad—master Iranian sacred dancer, choreographer, transformational teacher, and founder of Dance of Oneness—about her new Sounds True book, Dance of Oneness: Embody Love and Luminosity to Transform Your Life. A trailblazing innovator of Sufi dance forms previously performed only by men, Banafsheh draws from flamenco, Persian dance, Tai Chi, Sufi whirling, and her background in Chinese medicine to guide practitioners into deeper embodiment, healing, and spiritual presence.
Join Tami and Banafsheh to explore:
- The Dance of Oneness modality—its three interwoven streams of movement, wisdom teachings, and energy healing
- What it means to be “100 percent present and 100 percent fully gone”—and why both are essential
- Whirling as a portal: the trance state it opens, the stillness it reveals, and what it means to be danced rather than to dance
- The ascending and descending currents of energy in the body—and their marriage at the heart
- How flamenco gave Banafsheh a form for grief, anger, and sovereign feminine power after leaving Iran
- The three layers of the heart—and how movement can break through armoring to restore openness
- Discipline as the foundation of surrender: why a sturdy chalice is what allows you to receive
- A guided embodiment practice you can do right now
Whether you’re a seasoned movement practitioner or have never considered dance as a spiritual path, this interview is an invitation to come home to the body—and discover what can move through you when you do.
Listen now and begin dancing toward oneness. →
This conversation offers genuine transmission—not just concepts about awakening, but the palpable presence of realized teachers exploring the growing edge of spiritual understanding together. Originally aired on Sounds True One.
