BlissDance Foundation Training
Personal & Practitioner Mastery
A Taste of Bliss
1 year training
starting may 2027
next cohort starting may 2027
Learn to facilitate transformative movement experiences that guide participants from heightened states of activation towards deep rest - supporting healing, connection, and awakening through dance, music, and sacred space.
Perfect for facilitators, therapists, body workers and dancers wanting to further enrich their practice and offering.
What is BlissDance?
BlissDance is a profound Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening: awakening in us our universal desire for Truth, Presence, Love, Connection, Beauty, Freedom, and Pleasure!
BlissDance, like Tantra, supports the powerful integration of all seeming polarities such as the sacred, profane and the sexual; the light and the shadow; and the masculine and the feminine.
One of the first principles of BlissDance, as a Tantric movement practice, is Presence – being present in the here and now, in our bodies, in our senses. Another is the connection between our desire, our sexuality and our hearts. As this happens, we get to experience and confront some of the unconscious patterns keeping us from being intimate with life
Join the Waitlist
next cohort 2027
"Bliss is the balance that happens when we fully embrace both our shadow & our light, and come to rest as Love"
— Shakti Malan
In embodied awareness
lies liberation...
One of the keys of BlissDance is its invitation to break out of our habits and stuck ways. We enact some of the dramas of everyday life – like having to put down a healthy boundary – but dance this drama in a conscious way, as a celebration of the body, and as an act of liberation.
In experiencing it consciously, something gives way, more space is created, and we celebrate our expansion.
Something opens up; I taste only sacredness
The moment softens, our hearts soften, and our bodies melt. We get to feel everything intimately. We welcome what is, we no longer resist, and in that we can meet the beloved – in the dance and in the moment.
In the first place, the beloved is our very own being. Then we can meet him/her in the other, the group, our lives, and in existence.
What to Expect
All it takes is a little willingness and a lot of curiosity. The music, the facilitation and the group carry us along into what we really, really want: a deep heart opening into this present, precious moment.
To live our lives as blissful sovereign beings able to manifest our deepest desires, we must first get out of our busy minds and feel and move everything from the past too painful to process at the time of it happening – and so was put away to feel for later. Most patriarchal religions shame the body and sexuality. We need to reclaim our beautiful bliss bodies and sacred sexuality.
BlissDance asks, ‘What do we really, really want? What’s preventing us from embodying our desire and following our bliss?’
Facilitation Team
Kali Satyagraha Widd
Custodian & Lead Teacher
Before Kali was irrevocably called to the lightning-fast path Tantra, she was a top brand strategist in Johannesburg, Dubai, London, and Cape Town. Upon shattering her left knee (her body’s feminine support structure) while horse riding, she realised she needed a radical change.
Read More
From promoting unconsciousness through marketing global alcohol brands, she transitioned – not without some considerable challenges – to promoting embodied consciousness through non-dual movement, body de-armouring, and meditation. She turned to teachers at the cutting edge of non-duality to heal the extreme polarities that had played throughout her life; amongst whom were Isaac Shapiro, Sw. Rahasya, Andrew Barnes, and Shakti Malan, the founder of BlissDance and Shakti Shiva Academy.
To rehabilitate her knee, Kali trained in Biodanza (completing the 18 months Personal Development course) with Marcelo Toro – the grandson of the dance movement’s founder – and then deepened her conscious dance training with Shakti Malan, who had developed BlissDance, a Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening.
Over the past 10 years, she has held weekly BlissDance classes in Cape Town for 3 years, together with closed groups, workshops and retreats throughout Southern Africa, the UK, and the Netherlands.
The key differentiator of BlissDance is its lineage, steeped as it is in Totality Tantra and the invitation to constantly stalk our shadows and bring them lovingly into the light of healing, together with the substantial gifts they deliver to individuals and the collective. BlissDance also has the capacity to de-armour the body-mind while ensuring the development of clear discernment and setting of healthy boundaries from moment to moment.
BlissDance invites us to meditate consciously on what we really, really want, and develops our capacity for authentic intimacy with Self and with life as the Beloved.
Kali became renowned for the depth to which she could invite dancers to drop within a safe, sacred container – and for her superb music curation, which in turn organically led to her being invited to deejay at private events and festivals.
Together with Shakti Shiva Academy, Kali is delighted to announce the launch of a substantial 3-year BlissDance Teacher Training Certification: the exciting manifestation of Shakti’s dream to bring this exquisite movement practice to the world!
Read more about Kali.
Rayven Spirit
Support Teacher
A perfectly orchestrated quarter-life ensemble, leading from the turn of the century, introduced Steph to Shakti’s tantric teachings, working with her to become a practitioner and BlissDance facilitator.
Read More
As an invitation into the fullness of embodiment and present moment awareness, conscious movement forms an essential aspect of his personal journey and offering.
“When I first danced BlissDance with Shakti I was able to face the discomfort of the stigma I had created. It was a safe container in which to do that and doing so dissolved the stigma.
I stepped through fears and limiting self beliefs to express myself in ways I had never previously imagined. Through the guidance of BlissDance I became more present and my self confidence blossomed.”
Read more about Stephen.
What students are saying...
about Kali & Rayven
Learning Modules
trimester 1
Foundations of BlissDance
Introducing the conscious dance landscape, the BlissDance model, and the foundations of intimate presence and relating.
Module 1
An overview of the conscious dance landscape, and where BlissDance fits in
- Brief history of indigenous ecstatic dance, out of which forms of contemporary conscious dance originated
- Overview of BlissDance, and as a Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening, what makes it distinct from other conscious dance forms
Module 2
A deeper dive into BlissDance, it's unique differentiation, benefits, and purpose
- The nervous system’s 3 settings – Sympathetic, Social and Parasympathetic, and dances to support these different states
- What is body armouring, and how different movement practices can support de-armouring and capacity-building for greater presence and intimacy
- The BlissDance Theoretical Model: A Totality Tantra Map of Expansion & Transformation
Module 3
The 1st Erotic Sutra of Relating & the 1st Erotic Thread of Intimate Presence
- Relations as reflections of Self – life is not happening to us, life is happening for us, and from us, there’s really only one of us here
- Humans as relational beings, and why healthier relating leads to richer, more fulfilling lived experiences
- De-armouring physically, emotionally, spiritually
- The dance of duality and totality
- Developing the capacity for full-bodied, authentic, intimate presence with Self and Others
Masterclass Session
Jeremy de Tolly
Part 1 — Your Radiant Voice: Expressing authentically with Heart, Embodiment and deep Presence.
x3 Mixology Classes
May, June, July
Every month you are invited to join us for our monthly online movement class. This is your opportunity to intimately deepen in your movement practice, and meet yourself exactly where you are.
Study Hall Trimester 1
We’ve built in 3 “Study Hall” style sessions at the end of each semester for additional support. The purpose of these sessions is to provide 90-minutes of unstructured time for questions, conversations, exploration & inquiry.
There’ll be an opportunity for you to share about how the course is going for you and breakout groups will give students a chance to get to know each other and share personal experiences and insights.
You can also simply use this time to focus on your assignments – you’ll have accountability built right in.
trimester 2
Exploring Inner Landscapes
Exploring sexual shadow, creative expression, archetypal energies, shamanic practices and BlissBreath.
Module 4
The 2nd Erotic Sutra of Sexuality & the 2nd Erotic Thread of Shadow Polarities
- Awakened sexuality and sensuality as embodied, erotic, creative life force energy
- The body as the unconscious in form – resolution of the unconscious and healing and integrating our sexual shadow
- Embody your desire – relating to desire from a subject vs object orientation
- Exploring
- Needs and expectations
- Conscious consent
- Healthy boundaries and communication
- Loving touch
- Subtle sexual energy – the liquid body of desire
- Common unconscious polarities, divisions & splits in the body-mind, and how to unify them into embodied consciousness
Module 5
The 3rd Erotic Sutra of Creativity & the 3rd Erotic Thread of Archetypes
- The value of creative expression, inspiration, curiosity and play as fundamental to self-esteem and growth
- Movement and music as allies of the imagination, memory and creativity
- Exploring the power of consciously embodying both the shadow and empowered universal archetypes of the psyche
Module 6
The 4th Erotic Sutra of Shamanism & The 4th Minor Thread of the Breath (BlissBreath)
- Delving into the mystical realms of:
- Shamanism
- Animism
- Metamorphosis
- Anthropomorphism
- Alchemy
- Expanding consciousness: what are altered states of consciousness?
- How to use breath, movement and music to induce altered states of consciousness
Masterclass Session
Dan Brulé
Breath, Energy, Ecstasy: A Deep Dive Breathwork Immersion
x3 Mixology Classes
September, October, November
Every month you are invited to join us for our monthly online movement class. This is your opportunity to intimately deepen in your movement practice, and meet yourself exactly where you are.
Study Hall Trimester 2
We’ve built in 3 “Study Hall” style sessions at the end of each semester for additional support. The purpose of these sessions is to provide 90-minutes of unstructured time for questions, conversations, exploration & inquiry.
There’ll be an opportunity for you to share about how the course is going for you and breakout groups will give students a chance to get to know each other and share personal experiences and insights.
You can also simply use this time to focus on your assignments – you’ll have accountability built right in.
trimester 3
Embodying & Transmitting
Exploring trance and transformation, facilitation skills and the role of music and movement as medicine.
Module 7
The 5th Erotic Sutra of Regressive & Transcendent Trance (BlissTrance) & The 5th Minor Thread of Transformative Expansion
- Dancing the Sacred Hoop of Life / the Medicine Wheel
- Embodying and balancing the 5 cardinal directions and 5 primary elements
- Dancing birth, growth, decay, death and rebirth
- Facing our fears, taking back projections
- Dancing to expand into embodied states of transcendent and regressive trance
Module 8
The Fundamentals of Facilitation as Embodied Transmission
- The basics of sound facilitation as place from which to intuitively transmit direct, embodied wisdom
- Includes:
- Emptying out to be the hollow flute, or the hollow bone
- Self-care
- Creating safe space and strong containers
- Holding the energetic authority in a circle of equals
- Handling conflict
Module 9
Musicology: Music and Movement as Medicine
- The vital role of music in BlissDance
- Creating magical dance immersions, soundscapes and sound baths
Masterclass Session
Jeremy de Tolly
Part 2 — Your Radiant Voice: Expressing authentically with Heart, Embodiment and deep Presence.
x3 Mixology Classes
January, February, March
Every month you are invited to join us for our monthly online movement class. This is your opportunity to intimately deepen in your movement practice, and meet yourself exactly where you are.
Study Hall Trimester 3
We’ve built in 3 “Study Hall” style sessions at the end of each semester for additional support. The purpose of these sessions is to provide 90-minutes of unstructured time for questions, conversations, exploration & inquiry.
There’ll be an opportunity for you to share about how the course is going for you and breakout groups will give students a chance to get to know each other and share personal experiences and insights.
You can also simply use this time to focus on your assignments – you’ll have accountability built right in.
Calendar of Classes
MAY 2027
Module 1:
12 May + 26 May
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
JUN 2027
Module 2:
9 June 8 + 23 June
Masterclass date: TBC
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
JUL 2027
Module 3:
7 July + 21 July
Study Hall: 28 July
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
AUG 2027
Holiday Month
SEP 2027
Module 4:
8 September + 22 September
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
OCT 2027
Module 5:
6 October + 20 October
Masterclass date: TBC
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
NOV 2027
Module 6:
3 November + 17 November
Study Hall: 24 November
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
DEC 2027
Holiday Month
JAN 2028
Module 7:
12 January + 26 January
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
FEB 2028
Module 8:
9 February + 23 February
Masterclass date: TBC
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
MAR 2028
Module 9:
8 March + 22 March
Study Hall: 29 March
BlissDance Mixology Class: TBC
APR 2028
Wrap-up Month
Training Structure
Training Overview
→ A 12-month training journey across 3 trimesters, with 3 month-long breaks
→ 9 substantial learning modules exploring the foundations and deeper dimensions of BlissDance
→ 18 live teaching sessions across 9 teaching months, creating space for learning, reflection and integration
→ Monthly assignments to deepen your learning
→ 2 live classes per month, each lasting 2 hours, with recordings available if you miss a session
→ 3 Study Halls, one per trimester, offering space for reflection and support
→ 3 bonus masterclasses with guest experts, each lasting 90 minutes, with recordings available
Live Sessions
Classes are held at 7:00pm SAST, which corresponds to 10:00am PT, 1:00pm ET, and 6:00pm UK.
Please note that while the class time will always remain 7:00pm South African Standard Time, other time zones may shift by an hour during periods of Daylight Saving Time.
We recommend double-checking your local time as needed.
Eachsession includes 90 minutes of teaching, followed by an optional 30-minute casual hang-out space for connection, integration, and informal conversation.
Class dates: see Calendar of Classes above
learning
All course materials are hosted within a private online learning space (Mighty Network), allowing you to move through the content at your own pace while remaining connected to a shared learning container.
Our live teaching calls take place on Zoom, offering opportunities for learning, reflection, embodied practice, and discussion in a confidential and supportive environment.
You’ll also have access to a WhatsApp group for connection, reminders, and community support throughout the course.
Commitment: Including all live teaching classes, assignments and participation in study support pods, we recommend you devote 16 quality hours per month to BlissDance. This is the equivalent of 2 days per month, spread over 30 – 31 days. It is important you commit to investing in yourself and in your training to optimise your investment and outcomes.
"BlissDance as a Tantric practice is a complex tapestry of intimate connectivity to turn you on, tune you in and transport you back home to your own infinite knowing."
— Kali Satyagraha
What you will learn
- How to use movement and music transformationally and holistically, for personal and collective healing and growth
- How to progress dancers from the sympathetic into the parasympathetic nervous system – where all rest, relaxation, restoration and healing happens
- How to develop a coherent and congruent dance journey. Every class / workshop / retreat is a unique journey into the interior and exterior landscapes of existence. For the journey to be meaningful, it needs a clean and clear intention and vision, set by the facilitator. This intention becomes the themed invitation of the journey
- BlissDance is a practice of deep intimacy, connection and awakening – you will learn how to support dancers to de-armour on a physical, emotional and spiritual level by creating immaculate safe, sacred space
- How to work with all the layers of the body, from the most physical to the most etheric
- How to take dancers into altered states of consciousness, both transcendent and regressive
- How to bring dancers back out of altered states of consciousness, and ground them in the still, quiet centre of their beings
- How to support dancers to develop their capacity for self-awareness and intimate connection with self, others and life
- How to balance and integrate the therapies and learnings from the different movement practices and dance journeys into your own life, and the lives of your dancers
- The role of music, and how to select the best music for a particular practice and outcome
Join the Waitlist
next cohort 2027
"There is no path. The path appears through the vibrations of music and movement. Dance to the beat of your own heart and your path will rise up to embrace you."
— Kali Satyagraha
Masterclasses
with Guest Teachers
Jeremy de Tolly
Part 1 — Your Radiant Voice: Expressing authentically with Heart, Embodiment and deep Presence.
Live Class: TBC
We learn to communicate as children, deeply imprinted by our family dynamics and the culture around us. In the process, our voices become a shadow of their authentic potential. Perhaps we’ve learned we are “too much”, or our voices shrink and shut down when in the spotlight. Some learn to feel shame after speaking and singing. Many of us fear taking up space, and doubt if it’s truly safe to be seen and heard.
Read More
With the Radiant Voices Process, we consciously explore and liberate the conditioning that hijacks natural, empowered self-expression.
Jeremy de Tolly is a communication coach who helps people overcome fear and anxiety around speaking and singing so that they can express themselves with confidence, clarity, and ease. Through his Radiant Voices Process, he’s helped thousands of people—from CEOs to yoga teachers—show up powerfully as their authentic selves.
He’s trained in multiple modalities, including energy coaching, Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®), and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). He uses trauma-informed somatic therapies and mindfulness methods to help people overcome their fears of expressing themselves and being heard and seen. In the process he’s been featured in publications such as GQ, Men’s Health, and Rolling Stone.
When he’s not coaching clients, he makes music as a singer, guitarist, pianist, and studio producer. He lives between Toronto, Canada, and a beautiful farm in Elgin, South Africa.
Dan Brulé
Breath, Energy, Ecstasy: A Deep Dive Breathwork Immersion
Live Class: TBC
The breath is a bridge – it’s a force that leads us to ourselves and to our source. The breath awakens us to the powerful yet subtle energy that fills and surrounds everyone and everything. In opening and surrendering to this energy, we find that we are home in a state of pure being and ecstasy. In this bonus masterclass, Dan will share a conscious connected breathwork session expand our minds and hearts, sparking the neural pathways of limitless potential, flow and creativity.
Read More
Dan Brulé, world-renowned Pioneer in Breathwork, is a modern day teacher & healer, an innovative, unorthodox, irreverent, creative, game-changing entrepreneur. He trains the people of the world to use the power of breath and breathing to relax and energise their body, focus and expand their mind, calm and balance their emotions, and nourish and uplift their soul. He is the author of Just Breathe. Learn more at www.breathmastery.com
Jeremy de Tolly
Part 2 — Your Radiant Voice: Expressing authentically with Heart, Embodiment and deep Presence.
Live Class: TBC
By introducing heart centered presence and deep somatic awareness while communicating, we reduce anxiety, overthinking and shame around self-expression. And then by doing deep de-conditioning / healing work on our vocal patterns, we liberate our radiant voice so we can truly connect and thrive, and then share our unique magic with the world.
Read More
With the Radiant Voices Process, we consciously explore and liberate the conditioning that hijacks natural, empowered self-expression.
Jeremy de Tolly is a communication coach who helps people overcome fear and anxiety around speaking and singing so that they can express themselves with confidence, clarity, and ease. Through his Radiant Voices Process, he’s helped thousands of people—from CEOs to yoga teachers—show up powerfully as their authentic selves.
He’s trained in multiple modalities, including energy coaching, Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®), and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). He uses trauma-informed somatic therapies and mindfulness methods to help people overcome their fears of expressing themselves and being heard and seen. In the process he’s been featured in publications such as GQ, Men’s Health, and Rolling Stone.
When he’s not coaching clients, he makes music as a singer, guitarist, pianist, and studio producer. He lives between Toronto, Canada, and a beautiful farm in Elgin, South Africa.
What students are saying...
about BlissDance Foundation Training
Bonus Material & Support
Study Hall Sessions
Accountability & Community
Live classes: TBC
We’ve built in 3 “Study Hall” style sessions at the end of each semester for additional support. The purpose of these sessions is to provide 90-minutes of unstructured time for questions, conversations, exploration & inquiry.
Read More
There’ll be an opportunity for you to share about how the course is going for you and breakout groups will give students a chance to get to know each other and share personal experiences and insights.
You can also simply use this time to focus on your assignments – you’ll have accountability built right in.
BlissDance MIXOLOGY Classes
90-minute drop-in classes
Every month you are invited to join us for our monthly online movement class. This is your opportunity to intimately deepen in your movement practice, and meet yourself exactly where you are.
View Calendar of Mixology Classes
COMING SOON!
Office Hours
A regular ongoing opportunity for connection, inquiry & sharing
Most Mondays on Zoom – event listings in our Circle of Fire on Mighty Network. Receive additional support from Shakti Shiva Academy Faculty Lisa Grace as you move through the BlissDance Foundation Training course materials.
Read More
Please use this space to check-in, ask questions, start conversations, initiate inquiry, request support on your path or simply share what’s moving for you in your messy living loving human life. The hour together will be led by the desires of the emergent group and Lisa Grace may offer a meditation or other practice…
Think of this intimate hour as a free coaching session with Lisa!
It’s our weekly gift to you 🎁
Intensive Retreat
7-night / 8-Day
Dates & Venue TBC
BlissDance asks, how much bliss can you stand?
Bliss is not simply happiness: bliss includes happiness, but bliss is so much more than that!
Bliss is really an orientation to the reality of existence, which opens its loving and compassionate heart to all that life brings. The bliss state says, ‘Bring it on!’ It has no preferences or avoidances.
Attendance is optional if you’re taking the course for Personal & Practitioner Mastery only.
This retreat is a compulsory requirement for students wanting to qualify as a certified BlissDance facilitator.
"When we are in the flow of creative inspiration, we are the playmates of God."
— Kali Satyagraha
F.A.Q
Who is this 1-year BlissDance Foundation Training course for?
This course is designed to be both a stand alone personal development course and it’s also part of a 3-year learning path to qualify as a certified BlissDance facilitator.
BlissDance is for those yearning for authentic presence, intimacy, connection, pleasure, love, freedom and truth. It’s for brave spiritual warriors unafraid to fly their freak flags and have their vulnerability witnessed by others.
All it takes is a little willingness and a lot of curiosity. The music, the facilitation and the group carry us along into what we really, really want: a deep heart opening into this present, precious moment.
Any body in a body can move.
Do I need to be a dancer and do I need to be musical in order to do this course?
Anybody in a body can move. We dance to express not impress so, you do not need to be a dancer or have any previous dance experience. Furthermore, this course will teach you the fundamentals of music selection and curation.
Does the course require specific knowledge or experience?
No. In fact, sometimes the less you know, the better it is – this opens you to beginner’s mind and enables you to meet the materials in a fresh way. What is important however, is that you are hungry and committed to this work.
Are there any prerequisites to participating in this course?
No. It’s not required that you’ve completed any previous courses with Shakti Shiva Academy. This course can be taken for personal development only and it’s also the 1st year of a 3-year learning path to become a certified BlissDance Facilitator. Read more about the BlissDance learning path here.
How much time should you invest to maximise your investment?
What if I need more support?
We’ve built in 3 “Study hall”- style sessions at the end of each semester for accountability, community and additional support.
“Office Hours” is a weekly online gathering space hosted by Shakti Shiva faculty member Lisa Grace. You’re invited to use this space to check-in, ask questions, start conversations, initiate inquiry, request support on your path or simply share what’s moving for you in your messy living loving human life.
If you find you require additional support aside from the LIVE calls and group coaching sessions provided with this program, then you are welcome to approach either of the facilitators and book private sessions. These sessions are booked and paid separately and negotiated between you and the facilitator in their private capacity.
Do I have to finish the course in a certain time period?
No. Because you’re able to download all the materials, you can work through them at your own pace. You will have lifetime access to the private course cohort on Mighty Network, so you can continue to interact and learn with the other course participants even after the course has completed. This course is not yet another to-do. There is a carefully curated structure in place to support you to get the most out of the materials. We do however encourage you to keep current with reading or listening to the modules and attending the LIVE calls each month. You can always return to the assignments and complete them in your own time.
I can't attend the LIVE coaching sessions - what now?
Not a problem – all LIVE teaching and Q&A sessions as well as masterclasses with guest teachers are recorded and will be available within 48 hours so you can download and watch/listen to them at your convenience.
What about confidentiality?
Your journey remains completely confidential. If you wish to share on the private course cohort on our Mighty Network Community platform, there is a confidentiality agreement in place.
What materials will I need for the training?
You’ll need reliable internet access, a computer, speakers or headphones.
Do I need good internet or internet skills to do this course?
Only for downloading and interaction in the Q&A aspect of the live coaching calls. We will give you all the support we can – and you’ll see that, once you’re in the flow, it’s really easy.
What is your refund policy?
Unless you cancel your registration timeously, the Shakti Shiva Academy does not offer a refund for any other reason. During the first month of the course, that is up to and including 31 May 2025, you can de-register from the course by writing an email to info@shaktishiva.academy.
If you selected the monthly payment plan when registering, we will cancel your future payments, however, please take note that no refunds will be provided.
If you selected to pay in full upfront when registering, we will refund 80% of your payment. After 31 May 2025, you can no longer de-register from the course.
Terms & Conditions
You can read our full terms & conditions here.
Still have questions?
If you’re interested in participating in this 1-year course and still have questions that need answers, please schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with course facilitator Kali Satyagraha here or with Principal & Senior faculty, Rhianne van der Linde here.
Certification
Become a BlissDance Facilitator
This course is part of our 3 year certification track for BlissDance. You are welcome to do this 1-Year course for Personal & Practitioner Mastery only.
BlissDance welcomes everything, and leaves nothing out. As such, BlissDance is an open source spiritual practice, enabling you as a facilitator to weave any and all your existing tools and practices into the dance space. Shakti brought her love of Qigong and Guided Meditation to BlissDance, whilst Kali brought her love of Shamanism to it. You can add your passions here too.
F.A.Q
Who is this 1-year BlissDance Foundation Training course for?
This course is designed to be both a stand alone personal development course and it’s also part of a 3-year learning path to qualify as a certified BlissDance facilitator.
BlissDance is for those yearning for authentic presence, intimacy, connection, pleasure, love, freedom and truth. It’s for brave spiritual warriors unafraid to fly their freak flags and have their vulnerability witnessed by others.
All it takes is a little willingness and a lot of curiosity. The music, the facilitation and the group carry us along into what we really, really want: a deep heart opening into this present, precious moment.
Any body in a body can move.
Do I need to be a dancer and do I need to be musical in order to do this course?
Anybody in a body can move. We dance to express not impress so, you do not need to be a dancer or have any previous dance experience. Furthermore, this course will teach you the fundamentals of music selection and curation.
Does the course require specific knowledge or experience?
No. In fact, sometimes the less you know, the better it is – this opens you to beginner’s mind and enables you to meet the materials in a fresh way. What is important however, is that you are hungry and committed to this work.
Are there any prerequisites to participating in this course?
No. It’s not required that you’ve completed any previous courses with Shakti Shiva Academy. This course can be taken for personal development only and it’s also the 1st year of a 3-year learning path to become a certified BlissDance Facilitator. Read more about the BlissDance learning path here.
How much time should you invest to maximise your investment?
What if I need more support?
We’ve built in 3 “Study hall”- style sessions at the end of each semester for accountability, community and additional support.
“Office Hours” is a weekly online gathering space hosted by Shakti Shiva faculty member Lisa Grace. You’re invited to use this space to check-in, ask questions, start conversations, initiate inquiry, request support on your path or simply share what’s moving for you in your messy living loving human life.
If you find you require additional support aside from the LIVE calls and group coaching sessions provided with this program, then you are welcome to approach either of the facilitators and book private sessions. These sessions are booked and paid separately and negotiated between you and the facilitator in their private capacity.
Do I have to finish the course in a certain time period?
No. Because you’re able to download all the materials, you can work through them at your own pace. You will have lifetime access to the private course cohort on Mighty Network, so you can continue to interact and learn with the other course participants even after the course has completed. This course is not yet another to-do. There is a carefully curated structure in place to support you to get the most out of the materials. We do however encourage you to keep current with reading or listening to the modules and attending the LIVE calls each month. You can always return to the assignments and complete them in your own time.
I can't attend the LIVE coaching sessions - what now?
Not a problem – all LIVE teaching and Q&A sessions as well as masterclasses with guest teachers are recorded and will be available within 48 hours so you can download and watch/listen to them at your convenience.
What about confidentiality?
Your journey remains completely confidential. If you wish to share on the private course cohort on our Mighty Network Community platform, there is a confidentiality agreement in place.
What materials will I need for the training?
You’ll need reliable internet access, a computer, speakers or headphones.
Do I need good internet or internet skills to do this course?
Only for downloading and interaction in the Q&A aspect of the live coaching calls. We will give you all the support we can – and you’ll see that, once you’re in the flow, it’s really easy.
What is your refund policy?
Unless you cancel your registration timeously, the Shakti Shiva Academy does not offer a refund for any other reason. During the first month of the course, that is up to and including 31 May 2025, you can de-register from the course by writing an email to info@shaktishiva.academy.
If you selected the monthly payment plan when registering, we will cancel your future payments, however, please take note that no refunds will be provided.
If you selected to pay in full upfront when registering, we will refund 80% of your payment. After 31 May 2025, you can no longer de-register from the course.
Terms & Conditions
You can read our full terms & conditions here.
Still have questions?
If you’re interested in participating in this 1-year course and still have questions that need answers, please schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with course facilitator Kali Satyagraha here or with Principal & Senior faculty, Rhianne van der Linde here.
Facilitation Team
Kali Satyagraha Widd
Custodian & Lead Teacher
Before Kali was irrevocably called to the lightning-fast path Tantra, she was a top brand strategist in Johannesburg, Dubai, London, and Cape Town. Upon shattering her left knee (her body’s feminine support structure) while horse riding, she realised she needed a radical change.
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From promoting unconsciousness through marketing global alcohol brands, she transitioned – not without some considerable challenges – to promoting embodied consciousness through non-dual movement, body de-armouring, and meditation. She turned to teachers at the cutting edge of non-duality to heal the extreme polarities that had played throughout her life; amongst whom were Isaac Shapiro, Sw. Rahasya, Andrew Barnes, and Shakti Malan, the founder of BlissDance and Shakti Shiva Academy.
To rehabilitate her knee, Kali trained in Biodanza (completing the 18 months Personal Development course) with Marcelo Toro – the grandson of the dance movement’s founder – and then deepened her conscious dance training with Shakti Malan, who had developed BlissDance, a Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening.
Over the past 10 years, she has held weekly BlissDance classes in Cape Town for 3 years, together with closed groups, workshops and retreats throughout Southern Africa, the UK, and the Netherlands.
The key differentiator of BlissDance is its lineage, steeped as it is in Totality Tantra and the invitation to constantly stalk our shadows and bring them lovingly into the light of healing, together with the substantial gifts they deliver to individuals and the collective. BlissDance also has the capacity to de-armour the body-mind while ensuring the development of clear discernment and setting of healthy boundaries from moment to moment.
BlissDance invites us to meditate consciously on what we really, really want, and develops our capacity for authentic intimacy with Self and with life as the Beloved.
Kali became renowned for the depth to which she could invite dancers to drop within a safe, sacred container – and for her superb music curation, which in turn organically led to her being invited to deejay at private events and festivals.
Together with Shakti Shiva Academy, Kali is delighted to announce the launch of a substantial 3-year BlissDance Teacher Training Certification: the exciting manifestation of Shakti’s dream to bring this exquisite movement practice to the world!
Read more about Kali.
Rayven Spirit (Steph Tredrea)
Support Teacher
A perfectly orchestrated quarter-life ensemble, leading from the turn of the century, introduced Steph to Shakti’s tantric teachings, working with her to become a practitioner and BlissDance facilitator.
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As an invitation into the fullness of embodiment and present moment awareness, conscious movement forms an essential aspect of his personal journey and offering.
“When I first danced BlissDance with Shakti I was able to face the discomfort of the stigma I had created. It was a safe container in which to do that and doing so dissolved the stigma.
I stepped through fears and limiting self beliefs to express myself in ways I had never previously imagined. Through the guidance of BlissDance I became more present and my self confidence blossomed.”
Read more about Stephen.
BlissDance is both embodied and transcendent, masculine and feminine, dark and light, and critically, engages the shadow aspects of our sexuality and unconscious, bringing all into the loving light of compassionate consciousness and blissful integration.
Trimester 1
Module 1 ~ An overview of the conscious dance landscape, and where BlissDance fits in
Live Classes: May 2027
- Brief history of indigenous ecstatic dance, out of which forms of contemporary conscious dance originated
- Overview of BlissDance, and as a Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening, what makes it distinct from other conscious dance forms
Module 2 ~ A deeper dive into BlissDance, it's unique differentiation, benefits, and purpose
Live Classes: June 2027
- The nervous system’s 3 settings – Sympathetic, Social and Parasympathetic, and dances to support these different states
- What is body armouring, and how different movement practices can support de-armouring and capacity-building for greater presence and intimacy
- The BlissDance Theoretical Model: A Totality Tantra Map of Expansion & Transformation
Module 3 ~ The 1st Erotic Sutra of Relating & the 1st Erotic Thread of Intimate Presence
Live Classes: July 2027
- • Relations as reflections of Self – life is not happening to us, life is happening for us, and from us, there’s really only one of us here
- Humans as relational beings, and why healthier relating leads to richer, more fulfilling lived experiences
- De-armouring physically, emotionally, spiritually
- The dance of duality and totality
- Developing the capacity for full-bodied, authentic, intimate presence with Self and Others
Trimester 2
Module 4 ~ The 2nd Erotic Sutra of Sexuality & the 2nd Erotic Thread of Shadow Polarities
Live Classes: September 2027
- Awakened sexuality and sensuality as embodied, erotic, creative life force energy
- The body as the unconscious in form – resolution of the unconscious and healing and integrating our sexual shadow
- Embody your desire – relating to desire from a subject vs object orientation
- Exploring
- Needs and expectations
- Conscious consent
- Healthy boundaries and communication
- Loving touch
- Subtle sexual energy – the liquid body of desire
- Common unconscious polarities, divisions & splits in the body-mind, and how to unify them into embodied consciousness
Module 5 ~ The 3rd Erotic Sutra of Creativity & the 3rd Erotic Thread of Archetypes
Live Classes: October 2027
- The value of creative expression, inspiration, curiosity and play as fundamental to self-esteem and growth
- Movement and music as allies of the imagination, memory and creativity
- Exploring the power of consciously embodying both the shadow and empowered universal archetypes of the psyche
Module 6 ~The 4th Erotic Sutra of Shamanism & The 4th Minor Thread of the Breath (BlissBreath)
Live Class: November 2027
- Delving into the mystical realms of:
- Shamanism
- Animism
- Metamorphosis
- Anthropomorphism
- Alchemy
- Expanding consciousness: what are altered states of consciousness?
- How to use breath, movement and music to induce altered states of consciousness
Trimester 3
Module 7 ~ The 5th Erotic Sutra of Regressive & Transcendent Trance (BlissTrance) & The 5th Minor Thread of Transformative Expansion
Live Classes: January 2028
- Dancing the Sacred Hoop of Life / the Medicine Wheel
- Embodying and balancing the 5 cardinal directions and 5 primary elements
- Dancing birth, growth, decay, death and rebirth
- Facing our fears, taking back projections
- Dancing to expand into embodied states of transcendent and regressive trance
Module 8 ~ The Fundamentals of Facilitation as Embodied Transmission
Live Classes: February 2028
- The basics of sound facilitation as place from which to intuitively transmit direct, embodied wisdom
- Includes:
- Emptying out to be the hollow flute, or the hollow bone
- Self-care
- Creating safe space and strong containers
- Holding the energetic authority in a circle of equals
- Handling conflict
Module 9 ~ Musicology: Music and Movement as Medicine
Live Classes: March 2028
- The vital role of music in BlissDance
- Creating magical dance immersions, soundscapes and sound baths
What is BlissDance?
BlissDance is a profound Tantric Movement Practice of Awakening: awakening in us our universal desire for Truth, Presence, Love, Connection, Beauty, Freedom, and Pleasure!
BlissDance, like Tantra, supports the powerful integration of all seeming polarities such as the sacred, profane and the sexual; the light and the shadow; and the masculine and the feminine.
One of the first principles of BlissDance, as a Tantric movement practice, is Presence – being present in the here and now, in our bodies, in our senses. Another is the connection between our desire, our sexuality and our hearts. As this happens, we get to experience and confront some of the unconscious patterns keeping us from being intimate with life
For example:
Body Armouring – We hold our bodies rigid in an attempt to protect ourselves from feeling too much – or feeling what we have been suppressing. Sometimes it’s laughter or ecstasy, sometimes sadness, fear or anger. All these states are welcome in BlissDance.
Habitual Associations – Over a lifetime of suppressions, we have built up meaning through associations. When someone touches us, what does it mean? When we enjoy or dislike the touch, what fears come up? Do they relate to past experiences or future projections? In BlissDance, these subconscious processes become conscious.
"Every sunset is a sermon, every snail is a sutra.
Every natural glory a Gita. Every vulture a Veda.
The universe is your inspiration!"
~ Kali Satyagraha
Application Process
There are 3 parts to this application process. You do not need to complete the parts in order, but please ensure that you do complete all 3 parts for your application in order to be enrolled successfully.
1. Sign up to the WAITLIST
2. Complete the Application Form
Financial aid will be available to a limited number of students in the form of partial bursaries. Please note that bursary awards are based on several factors, including the size of our award fund and the approximate number of students enrolling at the full tuition rate.
All students requiring assistance are welcome to apply for financial aid. We welcome applications from serious seekers of all races, sexual orientations, and beyond.
"Music is an interstellar language and we the spidery curators of these golden and silver threads. Music is what feelings sound like."
~ Kali Satyagraha
Investment in Yourself
1. Complete the Application Form
3. Complete your payment to register for the course
- Payment Plans available: One time payment, 12-Monthly payments
Financial Aid
Our commitment is to make this course affordable & accessible to everyone, regardless of financial background and circumstances.
Should you require Financial Aid to participate in this course, we invite you to submit an application for up to 30% off the course fees.
How is this course constructed?
- 12-months of study over 3 trimesters, with 3 month-long breaks
- 2 x 2-hour live teaching classes per month for 9 months, recorded should you miss the live sessions (18 in total)
- 30-minute optional, informal, Hang-Out at the end of each live teaching class
- 9 substantial Modules, in both written and audio formats, to suit your learning style
- 1 x 1,5-hour in-person Coaching Session with either of the 2 facilitators
- 3 x 2-hour Study Halls (1 per trimester) for community support and reflection, recorded should you miss the class
- 3 x 90-minute Bonus Masterclasses with skilled experts in their field, with skilled experts in their field, recorded should you miss the class
- 1 x 90-minute online BlissDance Drop-In class per month, uploaded to MixCloud to dance to should you miss the class, or should you wish to re-dance the journey (9 classes in total)
- Monthly Assignments relating to the content of the course, posted to the BlissDance Cohort on our private community platform, Mighty Network, where you can also view other student responses for inspiration and edification
- Spotify Music Playlists
All of our teaching happens within Mighty Network, a safe, private learning platform; and our live calls will happen on Zoom. In these places we can have lively conversations, learn from each other, and ask questions in total privacy.
What you should know
Live Teaching Classes will be on Wednesdays. Study Halls will be on Sundays.
Class times: 7pm SAST – 10am PT – 1pm ET – 6pm UK
Please take note of Daylight Savings, class time will always remain 7pm SAST, and all other time zones will shift by an hour accordingly.
How much time should you provision to truly benefit from the training?
Including all live teaching classes, assignments and participation in study support pods, we recommend you devote 16 quality hours per month to BlissDance. This is the equivalent of 2 days per month, spread over 30 – 31 days. It is important you commit to investing in yourself and in your training to optimise your investment and outcomes.
Masterclasses
with Guest Teachers
Jeremy de Tolly
Part 1 — Your Radiant Voice: Expressing authentically with Heart, Embodiment and deep Presence.
Live Class: TBC
We learn to communicate as children, deeply imprinted by our family dynamics and the culture around us. In the process, our voices become a shadow of their authentic potential. Perhaps we’ve learned we are “too much”, or our voices shrink and shut down when in the spotlight. Some learn to feel shame after speaking and singing. Many of us fear taking up space, and doubt if it’s truly safe to be seen and heard. With the Radiant Voices Process, we consciously explore and liberate the conditioning that hijacks natural, empowered self-expression. By introducing heart centered presence and deep somatic awareness while communicating, we reduce anxiety, overthinking and shame around self-expression. And then by doing deep de-conditioning / healing work on our vocal patterns, we liberate our radiant voice so we can truly connect and thrive, and then share our unique magic with the world.
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Jeremy de Tolly is a communication coach who helps people overcome fear and anxiety around speaking and singing so that they can express themselves with confidence, clarity, and ease. Through his Radiant Voices Process, he’s helped thousands of people—from CEOs to yoga teachers—show up powerfully as their authentic selves.
He’s trained in multiple modalities, including energy coaching, Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®), and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). He uses trauma-informed somatic therapies and mindfulness methods to help people overcome their fears of expressing themselves and being heard and seen. In the process he’s been featured in publications such as GQ, Men’s Health, and Rolling Stone.
When he’s not coaching clients, he makes music as a singer, guitarist, pianist, and studio producer. He lives between Toronto, Canada, and a beautiful farm in Elgin, South Africa.
Dan Brulé
Breath, Energy, Ecstasy: A Deep Dive Breathwork Immersion
Live Class: TBC
The breath is a bridge – it’s a force that leads us to ourselves and to our source. The breath awakens us to the powerful yet subtle energy that fills and surrounds everyone and everything. In opening and surrendering to this energy, we find that we are home in a state of pure being and ecstasy. In this bonus masterclass, Dan will share a conscious connected breathwork session expand our minds and hearts, sparking the neural pathways of limitless potential, flow and creativity.
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Dan Brulé, world-renowned Pioneer in Breathwork, is a modern day teacher & healer, an innovative, unorthodox, irreverent, creative, game-changing entrepreneur. He trains the people of the world to use the power of breath and breathing to relax and energise their body, focus and expand their mind, calm and balance their emotions, and nourish and uplift their soul. He is the author of Just Breathe. Learn more at www.breathmastery.com
Jeremy de Tolly
Part 2 — Your Radiant Voice: Expressing authentically with Heart, Embodiment and deep Presence.
Live Class: TBC
We learn to communicate as children, deeply imprinted by our family dynamics and the culture around us. In the process, our voices become a shadow of their authentic potential. Perhaps we’ve learned we are “too much”, or our voices shrink and shut down when in the spotlight. Some learn to feel shame after speaking and singing. Many of us fear taking up space, and doubt if it’s truly safe to be seen and heard. With the Radiant Voices Process, we consciously explore and liberate the conditioning that hijacks natural, empowered self-expression. By introducing heart centered presence and deep somatic awareness while communicating, we reduce anxiety, overthinking and shame around self-expression. And then by doing deep de-conditioning / healing work on our vocal patterns, we liberate our radiant voice so we can truly connect and thrive, and then share our unique magic with the world.
Read More
Jeremy de Tolly is a communication coach who helps people overcome fear and anxiety around speaking and singing so that they can express themselves with confidence, clarity, and ease. Through his Radiant Voices Process, he’s helped thousands of people—from CEOs to yoga teachers—show up powerfully as their authentic selves.
He’s trained in multiple modalities, including energy coaching, Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®), and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). He uses trauma-informed somatic therapies and mindfulness methods to help people overcome their fears of expressing themselves and being heard and seen. In the process he’s been featured in publications such as GQ, Men’s Health, and Rolling Stone.
When he’s not coaching clients, he makes music as a singer, guitarist, pianist, and studio producer. He lives between Toronto, Canada, and a beautiful farm in Elgin, South Africa.
Bonus
Study Hall Sessions
Accountability & Community
Live classes: Sunday 27 July 2025, 30 November 2025 + 29 March 2026
We’ve built in 3 “Study Hall” style sessions at the end of each semester for additional support.
The purpose of these sessions is to provide 90-minutes of unstructured time for questions, conversations, exploration & inquiry.
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There’ll be an opportunity for you to share about how the course is going for you and breakout groups will give students a chance to get to know each other and share personal experiences and insights.
You can also simply use this time to focus on your assignments – you’ll have accountability built right in.
9 BlissDance MIXOLOGY Classes
90-minute drop-in classes
Every month you are invited to join us for our monthly online movement class. This is your opportunity to intimately deepen in your movement practice, and meet yourself exactly where you are.
View Calendar of Drop-In Classes
- Wednesday 21 May 2025 @ 7pm SAST • 10am PT • 1pm ET • 6pm UK
- Wednesday 18 June 2025 @ 7pm SAST • 10am PT • 1pm ET • 6pm UK
- Wednesday 16 July 2025 @ 7pm SAST • 10am PT • 1pm ET • 6pm UK
- Wednesday 17 September 2025 @ 7pm SAST • 10am PT • 1pm ET • 6pm UK
- Wednesday 15 October 2025 @ 7pm SAST • 10am PT • 1pm ET • 6pm UK
- Wednesday 12 November 2025 @ 7pm SAST • 9am PT • 12pm ET • 5pm UK
- Wednesday 21 January 2026 @ 7pm SAST • 9am PT • 12pm ET • 5pm UK
- Wednesday 18 February 2026 @ 7pm SAST • 9am PT • 12pm ET • 5pm UK
- Wednesday 18 March 2026 @ 7pm SAST • 10am PT • 1pm ET • 5pm UK
Office Hours with Lisa Grace
A regular ongoing opportunity for connection, inquiry & sharing
Most Mondays on Zoom – event listings in our Circle of Fire on Mighty Network
Receive additional support from Shakti Shiva Academy Faculty Lisa Grace as you move through the BlissDance Foundation Training course materials.
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Please use this space to check-in, ask questions, start conversations, initiate inquiry, request support on your path or simply share what’s moving for you in your messy living loving human life. The hour together will be led by the desires of the emergent group and Lisa Grace may offer a meditation or other practice…
Think of this intimate hour as a free coaching session with Lisa!
It’s our weekly gift to you 🎁