Kathmandu:

What does being successful in life mean? Owning a big well-furnished mansion, a shiny car, fat bank balance, the best of modern gadgets, et cetera et cetera?

Not quite, believes Danijela, a yoga, salsa and meditation instructor, who defines “smiling all the time” as being successful.

Hailing from the European country of Serbia (former Yugoslavia), Danijela for the last three years has been romancing with yoga, salsa, and meditation, alternating mainly between Dubai and India. Salsa is a fusion of exotic dance styles having roots mainly in the Caribbean, Latin and North America, with strong African influence, both in the music and dance.

The stunning Danijela is presently in Kathmandu to cast her spell on Valley denizens at Le Meridian Gokarna Forest Resort and Spa with her brand of salsa along with traditional Nepali music by Shyam Nepali in a unique fusion ‘Rudra Salsa’. If things go right, she also plans to stay here and share her “body, mind and soul programme” with folks. She has also given trainings in Kerala, India.

“Meditation, dance and yoga bring you to the present and connect you to your

natural self which involves love, joy and happiness. And once you connect to this inner self, you feel like going there time and again, and a smile appears all the time. This is the main sign of a successful person,” shares Danijela, who is a dedicated volunteer of ‘The Art of Living’, a practice founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Denijela believes it’s a “yes, open mind” that is the basic quality required to master the practices she is into.

“Natural environment also plays a vital role in the learning,” adds Denijela, who considers the life she leads as “a celebration of life”.

“Salsa also celebrates life,” she explains, “as every atom of your body reacts to

what influence comes from outside. In a nice environment, your whole system soaks into it.”

Having experienced different cultures — European, Latin and Eastern — Denijela, not surprisingly, also artistically blends her knowledge of one into another.

For example, “Before doing yoga, I warm people up to Latin music — to give a Latin flavour before we begin. It’s real fun.”

Even as only three days have passed in her stay in Nepal, Danijela has already grown a strong liking for Nepal’s nature, culture, people and traditional music. “People here are spontaneous, open-minded, easy going and creative. The environment has moulded them, so it is easy to approach people here,” she shares.

Her awaited performance at the serenely-nestled Le Meridian on November 16, in which she will also be assisted by local salsa dancer Jimmy will begin at 7.30 pm. Entry is free and a return transportation service will also be provided from the hotel in the night.