Niraj Naik argues that rising antidepressant use and empty clubbing culture point to a need for healthier community practices. Ecstatic dance, a drug-free movement practice, has grown from 40 to 150+ attendees at events and helps people process emotions and access peak states.
Questions this video answers
July 22, 2024
"1 in 5 adults are on some form of antidepressant"
"25% higher than before" (projection mentioned by speaker)
Community pharmacist
2017
Chapters
Did you know that there is a horrific statistic that 1 in 5 adults are on some form of antidepressant? And according to recent studies, this number continues to rise and has actually been projected to be 25% higher than before. So depression is a serious problem. One of the ways we normally deal with stress and anxiety of our modern life is through the culture of clubbing and entertainment. We go out to clubs and parties to avoid loneliness, to socialize, to enjoy our favorite music. However, if you've recently been to a club, you know that there's so much more to this culture. Hedonism, drugs, alcohol, people losing themselves and substances and actually losing that chance for a real connection. Hi, my name is Neeraj, founder of so On Breath. I started my career as a community pharmacist. However, I got quickly disillusioned with the pharmaceutical industry as my patients never seem to get off pills. Instead, they were always needing more and more. My true passion has always been about bringing people into their optimum state of well being where they can truly enjoy life.
I started Ecstatic Dancer on the island back in 2017. When we started doing it, we had no idea how big it was going to grow. The first dance we had, we had 40 people. Second dance we had, we had 60. And then it quickly grew to over 150 people.
My own journey with ecstatic dance has helped me to change my relationship relationship with dance and club culture. I believe one of the best things we can do to solve many of humanity's problems is to spread good vibes with music and movement. Helping people to enjoy life without having to take anything that will affect their health in a negative way.
These are tools and techniques that can elevate you into a peak state where you experience incredible joy and passion for life without needing anything external. It's a way of getting high on your own supply.
Producing music for Ecstatica has been exceptional because the connection between movement, breathwork and meditation is truly something very unique and inspiring. It's a great combination. It's like taking yoga, dance and music and combining it into a whole new way of being on the dance floor.
The ecstatic dance scene is spreading like wildfire. At the moment, you only have to search on Google to see how many ecstatic dances are happening globally this weekend.
Thank you so much. This has been my most amazing, the best aesthetic head ever. It was like a journey.
Really. Next level. It can be so healing and allowing of just being with yourself and all the emotions, all the thoughts or all the insecurities that you sometimes feel on the dance floor and really shake them off and allow them just to ripple off your body with ease and with. With joy, with fun.
You don't need to be someone who's extroverted or used to dancing. Like this is a really welcome space. There are lots of people moving about wildly. But if you want to be quiet, if you want to process something, you're welcome here. There's space for you to do that. But yes, if you are a person who feels like very extrovert, they want more space to express themselves, to be wild, to live, to dance. This place is absolutely for you as well. And it's an amazing experience.
Here is a safe space where I can express, I can get connected to my inner sensuality, to my sexuality, to everything. So I would definitely recommend to go here to just set yourself free and to just connect to yourself again. Because we have it inside. Like we have this power, this light inside and so often we push it away because we are afraid to be judged. And here, Ecstatica, the place where you don't get judged at all and you realize this and you can just drop in your heart and just feel it.
I used to dance by myself in the forest. And when I discover X titin, I realized I was not that crazy to dance the way I dance. Because I found. And if I was crazy, I was not the only one. Because I found all the crazy people enjoying life as much as I do in such a free way. Because when you come dance floor, you enchol all your chains and you truly become free.
I believe music can build communities and transform cultures. People have always come together to dance. I'm committed to keep on bringing people together.
Music is the language of the soul and it has the power to transform and heal people beyond, beyond ourselves.
That's why we're bringing you Exotica. A new medicine that actually makes getting fitter, healthier and happier more fun and enjoyable. And you're even going to get more connected to others. I really believe coming together, making, uniting and forming communities of like minded people is the real cure.
