When Australian Natalie Southgate started dancing in her West London flat in 1998, she was stirred with an idea. Little did she know some twenty years later this idea would become Chakradance, an international dance phenomenon.
Now in 2019, Chakradance can be found in teaching studios in over 4o countries and is the basis for a dream come true for Natalie- a book deal with internationally acclaimed publishing company Hay House. Inspiring right?
Released this year, Natalie’s book Chakradance- Move Your Chakras, Change Your Life joins the ranks of some of the world’s most prestigious self-help authors including Oprah’s mentor Deepak Chopra and Louise Hay. Described by readers as hard to put down and a book that needs to “be experienced”, Chakradance has been likened to the sister to Yoga. So what started this incredible journey?
“I was living the high life in London,” explains Natalie Southgate. “I had a great apartment, ran my own successful recruitment agency, and was happily married. From the outside, it all looked perfect, and in some ways it was. Below the surface, many things were wrong.
“My health was beginning to deteriorate as I lived on a diet of fast food, after-work drinks, cigarettes, and adrenalin. I was burning the candle at both ends, and I felt disconnected—like I was just going through the motions. There was a vague sense of emptiness and no real passion for what I was doing. I was stuck in a life that didn’t feel purposeful or authentic to me.”
A work colleague invited Natalie to a workshop about self-exploration, and this was the turning point, leading Nat to explore Jungian therapy. The vivacious twenty-something went on to become a psychotherapist. “I started exploring eastern philosophy, shamanism, and chakras” adds Nat.
“It felt like coming home, and the rest has been an amazing deep dive process with insights and joy.”
Recently celebrating her 50th birthday, Natalie sits in her Noosa home surrounded by children and laughter, the smile on her face shines with the evidence of a woman living her best life.
To celebrate the launch of her book, Natalie and her team have created a luxury Balinese Chakradance retreat in stunning Bali this coming June. A visit to an Ancient temple along with luxury massages and dolphin cruises are part of the carefully planned spiritual retreat and program.
“I want each guest to have a transformational experience. ” says the celebrated author. “The book has been received beautifully, people are seeking meaning and self-awareness. We thought the next step was to create a special retreat experience like this and make it accessible so people can discover more about themselves and live their best life.”
Now, who could argue with that? Natalie’s book can be found at Angus and Robertson, Booktopia and Amazon, along with all good bookstores.
Author: Kirsten Macdonald
