For our seventeenth Sea Soul interview – our conversations with people who love the sea as much as we do – we’re talking to Nina Alcalay in Greece.
Nina sent us these stunning photos of her dancing by the sea to accompany her words, taken by Leta Stravorizou – such an incredible way to capture how the sea makes us feel!
Tell us a little bit about you:
I’m 61, a Dancer, Dance Movement Therapist, and Dance teacher.
I live and and work in Athens, Greece.
What does nature, and the sea in particular, mean to you?
After having lived for years in other countries, I realised that I am totally addicted to the Mediterranean landscape. The sea is probably in my DNA!
Since the day I was born, I’ve spent the summer months next to the sea – swimming, playing, gazing, and marvelling at the shades of the blue, green waves. I would return home every day, exhausted, happy, drenched in salty water, to have lunch looking out at the sea, already waiting for tomorrow, when I could go into the water again. As the years have passed, my love for and addiction to the sea has only become more intense.
“There’s nowhere that I feel as happy and as complete as when I am close to the sea. Of all places, it is there that I feel free and light. All worries and thoughts are gone, buried in the hot sand, and my sense of time changes. It is as if there is no past and no future. There is just me, the only person in the world, and the sea.”
While my body relaxes and becomes one with the crystal clear water, my senses focus to one goal: to grasp and absorb the incomparable beauty. I swim and move like a playful little fish.
“Out of the water, I feel the urge to dance, to express the beauty of the landscape with my movements. Movements towards the sea, the sky, the sand. Movements of joy, of gratitude, of reflection. Movements with no plan, no goal, no thinking. Movements that reflect the opening of the self towards nature and honour the moment and the experience of being.”
How do you feel on a good day?
Optimistic, light, joyful , full of love and compassion for others.
How do you feel on a bad day?
Pessimistic, irritated, angry towards others and myself, sad.
Who or what is inspiring or influencing you right now?
I’m always inspired by people who give time and energy to make life on this planet better: people who work in humanitarian aid, animal care, engaging with environmental protection issues.
What do you worry about on a typical day?
Keeping a balance between doing things for me and doing things for others. Doing things I enjoy and things that I have to do.
Where do you find joy?
In many things! In the quiet moments I spend alone in my peaceful apartment, in the moments spent with close friends and family, in the sea, in the dance and yoga classes I do for myself, in my work with dance and Dance Movement Therapy
And of course, in the Aegean sea…
“When I’m on the beach, I always concentrate on my senses: I walk barefoot on the sand, feeling the warmth on each step. I smell the salty water on my skin. I listen to the waves. I watch the colours of the sea intensely. I become my senses – and my senses become my link to the beauty of the world around me. No thinking, just sensing, is so relaxing and comforting, and gives me such inner peace and joy.”
What do you love to do, read, watch or listen to?
I love to spend time with myself and time with others, I love being in nature. I love reading books on contemporary society, I love watching a good film of whatever genre. I don’t listen to music as much as I used to, somehow I do not feel the need – I prefer silence.
What makes you cross?
People who do not respect others, animals, or the environment and who worsen our life experience with their daily thoughtless and irresponsible actions, small and large .
How do you look after yourself?
I do many little things that I enjoy every day, like exercising , reading or cooking. But most importantly, I try to avoid situations that are annoying to me.
What would you most like to change about your life?
I would like to travel more and spend more time in nature.
What have you learnt about life that you wish you’d understood earlier?
“I’ve learnt that we must expect more from ourselves and less from others. That it is no use being judgmental. That the motto should be “Live and let others live”
How would you describe Sea Soul Blessings in 3 words?
Refreshing. Deep. Thought-provoking.
How do you use your Sea Soul Blessings?
I pick one randomly and then reflect on how this applies to me, what it means to me, how it appeals to me, what it makes me realise about myself.
If someone was thinking about trying Sea Soul Blessings, how would you encourage them?
I would assure them that it is a joyful motivation for self-contemplation, and hopefully, change.
You can read more of our Sea Soul Community interviews over here.
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