Adventures of a Shivanaut

It’s been quiet for a while

I haven’t had much to write about the last couple of weeks because I’ve had an extended break from Shiva Nata for a fortnight [Edit: actually, it's more like 3 weeks!].  It wasn’t just Dance of Shiva I was stopping either, it was a number of activities, because I’ve been feeling low on energy and tired and, frankly, Shiva Nata is very tiring as a regular practice!

Resting up

I will admit to totally underestimating how much work it would be.  It’s not the physical effort, since that takes just a few hours physical rest to recover, nor the mental effort of working it all out, since that too requires just a short rest in order for me to feel alert and ready again.  It seems that the brain building work involved however was having an intense effect.

Now my slump co-incides with Winter really kicking in here as well, so I’m not about to attribute it all to Shiva Nata, but I have found that it was one of the first things to go as it is so energy intensive to practice.

Building up slowly

Today was the first day that I felt like doing some again after having decided last Thursday to give myself permission to really cut back and recover from this funk I’ve been in for a few weeks.  This time, I’m planning to go a little slower, just to see if I can be aware of the impact it has on my energy levels.

What are your experiences?

I’m wondering if this feeling of energy drain is something that others have experienced with Shiva Nata, and whether this means that others have reduced their practice or stopped altogether.  What do you think?