For the first time since starting Shiva Nata, I had been able to think of an intention that I was emotionally invested in.  I have struggled with this before, though I’m still not sure exactly why that is, so it was great to finally find myself with a question that I felt I could use Shiva Nata with.  The intention was to understand what I got out of the hours I was spending online before going to bed.  I’d realised that my constructive part of the day tended to end around dinner time and I would then spend hours online which often resulted in me feeling frustrated with myself, yet I had a real sense of getting something out of this time that I couldn’t quite identify.

Visions

During shavasana I had a little vision/thought about feeding the rabbits grain, rather than vegetables.  I was annoyed at Glyn for not just ditching the grain and feeding a mix of veg instead.  As my awareness came back to my thoughts I started to think “oops I’ve gone off on one” but for some reason, rather than let go that thought and come back to blankness, I was drawn to go back and look at the story that had played out.  I noticed that there was a message to the story: that change, even when easy and with obvious benefits, can be resisted simply because of inertia.  I thought about my intention: I am resisting the change to my sleep patterns.  Now this statement was being touted by one part of my brain as obvious, it was simply a restatement of the question ‘Why don’t I want to go to bed?’ but I know that a rewording can bring powerful insight and understanding so I paid attention and realised that the key phrase was ‘I am resisting the change’.  So I sat up, grabbed my large journaling pad and wrote “I notice that I am resisting the change to my sleep cycle.”  What followed blew me away.

Epiphanies!

I had nine, count them – nine, epiphanies in the 3 A4 pages of writing that followed.  It was one per paragraph at one point!

Going forward

This is what I’ve been looking for in my practice.  A way to access understanding around an area.  It’s taken me a long time to be able to get the different pieces in place:

• a real intention that I’m focussed on with emotion
• a strong practice that challenges me (I did Levels 3, 4 and half of 5)
• an understanding of when I’ve reached the point to stop (brain fog just starting to really kick in – before I’ve pushed through this and totally flatlined my brain for no extra benefits)
• being able to listen to my thoughts in meditation afterwards
• following my intuition within the meditation practice, not just going for silence but hearing the message
• knowing when to follow that message into my journaling
• feeling comfortable in how to journal and record the thoughts that come to me in a safe way, knowing which routes are dead ends and which are the path to follow

I feel like I’ve reached the next level up after plateauing for so long.  I was truly skeptical I could go any further – I’m so grateful that I’ve gave it one more try!

The absolute minimum that you need to get started with Shiva Nata (also known as Dance of Shiva) is just two things:

• A space in which you can move your arms around
• The rules in which to move your arms

However, for those of us with a less ascetic bent, you can be a whole lot easier on yourself.  In fact, I’d totally recommend that you are because that way you can spend more time and effort on getting into your practice rather than worrying about what the heck you’re supposed to be doing.

If you’re a software geek (or you’ve just used enough software to recognise the difference between “I want to smash this stupid program through a wall” and “I didn’t even notice the program I was using”), think of it like a well-designed interface.  It makes it all about getting the job done rather than learning how to work the piece of software itself.  But I’d best not go on or I’ll start a rant about software interface design, and I have my other blog for that.

Second: The easy route to starting Shiva Nata

So, if you prefer the easier route then here’s 4 seriously easy steps to get you on your way:

1. Check out my review of the Shiva Nata Starter Kit from Havi – then go buy it!
2. Find a space where you can move your arms about without whacking furniture, light fittings or walls – or you can be like me and learn the hard way
3. [The trickiest for some.]  Make sure you have some time when you can do this on your own (or with others who are doing this with you).  Believe me, you will feel silly when you first start doing this.  It doesn’t take too long to get into it, but until you’re used to the movement you want to avoid anything putting you off practicing whenever you can.
4. Grab some paper and a pen.  You will want this to capture your thoughts and ideas.  Seriously.  Keep this with you at all times.  Or again, learn the hard way

Third: The extremely structured guide to starting Shiva Nata

Some of you may prefer a very structured approach (so not my style) so here’s a more structured version of the easy guide:

1. Check out my review of the Shiva Nata Starter Kit from Havi – then go buy it!
2. Set a time that you will work on this for 20 minutes every day.
3. Find a space with room to move your arms around where you can be alone.
4. Get a notebook or journal to record your thoughts (a quick guide is also included in the starter kit).

Have you any other tips for the shiva-curious?  Or are you shiva-curious yourself with a question?  Shout out in the comments section, I’d love to know what else has helped/would help.

I was so excited about getting started with Shiva Nata that I set up a little notebook in which to journal my daily habits, including practices and thoughts from Shiva Nata.  I set it up with a few guidelines in mind:

1. There are no rules – only suggestions to work with for now, I can change my mind later
2. What I am looking for in a daily routine is not rigid – work with how I’m feeling to find a daily routine that matches me real needs, not some imagined ideal that I’ve read about
3. It’s about making notes of how I felt about what happened and didn’t happen – not checking I’ve done what I’m ‘supposed to’.

I’ve found this really useful for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it helped me to clarify my thoughts and feelings on my practice.  When I commit a word to paper I can tell if it doesn’t feel write.  Often after writing an entry I will read it and find myself replacing the occasional word with one that matches better.  This way I get clearer results from my practice.

Secondly, it gave me an avenue to ‘share’ my reactions.  That’s why I started this blog too – I’ve had so many thoughts start coming through after starting my practice that I had to find a way to start sharing them with more people that just me and my notebook!

And it only takes a couple of minutes – a hassle it is not!

I need more info on keeping a journal…

I’ve adapted a guide on keeping a learning diary which I found thanks to the wonderful Nichelle of Dance Advantage

WHAT TO WRITE
What in particular went well or was difficult?  Remember – you want something to have tripped you up completely or you being too easy on yourself!
Habits that you have noticed in yourself.  It’s all about the habits!
How you feel about the way you are doing things.  Getting frustrated? That’s great! Acknowledge any associated feelings rather than push them away.
What have you achieved today?  It’s always nice to see the progress you are making.
Anything else that feels of importance to you – even though you may not understand the significance of it.

WHY DO IT?
It helps you to learn from your successes, as well as your mistakes
It makes it more likely that you will use what you have learnt next time
It gives you an opportunity to plan concisely what you want to do, what you want to change
It may help you feel more ‘in control’, more positive, deepen your understanding.

One final idea

I’m too lazy, but if you want you could keep a key dates calendar.  Basically, keep a separate note (stuck on the wall if you like) with dates when you’ve got to particular ‘milestones’.  E.g. Got through the Level 1 horizontal arm sequence.  Then did vertical as well.  Then done all the Level 1 arm moves.  Basically just keep a note whenever you feel proud!  That way, if you ever find yourself comparing how you’re doing with others, you can look at the sheet instead and remember how well you’re doing!

One question I wasn’t sure about was whether or not I needed to be very strict on myself in terms of daily practice.  I’m naturally inclined towards not forcing myself to do something when I don’t want to (not to be confused with waiting to feel like something before doing it) and if you are too then I’ve some good news for you…

I managed just fine with occasional practice

I started off just practicising every few days or so, when I had some time to look at the DVD or read some of Havi’s starter kit notes.  It gave me time to get used to the new movements involved.  I didn’t feel pressured to be progressing day on day.  I could give my brain a rest between sessions.  In short, it suited me down to the ground.

Of course, if you’re the kind of person that has a routine or schedule mapped out for their day then by all means plan away.  But if you’re more like me then fear not – you will still benefit from intermittent, scattered practices as and when you fit them in.

But having a morning routine is helpful sometimes

I have been trying to find a morning routine that fits my ‘flexible’ approach to life and have found from my little experiments that morning routines (and evening ones, heck any time of day I guess) can have certain benefits.

For me, the morning routine had a way of eliminating those times when I found I’d been staring at the wall for 15 minutes (usually when I’m running late, and now even later)!  When I have a set series of steps to work through I don’t have to think about what I’m doing or why, I just get through each of the steps whilst my brain is catching up with the whole oh-my-god-it’s-morning-already-what-am-I-doing-out-of-bed thing.  The odd part is that by doing this I’ve found myself getting more alert sooner as I’ve started to do some Shiva Nata (or pilates or stretching or, most importantly, eating) without having to plan what I’m doing next!

And now I actually WANT to practice every day!

I’m a few weeks down the line, but I’ve already had a number of epiphanies and that’s got me wanting more and more.  So now I’m hooked (in a totally good way, of course) and find that I don’t need to motivate myself to practice because I want to anyway!  It’s that good I set up this whole blog about it!

Now, that doesn’t mean that I actually fit in a practice everyday, the idea of a set routine is one that chills me to the bone, but I do tend to make time for it when I can and I write something in my diary every day.  Even if it’s just a comment as to why I didn’t make practice.  This in itself can help spot patterns.

But what if I don’t want to practice every day?!

Even if you don’t get as crazy addicted as me, you can go at a rhythm that suits you.  It’s certainly much more sustainable as a practice, so you’ll get more out of it than if you push yourself for a while and then give up because the pace is too hard.