So I tried the breathing technique with my two variations for Level 3 and actually managed to get completely stuck on the 2nd variation, but this I think had more to do with the fact that I was feeling very frazzled and off centre, so I was struggling to get my thoughts together.  Still, that might not be a bad time to get some Shiva Nata help, so hopefully it’s doing it’s thing in the background.

Certainly over the course of Friday evening and today I managed to notice when I was having a freak out moment, see where I was getting my buttons pushed and stop myself from spiralling off, so I’m feeling good about myself (even though I did still have a freak out moment and get my buttons pushed!)

After the Shiva Nata for 10 minutes on Friday my brain was still a bit of a mess, but taking a full 20 minutes to relax, calm down and focus on just my breathing (I use one of Havi’s suggestions from the Starter Kit) I actually managed to turn it around, which was such a freaking awesome feeling!  Oh yes, I am in charge of my mental space!  Booya!  hehehe

Well, ok, control isn’t maybe the right word, but being able to find that calm space inside me to then be able to go and write out a load of pages and get the mess out of my head and onto paper certainly beats getting dizzy with all the thoughts running through my head, which is what was happening beforehand.

Still think that Level 3 has been beat, but since I can use it to trip me up when I’m in a mess it acts as a good barometer for the moment, until I get better at noticing where I am at from day to day (and moment to moment).  When Havi has rested from her little yoga retreat and I’ve got further in this trial I may try picking her brains for more info however.

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.

About the creator

Havi Brooks, the #2 World Expert in Shiva Nata (Dance of Shiva), is the creator of the Dance of Shiva Starter Kit. Havi also runs FluentSelf.com, where she uses the amazing insights she got from Dance of Shiva to get us all destuckified and biggified. If you’re a creative person you will want to check her stuff out.

About the Starter Kit

If you’re even thinking about having a go at Shiva Nata then The Dance of Shiva Starter Kit is a great way to get a taste of this crazy, brain training, pattern-dissolving, epiphany producing practice. Even if you’re not sure you want to take it any further, the kit is cheap as chips and totally worth trying out!

Starter Kit = DVD + Downloads

The DVD is available on it’s own, but to be honest, you will want to upgrade to the Starter Kit given all the great stuff that Havi has thrown together for you. If you already have the DVD you can even get Havi’s stuff on its own (scroll to the bottom) – so either way, there’s no excuse!

The DVD

I found the theory part of the DVD a little difficult to understand until I got used to Andrey’s accent, though once you get used to his voice, it’s actually is very relaxing. There are a few times when what he’s saying pops up on the screen for clarity (e.g. “neural connections”) but it’s rare and to be honest, the guy’s lecturing in what is a foreign language to him – pretty darn impressive!

When it comes to the practice it’s set in a few different spots halfway up a Nepalese mountain and I couldn’t help but think about how cold his feet must be. I soon forgot about that when I started practising though. It’s actually quite helpful to see that (occasionally) Andrey himself stumbles or has had to record the sequence in more than one take. Even the master does not produce perfect work at the basic levels!

These different levels are broken up into stages so you can work your way up to a full understanding of the technique. This makes it a fairly simple process to get the balance right between total incomprehension and finding it too easy – particularly with the support of Havi’s work.

Havi’s information pack

It is Havi’s work that really makes the Dance of Shiva accessible through this starter kit. One of the best parts is that you can get it straight away (a big boon given that I’m in the UK and it took a while for the DVD to get over to me). So the first thing you will probably find yourself doing is going through Havi’s reports, worksheets & recording to familiarise yourself with the basic arm movements and prepare for your practice sessions.

The two reports serve to really set your expectations as to what is going to happen with your practice. So there’s no upset or disappointment when you get the DVD and don’t work through it all in one go. The amount of acquired knowledge condensed into these two reports makes them totally worth reading and re-reading before the DVD arrives to really get grounded in how to get the most out of your practice.

Havi’s wonderful destuckification techniques are also provided as part of the pack in the form of a recorded tele-seminar as well as an invitation to the next live one. The recording helps to ensure that any worries or concerns about having a daily practice are not going to get in the way of enjoying Dance of Shiva and getting the most out of it that you can. Havi is an expert at ‘meeting you where you are’ and this recording is excellent for getting the Dance of Shiva to come to you, rather than the other way around, for maximum benefits and progress. It’s called ‘Dust off the DVD’ but even after I started a regular practice I found advice, and questions from fellow Shivanauts, that helped me.

The last of the downloads is a couple of worksheets so you can have everything ready and prepared when you get the DVD. Of course, not everyone will but that’s ok – that’s what the recording is for! I did struggle to feel confident with the vertical arm positions from the worksheet, but as soon as the DVD came I was able to tweak my understanding and get started with the minimum of fuss – and that’s what this starter kit is all about.

Even more goodies

Last, but not least, are some of the bonuses that Havi has included in the starter kit as well. Havi is working on a Dance of Shiva manual, and anyone who’s bought the starter kit automatically will receive 15% off the book when it is finished! Also, shipping for the DVD is included in the price – so what you see is what you pay. As the final cherry on the icing on the cake it’s all covered by Havi’s “I’m a yoga teacher goshdarnit I always tell the truth” buy-back guarantee. Check out all the details on Havi’s website.

So far, I’ve read through Havi’s Starter Kit stuff info watched the Theory section for Level 1 (yeah!  I’m a geek, I love theory!) and played around with the arm sequences for Level 1.  I’ve done a total of 4 Shiva Nata practice play sessions and BANG! it’s epiphany time.

Seriously – it’s that quick – jeepers!

The way it went

We had a big roast dinner (yum!) and so I had a kip afterwards and then in the evening (uh-oh!) did some more playing around.

First off – it totally helps me to get clearer on what is running around in my head at the time.  So it turns my foggy brain (which leads to low moods and self-esteem) into understanding as to what is behind the fog.  This in itself is life-changing for me.  Whenever I’m having foggy head you can guarantee that I’ll find myself a space to start going through the latest sequence.

Then I went to bed.  Thing is, my brain was now totally engaged and I ended up spending 3 hours writing notes that kept cropping up as I started to drop off.  Somewhat frustrating (very frustrating for Glyn who was trying to sleep with me clicking on and off a little light to write by) but ultimately worth the reduced amount of sleep (both of ours).  I could probably have let myself drift off at this point, but I was so taken aback by the quality and quantity that I didn’t dare stop in case I lost them.

Lessons learnt

1. When writing about what I’m thinking, be specific!  All I wrote in my journal was “got clearer understanding on what was bugging me” – but not what it was that was actually bothering me!  Oh dear, now I’ll have to have that lesson again another time.
2. Shiva Nata in the evening may see the results kick in as I’m ready for bed (the whole brain buzz as I drop off combining with Shiva Nata to be a pretty powerful force)!  Could be useful if I don’t need to worry about getting up the next day.
3. [Later experience tells me that] I can always get fresh insights at a more appropriate time – Shiva Nata keeps delivering.  So I don’t need to worry about capturing everything!

Have you had your first epiphany?  What was it like?  Did it catch you off guard?  Scare you?  Amaze you?  Leave you underwhelmed or disappointed?  Please share your story below.

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.