Shiva Nata: the Dance of Shiva
Dance of Shiva: do you have to be good at yoga?
This very useful question comes (with permission, of course) from Lynn Jacobs in California.
Hello Havi,
I’ve been reading your Fluent Self blog lately and really enjoy it.I’m considering ordering the Shiva Nata materials, but am not sure if I should do so. I have only a little bit of experience with yoga, and wonder if I should already be good at that before I try Shiva Nata.
Should I begin a yoga practice and then try Shiva Nata? Or just go for it?
Thanks and Happy New Year to you!
Lynn
Good question. And one I always forget to make explicitly clear. Because, of course, I suffer from the classic problem of Knowing Too Much.
You absolutely don’t need any yoga experience for Shiva Nata.
Traditional yoga won’t make you better at Shiva Nata, though actually Shiva Nata will definitely make it easier and more fun for you to do traditional yoga, if that’s something you’d like.
It’s for the brain much more than it is for the body (though yes, it does give you a nice work out too).
Also, keep in mind that starting a physical yoga practice is all about getting into the habit of it, and Shiva Nata is very useful for building and creating new habits that support you, because it teaches you so much about your patterns and how they work.
So yeah, I’d say just go for it.
And anyway, if you wait until you’re “good at yoga” you’ll be waiting a long time …
The truth is, there’s kind of no such thing as being good at yoga.
Admittedly, this is more of a philosophical point, but still.
The more yoga you do, the stronger and more flexible you’ll get, absolutely.
Certain poses will get slightly easier, other poses will get a lot easier, and some you may never be able to do because of how your bones fit together or a thousand other things.
It will get easier to focus, easier to be kind to yourself, easier to breathe.
But good at it? Mmm. Probably not. Because yoga is one of those unending life-process-ey things.
It is — as I say at least six times a day — the science of learning how you work and then liking yourself anyway.
So can you get good at that? Better at it, sure. It becomes easier for you to be in this process. Or it comes to you more naturally.
To be truly good at it, though … I tend to think that’s not really possible.
And there’s definitely no such thing as being good at Shiva Nata.
Okay, so whether or not you can be good at yoga is a philosophical debate. Agree with me or disagree with me, either way.
But Shiva Nata? Hahahahaha, no. You won’t be good at it, and moreover, you can’t be good at it because it’s all about making sure that you’re always doing it wrong.
In other words, the only way you can be good at it … is by being bad at it.
Which kind of ruins the whole “good at it” part.
Since the goal is always to be doing it wrong, you’re constantly looking for and choosing to be in a state of challenge, chaos and confusion.
Because once you start “doing it right”, you stop getting the cool effects.
Oh, the paradox. Oh, the pain-in-the-ass-ness of it all.
I know. I’m sorry. Honest I am.
But hey, totally worth it.
Seriously, the epiphanies rock. The wonderful-ideas-coming-to-you-regularly is really great.
And you learn so many fascinating things about yourself.
So yeah, my advice would be to jump right in and start playing with it. See what happens. Some wild and crazy stuff, for sure.
Take care, Lynn! I can’t wait to hear how you like it. It will be fun to have another Shivanaut on board.
And warm wishes for a wonderful, happy, healthy year to you too,
Havi (and Selma the duck)
RE: not being “good” at Shiva Nata…
I had my absolute “worst” Shiva Nata session yesterday. It was as if my brain dumped all my prior practices and I was brand new. I was the ShivaNata equivalent of those little baby horses that can’t stand up yet so they’re just wobbling about everywhere and it’s funny and cute but definitely not “good walking.”
I found myself actually laughing at my absurd flailings.
But then after the session, my head was actually, like, humming. It felt a bit like what I imagine being high feels like. And then I had this huge productivity BURST for about an hour, and then was inexplicably exhausted and had to nap.
And then later that night, I played Guitar Hero better than I’ve ever played before and had a whole bunch of random insights into things that just had never occurred to me before.
Which I’m pretty sure were Shiva Nata aftershocks.
It was my worst session, which means it was probably my best session. And it made me laugh–always a good thing. :)
I heart being bad at Shiva Nata. I really do.
Marissas last blog post..Abundance, heart, and why NCIS will premiere in my den tonight
Oh, the pain-in-the-ass-ness of it indeed.
A huge pattern for me is *doing it right*. Whatever “it” is, I’ve got to do it right. Being wrong? Eeek! (running shrieking from the room)
Hah. Hohoho. Heeheehee. Snort.
Funny how I find myself wanting to stick with just the first few practices on the DVD, because I’m mostly “doing them right.”
Yep. Ain’t it grand?
Twitter: havi
@Marissa – Yay, you! I know it sucks, honey. I know. Really I do. And yes, that’s when all the best results happen.
When I finally got to the point that I was pretty good at Level 6, do you know what happened?
Level 3 was ERASED. Entirely. Like it never was. Even though I’d taught it and worked it and could do it in my sleep. Gone. Finito. No more Level 3. I had to go back and re-learn it again, cursing and bitching the whole way.
But man, the epiphanies. They cleaned me out. It was awesome.
@Grace – Ha! Awesome. I know. I also hate being wrong.
But isn’t it great that now you have permission to do it wrong because it’s the only way to do it right?
Sounds like you have the classic problem of people who started with the DVD instead of the Starter Kit. I’ll upgrade you! :)
Havi, you’re brilliant AND amazingly generous. Thank you.
Just read your Starter Kit handouts and then did 15 minutes of Level I with my eyes closed. My brain is spinning around in my head.
I’m off to take a walk somewhere – dunno where, but someplace new. Ha!
Big internet thank-you hug!
Grace – I’m the same….still on the first few practices on the DVD because it’s “comfortable” (and Havi, I have the Starter Kit so no excuses for me, huh?). Still can’t wrap my head around the doing it wrong is the only way to do it right thing, that’s why Havi you need to keep posting these gentle reminders so that someday that might click with me!!
Evelines last blog post..I Will Begin
@Eveline I just started getting really curious about what trying something past where I was comfortable might take me. And then I started laughing.
And we won’t talk about knocking over my mug of tea – fortunately NOT into the (extremely expensive and generally lifesaving, or at least wrist-saving, ergonomic) keyboard of my computer, but the mouse was a tad damp for a while… (Now I make sure there’s nothing I can hit whilst I’m flailing about.)
Twitter: havi
Well, for the record, I also hate going anywhere uncomfortable, which is why I’m a big fan of the Yes-No-Yes plan.
Do something I can do easily, follow it by giving myself permission to flail around and suck at something for a few minutes, go back to doing what I like.
Because we all (mostly) hate doing it wrong … but that’s where the epiphanies are. And hey, at least no one is laughing at us because we’re actually TRYING to get it wrong.
And oh lord, the number of things I have knocked over. I don’t even want to talk about it!
Thanks, Havi. I’m ordering the materials today(Gulp)! I”ll keep you posted…
Lynn