Finding the challenge (part 1.5)

Because sometimes something comes up before you’re ready to roll with part 2 …

This comment on the last post (part 1) is from Jennifer Louden who is just completely awesome and has been on Oprah and I love her madly and you should all be reading her books or taking her classes and just thinking about her results in my writing ridiculous run-on sentences.

Also she invited me to be the official Dance of Shiva genius slash scholar-in-residence sort of thing at her Writer’s Retreat Spa thing this summer in Taos, New Mexico so if you’re a woman and you write … transformative freaking experience is all I’m saying.

Anyway, Jen does Dance of Shiva too. And …

Well, I’ll let her explain what’s going on:

Okay, here’s what I’m not getting AND I SWEAR I’M READING ALL THE STUFF and watching the theory part (twice) and all that but AFTER MONTHS I STILL can’t do the all the combos of arms not even close or legs fast but I can do them slow.

So I think, “Do I keep going back and trying to learn just the arms until I can do them right going fast and without the video?” “Yes!” “But no, then I won’t be confusing my brain because I can tell I’m getting bored.” So I do legs and arms or vertical arms fast and I can’t do it AT ALL and so I go back and try learning the basics again and now I’m the guy in your question although still practicing…

I’m doing it without sound, counting, not counting, doing basic arms on my own without the video here and there throughout the day, can’t do it with eyes closed but have tried. I’m so not getting any of it yet still getting that flat feeling SO do I just leap ahead even though I haven’t mastered the first parts? (I can do the very basic four part horizontal and vertical arms)

I really don’t mind getting it wrong because I’ve always been a physical dolt. And I like to skip ahead. But is that okay when i can’t do all the arm combos, not even close?

I’m so confused!

And exhale ………

First of all, everyone send Jen a mental hug because yuck! Feeling frustrated and stuck and not knowing what to do is no fun. No fun at all.

Next step is just breathe breathe breathe because I happen to have a LOT of opinions about this.

And enough experience that everyone including famous people like Jennifer Louden and including pretty much everyone in the world except for Andrey Lappa has to listen to me, like it or not.

Things you need to know that you don’t know. Yet.

1. You’re not supposed to be able to combine arms and legs yet.
After just a couple months? That’s crazy talk.

Combining arms and legs is incredibly difficult. It took me six months to combine them. And I was unemployed. It’s not like I had anything else to do.

There are two exceptions to this rule. If you are a professional dancer/choreographer like the ones I used to regularly beat up lead trainings for in Berlin, then yeah, you should be able to pick it up in a couple of weeks of hard work.

Or if you are James Bartley aka the dancing geek, and fabulously dedicated and have been dancing for your entire life.

Otherwise you should really not be able to combine yet. That would be absurd.

2. Use intermediary levels.
You’re already doing this a bit by doing without sound, but there are really all sorts of ways you can create mini in-between levels.

• Do level 1 horizontal and vertical arms fast and just do it completely wrong and practice being okay with doing it completely wrong.
• Do level 1 H & V arms slow and alternate between having the arms be very loose and soft and flowing … and then very hard and precise.
• Do level 1 H & V arms slow but count the numbers aloud along with Andrey as you do it. Or at least try to guess the next numbers.
• Do level 1 H & V arms slow without sound and with music. Then fast to music.
• Do level 1 H & V arms slow without sound and count your breath. For example exhale exhale inhale inhale. Commit to a rhythm to get focus.

3. Change your focus.
Spend a week or two just working on connections and transquarters.

Or do a little Level 2 to mix it up.

Actually I would suggest doing Level 2 transquarters and then going back to Level 1. Now THAT will mess with your head. *cackles gleefully*

4. Who said you have to do everything in order?
You don’t. Skip ahead if you like. Just make sure that you come back to stuff later.

5. Ask yourself what the pattern is.
Dance of Shiva always brings up and works on life patterns that are keeping us stuck. So anytime we get especially stuck in the practice, it’s usually a reflection of stuff that’s going on in real life.

The question then becomes:

Is your pattern one of losing patience with things that don’t show results right away?

Or maybe your pattern is about expecting that you won’t be able to do what other people can do.

Or maybe your pattern is about rebellion and struggle.

Once you know what pattern you’re working on (or might be working on), you can make smart decisions.

There’s basically two ways you can take it.

Either ….

To flow with your pattern but still bring conscious awareness to it. You might even create an intention before your practice to receive some insights from the dance around this particular pattern.

Or …

To play with your pattern by doing the opposite of what you normally would. Surprise yourself. Take another path. Ask yourself what would be the thing you’d never do in this situation and then see what that would be like.

Because when it comes to Dance of Shiva, you have to do it wrong. But when it comes to learning how to love yourself, you can’t do it wrong.

Does that make sense? What do you think?

Love, love, love,
Havi & Selma