Comments on: Shiva Nata: odd and unexpected side effects http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/ Hot buttered epiphanies and unlikely insights with Shiva Nata. We're the Shivanauts. Whoo! Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:35:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: sheila sen http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-2588 sheila sen Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:08:20 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-2588 my need for, and ability to, sleep almost halved. i have a background of depression; used to need 10 or 11 hours now i have 6 with maybe a half hour nap after dinner xx my need for, and ability to, sleep almost halved. i have a background of depression; used to need 10 or 11 hours now i have 6 with maybe a half hour nap after dinner xx

]]> By: Elizabeth B http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-986 Elizabeth B Thu, 22 Apr 2010 02:41:25 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-986 I stopped eating, or wanting to eat, meat during and after the Monterey retreat. I had been setting an intention of tuning in to my body, but that was not at all a response I was expecting my body to give. I stopped eating, or wanting to eat, meat during and after the Monterey retreat. I had been setting an intention of tuning in to my body, but that was not at all a response I was expecting my body to give.

]]> By: jessie http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-984 jessie Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:36:12 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-984 one of the nicest side effects is that i've become very intuitive. before, i felt really blocked in my ability to read and even understand other people, but i've developed an uncanny (fer me) ability to gauge where they are, what they mean, what they want/ need to hear or are trying to say. so that's been lovely. also, my overall level of self-understanding has increased dramatically, as has my level of calm, general happiness and patience. i'd say the overall "holy crap!" moments of epiphany have slowed down a lot (i was having a 1-1 ratio of practice to giant epiphany at first) but i'm okay with that, because those giant epiphanies were just so amazingly life-changing. i need to play! i am the ocean! no, i am a cave! i am not broken--those cracks are where understanding comes in! i limit myself so that i can't fail and then leave myself! and other things that make no sense, but were breathtaking insights for me. one of the nicest side effects is that i’ve become very intuitive. before, i felt really blocked in my ability to read and even understand other people, but i’ve developed an uncanny (fer me) ability to gauge where they are, what they mean, what they want/ need to hear or are trying to say. so that’s been lovely.

also, my overall level of self-understanding has increased dramatically, as has my level of calm, general happiness and patience. i’d say the overall “holy crap!” moments of epiphany have slowed down a lot (i was having a 1-1 ratio of practice to giant epiphany at first) but i’m okay with that, because those giant epiphanies were just so amazingly life-changing. i need to play! i am the ocean! no, i am a cave! i am not broken–those cracks are where understanding comes in! i limit myself so that i can’t fail and then leave myself! and other things that make no sense, but were breathtaking insights for me.

]]> By: Lynn @ human, being http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-980 Lynn @ human, being Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:11:48 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-980 Since I started doing shiva nata, anything violent feels abhorrent to me. Not that I was a huge FAN of violence, the overt, Hollywood kind at least. Shiva nata has made me so much more sensitive. I can't even run on the treadmill or lift heavy weights because those activities feel too violent to me. So I've found a trainer who is into the nonviolent workout, building intrinsic muscles, etc. And I'm catching myself in violent thought patterns toward others and myself and stopping them, and asking what need am I trying to get met here? As a result, I'm now taking an online class in nonviolent communication. And I think that it could be part of my Right Employment. Or at the very least it will change everything. The other odd side-effect is this: two weeks ago, I was walking from one session to another at a writing conference, and as I glanced at this white trash can, I had a huge, life-shattering epiphany that affects my core self image and one of the people I've blamed for everything from hatred of my body to disbelief in god. What happened was I saw this situation that happened between him and me 25 years ago from his point of view, and it changed everything, and I realized that I can not only forgive him, but I need to apologize to him, and also I can forgive myself for SO MUCH that has been painful for the past 25 years. What's weird is that I hadn't done shiva nata in a week, or maybe 10 days. But it felt like a shiva nata epiphany ... a delayed reaction, I think. .-= Lynn @ human, being´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/humanbeingblog/yplw/~3/Ri0fkaGvXUQ/" rel="nofollow">Violent offender</a> =-. Since I started doing shiva nata, anything violent feels abhorrent to me. Not that I was a huge FAN of violence, the overt, Hollywood kind at least. Shiva nata has made me so much more sensitive. I can’t even run on the treadmill or lift heavy weights because those activities feel too violent to me. So I’ve found a trainer who is into the nonviolent workout, building intrinsic muscles, etc. And I’m catching myself in violent thought patterns toward others and myself and stopping them, and asking what need am I trying to get met here?

As a result, I’m now taking an online class in nonviolent communication. And I think that it could be part of my Right Employment. Or at the very least it will change everything.

The other odd side-effect is this: two weeks ago, I was walking from one session to another at a writing conference, and as I glanced at this white trash can, I had a huge, life-shattering epiphany that affects my core self image and one of the people I’ve blamed for everything from hatred of my body to disbelief in god. What happened was I saw this situation that happened between him and me 25 years ago from his point of view, and it changed everything, and I realized that I can not only forgive him, but I need to apologize to him, and also I can forgive myself for SO MUCH that has been painful for the past 25 years. What’s weird is that I hadn’t done shiva nata in a week, or maybe 10 days. But it felt like a shiva nata epiphany … a delayed reaction, I think.
Lynn @ human, being´s last blog ..Violent offender

]]> By: elizabeth http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-979 elizabeth Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:05:49 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-979 Tree pose is much easier, which was unexpected for me only because I didn't think about the balance thing outside of the practice itself. My wellness blog posts generally come from the practice. I am usually stuck on how to write something so I do Dance of Shiva, and at some point (hours or days later), something entirely new and full-formed comes up that wants to be written instead. I figured it would help me articulate things, but it does so much more. Someone asked me for a guest post and I had a vague idea for a post, but then I went for a walk and something entirely different wrote itself. That was unexpected. .-= elizabeth´s last blog ..<a href="http://retinalperspectives.typepad.com/retinalperspectives/2010/04/giveaway-winners.html" rel="nofollow">giveaway winners</a> =-. Tree pose is much easier, which was unexpected for me only because I didn’t think about the balance thing outside of the practice itself.

My wellness blog posts generally come from the practice. I am usually stuck on how to write something so I do Dance of Shiva, and at some point (hours or days later), something entirely new and full-formed comes up that wants to be written instead. I figured it would help me articulate things, but it does so much more.

Someone asked me for a guest post and I had a vague idea for a post, but then I went for a walk and something entirely different wrote itself. That was unexpected.
elizabeth´s last blog ..giveaway winners

]]> By: Dayna http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-978 Dayna Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:56:24 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-978 I think the most unexpected thing that has happened to me is when I let my Shivanautery slide for awhile, the ephianies still come. Dance of Shiva has so rewired my brain that I haven't been having what I call "the brain spins". That's when I get so caught up in something going on in my life, usually stressful, that I can't shut my brain off about it. Dance of Shiva has given me the ability to...not obsess, I guess is the best way of putting it. I'm able to see that if there's nothing I can do in the moment, then I can put it aside for now. That right there, to me, was worth way more than I can say. I think the most unexpected thing that has happened to me is when I let my Shivanautery slide for awhile, the ephianies still come. Dance of Shiva has so rewired my brain that I haven’t been having what I call “the brain spins”. That’s when I get so caught up in something going on in my life, usually stressful, that I can’t shut my brain off about it. Dance of Shiva has given me the ability to…not obsess, I guess is the best way of putting it. I’m able to see that if there’s nothing I can do in the moment, then I can put it aside for now. That right there, to me, was worth way more than I can say.

]]> By: Eric Normand http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-977 Eric Normand Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:10:49 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-977 What I have to say is something a little vague, basically because I forgot the specific thing. But forgetting it was the epiphany! So it worked. I was really worried about something small and unimportant. I knew it was small and unimportant, and I wanted to figure out how to stop worrying. I did Shiva Nata with that intention. When I sat down for meditation, bam, it hit me, just don't worry about it! It's small and unimportant. But I felt how ridiculous the thing was. I laughed out loud. What I knew before intellectually, I came to understand deep in my bones. .-= Eric Normand´s last blog ..<a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RenegadeYogi/~3/OxarWxRH-W0/" rel="nofollow">I think I’m ready</a> =-. What I have to say is something a little vague, basically because I forgot the specific thing. But forgetting it was the epiphany! So it worked.

I was really worried about something small and unimportant. I knew it was small and unimportant, and I wanted to figure out how to stop worrying.

I did Shiva Nata with that intention. When I sat down for meditation, bam, it hit me, just don’t worry about it! It’s small and unimportant.

But I felt how ridiculous the thing was. I laughed out loud. What I knew before intellectually, I came to understand deep in my bones.
Eric Normand´s last blog ..I think I’m ready

]]> By: Rose http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-976 Rose Mon, 19 Apr 2010 08:54:49 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-976 I've only been practising about 6-7 weeks, and I was not expecting it to actually affect the flow of my entire day. I can salvage a bad day by just 3-4 minutes of Shivanata- bad things still happen, but I'm in a better position to deal wiht it. Hmm, maybe I should go back to my own language learning [German, Irish Gaelic & Japanese] and see if it can help me. .-= Rose´s last blog ..<a href="http://wingsofflight.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/summer/" rel="nofollow">Summer</a> =-. I’ve only been practising about 6-7 weeks, and I was not expecting it to actually affect the flow of my entire day.
I can salvage a bad day by just 3-4 minutes of Shivanata- bad things still happen, but I’m in a better position to deal wiht it.

Hmm, maybe I should go back to my own language learning [German, Irish Gaelic & Japanese] and see if it can help me.
Rose´s last blog ..Summer

]]> By: Casey http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-975 Casey Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:25:07 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-975 I started doing shivanata in 2008 - a few months after having a stroke. Did it once a week, at most, at first. Even with that little bit of it, I was able to cut out most of the drugs they had me on. Drugs for depression, sleep, anxiety, you name it - all gone. Even the headaches decreased so the vicodin intake went down, too. And I didn't even try to quit those drugs, I simply realized that I didn't need them any more, stopped taking them, and life was fine. Then, I started a regular, few-times-a-week practice in December 2009 and I noticed that my mood improves markedly on those days. On the other days, even when I don't practice, my creative energy increases and inspiration for blog posts just comes. Granted my blog has no actual point, but it's still cool to have things just flow out. I started doing shivanata in 2008 – a few months after having a stroke. Did it once a week, at most, at first.

Even with that little bit of it, I was able to cut out most of the drugs they had me on. Drugs for depression, sleep, anxiety, you name it – all gone. Even the headaches decreased so the vicodin intake went down, too. And I didn’t even try to quit those drugs, I simply realized that I didn’t need them any more, stopped taking them, and life was fine.

Then, I started a regular, few-times-a-week practice in December 2009 and I noticed that my mood improves markedly on those days. On the other days, even when I don’t practice, my creative energy increases and inspiration for blog posts just comes. Granted my blog has no actual point, but it’s still cool to have things just flow out.

]]> By: Inge http://shivanata.com/blog/ask/shiva-nata-odd-and-unexpected-side-effects/comment-page-1/#comment-972 Inge Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:36:07 +0000 http://shivanata.com/?p=1252#comment-972 The oddest thing that happened to me was after Havi's Berlin workshop, which to me was an unprecedented high level of blissful flailing (and failing). She was talking in German and English, all the other participants were speaking German and I was making notes in Dutch. After the workshop, being in a happy brain buzz, I was mixing up the three languages and it was very hard to say something coherent in only one language. I could almost feel my brain being rearranged, kind of like the moving stair cases in the Harry Potter movies. Odd. It seems like Shiva Nata really tickles the language bits in the brain! The oddest thing that happened to me was after Havi’s Berlin workshop, which to me was an unprecedented high level of blissful flailing (and failing). She was talking in German and English, all the other participants were speaking German and I was making notes in Dutch. After the workshop, being in a happy brain buzz, I was mixing up the three languages and it was very hard to say something coherent in only one language. I could almost feel my brain being rearranged, kind of like the moving stair cases in the Harry Potter movies. Odd.

It seems like Shiva Nata really tickles the language bits in the brain!

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