The short answers:

1. Try both. Alternate. In general though it’s okay if you miss chunks as long as your brain is being challenged. Which it is!

2. Same thing. Try doing it one way the first time and another way the second time and compare your experiences. My own personal opinion is that at the beginning it’s not a big deal not to focus as much on form — there are other people who completely disagree with me though.

When I teach, I’ll bug the more advanced students about form, but I figure the beginners have enough on their plate (and in their nervous system!).

See what doesn’t over-stress you and try that! Or: if you like, start investigating to see there is a specific pattern of yours involved in this too. Like maybe related to wanting to get it right. Or worry that it has to be done in a certain way?

(If that part is totally irrelevant, ignore it!)

3. See how it feels. 5-10 minutes in the morning is awesome. If you wan to use it to jumpstart your energy into doing some creative stuff, that’s a great idea.

Especially if you’re just doing it for a few minutes. I don’t think it’s overdoing it. But if you find that it makes you very energized and you’re not able to sleep, you could shift your practice again.

Experiment experiment experiment! I’ve done everything from 2 minutes to 3 hours in my daily practice, and it’s always interesting … :)

Hope that helps.

The BING will come. Just in different ways. So I don’t think you can screw it up. I mean, the only way to “screw it up” is by not doing it ever. Or by not ever introducing challenges. And even then there are still some pretty great results. So. Not worried!

1. Is it more important to hit each position or to keep up the pace with Andrey? I find myself stumbling and then just snapping into the next position that I can grasp onto… not very flow-y and I’m missing out on the key spiral motion.

2. Should I focus more on my form, or the movement between positions? (keeping shoulders low, palms flat, etc…) I know that focusing on my form will give me better physical benifits, but my brain seems to be full enough remembering the positions at this point, that my form suffers.. tips?

3. Would it be too much to practice more than once a day? I have been practicing 5-10 minutes in the morning before I get dressed and head to a job i’m not thrilled with at all. I like to spend my evenings working on my REAL stuff, artwork, comic making etc. It seems like doing some Shiva Nata would help shift me into a good space for that. would It be overkill for a newbie like me to practice again?

I am really excited about what this practice can bring to me, I have lots of stuck I’m ready to explore and just want to make sure I’m maximizing my chances of getting the BING!

Just reading this post and becoming aware of the different categories of epiphanies that are possible…well, it’s kind of like scanning my life for things to be grateful for – only good can come of it.

“The thing that’s missing for you right now is the thing you will receive.” What more could I ask for?

Thank you.

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