dancing the dance of shiva

i practice this thing called shiva nata (also known as the dance of shiva). i love it. sometimes it drives me batty, but i still love it. when i practice regularly, i can see how it affects my photography. i have been wanting to write a post about this because it fascinates me but i could not think of how to explain it (sort of a problem if one wants to blog about something).

i took a shiva nata teacher training intensive back in june. one day, i was looking at the photos i took that week and i realized that i could just show you the effect on my photography. i took 300 photos that week, all of the simplest, most ordinary things, and so so so many were the photos i am always looking for - the ones that fill me with delight.

now, it's definitely not that i can't take those photos without shiva nata. it feels more like it stacks the odds in my favor. it quiets the voices in my head so that i photograph more freely and instinctively and intuitively. it creates new connections in my mind so that i see possibility everywhere and can think of more ways that i might get the photos i love. (at least this is my theory on what is happening.)

shiva nata really is the most fabulous practice. it helps me with all sorts of things: balance, getting epiphanies/insights (why i do things, making unconscious thoughts conscious, seeing patterns), muscle-y arms (as a side note, i realize that muscle-y is not a word but i like it better than muscular), putting me solidly in my body, thinking more creatively (like helping me write posts or pages when i'm stuck on what to say), coordination .. and more of the photos i love is always a good thing.

when you practice, you're essentially drawing patterns with your body. in the first level, for example, there is a set of four points and you draw all the connections between those points with your arms. then you take another set of four points and draw all the connections between those points. then you add in more variables - like legs or rotation. as your brain tries to make sense of the patterns, it creates new connections. the beauty (or the beast) of the practice is that getting it wrong is a very good thing. you want to be getting it wrong. really. {the best way i can describe how i often feel is to say that it feels like trying to rub your belly and pat your head while standing on your head and eating ribs and learning a foreign language. yes. like that.}

did i mention that i love it? one of my goals is to teach shiva nata at retreats, particularly creative retreats, because it is so useful and seems like such a great way to help support retreat leaders in achieving their goals for the retreat. on that note, my friend patty is planning a creative retreat - the space between - for this october and i'm going to attend and teach shiva nata. i can hardly wait. i believe there are still spaces available if you want to check it out!

Comments

[claire]

I'm definitely intrigued by Shiva Nata. Perhaps you know the answers to a few of my questions? I'd be much obliged.

Do you think your noticing of patterns & such comes from Shiva Nata alone or from (presumably) Havi's approach to doing Shiva Nata?

Or phrased another way, why are Shiva Nata’s movement patterns more effective for rewriting patterns than ballroom dancing, hopscotch, DDR, or some other flail-worthy pursuit? Have any books been written on the science of it? My library network has nothing and I haven’t see any on Amazon.

And more simply, is all of Dance of Shiva performed standing? Sort of like karate or Tai Chi forms? Just trying to get a feel for it...

[steph]

I think Popeye would agree with me in saying that muscle-y is a word--but generally the c is pronounced. :)

More of the things we love *is* a good thing. Yay!

[Josiane]

Clearly, you have found how to explain it, because this was a terrific post! Showing the effect Shiva Nata has on your photography through your pictures was a great idea. As writers say: show, don't tell!
I'm still having a hard time finding the words to describe it myself, which is a bit of a problem since I will soon be putting up my website and announcing my classes... oh well, I guess I simply have to do it some more, maybe with new words or something crazy, and hope to have a few of those glorious moments of bing! :)

[Meredith]

Interesting reading, Elizabeth. I have never seen Shiva Nata performed or anything, so I'm just flying blind here on trying to grasp what's going on. :) It sounds a bit like a meditation-through-motion practice. Is that accurate, do you think?

That first photo is intensely beautiful. Love it!

[Lori]

Beautiful photos, Elizabeth. And a great description of Shiva Nata. Why oh why will my brain not let me do it on a consistent basis? I need all the epiphanies I can get!

[elk]

i enjoyed your flower photos as always...the shiva looks wonderful, I looked at the video ..that takes some real coordination!!

[Leanne]

All I know, for certainty, is that these photos are beautiful. Clearly it's working!

[Bullwinkle]

Squeeee! Yay! for teaching Shiva Nata at creative retreats! Oh excellent biggifying!!!

(I have this weird idea that I want to teach to brain injured people. There. Said it out loud.)

Still squeeing for you! Love the retreat pages.

[Suvarna]

loving the blur of your dance

[Tracy]

I am hearing the language you are speaking, Elizabeth! Though I knew a tiny bit about, shiva nata, I am even more intrigued, and how you connect it to your creative life. I feel something similar when my yoga practice is maintained with reverence and dedication weekly. I notice that my creative game is "off" when I'm off the yoga mat for long. I find that the spiritual and the creative overlap in a beatiful way. VERY excited about your shiva nata retreats! And I'm lost in the ecstatic dirvish-like blur of your images. Keep dancing, my friend :o) ((HUGS))

[kerri]

i love these photos and their focus! so however you got to them, it's working!

[Mahala Mazerov]

Perfect description of Shiva Nata and beautiful photos.

(And I agree with Steph on the Popeye Pronunciation.)

[Tami]

wow.

i did shiva nata once and i swear it changed my life. maybe i should consider doing it again.

excellent post on the hows and whys and whats. and congrats on the teaching!

[Gayle]

Your images are beautiful and I am intrigued by shiva nata. How exciting that you will be teaching it!

[Julie M.]

"rub your belly and pat your head while standing on your head and eating ribs and learning a foreign language.."

Lol. You have such a way with words. I love it! :)

The photos are beautiful- you're so creative and artistic.

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@steph, @mahala: of course! popeye! popeye would totally approve. and yes, definitely a hard c. :)

@tami: at a teacher training? totally!

@tracy: such a beautiful connection to notice. it makes me want to more regular with my practice again.

@bullwinkle: that's fantastic! i'm excited for you and your idea!

@meredith: meditation-through-motion. you know, that is a great description. it's not so much that i feel like i'm meditating exactly but that i am in a state of intense concentration that blocks everything else out. which, i think, is sort of what meditation feels like, even if i'm not concentrating on something specific?

@josiane: i know you'll find a way - and it will be fabulous!

[Patty]

Absolutely love the photos and love the explanation. It's a perfect addition to the retreat venue. I have to get busy and find a few more retreaters!

[Rose]

This sounds amazing!!! Well done and yay for Shiva Nata training! You'll be awesome!

And I get what you say when art just seems to flow better - things seem to slot into place when I've done Shivanata for days in a row :)

[Relyn]

Oh, these are all lovely, but number six absolutely takes my breath away.

[Nike Shox Shoes]

Health and understanding are the two great blessing of life.