I know that title might look like a bit of an exclamation frenzy, but please believe me when I say I’m being way, way restrained.  Or better than just believing me, go sovereign and discover  for yourself … but first, let me give you some incentives …

Basically, Shiva Nata consists of a series of simple arm and leg movements (for the record, I’m nowhere near attempting the latter), on horizontal and vertical planes, which when done proficiently by someone like Havi, looks like the gorgeous images of the dancing hindu deity Shiva Nataraja .

There are interesting brain-stimulating elements to this otherwise awesome workout too. The arms and legs are not meant to cross the mid-line of the body, which has the brain working left and right hemispheres independently, though at the same time. The science behind this is deeply fascinating, but being a results person, it’s the doing-of-it and what-happens-thereafter which firstly interests me.

The whole point of engaging in this practice, is to do it WRONG !

I’ll say that one more time… for those who zoned out…

The whole point of engaging in this practice, is to do it wrong.

How fabulous. Wrong is right. Now that gets my interest straight away. Having grown up in the kind of environment where getting it right is a large chunk of all-that-matters, and having consciously devoted at least half of my life to building up a toolbox to free myself from the binds that this gets me into (physically, mentally, emotionally just for starters) … a tool to grow wiser which specifies that I get it wrong has got to be worth investigating.

Happy Hour for your brain …

What happens as you practice (following the simple instructions and demo of world-numero-uno-shivanaut Andrey Lappa), is that the usual well-trodden neural pathways of your brain become superseded for the duration. The plasticity of your brain is now an established reality.

Or in other words… your normal brain activity becomes confused… and is ripe for new patterning and realisation.

As you follow simple-yet-brain-taxing new physical movements, the bio-feedback loops carry chemical messages back to your brain, bathing it in new, juicy chemical cocktails. Happy hour!

Paydirt… or, Bring on the Epiphanies!

The results of all of this intentional flailing and failing come in at my favourite part of the whole shebang. Once you’re done with the activity, it’s vital to bring it all to stillness… whether lying or sitting is up to you. Arming yourself with pen and paper is a very good idea, because at this stage your brain, as the lover-of-pattern-and-order that it is, embarks on a thorough search for the aforementioned pattern-and-order.

Only this time… it’s swimming in a whole different sea.

And oh the ideas, the clarity, the changes-of-view … they are just amazing! Epiphanies big and small. Every time.

A leetle wafer-thin Coda :

Like anything worth it’s salt, or happy, brain-stimulating cocktails, there’s a key to having it really work for you… and that is …

Openness and Curiosity.

Beginner’s mind.

Approaching your practice curious as to what it will show you this time.

So if you’re curiosity is piqued, and you want to try bathing your own brain in happy juices… just click the button below and head over to Havi’s Shiva Nata site :