The Dance of Shiva is a system of moving meditation. You learn a set of simple arm and leg movements, and then start challenging your brain by combining them in increasingly complicated patterns.
When you challenge your muscles with movement or resistance training, what happens? They get stronger. What happens when you systematically and thoroughly challenge your brain with the Dance of Shiva? It builds new neural connections through the wonders of neuroplasticity, making your brain smarter, faster, stronger, and better.
It’s good for your brainmeats!
The Dance of Shiva is great for all brains, but I believe it’s especially good for writers and their brains.
Just think of all the ways a better brain could help your writing. It’ll be easier to figure out sticky plot problems. You can work through your insecurities and blocks about writing, and zap neurotic habits. You can tap into an endless well of story ideas.
It’s also a movement practice. How many writers do you know who live entirely in their heads, oblivious to what’s going on with their body? A little gentle movement and body awareness can work wonders.
But there’s one particularly magical effect of the Dance of Shiva for writers.
Oh, you know your jerkbrain. It’s the insidious voice that’s always whispering when you write. It says you’re stupid and lazy and your stories suck and everyone else in the world is better at writing than you are. It tells you that the entire publishing industry gets together and laughs about you behind your back. It tells you you’re hopeless and you’re going to die alone under a bridge. Probably your jerkbrain has a different story, but I’ll bet it’s just as imaginatively dire.
Really hard to write with that constant whisper, isn’t it?
When you practice the Dance of Shiva, though, your jerkbrain gets confused. That’s because the patterns are impossible and frustrating complicated. So complicated, in fact, that your jerkbrain just gives up.
You fall into a delicious silence.
And in that silence, you can listen to the less jerky parts of your brain. You can listen to your hope and your ideas and your originality. You can write in that silence.
I’d be delighted to teach you, of course. I’m officially certified by Andrey Lappa, the creator of the system, to teach the first level. I teach private sessions via Skype, small classes via G+, and live classes in the Salt Lake City area. I’ll announce classes on the blog. Stay informed by signing up for my mailing list.
I strongly recommend that you get the Dance of Shiva DVD. Andrey walks you through the first three levels and explains a bunch of theory, in some gorgeous Nepali scenery. It’s available at Amazon or from the nice folks at Pranamaya.
