Shiva Nataraja: Learn to dance with the wild and unpredictable nature of reality.
“Embrace the unpredictable and unexpected. It is the path to the infinitely creative in you.”
- Deepak Chopra
The last few years, the world has felt like a rollercoaster ride. Dramatic ups and downs, unexpected twists and turns. Being rattled and yanked around. Sometimes, I find myself clenching my jaw, my belly, my hips… as if somehow that will help… then I remember… ah, yes, the yoga.
Because Yoga has strategies for times like these. (And much better strategies than clenching.) Key teachings show up in stories, mythology, and iconography. Like the Shiva Nataraja.
Shiva is the lord of the Yogis, a deity of spiritual discipline, transformation, and inner alchemy. Nataraja means dancer. Shiva as the dancer is often seen as a murti. Murti means form, embodiment or solid object. It's a special type of statue or icon. Special because these statues are more than decorative, they inspire and instruct.
Let's explore the Shiva Nataraja and unpack some of his teachings:
First, notice the the implied movement, the dynamism. This is not a buddha sitting serenely. Shiva's dreadlocks are streaming, he's in a ring of fire, he's standing on a single, bent, almost bouncing leg. There is wildness. Rawness. It speaks of unpredictable energy. He's telling you about the nature of reality.
In his hands, Shiva holds instruments that represents his 5 Acts. These tell you what to expect with reality. There is a drum to beat out the rhythm of creation. There is a flame that tells of dissolution. The upraised palm is a gesture called Abhaya Mudra, meaning "fear not". It promises order and preservation. Then there is an arm that conceals the heart and a hand that reveals the guru (big toe). These are rich and complex symbols that we'll explore more during the 4/4 story telling event. For now, let's focus on that little guy Shiva is standing on.
His is Apasmara, "forgetfulness". He is your tendency to forget. Forget the nature of reality, who you are, why you're here. Notice that Shiva is not killing him. Apasmara is not being squished. He's trying to wiggle out from underfoot. But Shiva stays on top of him. This is a clue about forgetfulness. It doesn’t go away! You have to stay on top of it.
The tricky thing with forgetfulness is that you forget and then you fear. With fear, you get rigid and stiff. You grip and clench.
The antidote is remembering. Remembering the truth about reality, your inherent and eternal connection to source energy, your pure witnessing awareness. When you remember, you soften. And softening transforms rigidity into resilience. (Look again at Shiva's standing leg, it's not stiff and straight. It's bent. It's got bounce and resilience.) As you know, softening and remembering isn’t easy. Especially when you feel like you’re in a ring of fire. It requires vigilance (stay on top of forgetfulness!), heightened awareness and practice.
Let me give you another metaphor. While snowboarding, my worst wipeouts happen when I'm too rigid or forget connection. For example, when my legs are too straight, I sever the softness in my knees. That softness keeps me connected to my feet and responsive to my board. Or, if I get impatient during a turn and try to force it, I disconnect from the relationship between body, board, and snow. I force and I fall.
Similarly, when I get rigid with life, when I become stuck on a path or pigeonholed in an outcome, I sever my connection to divine flow and guidance. Then I loose patience, sensitivity, and often creativity.
Big takeway: Your ego (forgetfulness!!!) will always want to white knuckle the rollercoaster of life. BUT. Can you steer a rollercoaster from your seat? Do you expect control over the wild, raw energy of reality?
Releasing some of the gripping is scary, absolutely. But closing your eyes to this truth (more forgetfulness!) won't get you anywhere. Instead, fear not! Because if you can remember and soften, even a just little bit, while it doesn't stop the twists and turns, the big ups or the stomach flipping drops, but it does give you more energy, sensitivity and creativity.
Yoga practice is designed to keep you awake and engaged. To fend off forgetfulness. And eventually, maybe, you even dance with this wild ride of reality.
Today, where can you soften? When can you remember? How do you get some buoyancy back in your step? There are a thousand ways to play. (Like anytime something doesn't go your way.) Are you up for the challenge?
If you try it, write me a note about what you experience. I read every email. (although I may not always respond because then I don’t get to writing things like this).
To learn more about the Nataraja and the 5 acts of Shiva, sign up for the special story-telling event on Monday 4/4, 4:15-5:45pm. Expect 30-40 minutes of myth and metaphor. Then a corresponding asana practice. Register here.
PS: Yes, the webinar will be recorded and posted in your Virtual Library.
