Shiva Nata Dance Party at the Distillery

Make a date to get some bing!

Maybe you’ve been toying with the idea of trying Dance of Shiva, but need a boost to get started. Like a regular practice time and a community of people who get it.

Maybe you’re having crazy-brilliant ideas, and you need some structure to help you follow through on them. You could use a way to figure out which ones you want to make progress on already.

Or you might even be a relapsed epiphanist. Remembering fondly those days of bing! you keep meaning to revive your practice. With all the things snapping at your attention, it’s easy to forget how Shiva Nata makes everything go better.

The Dance Party at the Distillery helps you help yourself to the Dance of Shiva.

Dance of Shiva: A woefully inadequate description.

Shiva Nata (Dance of Shiva)  involves performing a simple sequence of arm and leg movements to stir up your brain. It seems like it should be perfectly easy. And, kind of like rubbing your tummy and patting your head, it’s deceptively complex. (Ahahahahaha.)

Wait…is stirring up my brain a good thing?

YES! Usually the neurons in your brain are zipping along and, like taking the same familiar footpath through the yard, they get caught traveling down the same well-worn brain grooves over and over. This is why it can seem impossible to change a habit or get perspective on your own process.

Doing Dance of Shiva creates new neural connections in your brain, giving you that exhilarating rush of an aha! moment. Sometimes your practice will deliver juicy epiphanies, and sometimes it will lend clarity to just about anything you set your mind upon. Insight on call–yes, it’s pretty much the best thing ever.

And, playing with those neural connections also shines a light into the pathways and patterns your brain is currently running: i.e. why you’re caught in those ruts, and how you can do things differently.

Okay, so we know the Dance of Shiva is incredibly helpful and empowering. Still, sometimes we all need a boost to encourage us to actually do the things we know will help us.

The Dance Party is like a practice session at a cozy studio. The structure and intention will give you an extra dose of commitment. Plus, a circle of awesome people who are happy that you showed up for practice.

The Dance Party is for you if you want more…

Epiphanies. Ideas. Clarity.
We’d be lying if we said it wasn’t about the epiphanies. It’s definitely about the epiphanies. And also about learning useful, practical ways to implement them. You’ll have gobs of genius ideas, and then you’ll have epiphanies about what to do with them. And if you want to, you’ll get to share all of it with a creative, delightful group of brainiacs who can only add to the brilliance.

Creativity. Insight. Problem-solving.
Whatever your form of creative expression, Shiva Nata will make it more imaginative, more engaging. Plus you’ll be more likely to actually do the thing you want to be doing. And, instead of looking to something external for solutions to your stuck spots, you’ll be learning a method to find them for yourself.

Support. Structure. Community.
You might be a rebel when it comes to structure. Yet, you know that regular practice opens the door to inspiration and creativity. With a supportive structure, you feel grounded and purposeful. Surrounding yourself with an encouraging dance troupe makes it easier to stay committed. A consortium of hope and confidence.

Enthusiasm. Momentum. Motivation.
You’ve seen how much energy and excitement you get from clarity. The burst of motivation that comes from a new idea, all hot and fresh from of the oven. But you might need help keeping it fresh and sticking with things. You’ve been known to ignore an idea or insight and let it get stale. You’re ready for progress, please!

What people are saying about the Dance Party…

Take a peek inside the studio and you’ll see…

A safe space to practice, to ponder stuff, to be curious.
An intimate gathering where you can ask questions about patterns and weaving thoughtfulness into your practice. A place to turn for suggestions or cheering from a troupe of thoughtful dancers who get it.

A bulletin board for posting your intentions.
A repository for tracking those brain-buzzing insights. A place where you can bring epiphanies about your business or your thing.

Other students working on some of the same moves you are.
You get to be part of a troupe. (Without the nail-biting tryouts. You’re thoughtful and smart and able to laugh at yourself: We like you already.)

Teachers who run the practice without bossing everyone around.
No divas here. Everyone gets to have their own experience at our party.

…and that’s just while you’re hanging out in the studio.
Imagine the outrageous effects on the rest of your day. And beyond. Like how much quality work you’ll get done, because your brain is performing at its best.

Why Us?

Eileen Valazza and Briana Aldrich

Hi! We’re Eileen and Briana, epiphany evangelists and Certified Dance of Shiva Instructors. We’ve used Shiva Nata to resolve stuff with time, work, body, and relationships.

The Dance is one of the things that brought us together. (And really, how does one come up with a name like Hopscotch Distillery, if not for a lightning bolt of bing!?)

How it works:

You join the party by phone on Mondays at 10 am Pacific (San Francisco) Time.

We’ll have a private studio (web page) for gathering and sharing.
You can use the page to share epiphanies, intentions, commitments and things we’re working on. We can ask each other for help, cheer each other on, brainstorm brilliance, and just be wildly Shivanautical.

You’ll receive an epiphany-capturing  practice sheet.
A place to set your intention, and then a place to scribble the juicy insights and how you’ll put them to use. (And there will probably be extra practice notes and all sorts of bonuses because we tend to geek out over this stuff.)

Dance Steps:

10:00 am (PST): Virtual cup of tea, ritual and intention setting
10:15 am: Off the phone and onto Dancing!

30 minutes for your Shiva Nata practice and Shavasana

10:45 am: Call back in for writing prompts, questions, and sharing
11:00 am: Farewell (onto happy, creative, productive days of hopscotch!)

There are no rules about how you use your thirty minutes of practice.
Maybe some weeks you don’t actually dance at all. You might just write the numbers out by hand. (Or watch Andrey and giggle while practicing his accent.)

It doesn’t matter (at all!) how far along you are in practicing Shiva Nata.
Maybe your intention our first week together is to ponder buying the starter kit. Or asking yourself what you’d need in order to feel safe starting a practice of your own.

What You’ll Need

  • You probably want to have the DVD if you’re just starting. We highly recommend The Dance of Shiva Starter Kit which includes the DVD and all sorts of helpful instructions on how to get started.
  • If you don’t have the DVD, you should have some familiarity with the positions (try a YouTube search for “dance of shiva” or “Andrey Lappa”).
  • A quiet place to lie down after flailing.
  • A pen and some paper.
  • A phone for calling in.

Whatever you do, it will be just right.
You’ll be surrounded by a community of people like you: full of smarts, support, insight, and playfulness. Because Shivanauts and Shivanauts to-be are the loveliest bunch you could hope to find.

{Registration for the January Dance Party is closed. If you want updates on future parties, make sure you’re receiving our postcards!}

Questions? Oh good!

“I’m too new to the Dance.” “I’m old hat at this Dance.”
No such thing. We’ll make sure you get what you need so that you can get more out of your practice, no matter what level you’re at. And you’ll also get better at giving yourself what you need.

“I’m all for wacky. (Or not.) But this sounds extra weird. I don’t believe in crystals or auras or woowoohaberdashery. Will this still help me?”
Oh, we’re so glad you asked. We don’t know much about haberdashery, but there is some pretty solid neuroscience to explain the magic. So when you’re looking for something to work wonders in your brain, and make you happier and hotter? Check, check, and check.

“Everything you’re describing sounds awesome, but I’ve never done Shiva Nata. I’ve never even heard of it. Am I going to be lost?”
Yes. But wait! That’s kind of the point. You won’t be lost in class, you’ll be right at home in the circle of Shivanauts. And you’ll definitely be lost when it comes time to flail, but so will the rest of us. It’s losing yourself in the dance that creates the rockingest neural connections and makes you smarter.

“Do I have to share during class or on the page?”
No way. You can join us silently and we’ll welcome you, and cheer for you (silently) just the same.

“I’ve Danced it up in the past. But after awhile the epiphanies stopped and I lost my momentum.”
Brainstorming ways to find the challenge? Oh, yes. There will be lots of that. And smart guidance for implementing those flashes of insight. (We are implementationeers, after all.)

“What if I miss a class?”
For the process to work at its most powerful magic, we hope you’ll be able to dance it up live each week. But just in case you miss one, we’ll record each class and post the audio on our private page. If you know you can never make the calls though, this might not be for you.

“Can I try one class?”
Oh, we wish we could do that. But our intention is to create an intimate space with a group that will be together, for support and camaraderie, throughout the month. If you sign up and don’t completely love it after the first class, we’ll be happy to refund your entire purchase.

Other questions or what-ifs? Give us a shout.

{Registration for the January Dance Party is closed. If you want updates on future parties, make sure you’re receiving our postcards!}