| Higher Practices SHIVA CAME TO TOWN At the 7th Annual 2010 Yoga Conference in Mexico City, Gannon gave a talk called "Shiva Came to Mexico" which made a strong impact on theYoga community. This month's Higher Practice is a revised interpretation one year later, as this 11-11-11 Michael will again be teaching at the 8th Conference hosted by Instituto Mexicano de Yoga. Today I want to tell you a story called "Shiva Came to Town". Shiva is part of the Hindu God Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer. When things are dead or dieing. When energies are old. When a process has run its course. When the Universe needs space for something new. When energy needs to shift for change of the greater good... Shiva transforms. He becomes Nataraja, the King of Dance, or the Lord of Dance. 
If we look at the image of Nataraja, we can see some interesting symbolisms: - The drum in his rear right hand represents the rhythmic sound to which Nataraja dances. The sounds of the Universe or Creation. - His rear left hand holds Agni (fire). This flame represents his powerful destructive energy, which destroys self-ignorance. - Shiva's right front hand is in the Abaya mudra, representing fearlessness. - His left front hand sloping downwards represents grace and draws attention to his left raised foot. - The left foot is raised in the position to give a blessing. - Shiva's right foot is standing on Apasmara, the dwarf demon, which represents ignorance. In this way, he is holding back ignorance so that new knowledge can be born.
When Shiva transforms into Nataraja, he starts to drum and creates the thunderous sounds of creation. He then starts to dance, which generates great internal heat (Agni). This heat starts to generate the flame in his hand. As he continues dancing, he starts throwing fireballs to all the places in the Universe (or within our Self) that need to be destroyed, and shit starts to burn. Then things can be reborn, rebuilt and recreated. So that everything can change, transform and grow.
Shiva comes to town whenever it is time, whether we are ready or not. Whether we like it or not. He doesn't check in with us to see if we are ready or willing to dance. We can associate Shiva Nataraja energy to many of the powerful transformations that are happening on the planet in recent years -- Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Hurricanes. We may also attribute this Shiva The Destroyer energy to the greatest personal life challenges, which affect our work, our family, our relationships and our lives. When these great transformations happen, many people experience great loss. People lose money, their business and their jobs. Some lose their dreams, their nice cars, boats, and homes. Some lose their peace of mind, their security, loved ones, and their health. Most of us have great resistance to the changes that come with this type of destruction and with losing our things. We become attached to the way we want or think things should be. Or attached to our stuff and our life as we know it. So it is not easy to deal with the changes created by these transitions. I have created my own little mantra that I use in times like these: ACCEPT... LET GO... ADAPT... EVOLVE! Using this mantra, it becomes the process I strive to go through each time Shiva comes to town. The sooner we can get to a space to ACCEPT the destruction of Shiva's dance, the sooner we can be open to seeing the bigger picture or purpose. To allow the rebirth and rebuilding that is now possible to happen. Only once we have LET GO, can we start to rebuild, to transcend. 
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