Shiva Nataraja, the ecstatic dance of evolution

There are many representations of Shiva, the one today is my favorite because he appears as Lord of the Dance. It is the dance of existence, and like yoga, it requires you to be totally present, in a state of centering beyond the mind. You dance best when you are not thinking, right? You just simply surrender to the act itself, full of joy. Since we are approaching days with lots of “fiesta”, we can meditate on the natural dance of reality and its cycles!!

Shiva is the transcendent aspect of the Divine, represented with a divine male form. Shiva is pure Consciousness, beyond sensory experience and the immanent matter. He is the Light of Awareness that makes possible all material manifestations.

The elegant image of Shiva Natataraja displays a complex allegory of time and life:

• the circle of fire: he dances within a great circle made of flames symbol of the eternal cycle of creation-sustenance-dissolution.
• simultaneously dynamic and static: Shiva´s figure shows a serene face looking straight ahead while his whole body is moving and dynamic. His smile is peaceful while he dances frantically with life.
• the loose hair and free dreadlocks create a kind of halo around him: wearing long hair is a symbol of the original and wild power of any human being. It is exuberant, sensual and speaks about inner strength. Human and divine nature meet peacefully in the image of Shiva Nataraja.
• the power of the snake, Kundalini Shakti, coils around his waist.
• under his right foot you can see the ugly creature of ignorance because Shiva is above all ignorance.
• the upper right hand holds the “damaru” drum that represents the rythmic pulsation of creation.
• the lower right hand is in the gesture Abhaya, that refers to the act of sustaining and protecting existence.
• The upper left hand holds a flame. It is this transformative fire that is in charge of dissolving all things and experiences, returning them to the field of infinite potentiality.
• the lower left hand crosses over Nataraja´s chest conceiling his heart because for Consciousness to manifest an specific thing, it needs to hide the rest of possibilities.
• the left foot is raised as a symbol of the moment of revelation that leads into a new creation

May this contemplation of Shiva Nataraja makes us dance with great awareness on and off the mat. May you all have a wonderful end of the year, may the cycle be properly closed and may we be propelled into the new 2016 with great bliss.

See you on the mat!

Om Shanti
Zaira