Actually, I wanted to ask you something and then also to tell you something, but there’s only so much one can fit into a title. Anyway, hi.
Yesterday in a gorgeous piece of coincidence, I got email from both the second-oldest Shivanaut in the world and the third-oldest Shivanaut in the world.*
*The oldest Shivanaut in the world doesn’t email or I probably would have heard from him too.
If you’re not clear on what a Shivanaut is, that’s fine because it’s another one of those words I made up.
Quick definition for the purposes of understanding this post.
A Shivanaut is someone who practices Shiva Nata — the boring answer to the “Okay, so what’s Shiva Nata?” question is that it’s a modern resuscitation of the ancient Dance of Shiva (yes, like the statues).
But what I usually say is that Shiva Nata is the bizarre and complex yoga brain training work that my duck Selma and I teach around the world — and the thing that I give credit to when people ask me things like “How come you’re so insightful?” or “How did you quit smoking?” or “So … you kind of seem to be okay with yourself even when everything is going horribly wrong … what’s up with that?”
Right. So a Shivanaut is someone who is attempting to learn this mind-altering thing.*
*And probably failing miserably at it, because really that’s the only option there is. It’s not really something you can get good at.
We’re like freaky cosmonauts. Only on the ground and funnier to look at.
Anyway …
The second oldest Shivanaut in the world is the charming Douglas Buchanan, who just turned eighty yesterday. Mazal tov.
I have mentioned Douglas and my inappropriate crush on his wise, wise self (apologies to Shirley who reads this too — I have no designs on your husband, I just adore him!) on three separate occasions on this very blog.*
* Namely:
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1. In Turkish food and other wonderful things (which I still find hilarious).
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2. In Friday Chicken #8: the Nick Cave edition (where you can also listen to the recording of two of my fans singing me a song about milk).
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3. In Papa’s got a brand new bag.
And, to be honest, I have often thought that this blog would be much more entertaining if all I did was reprint our letters.
Right. So he’s eighty. And he does weight training. And Dance of Shiva, which is really challenging and not fun at all and really kind of an insane thing to do. And he reads a kajillion things a week.
As Winnie the Pooh would say, “Sing ho for Douglas! Douglas! Ho!”
That is all.
So then …
So then I got an email from Fred Brown, another favorite of mine (and the third-oldest Shivanaut in the world), who turned 72 just last month.
Fred not only practices Shiva Nata, he teaches it at the gorgeous yoga studio he owns and runs in North Carolina.
And he was wondering if I wanted to head out that way to teach a workshop and/or lead a teacher training.
Which made me wonder …
I know there are a lot of Shivanauts who read this blog.*
*Some of them also read the Shiva Nata blog and are very patient with me about the fact that I don’t update it as often as they’d like. 🙂
Actually, we’ve sold twenty-three Starter Kits in the past ten days. We’ve been shipping to Israel, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands, Scotland and Wales, as well as all over the United States and Canada.
And there are another several hundred folks who started last year. Having results like crazy.
Seriously. Epiphany central. Launching businesses. Starting blogs. Falling in love. General fabulousness.
Meanwhile … I’ve been plotting and planning a weekend in-person retreat for 2010 (here in Portland) where I would teach in-depth destuckification work and throw in Shiva Nata for some hardcore brain rewiring.
So here’s the question ….
So now I’m wondering … if we did a few days of live workshops in North Carolina this year, would any of you guys be into that?
Obviously you’re probably not going to fly in from Scotland or wherever, but East Coast-ers? Y’all in the South? Adventurous people from the Northwest who would follow me and my duck anywhere?
Weigh in please if there’s a possibility that you’d be up for that. If not, that’s cool. I really want to hear from the yes-es and the maybies though.
And the other thing I wanted to say …
Big huge thank you to everyone who showed up to help me with my hard, hard week.
Lots of you wrote sweet letters about just how much my work or my words here have helped you have amazing realizations or do amazing things in your life, and then totally made me cry.
A bunch of people sent pictures of their ducks.
A couple of you even emergency-shipped me gifts and FLOWERS and stuff. Wow. Just wow. I am the luckiest. And it’s all because of you.
Also, I went and listened to the Milk song again and it completely cheered me up. Thanks, Pace and Kyeli for being such delightful nutjobs — I love you both.
Internet hugs all around.
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I’m getting tempted to try out Shiva Nata. I want something more exciting than running to do.
Much more importantly, I’m so glad you’re feeling better and that the hard is fading away.
*hugs*
Joely Blacks last blog post..I shouldn’t read before 10am
I’m in Virginia and would love to hop in my car for *anything* you teach in North Carolina! Seriously, I’m there. Only I’m heading to Seattle in April-ish so the timing might not work out 🙁
Eileens last blog post..Just don’t do it.
Either way, if you end up in NC I will definitely send all my friends to you 🙂
Eileens last blog post..Just don’t do it.
I would try to come to a North Carolina. I certainly would want to go, I would just have to see whether it fit in. I already have a bunch of fun, important, out-of-state items on this year’s agenda, but North Carolina is pretty darn close to Florida. Keep us posted!
Definite possible. Just up the street from here in SC.
This Atlanta gal would for sure come up there to meet the famous duck diva.
Hee! Now I have the Milk Song stuck in my head. (; *loves*
I’d be interested in a NC workshop. I’m not sure how plausible it is, so put me down as a firm “maybe”! (:
Kyelis last blog post..The Spiderman Contrapositive
Oh, I am SO there. Wouldn’t miss it.
Diane Whiddon-Browns last blog post..Everything I Know About Writing
Can’t make a NC one, but if you ever have something in the upper Midwest I would. 🙂
To let ya know too…
Your Kitchen Table is already working for me. It helped me realize something I have been missing for a bit. 🙂
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Oh, love it. Possible. No. IN to NC very do-able.
So I’m down for a firm * maybe *, too.
I’m totally up for brewing up a plan to get there. In the event the time comes around and I’m not ready yet, then I’d most certainly look forward to a percolating plan for 2010. Awesomeness, either way.
Dude, his studio in NC is within an hour from my place! I go by there (Asheville & Flat Rock) all the time!
If you’re there, I’m there! (Especially if he splits it up so we can just come to individual classes, like he’s doing with the Universal Yoga thing)
Yay!
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Me and my Rice Krispie Treats? Definitely there.
Erika Harriss last blog post..An Open Letter to Social Mavens and Shivanauts
Having recently recovered from a frustratingly long drive from Philadelphia to *South* Carolina (12 hours driving down when it should have been nine! ridiculous traffic!), my first impulse is to say, wish I could, but unfortunately, no.
But I think as the memory fades, and I remind myself that I could fly, and that it wouldn’t take place two days before Xmas like this last trip, and it would be North Carolina and not South Carolina, I could see myself warming to the idea.
So that’s a possibly maybe.
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Put me down as a very firm “strongly possible.” Woohoo!
I will most likely be in the States (NY area) in the summer months, and I would love to try to make it down for your workshops. Maybe you could make an e-mail list to keep all us “very possibly” people posted?
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I’m in Ohio and would absolutely make the trip to NC.
Big ol’ loud yes.
BTW, I just put the DVD in the player yesterday, (I got it on Friday and had sit with it for a day, but yes, yes, yes…)
Juliannas last blog post..I’d been holding my breath for decades
Oh an one more thing.
I had the thought yesterday, like what would it take to work with Havi? How could that EVER happen???
Well, here’s one answer.
Pleased as punch thinking about the prospect.
Juliannas last blog post..I’d been holding my breath for decades
This is exciting! VERY.
I love the idea of an email list. Will have Peggy set it up and announce it in a bit.
Yay! It would be so much fun to meet some of you guys in person ….
I’d love to join the brain train in NC this summer!
Extremely likely that I would try very hard to work it out so I could come to NC for something like that. 🙂
oh I want you HERE HERE HERE! Do one HERE HERE HERE!
Jennifer Loudens last blog post..Staying Calm When It Seems the Whole World Is Worrying
portland retreat? 2010? oh be still my quack-happy heart! 🙂
Please come to NC. I would be there can’t wait to meet you!
I line 3 hours away in NC!! Would love to come – only thing that may be in the “way” is that I will be 5 months pregnant – any reason I couldn’t “do” all the “stuff”??
Looking forward to more details!!
This would be fabulous–you and Selma in NC and Shiva Nata and a bunch of shivanauts. yippee..
I wandered around the co-op wondering what treat to have, since I usually like food treats. And I didn’t want anything I usually want–no carrot cake, no new cheese, no processed thing. Just can’t. Don’t know whether shiva nata has anything to do with it, but whoa. Me passing up fresh organic carrot cake? I settled on burdock root–yup–crunchy kinda tastes like dirt. Don’t know how long it’ll last. This is progress. Really. It’d be great to see what happens by the time you’re in NC!!!!
Hooray! All my favorite people! This is fantastic.
So we changed our plans a bit… But we’re still doing a live and in person (yes, redundant) dance of shiva + Havi wackiness + destuckifying workshop in North Carolina.
It’s August 21-23 and I was able to get the price down by several hundred dollars from what we’d originally been thinking and it will be outrageously fun.
Details are here: http://fluentself.com//stuck-zapping.
Can’t even tell you how excited I am. Hope to see some of you there. I haven’t even announced it officially yet and 8 spots are taken. Amazing.