Train Brain and Body Together

Warps are advanced Dance of Shiva algorithms designed to help you practice all possible combined movements of the Dance of Shiva systematically and efficiently. (view video.)

Each Warp Sequence (or Warp) contains four different movements that have to be repeated four times in order for the arms to return to the start. There are Sixteen different starting positions so that in total you practice each movement in 64 different ways.

There are 7 warps in all, allowing you to practice 28 different movements. The tables in this pdf are structured so that you can practice each of these 28 movements from all 64 positions.

So what of the remaining 21 movements?

Forty-Nine
Movements

In the Dance of Shiva there are 49 movement combinations that use both arms at the same time.

In 7 of these movements both arms do the same movement (i.e. F-F, B-B, T-T etc). In the remaining 42 movements each arm does different movements but half of these movements are mirror images of the other half (i.e. F-T is the mirror or T-F, B-F is the mirror of F-B).

We can call the double movements Symetrical and the other movements Asymetrical.

Using only one half of the asymertical movements in combination with the 7 symetrical movements we have a total of 28 movements from which our 7 warps are derived.

For the 21 movements that aren't included we can practice them by doing the Warp's "Mirror Cross Link" or "M.C.L."

To do this we read and apply positions and movements from right to left instead of from left to right. In the process we train ourselves to read from right to left as well as from left to right.

Basic
Movements

The 49 movements of the dance of shiva can be broken down into 7 basic movements.

The 49 movements use both arms while the seven basic movements are done with only one arm.

The 7 basic movements connect one arm position to another.

The 8 positions are 1, 2, 3, 4, a, b, c and d.

The 7 movements are:

• Forwards, (1-2-3-4-1, a-b-c-d-a)
• Backwards, (1-4-3-2-1, a-d-c-b-a)
• Transquarter, (1-3, 2-4, 3-1, 4-2, a-c, b-d, c-a, d-b)
• ChangeForwards, (1-b-3-d-1, a-2-c-4-a)
• Change Backwards, (1-d-3-b-1, a-4-c-2-a)
• ChangeTransquarter (1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-b, a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2) and
• Change (1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d, a-1, b-2, c-3, d-4)
(Note that the last four movements are normally classified as "links". Normally links are not differentiated. Also note that we can include an eigth movement, the zero movement. The zero movement allows us to describe movement combinations where only one arm moves at a time.)

After learning these 7 basic movements, the 49 complex movements can be learned by simply putting together the 7 basic moves in different combinations.

This is like first learning the alphabet so that after we can write any word possible.

Basic
Positions

Continuing to focus on one arm at a time, there are 8 basic positions for each arm.

These single arm positions are the building blocks for the 64 positions that use both arms.

The basic movements are used to connect these positions to each other. The horizontal positions are called 1, 2, 3 and 4 while the vertical positions are called a, b, c and d.

(Going back to the previous note, if we have a zero move then we have 8 basic movements that can be combined to create 64 basic movements.)

Coordinates
and MCL's

Positions and movements are named using two digit codes where the left digit represents the position or movement of the left arm and the right digit the position or movement of the right arm. e.g.

1-1 is where both the left and right arm are in position 1.

1-2 is where the left arm is in position 1 and the right arm in position 2.

CF-CF is where both arms to a change forwards.

CT-T is where the left arm does a change forwards move and the right arm a Transquarter move.

When saying the movements and/or positions normally the first part said is that of the left arm and the second part that of the right arm.

When doing MCL's the first digit (left digit) corresponds to the right arm while the second digit corresponds to the left arm.

We "read" our body in reverse.

We do this so that we can practice the extra 21 moves mentioned earlier.

Doing an MCL, position 1-2 means that the right arm is in position 1 and the left arm in positon 2.

Likewise CF-T means the right arm does a change forwards move while the left arm does a transquarter.

This idea is used frequently in aerobics classes. When facing the class the teacher mirrors the movements of the students so that the left arm of the teacher corresponds to the right arm of the students. Then when facing in the same direction as the students the teachers left arm is the same as the students left arm.

Learning to "mirror" is an aspect of mental flexibility. You learn to look at the same thing from another point of view.

All Possible
Positions

Each warp sequence contains four different movements that are repeated four times.

If we have 16 different starting positions for each warp that means that we practice each move 64 times. Thus we practice each move in a warp from all possible positions (of which there are 64.)

We do the same for the MCLs.

We can therefore practice all movements of the dance of shiva completely and efficiently.

What's
Inside

Warp Tables contains all seven warps and their MCLs. Each warp is divided into four sets each, with each set containing four starting positions for both the Warp and its MCL. The tables are simple grids which show the positions for all four repetions of the Warp.

Notice how the positions and movements in the table on the left are the "mirror" images of the table on the right. If we read the MCL table data from right to left, it is exactly the same as the data in the Warp table.

Accompanying the tables are pictures of the starting positions (shown above on the right of the tables.) If you know the basic positions and the basic movement then using the tables shouldn't be a problem.

The key is to first learn the basic movements and positions so that you don't have to think about them in order to be able to do them. The complex movements are simply the sums of these simple parts!

Focusing on one Warp at a time, the first step for any warp is to memorize the warp sequence-four simple moves. With this step done all you then have to do is practice. First you try the warp from position 1-1. You might work at one single repetition of the sequence. Then the next day you dry two repetitions or even four so that you return to the start. Then you try the warp from the next starting position, 1-2. From there, practicing the Warp from the different starting positions gets a little bit easier because you at least understand the sequence. You then simply learn to apply the sequence to a variety of different starting positions.

What's
the Point?

The goal of the dance of shiva is simple. To be able to connect any position to any of the other positions. Another way of looking at this is that it is to be able to do all possible moves from all possible positions.

Warps are designed to allow you to practice that, Simply and efficiently.

If you have no experience of the Dance of Shiva but want to jump into the material contained in Warp Tables then a good idea would be to look at the Warp Basics pdf. You can use this as a way of learning all basic movements and positions and then use the warp tables as a way of practicing all possible combinations of these positions and movements. However, as a bonus I've included the basic single movement videos in this package so that you can practice those movements with one arm first and then try to stick them together in order to learn the Warps.

Another possibility is to focus on learning one Warp at a time. The Warp 1 package contains videos of all possible renditions of Warp 1 along with step-by-step diagrams for all the position in each "rendition."

Consciousness or
Brain Training

One reason for doing the Dance of Shiva is to train the brain or better yet to train Consciousness. There are physical benefits as well, improved coordination, improved balance between the sides of the body, better range of motion etc.

The "Consciousness Training" aspects of this practice are a little more profound.

Basically this practice can make you smarter by helping you to tune in to "super consciousness" a consciousness beyond our own or within our own. This practice makes it easier to enter the "space" where solutions to problems appear out of nowhere. It also makes it easier to flow. When we flow we allow things to happen but the things that we allow are the things we want to happen anyway. It does this by training us to become present.

When we are present we can tune in to our senses to notice what is happening now and we can respond to what we sense based on what we are trying to do. In such a state we don't have think because we know what we are trying to do.

We allow that knowing (rather than thinking) to guide us in what we are trying to do.

In Dance of Shiva we can practice to the point where the movements are almost second nature, and then we can practice letting the movements do themselves.

Because the movements return us to the same point from which we started we have a way of checking what we have done after we have done it. If we make a mistake we can sense that mistake which means that we have to practice a little more so that we can let go a little bit more.

After a while we get to the point where making mistakes doesn't matter. We simply notice when we make mistakes and then carry on training.

Check
Sums

To make the training more efficient, we can learn the stopping points or "check sums." For example, every repetition of the warp has a definable relationship between the start position and the end position.

As an example, starting from 1-2, one repetition takes us to a-1, then next to 1-4, and the next to a-3 before returning us to 1-2. (Look at the top row in the table on the left.)

The left arm does a change from 1 to a to 1 to a. The right arm does a Backwards from 2 to 1 to 4 to 3. If we learn this pattern then we have a way of checking our progress after each repetition of the warp. Better yet, if we use it before we do each repetition we can see where we are going before we get there. After each rep we can check straight away if we are correct or not.

We can thus practice improving and we can practice flowing.

The key to improving is being able to check what we have done. The key to flowing is not worrying about whether we are doing it right or wrong. We simply do it then check the results afterwards. If we are consistantly wrong then we practice the part we are doing wrong till we can do it right without having to think about it.

Then we can flow.

This type or method of practice can be applied to life. Doing things for the experience and then learning from those experiences. If we make the experiences small enough then we can learn rapidly with little cost. We can practice flowing at the same time.

Benefits

Doing the dance of shiva I find that I am able to concentrate on complex tasks easier. In a way it is like multitasking because you are monitoring two arms at the same time. However these tasks are unified by a common idea-our body. Doing Tai Ji or Yoga I find that after dance of shiva I can focus on multiple tasks at the same time with greater ease, greater presence. Doing oriental calligraphy I can handle my brush with greater dexterity.

Another more general affect of the dance of shiva is that it helps me to think in terms of possibility. In cases where there are many ways of doing the same thing I can sense the easier way or the best way. Or it helps me to look at situations from different points of view. This may in part be due to the fact that with Warp practice we practice all possible movements and all possible combinations of those movements.

In a nutshell it teaches me to think outside of the box or it helps me to choose the box I think within.

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Other Dance of Shiva Products

• Warp Basics
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  Learn (and practice) the basic positions and movements of the Dance of Shiva one arm at a time. Read More or
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• Warp 1
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  Learn the first of seven warps using "Warp Maps." If you are new to Dance of Shiva and want to jump in at the deep end this will help keep you afloat. Read More or
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