Shiva- The Ultimate Somatic Guru

“He had 5 faces and three eyes, and the crescent moon on his forehead.

He wore matted hair.

He was white- complexioned and had wide eyes.

His body had been dusted with ashes. He had 10 arms.

His neck was blue in color. He was bedecked with all ornaments.

He was handsome with respect to every limb.

Three ash lines marked his forehead.

-Shiv Purana 2.1.9.2-3

This Somatic description of Shiva represents more than just physical attributes. Each of the above elements is imbued with deep symbolism of a philosophical connection to an embodied marker- the 5 senses , the integration of the masculine and feminine energies, the interconnectedness of the cosmos, a raw primal energy, transient nature of life, perceptual awareness, control over toxic emotions and the amalgam of mind body and spirit. Perhaps there is no being on this planet who understood the working of the human system in all its glory and disdain alike as Shiva did.

In the sacred theatre of the body and the breath, I consider Shiva to be first somatic guru — the still point at the centre of all movement, the pulse behind every pose. He is not merely a God of form; he is form itself, made conscious and live. The ash smeared across his skin is not an adornment but a testament — that the body is impermanent, yet the vessel through which the eternal speaks and a vehicle of possibilities.  His blue throat full of poison reiterates the resiliency of a being to capture and contain toxins rather than be consumed by it.

As a somatic yogi, Shiva teaches not through doctrine but through embodiment. His transmission of yoga is not just a somatic phenomena but it’s an illumination of acceptance of every atom of life, of saying yes to both chaos and harmony, of welcoming every life experience with curiosity both as an observer and the observed.  In his seated stillness, he is the silent yogi — spine straight as Mount Kailash, breath as deep as the cosmos. In his dance as Nataraja, every limb arcs in divine geometry, each gesture awakening the dormant intelligence of flesh, bone, and soul.

Where others offer words, Shiva offers the body — raw, unvarnished, and transcendent. His third eye is the gaze that pierces illusion; his breath is the wind that stirs fire. Through him, the body is no longer a cage, but a crucible for transformation.

Shiva knows the body is not separate from the spirit — it is its reflection, its expression, its most intimate path. In the body is where human exploration reaches its peak.  In his form, human body is a scepter of lightning, the breath a bridge between realms, and every stillness a thunderous lesson in surrender.

To experience Shiva is to learn not merely how to move, but how to simply be present in the body and mind — fiercely, fully, and without fear. He is the guru who teaches through silence, who breaks illusion, who guides not by lifting you out of the body, but by plunging you deeper into its sacred truth.

As I embark on this journey of Somatic Experiencing, I bow down to Shiva- the ultimate somatic guru and the first somatic teacher to walk on planet earth.