Nataraja
Nataraja is Shiva in his form as the Cosmic Dancer, performing the Ananda Tandava (Dance of Bliss) within a ring of fire. Each element of the iconic image carries profound meaning: the drum in his upper right hand beats the rhythm of creation; the fire in his upper left destroys; his lower right hand gestures 'fear not' (abhaya mudra); his lower left points to the raised foot offering liberation; his right foot tramples Apasmara, the demon of ignorance. The encircling fire is the cosmic cycle. Carl Sagan compared the Nataraja to modern cosmology's oscillating universe.
Move one hand slowly in front of you, as if tracing the ring of fire in the Nataraja image. Feel that you are in constant motion — creation and dissolution happening in every breath.
Best at dusk — the transitional moment between day and night.