This video is a look at what I consider to be Nia's greatest health benefit - the joy and freedom that we feel and express with our bodies. Notice the sweat, the smiles, the looks of bliss.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sharing the focus
As part of my commitment to my own practice of Nia as a student, as well as my desire to continue to improve as a teacher, I decided this is the year I honour the Nia practice of setting the focus for the class.
My focus is the focus!
In the interest of sharing the wealth, I will post some of the foci here, and invite you to use them in your own practice, whether at home or in class.
_____________________________________
From tonight's class at the Abbey in Cumberland
Tonight's focus is the celebration of strength! That physical sensation of squeezing into the bones, hugging the bones, of consciously activating all four sides of a muscle.
But it's also time to celebrate the strength of the other 3 aspects of our beings - mind, spirit, and emotions. Sometimes when we lose strength in one aspect we can call up the others to help us regain our balance and strength. For example, when I am mentaly exhausted it helps for me to call on my emotional and spiritual strength to help me - to bring in those powerful voices that can help me remember what I need to do to take care of myself so that the mental aspect has a chance to heal and rest. My physical body helps my mental strength by doing Nia, which releases a wave of endorphins which help restabilize my brain chemistry.
Sometimes we may feel emotionally weak or vulnerable, and we need the mental strength that can help us discern truth and set boundaries. I remember receiving a letter once from someone who was very angry with me. I was devastated emotionally to read those angry accusations, but my mental strength stood up for me and said "Wait, is this even true? Don't take this in unless you know it to be true." That moment of mental clarity helped me release some of the emotional charge the letter had created.
In Nia we build mental strength by requiring our conscious attention to be able to learn new patterns of movement that in turn build the physical brain by supplying it with freshly oxygenated blood and by building new neuronal pathways.
We build emotional strength by choosing over and over again to find joy in our movements, in the music, and in the community of dancers we are with.
We build spiritual strength by consciously reconnecting all aspects of our being to that source of inspiration that is unique to each one of us.
Building physical strength requires a lot of energy and you may find yourself flagging halfway through the routine if you are really choosing a high intensity level.
Call on your ancestors - the ones who walked across continents and carried the fire - to fan your flames. Call on your ancestors who could dance for hours and days as part of their communal life. Let the earth fill you with energy from the feet up. Go into the heart of the flame - your version! - and thank the heat for the purifying sweat.
Call to mind what those who love you say are your strengths as you dance, and let yourself consciously own those aspects of your being. Dance your own strengths in body, mind, spirit, and emotions.
My focus is the focus!
In the interest of sharing the wealth, I will post some of the foci here, and invite you to use them in your own practice, whether at home or in class.
_____________________________________
From tonight's class at the Abbey in Cumberland
Tonight's focus is the celebration of strength! That physical sensation of squeezing into the bones, hugging the bones, of consciously activating all four sides of a muscle.
But it's also time to celebrate the strength of the other 3 aspects of our beings - mind, spirit, and emotions. Sometimes when we lose strength in one aspect we can call up the others to help us regain our balance and strength. For example, when I am mentaly exhausted it helps for me to call on my emotional and spiritual strength to help me - to bring in those powerful voices that can help me remember what I need to do to take care of myself so that the mental aspect has a chance to heal and rest. My physical body helps my mental strength by doing Nia, which releases a wave of endorphins which help restabilize my brain chemistry.
Sometimes we may feel emotionally weak or vulnerable, and we need the mental strength that can help us discern truth and set boundaries. I remember receiving a letter once from someone who was very angry with me. I was devastated emotionally to read those angry accusations, but my mental strength stood up for me and said "Wait, is this even true? Don't take this in unless you know it to be true." That moment of mental clarity helped me release some of the emotional charge the letter had created.
In Nia we build mental strength by requiring our conscious attention to be able to learn new patterns of movement that in turn build the physical brain by supplying it with freshly oxygenated blood and by building new neuronal pathways.
We build emotional strength by choosing over and over again to find joy in our movements, in the music, and in the community of dancers we are with.
We build spiritual strength by consciously reconnecting all aspects of our being to that source of inspiration that is unique to each one of us.
Building physical strength requires a lot of energy and you may find yourself flagging halfway through the routine if you are really choosing a high intensity level.
Call on your ancestors - the ones who walked across continents and carried the fire - to fan your flames. Call on your ancestors who could dance for hours and days as part of their communal life. Let the earth fill you with energy from the feet up. Go into the heart of the flame - your version! - and thank the heat for the purifying sweat.
Call to mind what those who love you say are your strengths as you dance, and let yourself consciously own those aspects of your being. Dance your own strengths in body, mind, spirit, and emotions.
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