Dance Your Light, Express Your Radiance

"In your light I learn how to love.

In your beauty, how to make poems.

You dance inside my chest,

where no one sees you,

but sometimes I do,

and that sight becomes this art."

- Rumi

The focus of this morning's class is dancing your light. 

The intent is to connect with and express your radiance. 

Join me this morning in the beautiful natural light filled space at 

Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Simple Movements Infused with Creative Expression

The focus of tonight’s class is steps and stances. The intent is to connect with simple movements and infuse them with your own unique creative expression.

We use steps as non-stop movement to develop mobility. In stepping one foot is always leaving the ground.

We use stances to develop stability and a strong foundation. We stop after stepping, find stillness and stay in place.

The routine I have assembled for tonight is wonderful for the nervous system as moving and stopping are vital to its conditioning. And it’s fun!

This is my last Friday evening class in Fremont. Starting next week on Friday, May 6, 2011 I will teach weekly Friday evening classes from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Starting this Sunday, May 1, 2011, I will teach weekly Sunday morning classes from 10:30am – 11:30am Delilah’s Belly Dance studio in Fremont.

Join me tonight from 6pm - 7pm at Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.

Express Your Inner Fire

The focus of tonight’s class is dancing with passion! The intent is to connect with and express the fire within you.

One definition of passion is a "powerful or compelling emotion or feeling." I like to think of it as the expression of our fiery spirit.

I’ve assembled a mix of songs from different routines: Velvet, Opal. Passion, Aya and AO. Get ready to move your body and use your voice to express your most passionate dancing self.

Here is one song from tonight’s playlist to get you up and dancing:



Join me for a passion-filled class tonight from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

May 2011 Newsletter

May is National Physical Fitness Month: an entire month devoted to promoting physical activity in the pursuit of happier, healthier, and more productive lives. I think every day should be devoted to this pursuit and I believe it is possible through Nia – particularly with its commitment to dancing through life with joy and pleasure. To that end, I have decided to focus on one aspect of Nia for an entire month and go deeply into it.

For the month of May, all of my classes will focus on the upper extremities of the body. The upper extremities of the body include the fingers, hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms, shoulder joints, collarbones, and shoulder blade.

Think about all of the ways we express ourselves with our arms and hands: hugs, touch, eating, typing, creating art, writing, waving, gardening, driving, dancing, and on and on.

Throughout the month we will explore the 18 specific Nia movements that emphasize the upper extremities and their respective conditioning effects. But most importantly, we will be invited to express ourselves creatively, playfully and pleasurably via our arms and hands.

I attribute my natural ability to express myself with my hands to my latina roots. I am truly at home harnessing the power of my upper extremities to communicate what I am feeling and I am just so excited to share this with you. I wish I could say the same for my legs and feet (giggle)! The routines I will be working with this month include Velvet, Butterfly, and Sky Dancing.

I look forward to dancing and learning with you this month (as always).

Below are announcements and updates.

With love and dancing arms, hands and fingers,
Jennifer

May Schedule
No classes Memorial Day weekend: Friday, May 28 – Monday, May 30, 2011!

New classes starting this week!
Sundays 10:30am at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont begins THIS weekend on Sunday, May 1st
and
Fridays 5:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District begins next week on Friday, May 6th

My full schedule: http://everybodyloveyourbody.blogspot.com/p/class-schedule.html 

Gentle Nia and Nia 5 Stages Update
I am still seeking out the perfect studio space to nurture and grow my Nia 5 Stages and Gentle Nia classes. Stay tuned!

EVENT CHANGE! 
Nia 5 Stages Playshop: May 14, 2011
*This playshop was originally schedule for 1:30pm - 3:30pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood but due to a scheduling conflict, I have moved it to 9:30am - 11:30am at Open Flight Studio in the University District.
Nia 5 Stages Playshop: Core of the Body
Saturday, May 14, 2011 – 9:30am - 11:30am
(regular scheduled Nia class begins at 10:30am and is open to everyone)
Location: Open Flight Studio, 4205 University Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105
Cost: $17 for the 2-hour workshop

To register, please email me at jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com

The Nia 5 Stages of self-healing is an integrative practice based on the five stages of human development: embryonic, creeping, crawling, standing and walking. This workshop is dedicated to self-healing and to the using these five movements as stimulation to feel better in your body.

When the body moves through the Nia 5 Stages, the body, mind, emotions, and spirit naturally realign, unify and integrate, leaving a greater sense of wholeness, health and well-being. Developed as a practice, these stages lead to changes that improve one's physical comfort, ability to move efficiently, and improvement in whole body functioning and posture.

The upper extremities of the body include the fingers, hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms, shoulder joints, collarbones, and shoulder blade.

During this 120-minute playshop, we will explore how the upper extremities of the body are supported and activated in each of the five stages through the sensations of flexibility, agility, mobility, strength and stability. We will then experience an hour-long Nia routine that focuses on the movements from the upper extremities.


FREE Introduction to Nia class
When: Sunday, May 22nd from 10:30am – 11:30am
Where: Deliliah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.
Why: Delilah is hosting a garage sale in front of the studio that morning. Come to the sale and invite your friends to learn Nia! I will be teaching this hour-long class. And then head on down to the Nia Spring Jam at the Mt Baker Community Center. A Nia-full day – yippee.

Traffic Alerts!
Give yourself some additional time to get to the University District for class on Saturday, May 7th (Windermere Cup Opening Day) and Saturday, May 21st (University District Street Fair).

Month of June:
I will be in NYC visiting my family from June 9-19. I am excited to spend time with my feisty 92-year old grandmother, get some TLC from my mom and chase around my little nephews. I will send out a separate email later this month with information about my June class schedule.

Event: Join us this Sunday May 1st! 
What: Nia Benefit Class for Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Breast Cancer Walk
When: Sunday, May 1, 2011 from 4pm - 5pm
Where: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood: 124 North 103rd Street, Seattle, WA 98133
Fee: $15
All proceeds to go to the Susan G Komen 3-day for the Cure Breast Cancer walk.

Gretchen Musgrove and I are co-teaching this fundraiser class. We are raising money to support a dear Nia community member-student for the Susan G. Komen 3-day for the Cure Breast Cancer walk.

Please join us for an hour of dance and community-building for an important cause!

Event: Nia Spring Jam Sunday, May 22, 2011
Theme: We R 1 -Promoting Unity Through Dance
When: Sunday, May 22, 2011 from 2pm – 4pm
Where: Mt Baker Community Club: 2811 Mt Rainier Dr S, Seattle, WA 98144
Fee: $20 at the door.
Questions: Contact Mollia Jensen at molliania@gmail.com

Jam Teachers include ME (yay!), Gretchen Musgrove, Susan Tate, Jena Hennessey, Elise Tissot Storey, Jackie Thai, Sandra Caldwell (Nia Tacoma!), Wendy Chapman and jam juggling diva Mollia Jensen!

In times of chaos and uncertainty, when the world is shaken by earthquakes and demands for freedom are being shouted every where - that's a great time to get together and DANCE! NiaSeattle's annual spring jam is focusing on UNITY.

Bring your dancing feet and together we can help spread peace and unity one movement at a time.

*I am also celebrating two other milestones on May 22nd. The first is celebrating the anniversary of my Nia teacher training which began on May 22, 2010 last year. The second is celebrating twelve years since I met my wonderful husband. I am certain to be full of bliss this day. Bring on the JOY!

Nia in Hawaii 2012 
Early registration for the Hawaii retreat is officially open.

If you register with a $500 deposit before May 31st 2011, we can easily get you on an easy payment plan. This helps you and helps us block out enough rooms for our group far in advance so we can have a really fun retreat. For thinking ahead we will also give you a FREE extra night room and board (adding at the beginning of your retreat) for your personal rest and relaxation or adventurous spirit.

Sign up before May 31st! Kalani also has guided tour service to see volcano, hot springs, snorkel sites and more you could do on this day.

For more information: http://everybodyloveyourbody.blogspot.com/p/hawaii-retreat.html

To register: http://www.delilahs-belly-dance-retreat.com/January2012-B/registration2012B.html

Sensation of Strength

The focus of tonight’s class is the sensation of strength.

We sense strength as muscle packing in closer to or against the bone, positive tension in the muscles, and as energy moving inward. To experience this for yourself, make a claw with your hands.

The intent if tonight's class is to experience a balance of power and grace in our bodies, which is relaxed not tense.

I have put together a playlist of songs from different Nia routines that evoke strength and grace through both the energy of the song and the movements. We’ll work with the fluid strength and grace of dance and the precision and power of the martial arts. And we will work with imagery and sound.

Through putting this routine together, I was careful to select songs that evoked, within me, a sense of inner strength, empowerment and playfulness. The songs selected are from the following classic Nia routines: Velvet, Aya, Opal, Passion, Canta and AO.

I invite you to join me tonight in exploring the sensation of strength in our dance.

Class is from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Joy, Community, Birthdays, Sunshine and Celebration!

“To dance, put your hand on your heart and listen to the sound of your soul.”

- Eugene Louis Faccuito

The focus of this morning's class is Joy, Community and Celebration! I have put together a special playlist of songs for one of my students who just recently celebrated a milestone birthday. I selected some of her favorites and included other songs that are uplifting to help us celebrate both her birthday and the sunshine!

Join us in joyfully dancing our hearts out in celebration of community, friendship, birthdays and sunshine.

Class from 10:30am - 11:30am at Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Here is one of Heidi's favorites:

Celebrating and Honoring the Earth on Earth Day 2011

The focus of this tonight's class is celebrating the energy of Earth on Earth Day. The intent is to honor and express gratitude, through dance, for our Earth Mother.

Image from americanmeditation.org

I found the following Native American prayer giving thanks to the Earth from the book “Partnering with Nature: The Wild Path to Reconnecting with the Earth” by Catriona MacGregor:

“Great and Eternal Mystery of Life, Creator of All Things,

I give thanks for the beauty You put in every single one of

Your creations.

I am grateful that You did not fail in making every 
stone, plant, creature, and human being 
a perfect and whole part of 
the Sacred Hoop.

I am grateful that You have allowed me to see 
the strength and beauty 
of All My Relations.

My humble request is that all the Children of Earth 
will learn to see the same perfection 
in themselves.

May none of Your human children doubt or question 
Your wisdom, grace, and sense of wholeness 
in giving all of Creation 
a right to be living extensions of 
Your perfect love.”

Join me for an hour of devotional dance expressing our thanks to the Earth. Class tonight, Friday, April 22nd, Earth Day, from 6pm – 7pm at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.

Pelvis as the Birthplace of Your Life-Force Energy

The focus of tonight’s class is the pelvis. The intent is allow creative energy to flow.

Your pelvis is integral to your Nia Conditioning. According to Moshe Feldenkrais, “All correct action starts with the movement of the pelvic bone… so as to carry the spine and head.”

Your pelvis is a bony basin that holds the sacred parts of you that can create and bare life, and it holds many emotions. The pelvis is considered the birthplace of your life-force energy. It is your center of creativity. Conditioning your pelvis conditions all of your body, unlocks emotions, and allows creative energy to flow.

It is also the support structure for bearing and balancing your body weight. When you move your pelvis, you light up your cerebral spinal fluid, and enliven the flow of electromagnetic energy around you. Moving your pelvis is one of the best ways to keep your body energetically charged, your legs agile, your chest open, and your spine free.

For more about the pelvis, read this Nia educational handout.

Join me tonight for a sacred dance of your creative power center. Class from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

Spontaneous Movement was Natural to us as Babies

I am currently reading "Liberating the Body" by Tony Crisp. This little book is filled with simple reminders about natural physical movement and how rooted in ancient wisdom it is.

Below is an excerpt I read this morning:

From www.bornangels.com

"Spontaneous movement was natural to us as babies. We moved our arms and legs in ways that would develop muscles, express feelings and stimulate growth. Our emotions were vented directly and powerfully through such movements. We cried when upset, laughed when happy, and when the time was right we practiced all manner of sounds in preparation for speech. All of this without the intervention of any planning or list of exercises to do. In this way we maintained our physical and psychological health."

The above excerpt reminds me both of Nia's philosophy of dancing through life and the gentle unfolding and realignment process inherent in the Nia 5 stages practice. We do not need to be told how to move. We simply need to remember via listening to the wisdom of our bodies and allowing for its natural expression.

How will you allow your body to express itself naturally and spontaneously today?

All that Jazz

The focus of tonight’s class is dancing with the energy of jazz or the dance of showmanship.

The intent is to allow your self to sparkle and shine!

The energy of jazz is expressive, theatrical, sassy, soulful, and sexy.

We use our whole body, including hands and face, to create theatrical expression and electrify our audience (real or imaginary).

I love the energy of jazz because it’s full of attitude!

Join me tonight for some snap, crackle and pop! Class starts at 5:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Opening the Chest Celebrating the Heart

“The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, ‘tender loving care’ has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing.” - Larry Dossey

The focus of tonight’s Gentle Nia class is to access and dance with the energy center of our heart via opening the chest.

The heart chakra (energy center) is located in the center of the chest at the breastbone. It is considered the emotional center and gateway of love, compassion and joy. We will sense the beat of our heart and the love that originates and spirals out of this energy center to fill our entire body and our world.

The Institute of Heart Math, a nonprofit research center that has been studying the electromagnetic energy generated by emotions and the human heart for over a decade, recently found that:
“Compared to the electromagnetic field produced by the brain, the electrical component of the heart’s field is about 60 times greater in amplitude, and permeates every cell of the body. The magnetic component is approximately 5,000 times stronger than the brain’s magnetic field and can be detected several feet away from the body with sensitive magentometers.”

The Voice of the Chest

I am the voice of your chest – the birdcage of your heartbeat.

I include your ribs, thoracic cavity, sternum or your breastbone, cartilage and twelve thoracic vertebrae.

I govern the space where love and heart power grow.

By design, I am open to the light, yet, like a birdcage, I protect something sacred and precious, your heart and lungs, the internal organs that make you human.

I also support your shoulder girdle, giving freedom to your winged arms and hands.

You keep me healthy by breathing, moving your lungs inside me.

Through my openings, pulses the sound of life heard as a beat, the eternal rhythm of life.

I provide a path to your heart, a home for feelings of love, sadness, grief and joy, and an awakening of your most expressive self.

When Dancing Through Life sense life inside your chest.

Inhale and smell the moment, sensing movement from the inside, out.

On the hour, every hour, pause and sense the movement of breath expanding your lungs and gently encouraging movement of the birdcage of your chest.

Adapted from Nia Technique Book and Nia 5 Stages module on the Chest.

Come dance your heart energy tonight from 5:00pm – 6:00pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

This will be my last Sunday evening class at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood. I am still working on identifying a space and time to continue teaching the Nia 5 Stages-Gentle Nia class. Stay tuned!

The Joy of Movement

The very first principle of the Nia white belt is the Joy of Movement.

Joy is the heart, source and inspiration of Nia.

Joy is different from enjoyment. It is a quality of aliveness. It is a conscious choice. It is an attitude of embracing the body as a source of pleasure.

We use the energy of "joy" as the seed that grows the branches of our dance and through the heart of our communication.

In Nia, we experience joy not as an emotion but as a physical sensation. Experiencing joy as a  physical sensation encourages us to embrace the body as it is and move in ways that produce joy and pleasure, tweaking any movements as necessary to increase or sustain pleasure.

We use the energy of "joy" as the seed that grows the branches of our dance and through the heart of our communication.

This morning we will celebrate our bodies by allowing joy to take the lead in our dance!

Class is from 10:30am-11:30am at Open Flight Studio. Address is 4205 University Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98105 (walk upstairs - look for the door next to the Pho restaurant).

Come for the dance and then joyfully walk on up to the University District Farmers Market.

Nia Inspires Me

Thanks to my Nia sister, Jill Campana, for sharing this video on Facebook. I was so moved by the video. I was swept away by the pure joy and love captured throughout. Yes, Nia inspires me! I am grateful to be part of such an amazing global community.

The video features Nia instructor, Sun-Haeng Yu, from Los Angeles leading the group:



For more about Sun-Haeng: http://www.niasun.com/niasun.com/About_Nia.html

It's Friday! Wiggle It!

It's Friday night. Time to wiggle it! Yes, that's right, the focus of tonight's class is wiggling. The intent is to have fun. Enough said.

We'll be working with one my absolute favorite Nia routines: Sexi.

Here is one of my favorite songs from the routine and the one where we wiggle our bodies and get down and funky:



Join me for dancing for the pure fun and JOY of it tonight from 6pm - 7pm at Delilah's Belly Dance studio in Fremont.

The 8-10 Pound Body Weight

The focus of tonight’s class is the head.

The intent of emphasizing and sensing movement from the head is to experience a release of tension in the upper back and neck, improve posture, to stimulate breathing and create the proper energy flow for more free and creative use of the upper body.

When we speak of head movement, we include the movement of the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, brain, teeth, as well as thinking and imagination. The most natural way to move your head and avoid tension is to use your eyes.

With 8 cranial bones, 14 facial bones and our brain, our heads weight anywhere between 8-10 pounds. That’s a lot of weight! We think hear, taste, smell, kiss and see from the head. It is a very busy place.

As infants, the world around and the knowledge that one gains from the world around, is guided by the senses - not guided by an intelligence of “I’m looking to see something.” It’s about curiosity and moving in natural time, which happens from the eyes looking around and the head moving. That's what we are going to recreate the sensation of tonight.

For more, check out this educational handout on the head from Nianow.com.

Join me tonight to experience the grace and power of initiating movement of our bodies from our head. Class is from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

*Excerpts from Nianow.com material.

11 Tips for Getting the Most Out of your Nia Workout

Here is an article copied directly from my Nia mentor, Susan Tate. In this article, she provides 11 wonderful tips for students to get the most out of the Nia experience for new and experienced students alike. I love these tips because they are simple and emphasize really listening to our bodies to create the most pleasurable experience possible. Thank you Susan for sharing your wisdom!

Tips for Getting the Most Out of your Nia Workout

by Susan Tate, Certified Black Belt Nia Instructor

1. Do not eat for at least 2 hours before your Nia class. Drink water to stay hydrated before, during and after your workout.

2. Wear cool, loose fitting clothing or cotton leotards and footless tights. You can do Nia in bare feet or in soft-soled shoes (that are only for indoor floors). Be comfortable!

3. Start easy. Be gentle. Keep up with YOU, not anyone else. LISTEN to your body’s wisdom. Feel free to just focus on the leg motions first and then add the arm motions. Nia is different than other fitness classes. It is meant to teach you about you, physically and emotionally. Keep your interest and fascination UP and your self-criticism and judgment DOWN!

4. Don’t be surprised if you feel “emotional” following a Nia class or later on in the day. Sometimes these movements have a way of gently digging into the muscle memory (similar to a good massage) and it results in emotions floating to the surface. Be kind to yourself, witness your emotions with love and then watch when they pass. It’s always ok to have the tears (of grief or joy) come up and out during a Nia class too.

5. Move the way you walk, using your whole body! Lead with your heel when stepping to the front or side. If you feel like you’re getting blisters, it’s a sign that you are not lifting your feet during turning movements or you are stepping with the ball of your foot during the heel lead stepping motions. It helps to say, “relax” to yourself as you step onto your heel.

6. Don’t force a motion or strain yourself. If your body doesn’t relate well to a movement, stop and adjust to always move within your own challenge and comfort zone. This puts positive, loving information into your muscle memory.

7. Make the movement become an expression of you. This is YOUR workout! Nia is about JOY!

8. Use “belly” breathing. (Fill up your belly first, then your ribs laterally expand outward and then your chest and clavicle rise as you inhale fully.)

9. Use your arms to express a feeling, an emotion or mood. Using your arms can elevate your heart rate even higher, so be careful not to overdo it.

10. Work slower and longer rather than faster and harder. According to Kenneth Cooper, MD, an expert on aerobic exercise, people who work out for fitness and wellness (as opposed to those training for competition) should work at a slower pace to reduce calories and the risk of injury.

11. Take at least three classes a week to obtain optimal cardiovascular fitness. Nourish your body with Nia, good food, positive self-talk and enough sleep and you will see and feel results far beyond changing the shape of your body!

Enjoy the new student newsletter, the Nia Natural Time News. You’ll love it!

This article can be found on Susan's website: Washington Wellness Associates

For more about Susan and her Nia classes (I highly recommend them! :)): http://www.wawellness.com/nia.html

Freedom and Spontaneity

The focus of tonight’s class is movement with the energy of Duncan Dance.

The essence of Duncan Dance is freedom and spontaneity through movement. The energy of this movement form in Nia is imaginative, uplifting and heart opening. It is the joy of expressing your spirit in your own unique way. I find this movement form the most liberating and fun. It’s my personal favorite.

Let your soul and body experience freedom with childlike curiosity and expression!

Bring your playful, creative dreaming self to class from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Body and Sound Vibration

Last night we worked with physical vibration. This morning, our focus is on the effect music has on our bodies through sound vibration. The intent is to stimulate and motivate us to move creatively and expressively with the music.

“Sound is felt and perceived through the bones, organs, and skin as waves, as a sea of energy that engulfs the entire body. Sound and music induces systemic, whole body resonance as vibrations trigger chemical responses. As resonance reverberates, sound diffuses and is re-echoed throughout the body, sending vibrations that actually form geometric patterns of energy. It is this precise patterning that relaxes, stimulates, motivates or harmonizes.” - excerpt from Nia resources

I love listening deeply and intently to music – I listen for lyrics, voices, instruments, pitch, tone, timber, harmonics, rhythm, and to the subtle sounds created within and between the sounds. I listen and sense for where, in my body, I feel the music and what emotional energy it brings forth. There are so many layers to appreciate. This is true for our bodies and our dance as well. Even though we use our physical bodies when we dance, we can also invite our emotional, mental, spiritual and energetic bodies to participate. These layers create infinite levels of expression and in my opinion, bliss!

This morning, we will sense how the sound of the music echoes and sends vibrations throughout the body. We’ll be invited to move our bodies to enhance these vibrations and create spontaneous, harmonious and joyful movement.

Join me from 10:30am – 11:30am at the beautiful natural-light filled Open Flight Studio in the University District. Come dance and then check out the farmer’s market!

Good Vibrations

The focus of tonight’s class is physical vibration.

The intent is to experience whole-body relaxation.

We sense relaxation through through the art of practicing different types of movements that vibrate the physical body: quivering, shimmying, shaking, pulsing, rumbling, and sounding.

Let’s shake it up on Friday night!

Class is from 6pm – 7pm at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.

Finding Your Center of Gravity

The focus of tonight’s class is finding your center of gravity. 

The intent is to sense and move with joy and ease from your center.

Our center of gravity is that point or concentrated area in the body where all parts balance each other. It may also be referred to as the core of the body, hara, belly, the one point, or solar plexus.

The body is designed to arrange itself around your center of gravity. When everything is aligned, your body and movements work well together. When they are not aligned, your body reflexes kick in to keep you from falling over. In fact, every time we move, our center of gravity shifts.

On an energetic level, our center of gravity can also be a power center. It may be where we feel strong, willful, powerful and perhaps unshakeable.

Join me tonight for a journey to your center. Class from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

Breath is the Key to Life, Movement, and Rhythm

Breath is the key to life, movement, and rhythm.

"Imagine, if you will, a situation where all is in harmony, complete in its rhythm. ..emptying to fill, filling then emptying in an ongoing ever-flowing wholeness. Life-giving fluid enters the system, rich in nourishment, swirling, laden with life energy….A great whoosh connects what is outside, air of the world, with the inside of me…connects the inside of me with myself. Every cell receives its portion of food, healthy and at one with the environment…ready to pour out what is not needed, ready to release the waste, to open a space to make room to expand for new food. Emptying and filling, the circle is complete and the cycle continues. There is no goal to be reached and no targeted task. It is sufficient to BE, simple and whole, connected within, in unity with the universe.

You might ask, 'How can I be in this wondrous place of perfect unity? How can I partake of this wholeness?' Simply by participating in the primal pattern of BREATH."

Entry above taken directly from the book “Making Connections” by Peggy Hackney.

For more about the power of the breath, read the entry from the Nia headquarters website: Awareness of Breath: Tracking the Tide of Life

Exploring the Relationship between Stability and Mobility

The focus of tonight’s class is on exploring the relationship between stability and mobility.

Stability has a quality of dynamic stillness while mobility is energy in contact motion. The grace and expression of all movement relies on the effectiveness of stability, which is the foundation and root of all movement. Establishing stability is essential before we can generate mobility.

The intent of this routine is to sense the beginning of a movement (stability) and the end of a movement (mobility) and explore the creative possibilities for self-expression in between.

Join me tonight from 5:30pm – 6:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Moving Your Shoulders as Elegant Wings

The focus of tonight’s Combined Nia 5 Stages and Gentle Nia class is movement with the shoulder blades. The intent is to provide more freedom, mobility and expression of the shoulders, chest and upper back.

The shoulder blades are two thin, flat bones on the back of the body. You can visualize the shoulder blades as hands on the back of your body or like elegant wings expanding out the side of your body. One of the essential functions of the shoulder blades is to provide freedom and to give life to your hand and arm expression.

The movement of our hands has a direct impact on our shoulder blades. The simple reciprocal action of moving the palms up and down stimulates the back of the body (sensing nerves) and the front of the body (motor nerves). Moving the palms up, leading with the pinky finger, allows you to sense support from behind and underneath while opening the shoulder joint and allowing your shoulder blades to swing down and out. Moving with palms down, leading with the thumb, moves energy down and allows your shoulder blades to return to resting.

The entire shoulder girdle is meant to be mobile. We will work with various movements tonight to free the shoulder joint and allow for mobility and full range of expression.

Here is a wonderful little one-page Nia student handout on the shoulder girdle.

Join me tonight for an exploration of your elegant wings from 5pm- 6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

Discovering Your Movement Potential

The focus of this morning’s class is investigating the art of movement.

The intention is to sense and explore your body and how it wants to be move and be moved – in other words – to discover your movement potential.

This morning I invite you to move your body as a “unique instrument to be explored, played, and celebrated for its unique potential. “ (C. Schrader)

Join me for an investigative journey this morning from 10:30am - 11:30am at the light-filled Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Unleash Your Inner Fool

The focus of tonight’s class is celebrating foolishness. That’s right! It’s April Fools’ Day.

The intent is to relax and not take thing so seriously. It’s time to unleash your most playful, foolish and mischievous self.

It’s Friday night. It’s the end of the workweek or school week for most people. It’s April 1st. Feel free to come to class in a wig, funky glasses, pom poms..Let’s play!

Class from 6pm - 7pm at Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.