Nia 5 Stages 5-Week Series

Five-week Nia 5 Stages Series 

Sunday evenings starting February 19, 2012 for five consecutive weeks through March 18, 2012

Specific dates: 2/19, 2/26, 3/4, 3/11 and 3/18 

Time: 5pm - 6pm

Where: The Dance Space in Greenwood
124 N 103rd Street Seattle, WA 98133

Cost: $50 for the series or $13 drop-in

Series description:

Nia 5 Stages is a powerful practice to realign and self-heal the body. Through music, imagery, movement and language, this class guides you through five stages based on the natural phases of human development: Embryonic, Creeping, Crawling, Standing and Walking.

This practice is dedicated to self-healing and to using these five movements as stimulation to feel better in your body.

The object of practicing these five simple movements is to prepare the body to become more functional, energetic, and comfortable while doing any movement such as: dancing, walking, running, yoga, martial arts, etc. This practice allows you to sense the natural ability your body has to realign itself and self-heal through movement.

By the end of this five-week series you will have an in-depth introduction to each of the movements so that you can sustain a home practice.

Sign-up for the series, drop-in for $13 or use a class card.

Watch the Nia 5 Stages:

Questions and/or to register: jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com

Nia 5 Stages of Self-Healing

In addition to my certification as a classic Nia instructor, I am also certified as a Nia 5 Stages of self-healing instructor. This body of work is deeply important to me and has been both body and life-transforming.

I learned the Nia 5 Stages practice at my white belt training in May 2010. The practice immediately resonated with me and I knew I wanted to delve into it both for self-growth and for teaching purposes. For the past 13 months I have spent 7-10 minutes every single day doing this practice and after each session I experience a new sensation of healing in my body. I feel stronger, taller (that's a big one for me!), more stable, aligned, balanced, limber, flexible, agile, mobile, graceful and more keenly aware of my body sensations. I call the 5 stages my "magic" practice and I hope to share it with as many people as possible.

What is the Nia 5 Stages?
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 practice is dedicated to self-healing and to the using these five movements as stimulation to feel better in your body.

The object of practicing the five simple movements that comprise the Nia 5 Stages is to prepare the body to become more functional, energetic, and comfortable while doing any movement such as: dancing, walking, running, yoga, martial arts, etc. This practice allows you to sense the natural ability your body has to realign itself and self-heal through movement.

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.

I taught weekly Nia 5 Stages classes in Greenwood for 6 months but due to schedule changes am now seeking a new space to hold weekly classes. Stay tuned! In the meantime, below is a short video demonstrating the Nia 5 Stages.



Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions about the Nia 5 Stages: jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com

Healing and Dancing with the Upper Extremities

TODAY: Nia 5 Stages Playshop: Upper Extremities 

Saturday, May 14, 2011 – 9:30am - 11:30am at Open Flight Studio in the University District

(regular scheduled Nia class begins at 10:30am and is open to everyone! You do not need to come to the first hour on the Nia 5 Stages to attend regular class but you are certainly invited to do so.)

Please give yourself plenty of time to get to class and do not park on University Way due to the University District Street Fair festivities. 

The focus of today's playshop is the upper extremities. The intent is to explore healing sensations and the range of movements possible with our upper extremities. In Nia, healing is not about curing but about tweaking our movements until we find comfort, pleasure and ease. 

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. The routine we will be working with is Velvet. Listen to the music of Velvet. 

Relaxed, Alert and Waiting (RAW)

Embryonic

Creeping

Crawling

Standing

Walking

Nia 5 Stages Playshop: Upper Extremities

Playshop Flyer

Nia 5 Stages Playshop: Upper Extremities

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

Download and share the playshop flyer to the right.

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.

Relaxed, Alert and Waiting (RAW)

Embryonic

Creeping

Crawling

Standing

Walking

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?

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!

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.

April News: Class Change, Playshop, Come to Hawaii, and more!

Hello everyone,

I hope you’ve had a lovely few weeks ushering in Spring! I have plenty of news to share with you. Sit back, grab a cup of tea, coffee or your favorite ice cream and read carefully :)


Class changes: NEW CLASS time and location for Saturdays! 
My Saturday class has changed. Starting on Saturday, April 2nd I will be teaching at Open Flight Studio in the University District from 10:30am – 11:30am. The rest of my schedule remains the same for April. View my updated schedule.

Future Class Changes - starting in May:

Sunday, May 1, 10:30am - 11:30am at Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont

and
Friday, May 6, 5:30pm - 6:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District

*Stay tuned for more in the future about my Gentle Nia and Nia 5 Stages class. I am still exploring options for teaching this restorative and healing class. My last class will likely at the Civetta Dance Space will likely be on Sunday April 17th. 

Email Poll:

Please let me know if you would be interested in an ongoing Nia 5 Stages class Saturdays mornings from 9:30am - 10:30am at Open Flight Studio in the University District. Email me at jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com.

Discount Class Rates for Students:
If you are a college, university, high school student, I now offer special student rates.
Drop-in to a class for $8 or buy a 5-class card for $35.

FREE class:
It is my desire for as many people to experience Nia as possible. Over the past 8 years, Nia has been a life-changing fitness and lifestyle practice. I invite you to help share the joy you experience in a Nia class. Invite your friends to try a class with me. Their first class will be FREE!

Events: Playshop and Hawaii!

Nia 5 Stages Playshop: Core of the Body 
Saturday, April 16, 2011 – 1:30pm – 3:30pm 
Location: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood, 124 N 103rd St, Seattle, WA 98133
Cost: $17
More info, click here.

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 core of the body includes the pelvis, chest, head and spine. In this workshop, we will explore how the core of the body is supported and activated in each of the five stages through the sensations of flexibility, agility, mobility, strength and stability.

During this 120-minute playshop you will be guided through the 5 Stages practice followed by an hour-long Nia class that focuses on the movements from the core of the body.

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

Come to Hawaii with me! February 4-9, 2012 
Yes, that's right, I said Hawaii! Delilah Flynn, owner of Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont, has asked me to partner with her on a Belly Dancing and Nia retreat in Hawaii at Kalani Oceanside Retreat Village. Of course, I said YES! Imagine me with a giant smile - ear to ear. I think I may have even shimmied. In fact, I am certain I did.

Each day will include belly dancing, Nia, other movement exercises and live music. It is going to be divine.

If you register with a $500 deposit between March 18- 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 for your personal rest and relaxation or adventurous spirit. Sign up before May 31st!

More information on Delilah's website: http://www.delilahs-belly-dance-retreat.com/January2012-B/aboutretreat2012B.html 

Announcements:
On Sunday, April 10, 2011, I will be covering the lovely Gretchen Musgrove’s 11:30am – 12:30pm Nia class at the Civetta Dance Spance while she is at the Nia Blue Belt training. Please join me for a delightful and energetic Sunday mid-morning class! For a double dose of Nia, come back for my 5pm Gentle Nia/Nia 5 Stages class.

Save the Date: 
Nia Seattle Spring Jam - Sunday May 22, 2-4pm at the Mount Baker Community Club.

That’s all for now. I look forward to dancing with you again throughout the month of April and appreciate your continued support. Many of you know how much I love to teach (and learn!) and I am so grateful that you have chosen me to be one of your Nia teachers.

Thank you with all my heart,
Jennifer

Sensation of Flexibility

The focus of tonight’s combined Gentle Nia and Nia 5 Stages class is the sensation of flexibility.

We played with this sensation in class on Friday evening in a classic Nia class but tonight we will add another layer by incorporating the five movements of the Nia 5 Stages: embryonic, creeping, crawling, standing and walking.

Flexibility is sensed as energy moving out along the bones. We will receive the sensation of flexibility through the architecture, shape, size, speed and the relationship we have to gravity. The movements will vary so they can be small to target the intrinsic muscles or larger to activate extrinsic muscles. Finally, we will explore how speed influences flexibility.

We will begin with a gentle Nia class and end with Nia 5 Stages. Join me for an exploration of flexibility tonight from 5pm – 6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

Hands that Touch the Earth

The focus for tonight's Gentle Nia and Nia 5 Stages class is our feet. In Nia, the feet are referred to as "the hands that touch the Earth". Our feet are our direction connection to the Earth and where both balance and movement in our whole body begins. Each foot has 26 bones, 3 arches, 11 muscles, and 7,000 nerve endings that communicate to us through sensation. That's a whole lot of exploration.

Join me tonight for a fanciful foot journeying class from 5pm - 6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

Base of the Body

The focus of this morning’s class and afternoon playshop is the base of the body.

The base of the body includes our feet, ankles, shinbones, knees, thighbones and hip joints.

All movement begins in the base of the body. Balance and the flow of energy initiate in your foot and ankle, which rely on the cooperation of the moving muscles and balancing mate muscles. Because most leg, knee, ankle, foot and hip problems are mechanical, you can often reclaim stability and proper functioning simply by consciously guiding your movements. Understanding how your feet and legs are designed to support you and using them in accord with this design – in accord with The Body’s Way – allows you to self-heal and return to comfort and ease. When all your base structures function appropriately, the result is balance, power, coordination and grace in your whole body

In Nia, we achieve proper functioning in the base through focused and continued practice of all the base moves, with the intent to establish a firm, sturdy and flexible foundation that supports the whole body in moving up and down from the ground, and maintaining a dynamic upright posture in both motion and in stillness. The base moves include (among others) the heel lead, cross behind, cross front, traveling in directions, lateral traveling, cha-cha-cha, kicks, stances and turns.

Here is an educational handout on working with the feet as the foundation of the body:
The Feet - Your Foundation (PDF)

Join me today in exploring the base and the body. Nia class at 11am at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford and Nia 5 Stages 120-minute Playshop at 1:30pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

March Announcements - Nia 5 Stages Playshop on Saturday and more

A few brief announcements:

There is still space available in my Nia 5 Stages Playshop coming up this Saturday, March 12th from 1:30pm – 3:30pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood. This is the first of three playshops I have scheduled over the next three months. Please note that I am still teaching my regular 11am Saturday morning class at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

For those of you that have not experienced it, 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.

I have been practicing the Nia 5 Stages every single day since May 22, 2011 when I learned the practice at my white belt training. I have found no other movement practice that has helped me to move with more self-awareness, self-love, and grace and that has dramatically improved my flexibility, mobility, agility, strength, and stability. It brings me great joy to share this practice with you.

In each 120-minute playshop, you will be guided through the 5 Stages practice followed by an hour-long Nia class.

Details are below for this Saturday’s workshop and two other announcements:

March 12, 2011 – 1:30pm – 3:30pm: The Base of the Body 
Location: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood: 124 N 103rd St (between N 1st Ave & N Greenwood Ave), Seattle, WA 98133
Workshop Fee: $17 or $45 for all 3 playshops (see my events page for more information)
The base of the body includes the feet, ankles, shinbones, knees, thighbones and hips. In this workshop, we will explore how the base of the body is 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 base of the body.

Sunday, March 13, 2011 – Double dose of Nia 9:30am and 5pm 
Location: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood
I am subbing for the lovely Jena Hennessey on Sunday morning, March 13th from 9:30am – 10:30am at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood. It will be a Nia double dose Sunday for me – teaching at 9:30am and then again at 5pm. Come join me for one or both classes!

Sunday, March 20, 2011 – Dance into Spring
Location: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood
The Spring equinox is on Sunday, March 20th. Please join me for my 5pm class that day in celebrating our entry into the season of rebirth, renewal, growth and new life.

Always grateful for your continued support and looking forward to dancing with you,
Jennifer

Embryonic, the Beginning

The focus of tonight’s Gentle Nia class is Embryonic.

Embryonic is the first movement stage of the Nia 5 Stages of self-healing. The intent of being in a state of embryonic is about beginnings, of sensing in to where all movement emerges. It’s about experiencing circular and geometric shapes in space, moving without thinking, having no edges or boundaries and moving as if you are liquid.

We will play with all of these sensations tonight both on the floor and on our feet from 5pm-6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

Sensing and Presence

The focus of tonight’s Gentle Nia and Nia 5 Stages class is cultivating presence through tracking the sensations of pleasure and pain in the body. The simple definition of presence is the state of being present. We’ll be using our breath and the art of sensing to cultivate presence with our bodies. And with this spirit of attention, to make any necessary modifications in our movements to move towards pleasure. Class is from 5pm - 6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

Feb Schedule and Playshop Info

Hello everyone,

A reminder of my schedule over the next week:

Thursday, February 17, 2011 – I am debuting the routine “Passion” at 6:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford. The focus of this routine will be dancing your body from a place of effortlessness and love.

Elise Tissot-Storey is the lovely little lady in red.

Elise Tissot-Storey will be covering my classes on:
Friday, February 18, 2011 at 6pm at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont, and
Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 11am at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

Elise will be teaching the routine "Butterfly". I have not taught this routine yet but I can tell you that Elise teaches it so beautifully! She teaches with such grace and heart. I thoroughly enjoy dancing with Elise. She has inspired me to learn this routine. Come dance Butterfly with her while I am in San Francisco!

Classes are canceled on Sunday, February 20th and Monday, February 21st.

I return to Seattle next week and am looking forward to resuming my regular teaching schedule on Thursday, February 24th!

“Through art and dance we reclaim our primal heritage and move towards a more embodied future.”  - Anna Halprin

I have shared with many of you where I am going this weekend. I am headed to San Francisco to participate in a special weekend workshop with Anna Halprin. From what I understand, the workshop is on the powerful intelligence of the body and to create personal and collective dances that have meaning and includes movement rituals and other somatic experiences beneath the beautiful redwood trees in Marin. I have been looking forward to this weekend for months and hope it will make me a better person, teacher and student of movement as a healing art.

One last thing. There has been a slight change to the start and end time for the three Nia 5 Stages Playshops I am working on. Take note of the new times:

3 Saturdays:
March 12, 2011: The Base of the Body
April 16, 2011: The Core of the Body
May 14, 2011: The Upper Extremities

Time: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Where: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood
Cost: $17 per class or $45 for all 3

For more about the playshops: http://everybodyloveyourbody.blogspot.com/p/events.html

To register for any or all of the playshops email me directly at jennifer@everybodyloveyourbody.com.

With love in my heart and gratitude for being your friend, teacher and student,

Jennifer

Sunday Night Nia! Superbowl Alternative.

Sunday Night Nia! A great Superbowl alternative.

The focus of tonight’s Gentle/Restorative Nia class is Stability with the intent to find peace and relaxation while dancing to the music.

Every aspect of the choreography of tonight’s routine, Aya, is designed to stimulate the sensation of Stability. Stability grows from the ground up and is sensed as calmness in the entire body. As you dance, you are invited to sense your muscles and joints moving in harmony. Make sure both of your feet move with ease, creating the Stability needed for the rest of your body to dance with grace and peace. And stay attentive to your breath; always seek relaxed breathing, even when exerting your body.

Join me for a new format to this class. We will dance for the first 45 minutes at a level 1 and then end the class on the floor using the Nia 5 Stages for our Floor Play practice.

Class tonight from 5pm - 6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

I will be doing a special series on the Nia 5 Stages starting in March. Save the dates!
When: Saturdays - March 12th, April 16th and May 14th
Time: 2:15pm-3:45pm
Where: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood
Cost: $17 per class or $45 for all 3

February Update (Newsletter)

Susan Tate's debut of the new Nia Routine R1. January 1, 2011.

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope 2011 is off to a great start for you. The last month has been quite wonderful. I began, quite joyously, teaching five classes per week in January and introduced two new routines: Opal and Sexi. In February, I will be working with theme "love" and introducing the Nia routine Passion mid-month. I use "love" in the broadest sense to include love of self, other, nature, humanity and of course, the love of our bodies and movement :).

Class Schedule

My current class schedule is listed below and can also be found on my website:

Mondays: 5:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District
Thursdays: 6:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford
Fridays: 6:00pm at Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont
Saturdays: 11:00am at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford
Sundays: 5:00pm (Gentle Nia/Nia 5 Stages) at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood

Sunday Class Changes:

I am changing the structure Combined Nia 5 Stages and Gentle/Restorative Nia class on Sunday evenings. Starting in February, we will begin the class with a 40-45 minute Gentle Nia class (level 1) and end with about 10 minutes of the Nia 5 Stages. I have ordered new knee pads from Nia headquarters and hope they arrive within six weeks.

February Holiday Schedule:

No classes on Friday, February 18th, Sunday, February 20th and Monday, February 21st.

*I will be out of town for the holiday weekend.

Class is ON for Saturday, February 19th:

Elise Tissot-Storey, my Nia colleague and friend, also teaches at Fresh Fitness and Dance. Elise's classes are held on Monday mornings at 9:45am and Wednesday mornings at 10:45am. Elise, who I can only describe as an absolute love, will be covering my Saturday, February 19th class when I am out of town. Please come and dance with Elise! 

Upcoming Nia Mini-Playshops:

Playshops are what Nia folk call workshops. I am currently planning three Nia 5 Stages playshops for Spring. These playshops will provide you with a more in depth practice of the 5 stages.

The Nia 5 Stages is an integrative practice based on the five stages of human development: embryonic, creeping, crawling, standing and walking. 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. 

In each 90-minute playshop, you will be guided through the 5 Stages practice followed by short Nia class.

More information about the 5 Stages Mini-Playshops coming soon! In the meantime, save the dates:

Saturdays: March 12th, April 16th and May 14th

When: 2:15pm-3:45pm

Where: Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood

Cost: $17 per class or $45 for all 3

Stay in touch:

A reminder that I usually post the class focus (and more) on my blog. You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter. 

That's all for now. I am looking forward to dancing with you soon and throughout the year.

With warmth and gratitude for being your teacher, student and dance playmate,

Jennifer

Shoulder Blades as Elegant Wings

The focus of tonight’s Combined Nia 5 Stages and Gentle Nia class is movement with the shoulder blades.

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 direction 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.

Class tonight from 5pm- 6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

Movement of the Head and Neck

The focus of tonight’s Combined Nia 5 Stages and Gentle Nia class is on movement of the head and neck.

Everything we do, such as looking, listening, eating, smelling and taking affects what happens in the head and neck. Even our sleep position affects our head and neck.

Tonight we are going to work with the movement of the head and neck to help release tension, stimulate breathing and strengthen the muscles along the core of the body: pelvis, chest and head.

As infant's, 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.

Movement the head and neck also affects the alignment of the rest of the spine. One of the ways we integrate movement of the head in Nia is to use our eyes. We can follow the movement of our hands with our eyes to keep the neck relaxed and encourage movement of the head in a way that is more efficient than commanding the head to move up and down. We can also focus on our sense of sight, looking at specific things or simply out into life, to encourage movement of the head.

Our intent is to feel more relaxed and aligned. If we move something above (our head), and we move something below (our tail), the stuff in the middle gets to relax and find a new kind of alignment. The head moving up and out of the torso will create some flexibility in the thoracic spine. That additional space below is going to create freedom above, versus having the head packed down and being pulled down by gravity. Often the discomfort one feels in the shoulder girdle and between the shoulder blades is the head being packed down without enough extension up and out. The lengthening up, the extension up, helps to create what the body wants, which is space between the shoulders and ears.

Join me tonight for a conscious movement journey of the head and neck. Class is from 5pm-6pm at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

Movement with our Eyes and a "Fresh" Start

“The eyes are the window to the soul.” - Proverb

The focus of tonight’s combined Nia 5 Stages and Gentle Nia class is on the eyeballs.

The eye is a small circular organ stimulated by light and able to move in many directions to maximize our field of vision. Our eyes take in a wealth of information about the world we live and move in. They send information to our brain so that we know what is going on around us. The more we use our eyes, the more we experience and express ourselves in our world.

Tonight, we will take a little journey with our eyes to consciously explore the way we move through the world. We will notice that the eyes not only initiate movement of the head and neck but they also affect other joints as well. In initiating movement with our eyes, we create new and wondrous patterns of movement.

Class is from 5pm – 6pm tonight at the Civetta Dance Space in Greenwood.

**Also tonight: As you know, I am quite excited that I will be teaching 2 new classes at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford on Thursday (6:30pm) and Saturday (11am) starting this week. My Nia class there will be open to both Fresh Fitness and Dance members and non-members alike.

Fresh Fitness and Dance is hosting their grand opening party tonight from 4:30pm – 7:30pm. The flier is below.

I will be heading to the grand opening party after my class tonight!