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.

Dancing Like Trees

The focus of tonight’s class is the sensation of grounding with the intent of experiencing stability in movement.

In Nia, we call our feet our “hands that touch the Earth.”

Tonight we will visualize our feet like the roots of a tree sending its energetic strands deep down into the Earth to ground and nourish us. And we will dance our arms as if they are far-reaching branches rising up towards the Sun.

Join me tonight for an earthy movement journey from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.