Voice of the Feet

The focus of tonight's class is the feet. The intent is to connect with the feet as a stable base and our foundation.

Nia Handout on the Feet

Voice of the Feet 

I am the voice of your feet. I am the hands that touch the earth.By design, there are two of me. One of me supports your left side, and one supports your right side. Each of me has 26 bones and 25 joints.

I let you know where you are through sensation coming from over 7,000 nerve endings in each of my soles.

My function is to provide you with a foundation, a trampolinelike base with arches that run horizontally and longitudinally.

I function best when your ankle joint is free and involved.

What keeps me healthy is being allowed to be naked and free to naturally settle into a relaxed, more elongated and expanded design. If I am confined, I get cranky and lock up.

I never work alone, but always with my partner, the ankle joint.

I provide stability and support from my inner arch, which is made up of the big toe and the next two toes. My arches give you a springboard.

My toes, designed to lengthen and spread, need space and freedom. At the back of me is my largest bone, the calcaneus, and the part known as the heel. Together with my second largest bone, the talus, and the smaller bones, the navicular, cuneiform, metatarsals, and my inner arches, I provide flexibility, power, and stability.

I make it possible for you to receive energy from the earth and to be touched as you walk, run, skip, hop, play sports, dance and live in your world. Visualize me as a magic carpet, one you ride on and are elegantly supported by from underneath.

I look forward to dancing with you tonight 6pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

The Simple Pleasure of Dancing

The focus of tonight's class is the simple pleasure of dancing the whole body. The intent is to experience the ease that arises with simplicity. Yes, less is more. With each movement, discover how to move with simplicity and efficiency so that your dance becomes effortless and almost meditative.

Join me tonight in discovering the ease of moving with pleasure as your compass. Class from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

The Upper Arm Bone, Grace and Freedom

“A graceful body is a body that appears to walk and fly at the same time. As if having wings, a graceful body seems to turn everyday movements into a dance of life that reflects grace, beauty, power and dynamic function. “

Nianow.com handout

The focus of tonight’s class is the dance of the upper arm bone combined with the energy of Duncan Dance. The intent is to experience physical grace and free-spirited playful and honest movement that originates from the upper arm bone.

The Voice of your Upper Arm Bone:

I am the voice of your upper arm bone. My name is humerus. Look at my top and by design you’ll see I have a small rounded ball that together with your shoulder blade gives flight, grace and power to your hand, arm, and core gestures.

Look at my bottom and you’ll see your elbow joint. When I am not in use I love to hang at your sides to help keep your shoulders down and relaxed. Always there for you, notice that I act in response to what you feel. If you feel afraid, you will find me hugging inward to hold and keep you safe.

If you feel excited, you’ll notice me moving wildly about. Like ski poles, the two of me help to keep you balanced by slightly swinging across your body as you walk. I am the part of you that expresses emotional truth. Watch what I do, where and how I energetically move, and you’ll get to know your emotional self intimately.

Nianow.com

Over the past three days I have been working with the Nia routine Butterfly. I will continue to work with it for the next few days.

Butterfly is Classic Nia routine for all levels. This transformational experience folds and unfolds your arms to stimulate your awareness of systemic movement, developing Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength and Stability in your spine and upper extremities. Rhythmic variations isolate and integrate your pelvis, chest, head and spine, while simple patterns connect your base (stepping motions), core (pulsating rhythms), and upper extremities (folding and unfolding).

Spread your own butterfly wings through music, movement and personal expression, opening the front and back of your body for whole body conditioning.

Come fly with Butterfly!

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

Body Gratitude

The focus of tonight's class is Body Gratitude. The intent is to acknowledge and celebrate your body.

This focus was inspired by a line I read by Nia co-founder Debbie Rosas:

"Thank you, body, for the constant loving feedback you give to me, and for helping me to refine and tweak my movements so that I can move with greater ease, dynamic ease and improved function." - 

I practice body gratitude when I do my five stages and self-healing ritual every morning. I have found that this simple act of acknowledging and giving thanks to this body of mine has elevated my experience of pleasure of moving and being in my own body.
She knows I am listening and am more deeply attuned and she responds with magic.

I am inspired to bring this practice into my classic Nia class.

Join me tonight, 6:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford, for dancing gratitude.

Dancing with Scarves

I've got dance scarves. Who wants to play tonight? 

6:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford. 

Let's make these babies fly!