Hands as Sensory Messengers

The focus of tonight’s class is our hands. The intent is to consciously direct the flow of energy through our bodies and our dance.

We use our hands to sense, touch, feel, explore the space around us, to express emotion, and direct energy throughout our bodies.

By intentionally and energetically using our hands in Nia, we engage more of our arms and upper body thus gaining greater muscle definition, flexibility, and strength without the use of weights.

I love to dance with my hands. I enjoy the sensation of wiggling my fingers, playing with palms directions, rotating and flexing my wrists and fingers and making spirals with my arms using my hands. Most of all I adore the sensation of touch. I am grateful that my hands allow me to experience the delicious sensation of soft fabrics, a warm clean smooth floor, water, leaves, skin, a soft teddy bear, a piece of fruit, a cotton ball, etc. I could go on and on.

Below is an excerpt from the Nia student handout on the hands:
http://nianow.com/sites/nianow.com/files/downloads/NiaEH_Hands.pdf?download=1

“Like the feet, your hands are the only other body parts that are constantly and physically in touch with the world around you. As sensory messengers, your hands are a great resource for connecting and conditioning your whole body. The hands, which include ten fingers, palms, and inner and outer arches, together with the joints of your wrists, two forearms, elbow joints, and upper arm bones, are all a part of the upper extremities you use to creatively express yourself.

Unique to the hand is a thumb, which makes it possible for you to grab, hold, catch, grasp, throw, push, pull, tear, caress, wipe, juggle, toss, plant, build things, and make love. You keep the hands healthy by using them based on their design.

A fanlike structure, the palms of your hands are designed to fully open and close, moving with mobility and flexibility in strong, stable and agile ways. Tentaclelike, your fingers are designed to wiggle, bend and extend. When used individually, fingers can direct energy to increase flexibility, strength, and balance. Each finger connects you to a specific emotional energy. By integrating the hands into your movement, you greatly reduce the build up of stress that can occur in the neck and shoulders when the hands are allowed to dangle and be carried by the trunk.

Integrate your hands in everything you do to sense dynamic ease, moving from the core and balancing the top, bottom, left and right sides of your body.”

Join me tonight for an energetic exploration with our hands. Class from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

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.

She Rewards Me With Magic

The focus of tonight’s class is creative movement through sensation. The intent is to celebrate your body’s way.

Yesterday I read and was inspired by a testimonial from a Nia teacher on the Nianow.com website.

Anne Francis, Nia teacher in the UK wrote:

“I teach and practice Nia to explore a side of my life that I had previously largely ignored. I dashed through life to appease the invisible parents, the ruthless society, the crazy world – without realising that my body, the wonderfully magical machine that encompasses my thoughts, dreams and soul yearnings, had such delights to offer me. We're more in step now; I listen more. My body has responded with increased energy levels, deep restorative sleep, muscles appearing from beneath layers of fat, improved scrabble scores, twinge-free meditations and the ability to wear my killer heels without guilt or pain.”
Full testimonial: http://nianow.com/testimonial/nia-testimonial-anne-francis-nia-teacher 


Anne's testimonial resonated with me. I was dashing through life, not to appease anyone, but because I had (and have) so much energy that I craved being in a constant state of "doing." Much of my doing was disconnected from sensation, or body listening, which is why I usually ended up depleted. The practice of Nia has taught me to cultivate conscious and meaningful doing that is based on listening to my body. I follow her prompts and she rewards me with magic. I love how I feel when I move and I find myself dancing a new dance almost every day. It's truly a celebration.


Tonight, I invite you to join me in listening to, responding to and celebrating our wonderfully magical bodies. Let’s dance! 5:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District.


*This is my last Friday evening class at Open Flight Studio. I am co-teaching the next two Fridays, Decembers 24th and 31st from 9:30am – 10:30am with Jena Hennessey at the Dance Space in Greenwood. 


**On January 7, 2011 I begin teaching my Friday evening class from 6pm-7pm at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.

Sense, Witness and Adapt with X-Ray Anatomy

The focus of tonight’s class is X-Ray anatomy with the intent to tap into movement variety to create new neuromuscular pathways.

X-Ray anatomy is 10th of the 13 Principles of the Nia White Belt. The goal of this principle is to teach us to see, observe and sense our body alignment using structural anatomy and sensory awareness. To make this happen, we use our eyes, imagination, and intuition to see and perceive the activity occurring beneath our skin. We sense into what is going on with our bones, ligament, and muscles and tweak our movements to create new and different movements that may produce improvements in alignment as well as increased pleasure.

To bring X-Ray Anatomy into your body and life:

Sense
The moment you wake up, become consciously aware of sensation. Go about your day and track the sensations of pain and pleasure. Choose pleasure by consciously placing your bones in alignments that feel good. Listen to the voice of pleasure, which tells you, "This is good. This is a healthy choice - keep doing what you're doing."

Witness
Throughout the day, notice what you are doing with your posture when you feel comfort and pleasurable sensations—notice the alignment of your bones and joints. Pay attention to any level of slight, moderate and acute sensations that feel bad or uncomfortable, and then proactively say "no" to pain. The moment you sense pain and discomfort, shift your bone and/or joint alignment until the sensation of pleasure returns.

Adapt
Play with altering what you normally do throughout the day, while focusing on the desire to feel better. Move your bones and joints in ways that tighten or release your muscles, until you feel more comfort and pleasure in your movement. Remember: Comfort and pleasure are the voices that tell you when your actions are right for you.

Sense, Witness and Adapt: Keep these three things in mind each day, and I promise you will notice wonderful changes in your body and life!

Learn more about Cultivating Comfort with X-Ray Anatomy
By: Debbie Rosas, Nia co-founder

Join me for class tonight at 5:30pm at Open Flight Studio in the University District as we practice self-awareness during movement and listen to the voice of our body to consciously create new ways of moving.