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. “

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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.

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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.

The Sensation of our Upper Extremities

The focus of tonight’s class is the sensation of all of our upper extremities. The intent is to explore how we express ourselves with our fingers, hands, wrists, forearms, elbows, upper arms, shoulder joints, collarbones, and shoulder blade.

The Voice of The Arms, Hands and Fingers

"To the physical part of you I offer a way to touch, hug, and love. I am to you, like the branches of a tree. When you desire, I reach out to fulfill your wishes and wantings. When you are scared, I hold you tenderly. When you need love, I openly touch and caress you.

To the mental part of you I offer a way to outwardly express what you are thinking and imagining. When your thoughts are free, I am open and relaxed, available to sensations of life. When your thoughts are rigid and fearful I become tight and bound, locked into a solid form. When your thoughts are free to move, to expand, and to dream, I am agile, strong, and powerfully available to help you create.

To the emotional part of you I offer visual aids for expressing what you feel. As you open to what is moving inside of you, I will respond without needing any thought. I act as you feel. I respond as you feel. I gesture and speak without words as you feel. I follow your feelings and create by design symbols of body gesture.

My energy is magic and fills you either with the power of lightning to become strong, or liquid to become full and soft. My divine essence allows you to hold space for yourself and for others through the magic of touch.

Use me and I will support you in bringing more joy and clarity into your life. Use me and discover the joy of play. Awaken to my endless possibilities."

Adapted from Nia Technique Book.

In tonight’s class we will broadly explore our unique sensation of our upper extremities. Over the next four weeks we will explore each of the upper extremities and associated Nia movements in more depth. Tonight we will play with a variety of songs from different routines and I will be introducing three new songs from the routine, Velvet.

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

Expression of Love through the Upper Extremities

The focus of tonight’s class is exploring the expression of love through our upper extremities.

The upper extremities include your fingers, hands, upper arms, forearm bones, shoulder joints and shoulder girdle. These extremities not only allow you to hug and hold yourself, they also energetically and emotionally articulate what you feel inside and what you feel for others.

The Voice of The Arms, Hands and Fingers:

"To the physical part of you I offer a way to touch, hug, and love. I am to you, like the branches of a tree. When you desire, I reach out to fulfill your wishes and wantings. When you are scared, I hold you tenderly. When you need love, I openly touch and caress you.

I offer visual aids for expressing what you feel. As you open to what is moving inside of you, I will respond without needing any thought. I act as you feel. I respond as you feel. I gesture and speak without words as you feel. I follow your feelings and create by design symbols of body gesture. My divine essence allows you to hold space for yourself and for others through the magic of touch.

Use me and I will support you in bringing more joy and clarity into your life. Use me and discover the joy of play. Awaken to my endless possibilities."

Adapted from Nia Technique Book.

Join me tonight in dancing love through your arms, hands and fingers tonight from 6pm – 7pm at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.