Good Vibrations

The focus of tonight’s class is physical vibration.

The intent is to experience whole-body relaxation.

We sense relaxation through through the art of practicing different types of movements that vibrate the physical body: quivering, shimmying, shaking, pulsing, rumbling, and sounding.

Let’s shake it up on Friday night!

Class is from 6pm – 7pm at Delilah’s Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.

Finding Your Center of Gravity

The focus of tonight’s class is finding your center of gravity. 

The intent is to sense and move with joy and ease from your center.

Our center of gravity is that point or concentrated area in the body where all parts balance each other. It may also be referred to as the core of the body, hara, belly, the one point, or solar plexus.

The body is designed to arrange itself around your center of gravity. When everything is aligned, your body and movements work well together. When they are not aligned, your body reflexes kick in to keep you from falling over. In fact, every time we move, our center of gravity shifts.

On an energetic level, our center of gravity can also be a power center. It may be where we feel strong, willful, powerful and perhaps unshakeable.

Join me tonight for a journey to your center. Class from 6:30pm – 7:30pm at Fresh Fitness and Dance in Wallingford.

Breath is the Key to Life, Movement, and Rhythm

Breath is the key to life, movement, and rhythm.

"Imagine, if you will, a situation where all is in harmony, complete in its rhythm. ..emptying to fill, filling then emptying in an ongoing ever-flowing wholeness. Life-giving fluid enters the system, rich in nourishment, swirling, laden with life energy….A great whoosh connects what is outside, air of the world, with the inside of me…connects the inside of me with myself. Every cell receives its portion of food, healthy and at one with the environment…ready to pour out what is not needed, ready to release the waste, to open a space to make room to expand for new food. Emptying and filling, the circle is complete and the cycle continues. There is no goal to be reached and no targeted task. It is sufficient to BE, simple and whole, connected within, in unity with the universe.

You might ask, 'How can I be in this wondrous place of perfect unity? How can I partake of this wholeness?' Simply by participating in the primal pattern of BREATH."

Entry above taken directly from the book “Making Connections” by Peggy Hackney.

For more about the power of the breath, read the entry from the Nia headquarters website: Awareness of Breath: Tracking the Tide of Life

Exploring the Relationship between Stability and Mobility

The focus of tonight’s class is on exploring the relationship between stability and mobility.

Stability has a quality of dynamic stillness while mobility is energy in contact motion. The grace and expression of all movement relies on the effectiveness of stability, which is the foundation and root of all movement. Establishing stability is essential before we can generate mobility.

The intent of this routine is to sense the beginning of a movement (stability) and the end of a movement (mobility) and explore the creative possibilities for self-expression in between.

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

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.

Discovering Your Movement Potential

The focus of this morning’s class is investigating the art of movement.

The intention is to sense and explore your body and how it wants to be move and be moved – in other words – to discover your movement potential.

This morning I invite you to move your body as a “unique instrument to be explored, played, and celebrated for its unique potential. “ (C. Schrader)

Join me for an investigative journey this morning from 10:30am - 11:30am at the light-filled Open Flight Studio in the University District.

Unleash Your Inner Fool

The focus of tonight’s class is celebrating foolishness. That’s right! It’s April Fools’ Day.

The intent is to relax and not take thing so seriously. It’s time to unleash your most playful, foolish and mischievous self.

It’s Friday night. It’s the end of the workweek or school week for most people. It’s April 1st. Feel free to come to class in a wig, funky glasses, pom poms..Let’s play!

Class from 6pm - 7pm at Delilah's Belly Dance Studio in Fremont.