Natural Time....Our Organic State!!!

On the 13 Moon/28-day calendar, tomorrow, July 25th, is called "The Day out of Time"; that is to say tomorrow is no day of the month, and no day of the week. It is in between the closing of the previous year (July 24th) and the dawning of the new year (July 26th).  On July 25th, Sirius (the dog star) rises with the sun, and the day is observed as a day free of time.  It is a day of reverence and cultural appreciation for the concept 'Time is Art, a respect for all life, a dedication to the beauty of eternal time, and an education relative to the concept of Natural Time.  In short, it is a day to recognize unity and encourage awareness of the importance of our eternal time.....our Natural Time. 

In Nia, the second principle of the White Belt is called Natural Time and the Movement Forms.  Natural Time (NT) is the conscious awareness of movement and measure via the 13 joints and 20 digits (10 fingers and 10 toes) of our body.  NT invites us to move in our own time, at our own pace and discover our own unique way of moving so we can make choices intuitively as we sense our body.  NT is a way for us to be in touch with the Universe, and have a deep and rich relationship with our body. 

I love this principle...it simply allows me to be me.  To move in the NOW based on my sensations and how my body is feeling...sensations unique to me.  I do not need to move like anyone else.  I have my speed, my depth, my height, my range of motion!!!  So, how do we do we practice this principle?  We have 13 main joints in our body that we move and explore via sensation.  Our joints are meant to open and close so we can move our body systemically with grace, ease and power.  The 13 joints start with our left ankle, then travel up to our left knee, left hip, left wrist, left elbow, left shoulder, and then our spine...as one BIG joint.  Then we travel down the right side of our body, our right shoulder, right elbow, right wrist, right hip, right knee and right ankle.   Right NOW, explore the sensations of these joints!!  Just move them, rotate, extend/contract....what do you sense?  Do you feel a balance flow of energy? Any joints that feel stiff? Do you sense mobility, stability, pleasure? 

Now connect to your digits...your toes and fingers..and walk around.  This is how our body naturally measures.  Measure through sensation the length of your stride, sense your distance from the wall, from the ceiling, etc.  Now bring your palms together and then clap without touching your hands, stopping about 6 inches apart.  WOW!  Notice how your body naturally measures.  This instinct is in all of us...it guides us throughout our day and helps us to make choices in the NOW, to avoid collisions and to safely cross the street.  You may have wondered how we don't collide in a Nia class even though we are moving throughout the room.  This is why!! Through our digits we enhance our whole-body sensory awareness helping us pay attention to our body sensations and move in safe ways.

Natural Time....Magical...natural...personal...Our Organic State!!!

So on this Day out of Time and through the week, celebrate your uniqueness, Your Body's Way, and disengage from mechanical time, and slip into the Natural Time of your body and your dance.  See you in class!!!

My Nia classes this week:
Monday at 5:30 pm
Thursday at 5:30 pm
and Saturday at 9:30 am all at http://www.thesynergystudio.com.
I will also be teaching the DIVA Program class on Tuesday at 6:00 pm at TriPoint YMCA.  

Nia...Tasting The Sensations of Your Body!!!

AHHHH!!!!  That is how I feel after a wonderful meal that engaged all my taste buds...it is also the sound that comes after tasting dark chocolate.  Oh YES!  AND it is the sensation and sound of my body after I have taken a Nia class.  Nia just tastes darn wonderful to my body and brings me pleasure!!!   Nia offers all of us a fulfilling experience of taste through movement, music, and a sensory connection to our body, mind, emotions and spirit.   Just like we crave certain foods, our body craves sensations of wellness and pleasure. And when we are sensing our movements, we are "Tasting" with our whole body in the NOW that allows us to make choices that are safe and pleasurable. 

Right now...taste the temperate of your foot on the earth.  Taste the relationship of your feet and ankles.  Taste the sensation of your spine  AHHH!!!. 

So this week we are going to focus on tasting the 5 fitness sensations of Nia.  Serving up FAMSS!! The taste of Flexibility, energy moving out along our bones in all directions.  The taste of Agility, starting and stopping of our movements...our taste buds love this!!  The taste of Mobility, energy in constant motion.  The taste of Strength, energy packing in against the bones...OH it tastes wonderful!!  And then the taste our body loves the best, Stability, where all energies connect and become one, giving us the taste of peace and harmony.  Our body craves these sensations.  Nia is like chocolate for the whole body, wouldn't you agree....come dance and taste it!!

My Nia classes this week:
Thursday at 5:30 pm
Friday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am and
Sunday at 4:00 pm all at http://www.thesynergystudio.com.

Nia Technique...Conditioning for the Game of Life!

“Have you ever noticed how flexible and agile a child is?  How a child moves to and from the earth with grace and ease.  Reclaim your body’s natural ability to move like a child by bringing resiliency back into your body with Nia, an anti-aging fitness formula.”  Shortly after I became a certified Nia Black in 2000, I offered this workshop and I received numerous calls from people who had never heard of Nia asking for this formula.  How much did it cost, was it a liquid or a pill, and how often do they need to take it?  Imagine my surprise!!!  I called my fellow Nia teacher and friend, and we played with the visualization of men and women lining up on the day of the workshop to receive their liquid gold of Nia that would be their fountain of youth.  We laughed for days about this!!

In this day and age of technology, pills, formulas, and limited time, everyBody is looking for a “quick fix” to feel and look younger, move faster, live longer.  The fountain of youth!!  I know when it comes to my body and my life, there is no “quick fix”.  It is about the business of my body and life, and through Nia I have found how to live into my potential and I am in the best physical condition I have ever been.  So what is Nia.and what makes Nia so special?

I discovered Nia in 1994 when I was 38 years.  All of my adult life I was very HARD on myself, I did not like my body and did all sorts of activities that were jarring and harmful on my body...running, high impact aerobics, jump rope, steps...if it claimed to make me fit, I did it.  Why?  To stay fit, look good, look younger, move faster.  I consistently saw myself as being overweight and unattractive.  I was “fit” but only on the outside.  Inside I was struggling to maintain happiness and pleasure in my body.   As a result I had chronic pain in my knees and was losing my ability to continue my fitness regime.   Then entered Nia.  One of my best friends invited me to do a Nia white belt certification.  I had no idea what Nia was, yet something about her enthusiasm of the discovery of Nia and my inner voice told me to do it.  I did and since then I have not turned back.  With Nia I have found self love and awareness.  Am I fit?  You better believe it!!!

Nia is a sensory-based movement practice that leads to health, wellness and fitness. It empowers people of all shapes and sizes by connecting the body, mind, emotions and spirit.  The practice incorporates the movement modalities from 9 different art forms.  It’s co-founders, Debbie and Carlos Rosas, created Nia in 1983 out of their desire to find a  better way to condition and honor their body and bring joy back into their movements.  They took off their shoes and found through moving in their bare feet they could monitor, strengthen, align, and receive messages throughout their whole body.  Nia has evolved into a mind/body fitness and life style practice that is designed for people to live more pleasurably in their bodies.  Nia Technique is based on The Body’s Way, with 13 principles that guide students of the practice to be in relationship with their body and promote personal growth and self healing. Nia teaches students the art of living in a body and to listen to the voices of their body through movement and the art of sensing through the 5 fitness sensations of Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength and Stability. 

The secret of Nia for me though, is what happens beyond the hour long Nia class.  Nia permeates the other 23 hours of my life, conditions me for the game of life, and has made me a better person in this world.  Through my practice of Nia and all her tools I am prepared for all that life offers me, which has expanded my possibilities and potential.  

Flexibility has made me more yielding and open to new ways of how things can be accomplished at work, at home and social settings.  I have created more space for others and my connection and trust has expanded.  I am yawning and extending outward into the world. 

Agility has trained me to respond with speed and grace instead of reacting to the many starts and stops of my life: getting laid off from work, my nephew's near drowning experience, and challenges in my marriage. 

Mobility has opened me up to the “play of life” and to move freely through areas of my life where before I felt stuck or trapped.  Ideas and creativity flow continuously through me now.

Strength has given me the voice of my own personal power and to believe in who I am and what I have to offer in this world.  I can say YES, NO, and trust this voice. 

Stability has trained me to hold myself in place, remain centered and balanced, and to slow down my life that is full of schedules, commitments and things I “think I must do”.  I am now more relaxed, grounded and connected to the dance of my life in a pleasurable way. 

Nia has helped me love my body and my life.

In a Nia class I am taught movement skills, listening skills, how to express emotions, to move in my own way, to be in awareness, to break habits in my dance, to notice my alignment and to make choices that bring me pleasure....conditioning my body, mind, emotions and spirit.  Skills that have flowed into my life like magical liquid gold and has conditioned me for my game of  life.. all the successes, challenges, and excitement life has to offer.   And YES, I am flexible and agile, and move like a child on this earth.  Nia has awakened my inner child, and has made me feel timeless, ageless and weightless. I now stay fit by dancing, laughing, skipping and playing on the floor.  Nia Technique....the anti-aging  formula that works!!!!  You can take Nia everyday. 

Find out more on Nia Technique at www.nianow.com.