Dancing Through Life!

Good morning Dancing Friends!

I hope you are having a JOYous holiday.  Mine has been full of family, friends, laughter, dance and love!  I am so grateful for everyBody in my life, including you, and I look forward to continuing our dance of life together into the New Year!  Dancing Through Life reminds each of us that no matter what we are doing, we can turn the experience into the sensation of dance AND bring healing to our body, mind and spirit.  I love this quote from Carlos AyaRosas, Nia co-founder, about Dancing Through Life:  "Your body is dancing when you go to the floor, get up, walk, wash your hands, say hello to your child or a loved one; when you garden, shop or try on clothes. Dancing is life, living. Skin, joints, environment and measuring are all sensations you can use to tap into and dance through life."   So join me this week in dance...at the studio and on the streets!  Nia classes are back in action TODAY!  My class schedule for this week is below plus read further on  a new class coming your way, New Year's Day Nia, a JourneyDance of New Beginnings and vision board event, and our next Nia White Belt. 

My classes this week at The Synergy Studio:

Thursday (today) at 5:30 pm

Saturday at 9:30 pm

Sunday at 4:00 pm

New Year's Day Nia - Year of Gratitude:  Join Adelle and me at 4:30 pm on New Year's Day at The Synergy Studio.  I'm starting my New Year with things I LOVE to do like dance!  I will be joining the New's Drumming Circle at 2:00 and then ready to dance with you at 4:30 pm as we set the tone for the new year...Year of Gratitude!!

New Weekly Class - Somatic Awakening starting Jan. 8th:  Moving and dancing on the Earth is one of the best ways to start your day.  I do it everyday!  Combining elements of  Nia FloorPlay, Nia 5 Stages, Nia FreeDance, JourneyDance, Yoga, Breath, Guided Imagery, Laughter and Play, Somatic Awakening will energize your day while conditioning your body, mind & spirit. Adelle and I will be sharing this weekly class and it is guaranteed to make you feel youthful and awaken your inner child.  This class will be every Wednesday at 6:45 - 7:30 am at The Synergy Studio! 

A JourneyDance^TM of New Beginnings on Jan. 11th:  Dream~Vision~Manifest:  Join Jan Braun and me in a dance of New Beginnings where we will unleash the boldness of your DREAMS in 2014 through movement and VISION boarding, opening the path for MANIFESTATION.  This is going to be a great dance and vision setting, and we hope you can join us.  The cost is $35 and includes your vision board and supplies.  Sign up before Jan. 4th and the cost is discounted at $25!!! This event is Saturday, Jan. 11th, from 2-4:30 pm at Total Harmony Yoga Studio.  Register by contacting at brooks.joanie@gmail.com. 

Interested in the Nia White Belt Intensive?  It is 7 days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  You go deep into each one of the 13 principles of the Nia White Belt where you create a loving relationship with yourself and your body.  In this intensive you learn tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships,  and creating a work/life balance. I invite you to explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body.  Empower yourself, open up to your potential and step into your greatness! Check out my trainings at: http://www.nianow.com/joanie#trainings.  Next one is in February 21st at The Synergy Studio!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer


Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader


Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

The Dance of Blending

Happy Holidays Dancing Friends!!Blending: Harmony/Healing/Happiness. Inside, Outside, Universally.  This busy time reminds me how the art of blending with others creates harmony.  I'm all for that!  As we step into the holiday season of Christmas and New Year's, I invite you to use this blending triad of Harmony/Healing/Happiness...on the dance floor, in your car, in the store...Everywhere!  And take time to come and dance which is the best gift to give yourself during the hustle and bustle.  A great time to connect to the sensation of Blending!  In class we will use form and freedom as we blend one movement to the other, one body part to another, blending circular and linear movements and blending the size of our movements.   Beyond the physical we will blend with the space and each other!  The art of Blending will help each of us sense harmony, which promotes healing in our body, mind and spirit, and creates a happy person!! 

See you on The Synergy Studio dance floor. Practice patience as you blend with people around you...use the Shuni Mudra hand mudra, known as “the seal of patience.” Formed by placing the tip of the middle finger on the tip of the thumb.

My classes coming up at The Synergy Studio:

• Thursday at 5:30 pm - Dance to the Nia routine Leap of Faith where we will use spiral energy to BLEND our motions with emotion, power and grace.
  

• Saturday at 9:30 am - Winter Solstice in San Antonio is at 11:11 am Saturday.  The December solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun.  WOW.  We are celebrating and dancing to the Nia routine Mandala.  BLENDING drums, electric guitar, silence, sound!!!!

• Monday (12-23) at 5:30 pm - Christmas music BLENDED in our dance!!!

Interested in the Nia White Belt Intensive?  It is 7 days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  You go deep into each one of the 13 principles of the Nia White Belt where you create a loving relationship with yourself and your body.  In this intensive you learn tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships,  and creating a work/life balance. I invite you to explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body.  Empower yourself, open up to your potential and step into your greatness! Check out my trainings at: http://www.nianow.com/joanie#trainings.  Next one is in February!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer


Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader
Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie

Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

The Dance of Balance!

Hello Dancing Friends!

BRRRR!!  I hope you are staying warm.  There is much talk and articles about bringing more balance into our lives, especially this time of year.  Work and life balance, balanced nutrition, balance within relationships, balanced workout, etc.  Balance is a very personal matter and different for everyBody. For me it is a dance, and balance is ultimately a state of being where I feel in harmony with my body and my life, and includes all aspects of my being.  That is why I love my practice of Nia.  Nia is a fitness & lifestyle practice that is based on the design of our body, and our body likes balance - in fact demands it!!  How do I know this?  Besides the obvious of 2 arms, 2 legs/feet, 2 eyes, 2 ears, etc.; I can sense it in my body.  Whenever I am getting a massage and the therapists is working on one side of my body, the other side is constantly talking to me..."don't forget me!!".  When I stretch one side of my body, the other side says "Hey my turn!".  Nia knows this!  In a Nia class we incorporate movements from the Martial Arts, Dance Arts and Healing Arts, offering movement variety that creates a balance within our body, mind and spirit.   It is a dance of masculine and feminine, big and small, fast and slow, up and down, left and right, back, front and diagonal, linear and fluid, form and freedom, lose and tight, silence and sound, giving and receiving, contraction and expansion!!!  I ALWAYS leave a Nia class with the yummy sensation of every part of my body being moved in a variety of patterns, where my mind has been engaged in new and fascinating ways, and where I have been able to express my uniqueness.   I sense balance, and this creates harmony.  AHHH.

The real dance of balance happens though in life, and as I mentioned above, Nia is a lifestyle practice.  These same tools I use in class, I get to use in life.  The balance within my relationships...do I always receive more than I give, use masculine energy and not enough feminine?  What about the balance of silence and sound in my communication?  Do I always do things one way, very linear, or am I fluid and willing to release and let go?  Do I need to slow down, at work, home, while eating?  Am I tight about things in my life and need to loosen my mind, and open to the possibilities of life?  Do I get unbalanced - you better believe - and you can ask my family, friends and work relations - HA!!  And I sense this unbalance, no matter what it is, in my body.  My body reflects who I am. 

So I am choosing to stay with the dance of balance, in class and in life and I invite you to dance with me this week and every week. I have a hand mudra that I will be using to remind me of this dance.  It is called the Maatangi mudra which is a hand mudra of inner harmony.  The technique is to interlock your hands, holding your hands at navel level, and then have your 2 middle fingers (power finger) straight and touching.  This mudra affects the hypothalamus which is a part of the brain, and the seat of the autonomous nervous system, which can establish a state of balance within the body.  Join me!!!

My classes this week:

Monday and Thursday at 5:30 pm
and Saturday at 9:30 am

at The Synergy Studio

I invite you to take this path deeper by taking the Nia White Belt Intensive.  It is 7 days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  You go deep into each one of the 13 principles of the Nia White Belt where you create a loving relationship with yourself and your body.  In this intensive you learn tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships,  and creating a work/life balance. I invite you to explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body.  Empower yourself, open up to your potential and step into your greatness! Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings".

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer


Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader
Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie
Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Exploring Connections!

Everything in our body is connected through a continuous network of connective tissue from our head to our toes. I love the sensation of this and knowing that through all of my movement I am continually conditioning my connective tissue and shaping my body for what she needs NOW. My body is dynamic and is internally supported by a connective system that is fluid, allowing my body to mold and fold, sending messages to my brain in the form of pain and pleasure. I like to visualize my connective tissue as this beautiful piece of fabric that weaves within my body, surrounding my organs, bones, muscles and cells with a protective covering that makes me feel loved and safe. As Linda Hartley in Wisdom of the Body Moving so eloquently states: “When we move in the spaces between the organs, bones, muscles, blood vessels, or cells, we are moving through the connective tissue sheaths. This movement is sensual, internal, flowing, and elastic, like the luxurious stretching of a cat. It flows on and on, rebounds and flows again. It gives vital support to the integrity of the whole in both movement and stillness.”

I was brought into a heightened awareness of my connective tissue and her role in my body’s shape a year into my healing from a cervical spine surgery that was brought on by an accident in 2008. Focused on my healing of my neck and head, I didn’t notice the imbalance on the left side of my body, until the tension manifested as pain in my left knee. I went for months where I was not able to bend my left knee without pain.  Later that year I was at a fitness conference with Debbie Rosas (co-founder of Nia), told her my story and asked her if she would observe my movement and give me feedback. After the session, she came up to me and said “It is your connective tissue. Focus there and you will heal.”  This simple message lead me on a path of discovery and learning, reading and exploring, movement and magic. Through my Nia practice and conscious movement, Nia’s 5 stages of healing, and directed therapy I was able to restore fluidity to my connective tissue and “unglued” my iIliotibial (IT) band (a thick connective tissue that runs from the outside of your hip to the outside of your knee). The pain in my knee vanished and I regained 90% range of motion in my knee. The exploration and healing continues!

Everything is connected. The structure and function of all parts and the body as a whole are supported by connective tissue, that is dedicated to giving me form and freedom of movement as I Dance Through Life. It is a dance of loosening and tightening, sound and silence, mobility and agility, strength and flexibility, opening and surrendering, volume up/down, fast and slow, sinking and rising, hard and soft, masculine and feminine, Martial Arts, Dance Arts and Healing Arts; and it is through awareness that I discover where there is pain and pleasure so I can play with theses dynamics to bring my body to homeostasis. Stability and Peace. I move on this earth with dynamic ease knowing the potential I have for unlimited ways to shape/reshape my body through my awareness of the connections inside. 


As I explore the connections inside, I am awakened to the rhythm of the connective tissue of my thoughts, emotions and spirit. Each of these voices connect to my body as a sensation, and I am connecting in loving ways that bring healing, pleasure, and connection to my purpose in life. 

And then there is the connection between you and me, and all of life.  The connective tissue of life that makes us a part of a Universal connection.  We are all connected.  See you in class this week!! 

EnJoy this video with Gil Hedley on connective tissue:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FtSP-tkSug
It is graphic!!!!

My classes this week:

Monday and Thursday  at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am

Sunday at 4:00 pm

at The Synergy Studio

I invite you to take this path deeper by taking the Nia White Belt Intensive.  It is 7 days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  You go deep into each one of the 13 principles of the Nia White Belt where you create a loving relationship with yourself and your body.  In this intensive you learn tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships,  and creating a work/life balance. I invite you to explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body.  Empower yourself, open up to your potential and step into your greatness! Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings".   P.S.  Ask me how you can save $500 on our intensive in Portland on May 24, 2014!!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer


Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader
Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie

Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Sensation Scientist - Living in Constant Awareness of Sensation

Hello my friends - sending you love and light as we step into November!!

Did you know you were born a Sensation Scientist (SS)?  Yes!  Since the moment you entered this world you have been sensing & exploring your life through your body.  You sensed hunger, the pleasure of being held, or the discomfort of wet diapers, and responded in your unique way to either create change so you could feel better, or to enhance the pleasure sensation.  Being a SS is naturally encoded in our body!  So what is a SS?  A SS is a person who continually explores and investigates their personal health and potential through physical sensation.  In Nia we call sensation the voices of the body.  A SS uses life as their laboratory for exploration of body sensation, and based on information received, makes adjustments to bring their body to peace and well being.  A SS is someone who lives in constant awareness of sensation, who loves their body and desires to live life to its fullest!  WOW!  Please join me in an experience.  Close your eyes and take a nice deep breath as if you are smelling your favorite soup.  Relax your jaw and bring your awareness to your feet.  Notice your toes.  Are they all extended, are any of your toes gripping, do they feel tired, tight, relaxed?  What do you sense?  Now explore through movement with the intent to make your feet feel better.  Maybe it is spreading your toes, pointing your toes, circling your ankles...anything goes.  Just explore and then once you are finished, sense your feet again, and notice what has changed.  This is an example of what a SS does constantly in the NOW moment!

Nia is dedicated to you and helping you live to your potential.  In every Nia class you are invited to be a sensation scientist, to be in constant sensation, and you are given permission to self guide so you can develop a loving relationship with your body.  Nia has many tools and techniques to help your exploration and journey, and the primary tools we will explore this week in class are the FAMSS...the 5 fitness sensations.  FAMSS stands for:

Flexibility = Energy moving outward
Agility = Energy starting and stopping
Mobility = Energy in constant motion
Strength = Energy moving inward
Stability = Energy at rest and support from 360 degrees around you

So join me fellow SS as we move and explore our body, and discover our potential!  On Sunday, Nov. 10, Adelle and I have a fun and exciting 52 moves playshop.  I just returned from Nia HQ in Portland where I took the 52 moves training (again!), and I am excited to dance the 52 moves with you to awesome music!  The Playshop starts at 2:30 where we will learn the 52 moves, and then move and energize the moves at the 4:00 pm class to the Native American Nia Sounds music called Soul.  The Playshop includes the music CD.  Cost is $30...sign up HERE

My classes the rest of this week:

Thursday and Friday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am

Sunday at 4:00 pm

at The Synergy Studio

I invite you to take this path deeper by taking the Nia White Belt Intensive.  It is 7 days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  You go deep into each one of the 13 principles of the Nia White Belt where you create a loving relationship with yourself and your body.  In this intensive you learn tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships,  and creating a work/life balance. I invite you to explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body.  Empower yourself, open up to your potential and step into your greatness! Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have  a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Great opportunity to take the Nia white belt and only take a couple days off from work.  It is also our last training for 2013 and a chance to give yourself a wonderful end of year gift - Join us!
Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer


Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader
Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie

Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Sailing Towards and Stepping into Your Passion

Sailing towards and stepping into your Passion.  Most of you know I left my full-time corporate world to follow my passion of Nia and fully step into my purpose in life.  Though I had been preparing, when I walked into the office of my human resource Partner to tell her I was leaving, the doubts and tears flowed.  Being the sweet and compassionate soul, she immediately gave me a book titled "The Traveler's Gift" by Andy Andrews, that has proved to be the best gift I could have received at that moment.  You see this book is about following your dreams, believing in yourself, owning decisions, taking action, following your heart and passion...and MORE!.  The book's message is said through the eyes of famous and courageous historical personalities, and one of them is Columbus.  Columbus' part is about passion, following a dream even though others do not believe, to see what others can't see, and to have a decided and committed heart.   "Passion is a product of the heart.  Passion is what helps you when you have a great dream...will motivate others to join you...will overcome insurmountable obstacles.  You will become unstoppable."  And with this passion, you find a committed heart for success no matter what challenges are sent to you.  This book and message will always resonate within me.

Now our focus!  Nia is about Passion.  The passion to become intimate with and knowledgeable about my body, and explore all the unique ways I can move to self heal.  The passion that through movement I can find health.  The passion to chose sensation - the voices of our body - so I can make decisions in the moment to bring peace and joy to my body.  The passion and conviction that I can enhance my life and live to my potential by listening to and loving my body.  The passion to go beyond where I have been, to break habits, to open to my potential and express who I am.  The passion to share my gifts with the world.  And that is what I love to do...share Nia!  So in honor of Columbus day, and to all those who have supported me along my path, let's dance this week and sail towards and step into OUR passion.  Hmmm...I think I will start the week off with the Nia routine, Passion!!!   Dancing to the music and expressing your unique spirit!

My classes:
Monday & Wednesday at 9:00 am (NEW TIME) at
Total Harmony Yoga  (please note...Jan Braun also teaches a Friday 9:00 am class). 1st week of Nia classes is free for new students to this studio

AND

Monday (we will dance the 52 moves to Passion!!!!)
Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am

Sunday at 4:00 pm

at The Synergy Studio

I invite you to take this path deeper by taking the Nia White Belt Intensive.  It is 7 days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  You go deep into each one of the 13 principles of the Nia White Belt where you create a loving relationship with yourself and your body.  In this intensive you learn tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships,  and creating a work/life balance. I invite you to explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body.  Empower yourself, open up to your potential and step into your greatness! Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have  a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Sign up by Nov. 5 and receive a free massage with Rachel Suarez, a gifted massage therapist at The Synergy Studio.  Great opportunity to take the Nia white belt and only take a couple days off from work.  It is also our last training for 2013 and a chance to give yourself a wonderful end of year gift - Join us!
Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer



Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach andLaughter Yoga Leader

Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie
Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

The Dance of Empowerment!

Hello Dancing Friends!

I've had the opportunity over the last few weeks to discuss empowerment with someone very close to me, and how I use my dance to activate this sensation, and do my best to move forward in life in all situations.  Let's face it...the world has it's challenges and it is up to me how I choose to react to these challenges.  Empowerment is my ability to make choices. Choices that are good for me, my body and my life, my family and friends, and my world community.  I can get stuck, oh YEAH, I can get stuck, and the best way for me to move forward is in dance.  You see when I'm dancing, I am empowering myself.  I am making the choice to be in my body, to be in sensation, and to chose what I want to bring to my dance.  Do I want to make it a high powered workout, or a soft dance of Tai Chi?  Or do I want to just loose myself in abandonment?  All my choices, and some of my best insights, clarity and understandings have come to me during my dance. 

That is why I love Nia.  Nia empowers me, empowers EveryBODY...even if we did not chose to be empowered or did not start with this intention. The energy magically appears.  The act of sounding YES or NO during the class is activating empowerment.  Making the conscious choice to be in you body, deciding how fast or slow or big or small you want to move is empowerment.  Accepting the invitation to move, explore and create with you body cultivates empowerment.  Choosing to be in the Joy of Movement, taking on the archetype of the warrior, the dancer and the self healer through the 9 movement forms, empowers to break habits and move in unique and different ways.  Having the courage to shimmy and bump our hips, and allow our emotions to enter our dance is empowerment.   And when we choose to take the gifts of Nia out of the studio into our lives, we are showing the world we love our body and our life, and inspire others to seek this dance.  This IS empowerment and this IS the path of the Sacred Athlete.  Our focus this week!

I invite you to take this path deeper by taking the Nia White Belt Intensive.  It is 7 days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  You go deep into each one of the 13 principles of the Nia White Belt where you create a loving relationship with yourself and your body.  In this intensive you learn tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships,  and creating a work/life balance. I invite you to explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body.  Empower yourself, open up to your potential and step into your greatness! Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have  a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Sign up by Nov. 5 and receive a free massage with Rachel Suarez, a gifted massage therapist at The Synergy Studio.  Great opportunity to take the Nia white belt and only take a couple days off from work.  It is also our last training for 2013 and a chance to give yourself a wonderful end of year gift - Join us!

My classes:
Monday & Wednesday at 9:00 am (NEW TIME) at
Total Harmony Yoga  (please note...Jan Braun also teaches a Friday 9:00 am class). 1st week of Nia classes is free for new students to this studio

AND

Monday and Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am

at The Synergy Studio
Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer



Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Yoga Laughter Leader

Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie

Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Awareness of our fingers and hands - open to the dance of Receiving and Giving!!

God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with..Billy Graham 

Happy Fall My Fellow Dancers!
 
What a wonderful, cool day we are having here in San Antonio!  I love this weather and it makes me feel alive and vibrant!  Take a moment with me, close your eyes and reach out with your hands, spread your fingers and Receive the energy of the space around you with your hands.  Through TOUCH, our hands provide an enormous amount of information through highly sensitive Proprioceptors.  AHHH!   Now bring your hands in and Give yourself a big hug.  Our hands and fingers play an essential role in our lives.  They build, create, connect, nurture and heal. They provide warmth and tenderness, as well as protection, and have the power to silently say “stop,” or “stay away", "come towards me" or "go this way".   We can also use our hands to direct energy to an area of our body that needs healing, for ourselves and others...Receiving and Giving.  How wonderful does it feel when a friend or loved one places their hand on your shoulder when you need reassurance; or a soft touch on your cheek that communicates you are loved?  Our hands and fingers have this special form of communication that does not require words. 
In Nia we use our fingers and hands to creatively express and emote our dance.  We have 15 of the 52 moves of Nia dedicated to our hands and fingers, that condition all the muscles and joints, can increase the intensity of our dance, and provide us information to keep us safe as we dance through life.  Join me this week as we bring awareness to our fingers and hands, and open to the dance of Receiving and Giving...endless possibilities to move, explore, create and communicate!

My classes:
Monday & Wednesday at 9:00 am (NEW TIME) at
Total Harmony Yoga  (please note...Jan Braun will start teaching a Friday 9:00 am class this Friday October 4th - Woot!!)

AND

Monday and Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am

and Sunday (Oct. 6) at 4:00 pm - team teaching a surprise Nia class with Adelle!!!

at The Synergy Studio

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have  a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Great opportunity to take the Nia white belt and only take a couple days off from work.  It is also our last training for 2013 and a chance to give yourself a wonderful end of year gift - Join us!

--

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer

Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader

Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie
Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Sensing Our Emotions!

Hello Dancing Friends!

Feelings or emotions are the universal language and are to be honored. They are the authentic expression of who you are at your deepest place....Judith Wright

As I sit and write to you this evening I am sensing gratitude in my entire being for my family, friends and my wonderful dancing community!  A special thank you is in order for my students who danced with me at Nia this evening at The Synergy Studio.  I had full intention to end the week with my focus on Yoga; however, as I drove to the studio this afternoon something changed.  You see most of my day was spent in an emotional whirlpool that was not serving me any good, and was leaving me feeling frozen, blocked and bound. Just as my body can become stuck in a habit (whether posture or movement tendencies) that can cause misalignment, pain and discomfort , emotions can do the same thing when I become stuck and do not use the sensation of this energy to access information to make positive choices and decisions.  So today before class I realized I have been stuck in this emotional unawareness, and not just today, and it was time to move the energy before it became acute.  This is where the special thanks for my students this afternoon comes into play!  I changed the focus to "playing with emotions" and we had a bit of a wild ride!  You know who you are, so thank you for being open and generous with your own exploration, and allowing me the space to heal! 

We are emotional beings and it is our birthright to emote!  Our emotions are fuel, life force energy and can help us become physically and mentally strong, flexible, agile, stable and mobile.  Emotions make us feel alive!!  In Nia we do not label emotions good or bad; it is really about whether we are expressing our emotions and learning to work and move with them from a place of love.  The more we do this, the more freedom we gain to effectively use our emotions to bring healing into our world and the people around us. 

We are going to play with emotions this week and sense how they feel in our body!  I'm excited - I hope you are too!  As you dance through life this week notice your emotional tendencies.  Notice what emotions fueled your day...where you sense them in your body.  Where there any emotions you avoided or ignored?  And remember...anytime you are feeling your emotions are taking over, JUST LAUGH!  Laughing can heal your world and bring things into perspective.  See you in class!

My classes this week are below...there are a few changes.  Oh yes, and change seemed to be a big theme in my day today!  HA HA!

Monday & Wednesday at 8:45 am at
Total Harmony Yoga

Monday, Tuesday (subbing for Jan) & Thursday at 5:30 pm
Friday at 9:15 am (subbing for Jenn).

at The Synergy Studio

I will be in Ventura, California 9/14 - 9/21 with my dear friend Kate Nash.  While I am gone my wonderful Nia teacher community will sub my classes at The Synergy Studio.  There will not be any classes at Total Harmony Studio while I am gone (9/16 & 9/18). 

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have one October 4th and a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Join us!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer,  Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader


Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie
Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia

The Conscious Alignment of Bones + Muscles

"Yoga is almost like music in a way; there's no end to it."
Sting

Hello Dancing Friends!
September is here and I'm looking forward to the fall and cooler weather.  I love the colors and the magical beauty that unfolds all around San Antonio and Texas!!  September is also National Yoga month.  Did you know Nia is based on 9 movement forms and 1 of the movement forms is Yoga?  In Nia, we call Yoga The Conscious Alignment of Bones + Muscles, and we use the energy and chemistry of Yoga, as well as postures, breath work and meditation, to gain flexibility, strength, balance and relaxation.  Yoga is a beautiful inner directed dance of awareness that connects us to our unique spirit and reminds us we can make every gesture and posture a mudra that is sacred and aligned with heaven and earth!  Some of the pearls we use in Nia to connect to Yoga are:  Bones, Breath, Alignment, Postures, Muscles, Ligaments, Extensions, Strengthening, Flexibility, Stretch, Agility, Gentle, Powerful, Focused, Conscious, Unity, Oneness,  Surrender, Peace, Stillness, Ageless and Timeless. 

Just as Nia expanded my world of music, Nia has expanded my world of different movement and healing modalities like Yoga.  Whether I am dancing or playing on the floor, the energy of Yoga is available to me through my conscious awareness of the relationship of my bones, muscles, ligaments and connective tissue.  I love Yoga and practice yoga daily, as well as take classes and workshops as often as I can.  It has enhanced my Nia practice and teaching, and has brought healing to my body.  This art and movement form has taught me to integrate my breath in my movements and my dance, and to clear and calm my mind. 

In honor of Yoga Month, our focus in Nia this week is being with and in the chemistry and energy personality of Yoga in our Nia movements and dance.  I also encourage you to take yoga classes this month.  I teach at 2 incredible studios and the yoga instructors are amazing!  See you in class.  Namaste.

My classes this week (there WILL be classes on Labor Day)

Monday & Wednesday at 8:45 am at
Total Harmony Yoga

Monday & Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am and

Sunday at 4:00 pm

at The Synergy Studio

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have one October 4th and a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Join us!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer,  Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader

Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie
Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia

Sensing Spirals in our Body and Our Life!

"The whole universe is based on rhythms.
Everything happens in circles, in spirals."  John Hartford

"Growth is a spiral process, doubling back on itself, reassessing and regrouping."  Julia Margaret Cameron

There is something about the image of spirals that brings a sense of well being and peace to my body and mind.  Spirals remind me of the infinite possibilities there are in life and the potential for my dance of life.  Perhaps that is why I draw spirals when I am daydreaming!!  Spirals give me this "permission" to explore, to go out and come back, and go out again, knowing that life and nature are spirals.  Imagine if everything was a straight line, linear, one way.  The world around us would look different and life would not be as creative.  Seeing life this way is not always easy for me with my corporate experience and life of processes, algorithms, and timelines.  It is easier and more predictable to follow the straight line, to know the road ahead; however, the outcome is not as bright or interesting.  When I release from this form of "safety", I open to the many ways to reach a desired outcome, and that this is where my growth happens.

Spirals are everywhere including our body.  We have over 700 muscles in our body that spiral around our bones giving us infinite ways to move and heal our body.  As you are reading this email, undulate your spine and sense the spiraling quality of this move.  Feels YUMMY!  Our bones spiral as well.  We have 2 unique bones in our body called the ulna and the radius (our forearm bones), that are the only 2 bones in our body that spiral and roll over each other.  These bones are designed to rotate your palm and give you the ability to turn door knobs, to pick up an apple and take a juicy bite, and to unlock your door.  Your forearm bones do this magic in ways that protect your shoulder joint.  Place your left elbow on your desk or table, then place your left hand on your right forearm bones and rotate your 2 forearm bones.  Notice how the shoulder remains free, and how you are conditioning the muscles in your forearm bones.  These bones are designed to protect your hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints with mobility and stability.   They do this by dancing and playing with each other with spirals.  I love this image!
Let's play in class this week with spirals in our muscles and our bones.  As you are dancing through life, notice the sensations of spirals in your body.  Notice spirals in life around you and sense the ease that spirals can bring to life.  Notice what spirals to you and what you spiral out into the world.  It is all a dance!  See you in class. 

My classes this week:

Monday & Wednesday at 8:45 am at
Total Harmony Yoga (first class is free!)

Monday & Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am and

Sunday at 4:00 pm

at The Synergy Studio

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have one October 4th and a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Join us!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer,  Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader

Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie

Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Awareness of Your Shoulder Joint...Sensing Freedom!

"I am the voice of the shoulder joint, the main joint of your shoulder. By design I am complex and the most flexible joint in the body. Predominantly a muscle guided joint, I am elegantly designed to provide you with expressive mobility and highly flexible and agile stability. My design allows degrees of free movement of the hands and arms in several directions through space.  I make it possible for you to extend and reach for things high on a shelf, to swing a golf club or baseball bat, throw a ball, hug your child, and lift and lower objects. You know I’m healthy when you can move your arms in all directions, reaching front, back, up and down while sustaining relaxed shoulders and space around your neck and ears, when you can lift and lower objects with ease, and when you can easily support a push-up and pull-up!....”  From the voices of the shoulder joint by Debbie Rosas

Hello Dancing Friends!
Don't you just love these beautiful words written about your should joint!  Our shoulder joint is a shallow joint and actually has more mobility (about 50 times more) than your hip joint.  Unlike you hip joint, it is fragile and can easily be injured or overused if we are not aware of our shoulder joint while dancing and in everyday life.  In Nia we keep the shoulder joint conditioned and healthy by rotating our upper arm bone (the humerus HA HA HA!) in all directions, moving our hands and arms to the front and back, up and down, and around the space with palm directions.  We do this in small and large ranges of motion as we sense for pleasure and for pain.  The sensation of pain is good!  It gives us information we can use to make adjustments to our moves so we can avoid any injury and keep our dance of life alive!!!   

Join me in class this week as we explore and sense freedom in our shoulder joint.  Outside of class sense your shoulder joint as you wipe the kitchen counter, swipe your credit card, reach for a glass off the top shelve and as you lay down to rest at night on your side.  Nia invites us to always be in sensation..every move feels like I'm dancing; every move an opportunity to heal!!
  My classes this week:

Monday & Wednesday at 8:45 am at
Total Harmony Yoga (first class is free!)

Monday & Thursday at 5:30 pm
and Saturday at 9:30 am

at The Synergy Studio

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have one October 4th and a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Join us!

--
Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer

Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Yoga Laughter Leader
Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button:  http://nianow.com/joanie

Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Embracing Joy In Your Life Today!

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen

This week our focus is embracing JOY...NOW...Today!  I have a daily practice when I wake up (that I do my best to always do ), in times when I am searching for something outside of me to make me happy, or when I am feeling down about life, to remind myself to embark on an inner journey to joy.  Joy is always there for me, and I don't need permission to experience joy.  Sometimes I think I need permission or I get caught up in how I think life should be for me.  When this happens, life becomes a struggle for me, and I can feel myself tumble!  You know what?  It is my birthright and your birthright to be in joy, and I do not need permission...I just need to chose.  When I consciously make the choice to be in Joy, I have the sensation of flowing with the Universe.  When I carry this with me every moment of the day, no matter the outcome of what I am doing or thinking, all is good in my world.  It is a choice.  Energy follows attention and when I choose to be in joy, I am WITH life! 

Nia's first and primary principle is call the Joy of Movement.  I love this principle and it is the thread that runs through all our movement. The Joy of Movement teaches us to connect to Joy by choosing sensation through all movement.  As you sense your body, you invite Joy in.  No matter what your circumstances are, you have the capacity to live and move in Joy, which is more than an emotion; it is a way of being in the world.  This principles invites us to use Joy and Your Body's Way to fall in love with your body and your life.  It is also a tool you can use to shift your dance, your attitude and your life. It's the first step of becoming a Sacred Athlete.  Right now you can consciously choose this energy.  What a gift!!!  Joy is the seed, and it grows and flows through everything!  

"If you remember anything about Nia, remember this: the soul of Nia is  the Joy of Movement."  Debbie Rosas and Carlos AyaRosas, co-founders of Nia. 

Join me in Embracing Joy...Today...Now.  See you on the dance floor!

My classes this week:

Monday & Wednesday at 8:45 am at
Total Harmony Yoga (first class is free!)
Monday & Thursday at 5:30 pm
and Saturday at 9:30 am

at The Synergy Studio

Please note I will also be teaching a JourneyDance™special class on this Saturday, August 17, at 4:00 - 5:30 pm at The Synergy Studio. 

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have one October 4th and a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Join us!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer

Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Yoga Laughter Leader

Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!

Awakening Your Psoas!!

I have just returned from an awesome week of learning.  Last week I attended a training on healing physical and emotional trauma, which included a training that was specific for our military and how they are uniquely affected by trauma.  I love learning and experiencing new things that feed my desire & purpose to awaken the healing human potential, and to discover more about my own personal journey of life.  This training was very unique in that it addressed how trauma and stress can be healed through "somatic therapy" (body movement) in order to bring our bodies back to homeostasis - peace.  I am excited with all I learned and cannot wait to share.  So on to our focus...Awakening the Psoas!

The psoas is a large muscle, with a length of up to 16 inches, that attaches at the bottom of the thoracic spine at T12 and  and along the lumbar spine through L4, then runs through the pelvic bowl, down over the front of the hip joint, and attaches at the top of the femur. It is the only muscle connecting the spine to the leg. Looking at pictures of the psoas, I like to visualize as a beautiful long blue scarf that flows and drapes from behind my heart, over my pelvis, and then wrapping inside my thighbone!  Our psoas muscle is magical in the way it supports us standing, walking and running, and when healthy and relaxed, allows the diaphragm to function with ease and grace....meaning we are breathing to our full potential.  The psoas provides you with mobility and core stability, and it affects the ability of your legs and spine to move freely.  Your psoas muscle could be said to be the most important muscle of your body and the muscle for most people, that needs awakening and lengthening.  Take a look around you in life and at work, and notice people's posture.  Much of the  contraction in our psoas occurs due to our use of technology, hovering over our laptops, driving hunched over the steering wheel, walking with our head looking down....the list goes on and on.   
In addition our psoas muscle is a powerful reflex muscle and is affected by fear. Fear is a primordial emotion we feel and one which our body responds to automatically. For example, imagine crossing the street and a car almost hits you. How does your body respond?  Our sympathetic nervous system responds with flight or fight, causing our body to go inward for safety.  Typically once we know we are safe, our body relaxes.  However, when we are in constant stress, fear or trauma our psoas muscle stays in this state of contraction, and the whole body pays the price! 
In Nia we move the body organically that supports the conditioning and lengthening of our psoas muscle.  When we move through the planes of our body (high, middle and low) we are opening and closing the front of our groin, contracting and expanding our psoas muscle.  When we roll on the floor "embryonic like" we are spiraling our psoas muscle.  When me engage our chest with chest isolation's, we are mobilizing and vibrating our psoas (remember it attaches to our thoracic and lumbar spine).  When we use toes in, out and parallel, express with our arms and hands, we are conditioning our psoas muscle.  Nia awakens our psoas, and can potentially release stress in your body!!!  In fact, Nia heals and conditions every part of you body...join me in class!
My classes this week:

Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am

and Sunday at 4:00 pm all at http://www.thesynergystudio.com.

Please note I am starting new classes at Total Harmony Yoga on August 12th.  Monday and Wednesday at 8:45.  Please join me!!!  Also contact me on free classes there...you first one for sure!!!

Considering taking the Nia White belt intensive?  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   Check out my trainings at: www.nianow.com/joanie and click on "My Trainings". Adelle and I have one October 4th and a split weekend December 5th here in San Antonio.  Join us!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer

Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coach and Yoga Laughter Leader


Nia - Somatic Education for EveryBody.  Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional & spiritual fitness & well-being."   

75 trillion cells in your body…Play with them all with Nia!