Traveling in Directions!!

Hello My Dancing Friends!

Practicing Traveling in Directions keeps your body agile for moving through space in all directions, giving you the ability to change directions with ease.  From the Nia Technique Book.

“Sometimes the slightest things change the directions of our lives, the merest breath of a circumstance, a random moment that connects like a meteorite striking the earth. Lives have swiveled and changed direction on the strength of a chance remark.” 
― Bryce Courtenay

This focus came to me as I was dancing at home in my studio and thinking about my upcoming trip to Nia Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.  I will be traveling this Friday with other Nia trainers across the world (including Adelle and Charlotte) for a Nia Trainer Wisdom Quest and graduation.  I am so excited!  The Nia move Traveling in Directions is very powerful and conditions not only our body, but also conditions our brain, creating new neural pathways and heightening the brain-body connection.   This move invites us to think about the direction you want to go, and then by using your eyes first, move in the direction you intend to go.  As we move, we are invited to express with our upper extremities, play with forward, backward, and lateral directions, and create circles and spirals.  Anything goes movement wise!  We are also invited to use precision, speed, play with patterns, and to use our imagination.  A simple and fun move that challenges us and builds strength and agility in our body, mind and emotions.  Using the sound "CHANGE" with determination as you make your change in direction can also build confidence!  1, 2, 3 CHANGE!!!

We do not always know what directions life will take us.  When we travel in Life's directions with grace, play, self expression, fun and make conscience decisions of CHANGE that are in alignment with our purpose, the change will allow us to step freely into life with ease!!  See you in class.       

A special Thank you to the Nia Teachers subbing for me while I am gone.  My classes this week are:

Monday and Thursday Nia at 5:30 pm (I will be teaching)

Saturday Nia at 9:30 am with Jan 

Sunday Nia at 4:00 pm with Sarita

all at  http://www.thesynergystudio.com/. 

Learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive.    Sign up at http://www.nianow.com/joanie.  

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Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button: http://nianow.com/joanie
Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,  Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coachhttp://www.joaniebrooks.me/


 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 Joy Of Play!

Hello My Dancing Friends!

Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.

Stuart Brown, MD...Contemporary American psychiatrist

PLAY is extremely important for all of us. It is a form of release and connection that can help you tap into creativity and allow you the chance to connect with your inner child and the inner child of others.  PLAY is a state of mind, but it is also a state of body, emotion, and spirit.  PLAY is a natural teacher and a great way to open your world to possibilities giving you the gift of to ask “What if,” and explore options. Allowing yourself the freedom to play in the midst of your obligations, resolutions and tasks may help relax you and be the motivation to help your through the day.  We all need to play.  I can get wrapped up in my day and forget to stop and look at my world through the eyes of a child.  When I do, everything changes and it takes the stress and worry out of what I'm doing.  Just using the word PLAY, shifts the energy.  "I'm going to PLAY" instead of "I'm going to work."  What about PLAYing with your resolutions?  HMMMM....the possibilities!! 

So let's use the word PLAY this week and see what happens.  In class this week we will PLAY with bones, PLAY with our joints and connective tissue, PLAY with our muscles, PLAY with our creative source, PLAY with emotions, PLAY with balance, PLAY with gravity.....it goes on.  Cycle 6 of a Nia class is called FloorPLAY, and uses the power of PLAY to give us conditioning throughout our whole body.  Sounds more fun to me than floor WORK!  

Enjoy reading about the benefits of play form Marianne St. Clair, Life Coach, and author of the Art of Play.  

1.     Play can inspire you to think differently

2.      Playing can bring greater joy into your life

3.      Play is known to reduce stress

4.      Playing on a regular basis can increase longevity

5.      Play can reduce struggle, conflict, and worry

6.      Play can increase your sense of lightness

7.      Play can stimulate the imagination, curiosity, and creativity

8.      Playing softens the heart — as the heart becomes malleable, the risk of hypertension and depression decrease

9.      Play can greatly enhance your energy levels

10.   Play can provide you with an opportunity to take risks

Come PLAY with me..see you in class.  My classes this week are:

Monday and Thursday Nia at 5:30 pm 

Friday JourneyDance at 6:45 pm

and Saturday Nia at 9:30 amall at  http://www.thesynergystudio.com/. 

Learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive.    Sign up at http://www.nianow.com/joanie.  

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Go to my link & get 40% off of Nia clothing, music & much more!!  Look for the 40% off purple button: http://nianow.com/joanie
Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,  Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Guide, Mindful Change Coachhttp://www.joaniebrooks.me/


 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!
 

Expand - Exchange - Express...Awareness of Our Chest

Hello My Dancing Friends!

                                                         

Take a moment before you read any further and place your hands on the sides of your ribcage, close your eyes, take a nice full breath and sense the expansion of your chest as new life force energy - breath - enters into your body.  Ahhh!  I love this. and this simple touch and awareness has the power to relax and calm me anytime throughout my day.  Awareness of our chest...Expand - Exchange - Express.  Our chest/ribcage is designed to Expand and contract; to move energy in and out.  When you inhale and take a breath into your body, your diaphragm drops and your lungs Expand and fill your ribcage.  Your chest is also designed to Exchange energy.  While you are inhaling and exhaling you are Exchanging old air for new air.  Your heart is constantly Exchanging blood...old to new.  And then your chest is designed toExpress.  One of the most important functions of your ribcage is to protect your heart, and it is here at your heart center, where you Express love, sorrow, anger, compassion, joy...the list goes on!  Anatomically your shoulder blades, clavicles, and sternum are attached to your rib cage, and when you move, dance and Express with your arms, you are moving and Expressing with your ribcage.  It is all connected!    

So as we dance in class this week, let's bring a heightened sense of awareness to our chest!  In class we will play with the 4 Moves of the Chest...Chest Isolations, Shimmy, Undulations and Spinal Rolls.  These moves support & condition the chest to Expand - Exchange - Express!  As you dance through life this week, see if you can bring awareness to your chest and use the 4 moves of the Chest. 

- When sitting at your desk take a break and isolate and move your chest...front, back, and to the sides.  Sense the mobility and the openness of your ribcage.  This will also relax you and release any tension in your upper back and neck.

- Stand up from desk and SHIMMY!!!  This is great to do in the middle of the afternoon when you may be getting a bit tired.  Works better than coffee and alot more fun!!

- As you are standing in line at the grocery store or at the coffee shop, undulate your spine.  It will help relax any tension in your upper and lower back, and the time just might go by faster.

-   As you are reaching down to pick up something off the floor take the opportunity to do a spinal roll.  This will increase the flexibility and strength of your spine.  Makes the task a bit easier and boy it feels good!  

Have fun...see you in class.  My classes this week are:

Monday and Thursday Nia at 5:30 pm 

Saturday Nia at 9:30 am
and Sunday Nia at 4:00 pm 

all at  http://www.thesynergystudio.com/. 

Are you signed up for the month Nia Headquarters newsletter.  Learn more about the chest this month and sign up by going to this link: http://www.nianow.com/node/453390

See what co-founder Debbie Rosas and 3 of my fellow Nia Trainers have to say about our chest.  It is wonderful!!!

Learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive.    Sign up at http://www.nianow.com/joanie.  

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


 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!
 

Now I Am...Embrace, Celebrate, Shine...2013 Focus!

Happy New Year Friends!

Wishing you a JOYous 2013 and may all your dreams and desires prosper this year!  2012 was NiaSA's year of Purpose, Potential, Possibilities...becoming a Sacred Athlete.  2013 is the year of "Now I Am...Embrace, Celebrate, Shine.  Now I Am Embracing who I am, Celebrating my journey and Shining my Purpose."  I hope you will join all of NiaSA in this overarching focus for 2013!!!  

I am very excited as I step into the new year, filled with great expectations!  It is also for me a promise of change.  Change is a Gift and is the one constant in all our lives   Change opens us to new ideas and to a new way of being.  Change can be small or large; there are no boundaries.  It can be as simple as putting your shoes on your left foot first instead of your right foot!  Change creates new neuro-pathways in our brain and keeps us alive and young!  We have a practice in Principle 4 of the Nia White Belt, FreeDance, where we are invited to change our movement every 2 bars.  It is called Authentic Movement and the intent of this practice is to stimulate new movements, break habits and invite creativity in our body.  To become authentic with who we are and to expand our movement vocabulary.  Change is a Gift!  What do you want to change?  Are you willing to go through change?  As we begin our 2013, let us open to the gift of change.  Bring your gift to the dance floor and greet it with great expectations.  One of the most powerful ways to manifest change is through movement...through your body.  From there who knows where it will transcend!!!  Find out...see you in class!!!  

My classes this week:
Thursday Nia at 5:30 pm
Friday JourneyDance at 6:45 pm and

Saturday Nia at 9:30 am
all at  http://www.thesynergystudio.com/. 

Change is a Gift!....learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive.    Sign up at http://www.nianow.com/joanie.  

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

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


 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!