Good morning Friends!
Our spine consists of 26 vertebrae: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, the sacrum (5 fused), and the coccyx (4 fused). When I look at a picture of a spine, I sense within me a "curved" like energy running through me from my base all the way to the crown of my head. In fact our spine has curves - four distinct curves: cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back), lumbar (lower back), and sacral (pelvis level). What the curves tell me is my spine is not meant to be straight, and is very important for supporting and transferring our body’s weight. In Nia we move our body in all directions, we use our eyes to look out, up and down, we circle and bump our hips, undulate, and shimmy, resulting in a spine that is flexible, agile, mobile, strong and stable....AND a spine with beautiful curves.The curves and their specific shapes are very important for supporting the body’s weight, and if one curve is misaligned, the rest of the curves (and body) will be affected. At birth, our spine was C-shaped. As we developed, learning to creep, crawl, stand and then walk, our spine shaped and adapted, becoming flexible, mobile and strong. When we were about 10 years old our lumbar curve fully assumed to its adult shape, which has natural curves that form an S-Shape. Close your eyes and visualize your spine as a beautiful string of pearls shaped as an S along you back. This magical structure gives you the ability to lean sideways, twist, vibrate, undulate, rotate, flex, stretch and move effortlessly through 3 planes of movement. Our body is amazing!
Our spine consists of 26 vertebrae: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, the sacrum (5 fused), and the coccyx (4 fused). When I look at a picture of a spine, I sense within me a "curved" like energy running through me from my base all the way to the crown of my head. In fact our spine has curves - four distinct curves: cervical (neck), thoracic (upper back), lumbar (lower back), and sacral (pelvis level). What the curves tell me is my spine is not meant to be straight, and is very important for supporting and transferring our body’s weight. In Nia we move our body in all directions, we use our eyes to look out, up and down, we circle and bump our hips, undulate, and shimmy, resulting in a spine that is flexible, agile, mobile, strong and stable....AND a spine with beautiful curves.The curves and their specific shapes are very important for supporting the body’s weight, and if one curve is misaligned, the rest of the curves (and body) will be affected. At birth, our spine was C-shaped. As we developed, learning to creep, crawl, stand and then walk, our spine shaped and adapted, becoming flexible, mobile and strong. When we were about 10 years old our lumbar curve fully assumed to its adult shape, which has natural curves that form an S-Shape. Close your eyes and visualize your spine as a beautiful string of pearls shaped as an S along you back. This magical structure gives you the ability to lean sideways, twist, vibrate, undulate, rotate, flex, stretch and move effortlessly through 3 planes of movement. Our body is amazing!
I love hand Mudras and here is one for your spine called the Meru Mudra. When we sit for hours our body tends to collapse, putting a lot
of pressure on the backbone, which can weaken our spinal
cord. To strengthen your
spinal cord or when you feel tired, do this Meru Mudra by
folding all the fingers in your right hand towards your palm except
your thumb finger, which should point towards the sky. Now breathe and
say I love my spine! Sense a massaging effect all the way up your
spinal cord. I have a picture below.
See you on the dance floor! My classes this week:
Monday, and Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am
and Sunday at 4:00 pm at The Synergy Studio.
AND join me Wednesday morning at 9:00 am for Nia at the Witte Museum!!! The class will be held on the Charles Moulton Serenity Floor, overlooking beautiful Brackenridge Park. Classes are $5 each for members and students, $10 each for non-members. Reservations required; call 210-357-1910 today!!
Meru Mudra
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.com
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 1st Degree Black Belt
MELT Certified Hand & Foot Instructor
Yoga Teacher (certified in the YogaFit Warrior Program)
Journey Dance Facilitator Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator
Mindful Change Coach
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!
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