Joanie Brooks...Step Into Your Greatness!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Path of the Sacred Athlete!

"A Sacred Athlete is a teacher and healer to everyBody, and makes choices from love and pleasure.

This is the path to transformation and self-mastery." (Nia White Belt Learn Book)

I love this time of year - the air is crisp and clear, windows and hearts open!!! It is a time of change, with a sensation of excitement! This month Adelle and I are facilitating a Nia White Belt intensive; 6.5 days of transformation that will rock your world!! It is a split weekend training starting at 3:00 pm on Thursday, October 22 and will go through Saturday (October 23) and Sunday (October 24). The 2nd weekend is Friday, October 30 - Sunday, November 1.

Nia White is the path to self-mastery designed to get you into your body, and use your body and movement to maximize the business of your body and all aspects of your life. The Nia White belt intensive gifts you with tools for managing stress, enhancing your relationships, improving productivity, and creating a life balance, as you explore techniques using your body, voice, intent, mind, emotions and unique spirit to master getting into and living in your body. It is also the 1st step into teaching Nia if that is your desire. Nia White Belt is empowering and opens you to your potential and purpose as you step into your greatness! The Nia White Belt...conditioning for your body and your life!

This week in my classes we will explore, play and taste the 13 principles of the Nia White belt. I will also invite you to ask questions before and after class about the intensive and how to make the Nia White belt a reality for you. I stepped in 21 years ago and have not looked back!!! Here is the link to our white belt this month for more information: https://nianow.com/node/894951

My Nia classes this week:

Monday (today) and Thursday at 5:30 pm, and Saturday at 9:30 at The Synergy Studio

Tuesday Diva class at 9:00 am at Forté Rehabilitation and Wellness Center

Love & Light,
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

DoTerra Essential Oils Representative: http://www.mydoterra.com/joaniebrooks/

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!

Thursday, October 1, 2015

The Rhythm of Life...Do you Feel it?

Hello Beautiful Friends!

“To live is to be musical, starting with the blood dancing in your veins. Everything living has a rhythm. Do you feel your music?”

Michael Jackson

I am so excited to be back in my community with all you wonderful radiant beings of light. Adelle and I have just returned from Nia Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, where we participated in a wonderful new Nia training called FreeDance, and were dancers in the 2015 Nia teacher training videos!!! It was magical, and I am so excited and recharged!

This week as I step back into my classes, I invite you to connect to and be aware of the rhythm of life. Everything in life flows with its unique rhythm...the sun comes and goes down each day as part of the rhythm of the Universe, the seasons flower and change, and the moon flows from full to new. In your body, you can feel your unique rhythm though your heartbeat, your breath, the blinking of your eyes, the beat of your internal organs, and the flow of you blood and water. Even your laughter has a unique rhythm. Go ahead and laugh right NOW and notice how each HA (the beat of your laugh) is exactly spaced. It's amazing!! Rhythm is the driving force that holds our lives together!

In Nia we honor the rhythm of every Body through a principle called Natural Time. Natural Time (NT) is fluid, non-linear, and centered in the NOW, and it reconnects us to the rhythms of nature and the rhythms of all life forms. 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. NT invites us to dance to our unique beat. Our body loves to move, and when we move in NT, our body becomes fluid with the rhythm of life.

Do you feel it...Rhythm!! See you in class!!

My classes this week at The Synergy Studio:

Thursday at 5:30 pm

Saturday at 9:30 am

Sunday at 4:00 pm.

I'm also teaching Hatha Yoga on Sunday at 5:30 pm. Flowing to our unique rhythm (YES! even in Yoga!)

Are you ready to step into the Art of Sensation - Nia White Belt? 6.5 days of transformation that will rock your world!! Our next training is a split weekend, starting at 3:00 pm on Thursday, October 22 and will go through Saturday (October 23) and Sunday (October 24). The 2nd weekend is Friday, October 30 - Sunday, November 1. It is a great opportunity to take the Nia White Belt and only take a couple days off from work.

To find out more information and register, click HERE!

Monday, September 14, 2015

Rooted in body, mind, spirit and emotions!

"To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul." Simone Weil

This week in my Nia classes we will focus on the art of Rooting. Stepping in to the powerful music of Sacred Spirits: Chants and Dances of the Native Americans, we will discover what Rooting (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually) means to you and how it manifests in your dance. In movement as in life, Rooting, the act of grounding, provides for an efficient exchange of energy. Rooting is a great way to get balanced and be present in the moment. It helps us to deeply feel and sense what is going on inside and around us, as well as offering the release of tension, and harnessing strength, healing and expression. As we Dance Through Life we can imagine we have roots growing out from the bottoms of our feet connecting us to the earth, that flow as we move, and at the same time they keep us grounded. We can focus on our breath and root in our body, calm our mind and emotions, and set our spirit free!

Rooted in body, mind, spirit and emotions...

My classes this week:

Monday at 8:00 am (subbing for Jan) and 5:30 pm

Tuesday at 5:30 pm (subbing for Jan)

Thursday at 5:30 pm

Saturday at 9:30 am all at The Synergy Studio.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

We Are All Connected - Inisde and Outside!!

Good morning dancing friends!

“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”
― Brené Brown

Connections. I always find it fascinating and wonderful how I discover connections. Yesterday I was at a friend's mother's funeral, and found through conversations, new connections that I did not know existed. It reminded me of all the wonderful connections I have in my life through Nia, friends, family, and work, connected together through an endless, expansive fabric. Just how everything INSIDE our body is connected through a continuous network of connective tissue, we are connected OUTSIDE to each other through the connective tissue of our thoughts, words, and actions. The connective tissue of life is huge and love is the connecting force!!

INSIDE our body, connective tissue is a substance that transmits information and connects everything. It comes in many forms. Tendons and ligaments are connective tissue; cartilage is connective tissue; muscles are wrapped in connective tissue. Even blood is a connective tissue. Also known as fascia, connective tissue is an amazing honeycomb substance that seems to dissolve everything into oneness. It’s found throughout the entire body and functions as a body-wide signaling system, making it possible for all body parts to stay in constant communication.

Connective tissue is meant to be movable, fluid, and sensual. AHHH!! Nia provides us a way to move and keep our connective tissue healthy through the dance of loosening and tightening, sound and silence, mobility and agility, strength and flexibility, opening and surrendering, volume up/down, fast and slow, hard and soft, masculine and feminine, Martial Arts, Dance Arts and Healing Arts. Every thing you do affects your connective tissue, even your emotions!

Join me this week in class as we expand our connections INSIDE and OUTSIDE. Nia is a beautiful fabric of connective tissue that weaves and dances, connecting bodies, lives and people together. See you on the dance floor!

My classes this week:

Thursday at 5:30, Saturday at 9:30 and Sunday at 4:00 pm at The Synergy Studio.

I will also be holding a MELT workshop on Sunday, Sept. 13. MELT Method® (MELT) is a self-treatment technique that helps people get out and stay out of chronic pain in just ten minutes a day. MELT is a simple self-treatment technique that that works by re-balancing your nervous system and re-hydrating your connective tissue, which is all around your muscles and joints. It is going to be a great workshop. Email me t

o sign up!

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,

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

Monday, August 17, 2015

Dance Your Soul!

"Dancers are the messengers of the gods." - Martha Graham

Good Morning Friends!

Yesterday after class one of my students said to me Nia reminds her of a story she received on a person asking a shaman (spiritual healer) for advice on how to heal her spirit. The shaman's response was: when was the last time your danced, when was the last time you sang and when was the last time you told your story? Yes - this is Nia! Through our dance we connect to our story and sing our unique song. We dance our soul, and it is powerful and healing.

This week we will dance the Nia routine Soul. The music of this routine blends the percussive, live instrumentation of Native American music with thick electronic beats, awakening the primal dance within. When dancing, each move can be felt like a natural hot spring that bubbles up your body, filling you with the sensation of pure rejuvenation. And it does!! Click HERE to listen to a sample of the music. The focus is on the 52 Moves of Nia; however, our intent is create the space to expand the moves and create our own moves by connecting to our body and being seduced by the powerful music. You will be guided to share your soul dance, your story and yes you can even sing!! See you on the dance floor!

My classes this week:

Monday (today!) and Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am
Sunday at 4:00 pm all at The Synergy Studio.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

REACH Out And Open To Your World!

Good Morning Friends!

“To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways we are supported by the world around us.” ― Gregg Krech

Reach your arms out and then allow them to wrap around your shoulders in an embracing hug!!! Breathe in and receive love and support, and exhale gratitude! Ahhh - YES! This week we bring you a new Nia routine called REACH with a focus on the upper extremities, which includes your shoulder girdle, arms, hands and fingers. I love this routine and how it conditions my upper extremities, and that I am invited to REACH up, out, down, back and all around the space during my dance and receive...just receive. The intent of this routine is to open your shoulder girdle while providing conditioning and freedom in the upper body, allowing you to experience comfort and pleasure in your dance and all your daily movement. This is the beauty of Nia - giving us gifts and life tools on and off the dance floor. Sensing a beautiful stretch as I REACH for a glass from my cabinet. Giving love as I REACH out and touch my family, friends and dog. Taking a moment from writing this email to REACH out with all my 10 fingers and let them yawn. REACHing out with soft fists and celebrating my accomplishments. Dancing Through Life! See you on the dance floor!

Nia Classes this week:

Thursday (today!) at 5:30 pm

Team Teaching with Adelle on Friday at 5:30 pm, Saturday at 9:30 am and Sunday at 4:00 pm. Beautiful Nia Routine REACH!!

On Sunday, August 9, at 2:30 pm join Adelle and Joanie for a FUN Playshop, where we will "Learn the Moves" of the new Nia routine REACH. We will break the katas (move sequences) down starting at 2:30, and then get to play with them in class at 4:00.

$30 (includes playshop, class and the music!). Sign up HERE!

Monday, July 13, 2015

Shake, Rock and Roll Your Bones!

Good Morning Friends!!!

How are your 206 bones today?? Do you know:

We all had more than 300 bones at birth, which transforms to 206 bones as an adult. Over time, many small bones making up the skull and the spine fuse together as the body grows and becomes older.
The only bone in the human body not connected to another is the hyoid, a V-shaped bone located at the base of the tongue.
Bones are made up of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and other minerals, as well as the protein collagen.
Every second, our bone marrow produces two million red blood cells.
Over a period of about seven years, each bone in our body is slowly replaced until it is a new bone.
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete, the Femur bone is the biggest and strongest bone in our body. It is easily capable of lifting or supporting 30 times its own volume and weight!
Our ribs move about 5 million times a year, every time we breathe!

I love these fun facts and it reminds me that my bones are ALIVE and it is important to keep them healthy and happy. Our bones love to Shake, Rock and Roll and that is just what we do in a Nia Class. Our bones give our body form, protect our internal organs, and allow us to be mobile in our world. In a Nia, we create shapes with our bones; we fold and unfold our bones; we spiral our bones; we punch, block, and kick; we vibrate, shimmy, snap, crackle and pop our bones; we walk, skip and play on the floor with our bones; and we create healing in our bones and the rest of our body with the 5 Fitness Sensations of Nia...Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength and Stability. So vital to keep our bones healthy and strong.

Last week I had my yearly wellness exam and I am so excited about my bones!! I was diagnosed with osteopenia several years ago. Osteopenia refers to bone density that is lower than normal peak density but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis. This is diagnosed via your hips and spine. Through diet and conscious weight-bearing exercises, my spine is back to normal (YAY!) and my hip is on the way up!!! What is the

weight-bearing

exercise

I do?

Primarily Nia. Yes! In Nia we shift body weight, balance, and create endless variety and energy through the 9 Movement Forms (Principle 2 of Nia White Belt) th

help keep bones strong, resilient and adaptable to all kinds of forces and stress. We also move through 3 planes of movement - low, middle, high - (Principle 7 of Nia White Belt) which adds positive stress to your bones. We do this in class and we can also do in life. Join me in these daily ways to build strength in your bones. We call this Dancing Through Life!

Use the Nia base move, Whole Foot, as you walk through your house. Shift your weight completely to each foot and hold for a couple of seconds. Change the pressure by acting as if you are going to fall, but don't. We call this on-off balance - great for your bones!! Great for your hips and spine!
You can add some intensity to the above movements by holding and moving through high, middle and low planes of movement on 1 foot. Hold onto a chair if you need to. You can also do this while waiting in line at the grocery store!!!
Get up from your computer or from watching TV and shimmy/shake your bones!! Vibration increases circulation and re-aligns your bones. And it feels great!!
Shimmy on 1 foot!!!
Extend the bones of your fingers way out into space and then draw back in with strength like you are squeezing your fingers around a ball. We call this Flexibility and Strength.
Stand up and lift your arm bones to the sky, smell the moment, and open your your heart! Sense your ribcage expanding and contracting. We have 24 bones that create our ribcage!
And take your shoes off!! We have 26 bones in our feet and the best way to keep them strong and agile is to go barefoot!

Have fun and I hope to see

you in

y classes this week:

Monday (TODAY!) and Thursday at 5:30 pm

Saturday at 9:30 am

and Sunday at 4:00 pm at The Synergy Studio

AND - have you heard??? Adelle and I have added a Nia White Belt intensive to our schedule for July - a split weekend at The Synergy Studio. There is still time to sign up!! It is a great opportunity to take the Nia White Belt and only take a couple of days off from work. The training starts at 3:00 pm on Thursday, July 23 and will go through Sunday, July 26. The 2nd weekend is Friday , July 31 - Sunday, August 2. Here is the link to the registration and where you can get additional information: HERE!