Our Dancing Eyes..Awareness of Sight!

Hello My Friends! One of our most incredible gifts we have is the gift of sight. Of all of your body’s five senses, the sense of sight is considered to be the most complex. They are designed to receive and process light, rays and beams of light, and bounce off objects, giving you information about color, shape and texture. Have you ever stopped during your day and acknowledge the sights that are being taken in by your eyes?  From the moment we wake up to the time we go to bed, our eyes are busy taking pictures and sending them to our brain for analysis. Our brain is in business with our eyes!  Take a moment now and look around.  What do you see and what are you perceiving you see?  Nia asks us to be aware every moment, and as we look out into the world, to change our perception of what we see to make it pleasing - Life As Art.  Pleasure. 

Our eyes are about the size of a table-tennis ball and they work just like a camera.  The numerous muscles in our eyes work together to allow our eyes to move in all directions:  up, down, around... taking pictures of our world!  Did you know that out of all the muscles in your body, the muscles that control your eyes are the most active?  You blink about 12 times every minute, and every blink lasts about 1/10th of a second!  BUSY! 

In a Nia class we use the Head and Eye movement (one of Nia's 52 moves) to condition our eyes by looking around.  When we follow our hand with our eyes or act as if we are following a butterfly, we engage the whole body.  As I've said before, Nia is a WHOLE body workout, including our eyes!! 

I have listed below 7 things you can do throughout your day as you Dance Through Life, to keep your eyes healthy.  Happy SEEING...and SEE you in class this week.  Note there is a JourneyDance class on Friday...WOOT!

My classes this week:
Monday, Thursday and Friday (subbing for Adelle) at 5:30 pm
Friday at 6:45 a JourneyDance class,
Saturday at 9:30 am,
and Sunday at 4:00 pm
all at  http://www.thesynergystudio.com/. 

1.  Breathe deeply. Your eyes are situated far from your lungs and heart, and shallow breathing will deprive your eyes of the essential nutrients they need to stay healthy, fit and well. Every hour, consciously take 30 seconds to “smell the moment,” drawing a deep breath in and letting out a full sigh, lengthening the time of your exhale.
2. Relax. Stress reduces the flow of blood and oxygen, starving your eyes of the fuel and nutrients they need to stay healthy. Make a conscious effort to relax your body and face, softening your eyes and jaw.
3. Check your posture. Avoid thrusting your head forward by releasing your lower jaw, allowing your head to gently float up.
4. Take a time out. When you sense your sight becoming blurry, distorted or strained, stop and take a time out. Relax and release by vocally sounding sustained vowel sounds of, “A-E-I-O-U”.
5. Thank your eyes. Each day, in the morning, noon and night, thank your eyes by saying, “Thank you for sharing the world with me”.
6. Exercise your eye muscles. Look left and right, up and down, around to the left and around to the right, and diagonally, sensing the muscles of your eyes stretching.
7. Avoid staring and blink. For every five minutes you have to look in one direction or at one point for extended lengths of time, stop and look out into the distance and take in everything. Move away from your computer screen after 20 minutes and look around. 

Learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive.   Our next intensive is coming up in December...a split weekend. Sign up and receive pre-training materials! http://www.nianow.com/joanie


Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,  Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer,
Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Facilitator, 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!

Nia... A Gift That Lasts A Lifetime!!!

Good morning my Friends!

"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.  

What a fantastic cool morning.  I've been outside appreciating the coolness of the morning against my skin and gazing at the beautiful moon.  Its Magical!  I'm excited this week as Adelle and I prepare for a Nia White Belt that starts this Friday.  We have a wonderful group from our dancing community and from Mexico.  I love delivering this work!  The Nia White Belt focuses on the foundation of Nia through 13 principles that guide you to place your attention on yourself, on your body, and on physical sensation.  The intent of these principles are to assist and inspire you to celebrate your body and your human potential.   The Nia White Belt is designed for people of all shapes and sizes, and teach you about sensory-based movement as a pleasurable way to achieve lasting health, wellness and fitness.  It is truly a gift that last a lifetime, and goes beyond the class into life!! If you have been contemplating this gift, there is still time and room to sign up!  Go to http://www.nianow.com/nia-training/24/nia-white-belt-training.  And make sure you come to the Nia classes during the white belt as we dance and focus on the principles of the white belt!  

As a "kick-off" to the upcoming White Belt I will be focusing on principle 1 of the Nia White Belt, The Joy of 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!!!  See you in class this week!

My Nia classes this week:

• Monday and Thursday at 5:30 pm
• Friday at 5:30 pm with Adelle 
• Saturday at 9:30 am with Adelle (shifting focus to Principle 2, Natural Time and the 9 Movement Forms of Nia)
• and Sunday at 4:00 pm with Adelle (shifting focus to Principle 5, The Base of the Body) all at http://www.thesynergystudio.com.

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 Facilitator, 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!

5 Fitness Sensations of Your Body!!

I'm back from a fabulous weekend in OK city with my fellow Nia Trainers Adelle and Shannon Mairs (from Dallas) where we taught weekend classes, introducing Nia to a new community.  Expanding JOY, expanding community, expanding Nia!!  Our focus was on the 5 Fitness Sensations of Nia:  Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength and Stability (FAMSS).  Yummy!!  So let's continue the focus this week. There are many benefits in developing body awareness of the 5 sensations of flexibility, agility, mobility, strength, and stability in your workout and in your life.  Each unique sensation is necessary for keeping your body physically fit and energetically balanced.  Integrating all 5 sensations in your dance keeps muscles relaxed, highly charged and ready for action over longer periods of time.  Your muscles can work with greater efficiency when they are allowed to move and rest as they go from one sensation to another.  When one sensation is overused, grace and power are always diminished, resulting in muscle and energy imbalance and unnecessary chronic tension that can lead to the inefficient muscle and poor alignment. 
FLEXIBILITY is sensed as energy moving out.  It is a feeling of releasing power. Flexibility feels like a warm lengthening along the bone that stretches the belly of the muscle. Flexibility relaxes and never tenses the body.  Sense this…Stretch your arms out and reach for the stars.   The sensation that you feel is the sensation of flexibility!

AGILITY is sensed as energy starting and stopping.  It is a feeling of pulling and pushing. Agility feels like a playful tug-of-war action, changing; stop-now GO.  Sense this...Act as if you are reaching out and catching a fire fly, then another and another.  The sensation you feel is the sensation of agility!

MOBILITY is sensed as energy in constant movement, a continuous energy flow in a wide range of motion – a constant and varying excitation of the nerves around the joints, engaging the muscles, bones and joints.
Sense this… Move all 10 fingers simultaneously and act as if you are tickling someone.  The sensation you feel is the sensation of mobility!

STRENGTH is sensed as energy moving inward, like squeezing or packing energy against the bone.  It feels like a warm power moving along and into the bones.  Sense this… Clench your fist softly and draw power into your body through your fists and arms.   The sensation you feel is the sensation of strength!

STABILITY is sensed as energy moving from the center out in all directions.  It is the feeling of harmony and peace, combined with readiness for action.  Sense this… Balance on one leg, and in slow motion, move your free leg and both arms. Stability is what keeps you from falling, even as you move.

So let's train our body's to activate all 5 sensations and see what happens!  See you on the dance floor!
My Nia classes this week:
Monday and Thursday at 5:30 pm
and Saturday at 9:30 am 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.   Our next intensive is coming up on October 5th. Sign up and receive pre-training materials! 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 Facilitator, Mindful Change Coach
http://www.joaniebrooks.me/

Awareness of Our Beautiful Knees!!!

Hello Friends!
How are your knees today?  Do you ever ask your body that question?  As a Sensation Scientist, a person living in constant awareness of sensation, it is a good practice to do. One of the ways I say hello and check in with my knees is by activating my 13 joints every morning after I wake up.  This simple exercise let's me know how my knees are doing as well as circulating energy throughout my whole body.  Good morning knees!! 

Your knee joint is the largest joint in your body and is uniquely designed to carry most of your weight.  Practically everything we do throughout our day engages our knees.:  walking, sitting, running, dancing...the list goes on.  It's important we bring awareness to our knees so we can keep them strong and healthy in order to move efficiently and comfortably - no matter what our age is. 

Before Nia I ran, as well as participated in many aerobic activities.  I did not pay attention to my knees and the impact I was putting on them, which resulted in crunching noise and pain in my knees.  Through Nia and awareness, I have healed my knees and I move in ways that continue to support my dance of life.  Here are a couple of things you can do to care for your knees:
- If you sit or stand for extended period of times throughout the day, rub your knees, shake them, bend and extend them so you can bring circulation into your knees as well as your ankles.
- Avoid locking your knees by keeping them spring-loaded.  This sensation is like you are on the edge of a diving board getting ready to jump in.  They are loose and relaxed which allows synovial fluid to flow and keep your knees lubricated. 
- Using a foam roller made a big difference for me!  I rolled the sides of my thigh which relaxed the connective tissue and muscles that were pulling on my knees.  
- Notice how you are walking.  Are you engaging your hips and ankles?  Remember, everything is connected so if we engage the joints above and below the knees, our knees will be more relaxed and function the way they are designed.  When sitting, release your hip joints and really sit back into your chair so you knees can "exhale". 
- As I mentioned above, activate your 13 joints, which includes your knees, every morning.  I also practice the Nia 5 Stages of Healing every morning which is excellent for your knees and your whole body.  Talk to me more on this if you are interested.

Ahh...our beautiful knees.  Let's dance this week with awareness and love for our knees and see what happens.  You can read more about the knees from last month's Nia newsletter that includes tips from my fellow Nia trainers to include our lovely Adelle!  Go to:  http://www.nianow.com/story/2012/08/awareness-of-knees-sensing-opening-and-closing

My classes this week:
Monday (today) and Thursday at 5:30 pm
and Saturday at 9:30 am all at The Synergy Studio
 
Learn more and go deeper into the connection with you body and your life by taking a Nia White Belt Intensive.   Our next intensive is coming up on October 5th. Sign up and receive pre-training materials! http://www.nianow.com/joanie


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

EveryBody Dance Now!!!

Good morning my Nia Friends!!  I'm in Austin with my best friend from high school and the person who introduced me to Nia 18 years ago, and I'm preparing for a day of teaching and dancing at Lake Austin Spa and Resort.  This week has been declared "Dance Week" at the resort, and today I'm teaching Nia and introducing JourneyDance!   EveryBody Dance now!!

Dancing is such a part of my life that I cannot imagine a day without dance.  If I'm happy, I dance.  If I'm feeling low, I dance.  I could not survive without dance.  Dancing is for everyBody, and anybody can dance and enjoy the benefits of self discovery, emotional expression, spontaneous movement and pure FUN!!  The benefits of dance are endless and the potential for healing and conditioning our body, mind, spirit and emotions is endless!!!  Dancing heals the soul.   Have you ever noticed your fellow dancers while he/she is dancing?  What do you see?  I see radiant smiles that are pure, natural and beautiful.   I see honest movement and expression.  I see grace! 

Right now put in "benefits of dancing" in your Google search.  You will find hundreds of articles on this subject and I invite you to explore these possibilities for yourself!  Dance came to Nia when Carlos Aya Rosas co-founder of Nia, asked the question:  "Where is the fun?".  Adding dance to Nia was revolutionary and a bit scary; however, by asking this question and listening to their bodies, Debbie Rosas and Carlos brought dance to Nia, creating the Dance Arts of Nia, which has helped many bodies reclaim fun, passion, freedom, electricity, expression and healing.

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul” - Martha Graham

EveryBody dance NOW!!   Nia and JourneyDance offer us the opportunity to be the dancer that is alive in our hearts and our 75 trillion cells.  So let dance!!!  Enjoy this video & dance with me:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12VUjgYMm1U
 

My classes this week:
Monday Nia at 5:30 (Adelle is subbing for me..thank you!)
Thursday Nia at 5:30 pm,
Friday, JourneyDance at 6:45 pm
Saturday Nia at 9:30 am
Sunday Nia at 4:00 pm 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.   Our next intensive is coming up on October 5th. Sign up and receive pre-training materials! http://www.nianow.com/joanie


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

Purpose, Potential, Possibility - The Path of the Sacred Athlete!

“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as you mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve.” Mary Kay Ash

Our BIG focus as we stepped into 2012 has been becoming a Sacred Athlete.  The path to becoming and being a Sacred Athlete is a choice; it is a mindset.  It is a clear path of living into our greatness and opening to our limitless potential and endless possibilities available to us when we choose pleasure and love as our path.  Have you ever looked up the definition of Athlete?  It is defined by Webster as a "person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina".  The definition applies to the game of Life, and requires the same skills.  The game of Life becomes Sacred and we become Sacred Athletes when we bring awareness to all we do; where every move is meaningful, fulfilling and rewarding to the honoring of our body, mind, emotions and spirit. 

A Sacred Athlete is a teacher and healer to all people.   We are all teachers.  We teach others with our actions, our thoughts and words.  We teach others through our choices.  Choosing to keep your body healthy through movement and dance shows others how you have chosen to love your body. 

Whether you are starting this journey, continuing your journey, or have stepped off the path and are now ready to step back in, honor your process and then open your heart to your potential...it limitless.  Open to all the possibilities life has for you...it is endless.  Your body's potential is limitless...200/700 (bones and muscles) unique ways to move and heal.  The possibilities of your body are endless...9 movement forms to connect to; 3 planes of movement and intensity levels to explore; Move/Explore/Create your FreeDance...ENDLESS ways to create.  In class and in life..Purpose, Potential, Possibility.  The journey is worth it!!! 

This week I will be combing 2 Nia routines:  Beyond and Birth.  Both routines are masterful creations designed for us to discover the potential and possibilities...to condition us for the game of Life.  And they both pack in so much fun!!!  Dance with me!

"Life is discovering
The love that we create
Life is a mystery
We need to embrace

In every way
You need to let go
You'll see all your dreams will follow
In every way
You need to let go...Rise by Samantha
EnJOY the music and we will dance it together in class:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9gFGfAF9O4

 
My classes this week:
Monday(today) and Thursday Nia at 5:30 pm,
and Saturday Nia at 9:30 am 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.   Our next intensive is coming up on October 5th. Sign up and receive pre-training materials! http://www.nianow.com/joanie


Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,  Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator, Journey Dance Facilitator, 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!

There is beauty in the world. So much beauty in the world!!

All we have to do is look for beauty, and she is there all around us at any given moment.  Madisyn Taylor. 

Beauty can be found every way...in every color, flavor, scent, texture; outside your window, inside your house, in the person right next too...In the Mirror!  The beauty of life surrounds us everywhere!!!  Just pause for a moment and look around at all the beauty and art in your world.  Life as Art (LAA) is the 3rd element of the Dancing Through Life triad.  LAA reminds us that life - our life - can be as inspiring as viewing a great painting.  When we perceive the whole world as art, inspiration flows through our entire body.  It's a physical sensation that can change your body, mind, emotions and spirit!  And this ability to appreciate beauty around you can have a healing effect on your being as well.

So I LOVE the song by Macy Gray "Beauty in the World".  It has been singing in my mind for many days and brings a smile to my face no matter what is going on in my life.  Sensing LAA makes the ordinary seem inspiring.  I get this rush of energy and love when this happens.  Inhaling beauty...I know it affects my cells and all inside me.  My spirit auto-Magically sours and my emotions are revived when I'm feeling down.   Principle 5 of the Nia White Belt, Awareness, is about paying attention to body sensations and from this information, making choices that bring healing into our lives.  It is also a method of channeling and using this awareness to improve the quality of living in your body and life..Dancing Through Life.  It invites us to go beyond the dance studio and bringing this awareness into every thing we do.  It is big!!  LAA, changing my perception of life to create pleasing things around me is MEDICINE.   

So smell the moment and then go ahead - look in the mirror and take on the beauty of YOU - your sacred shape.  Now that is ART!!  Here is the link to the Macy Gray song...I can see you dancing and it is beautiful!   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qX7ZsxD3Ik

See you in class this week and feel inspired to be artful with your outfit in class!! 
 
My classes this week:
Monday and Thursday Nia at 5:30 pm
Saturday Nia at 9:30 am and
Sunday at 4:00 pm 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.   Check out my trainings with Adelle Brewer 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 Facilitator, 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!