Thank You Body!

Hello My Dancing Friends!

We have a wonderful practice in Nia called "Body Gratitude".  "Body Gratitude" is a practice were we sense our body, notice sensations of pleasure and of self-healing that has occurred in the moment.  We then give gratitude to our body by speaking out loud what we sense.  For example after my Nia 5 stages practice or after a Nia class, I say out loud "Thank you Body, my lower back is relaxed.".  Or "Thank you body, my breath is deeper and fuller.".  My body hears this gratitude and creates a loving relationship that leads to optimal health and well being.  Plus it feels good to talk to my body this way!

As we step into Thanksgiving week and we reflect on all we are thankful for, I'm inviting us to give gratitude to our body - say it our loud!   Nia's philosophy is "Through Movement We Find Health" and our body loves to move, dance and play, and there isn't a better way to make our body happy and show our appreciation.  Join me in a dance of gratitude all week.    Such a wonderful way to stay youthful and no better way to thank your body!  See you in class!

And my Friends, Thank You for all of your love and support, and your passion for Nia.  You fill my heart with love and joy every time I dance with you.  I am very grateful!! 

My classes this week:

Monday at 5:30 pm

Thursday - Thanksgiving Day - 8:00 am Nia, team teaching with Adelle.  Our annual Gratitude Thanksgiving class!!!

Saturday at 9:30 am

and Sunday

at 4:00 all at The Synergy Studio

Starting December 1st, I am excited to start a Hatha Yoga Flow Class with Essential Oils at The Synergy Studio.  It will be every Monday morning at 8:00 am.  Here is the description of the class - I hope you can start your week with me in this new class: 

"In this Hatha Flow class we will use movement and breath together, along with affirmations, mudras, sounding and meditation to enhance our mood and our overall state of well-being. In each class we will learn how to maintain a healthy nervous system, use techniques to release stress and anxiety, promote a stronger sense of self-awareness, and focus the mind. This class is appropriate for all levels of yoga students. Inspirational music and essential oils will be used to enhance your experience. Start your week feeling energized and inspired!"

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

All We Need Is Music, Sweet Music!

"All we need is music, sweet music.  There will be music everywhere!  They'll be swinging, swaying, records playing.  Dancing in the street!"  Written by William "Mickey" Stevenson, Ivy Jo Hunter and Marvin Gaye.

​Yes sweet music!  ​

​Hello my dancing friends!

One of the many things I love and is unique about Nia is music, and how we as ia teachers use music to help you create magic!  This magic happens in your body, mind, spirit and emotions when you connect to the music and dance!  Music is the wind that lifts our sails!!!  Music is so magical and has such an impact in our lives that we study music in the Nia White Belt.  We explore rhythm, melody and harmony.  We "become seduced by the music" as we move, explore and create our own dance.  And we enhance our "art of listening" to the silence and the sounds of music.  It is fascinating, healing and so much fun!!!  

Sweet music - it is in the air!  Come be seduced by the music this week in Nia classes and discover your magic.  Move, explore and create your dance of silence and sounds.  See you on the dance floor!

My classes this week:

Wednesday (subbing for Jenn) and Thursday at 5:30 pm

Saturday at 9:30 am
Sunday Adelle and I are having GREAT FreeDance Playshop - I hope you can join us from 2-5:30... it will be a rocking time. Sign up HERE!.

On Saturday I'm also holding a MELT Foot and Hand Into workshop.  Cost is $25 if your pre-register HERE, $30 at the door.  Email me if you have any questions!

​

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



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!

Energy Personalities of Nia!!

Good morning Friends!

"It is our tunnel vision and singular sense of identity that often limits our sense of our own possibilities - and yet it is the genius of humans to imagine being something we are not, and thus to extend what we indeed are."  Jean Houston, The Possible Human

Last week our focus was on Natural Time, which is the first triad or concept of Nia's principle 2 of the White Belt.  We expand our dance this week as we focus on the 2nd triad - 9 Movement Forms.  The 9 movement forms of Nia taken are from Martial Arts, Dance Arts and Healing Arts,  inspires you to create movement variety in a whole new way!!    When we move in a variety of ways we keep our nervous system attuned and healthy, and develop a sensuous relationship between our body and life by tapping into unique sensations.   
An easy way to tap into the energy of the 9 Movement Forms is by using the catch phrases associated with each one of the movement.  Maybe you want to write these down on a note card so you can carry them with you and build a relationship.  So here we go:

- Tai Chi…The slow dance; 
- Tae Kwo…The dance of precision; 
- Aikido…The dance of harmonious spherical motion;  - Jazz… The dance of fun, showmanship and expression;
- Modern Dance…The dance of shapes in space; - Duncan Dance…The dance of free-spirited honest movement;
- Work of Moshe Feldenkrais… The dance of conscious awareness of sensation;
- Alexander Technique…The dance of movement from the top - Yoga…The dance of conscience alignment of bones and joints.

Notice how each movement form's catch phrase starts with "The Dance".  This principle is about tapping into the sensation of the energy and chemistry of the movement form, and creating and expressing your dance.  Each Movement Form helps to make our body healthy and strong, and bring change into our body and life!  Endless possibilities and potential!

And as with all of the teaching of Nia, we can take the movement forms off the dance floor into life.  Nia is a lifestyle practice.   Imagine this.....
- Using the slow dance of Tai Chi as you wake up in the morning and start your day.
- Using the energy of Taei Kwon Do to access your personal power to ask for a raise or to get what you need from your family. - Using the energy of Aikido to bring harmony to your relationship with your family, friends and co-workers.
- Using the energy of Jazz as you walk into a meeting or party.
- Using the energy of Modern Dance to own your emotions and let it be OK to be in sorrow or anger. - Using the energy of  Duncan Dance as you skip down the aisle of the grocery store.
- Using the energy of Feldenkrais to sense pleasure when you are sitting at your desk.
- Using the energy of Alexander Technique to just use your eyes first to move your head as you gaze out at life. - Using the energy of Yoga as you lay down to sleep at night and align yourself so you can heal through the night.
WOW - you just created a fantastic day!  This week as we dance, we will play with the 9 Movement Forms of Nia and sense what this feels like in our body.  Then as we step out the real thing starts - our Dance of Life - imagine the life choreography you can create!!! 

This is the tip of the iceberg!!!  In the Nia White Belt intensive we go deep into 13 principles of the Nia White Belt.  It is 7 magical days dedicated to you, your body and your life.  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   The October training is a split weekend.  The training starts at 3:00 pm on Friday, October 17 and will go through Saturday and Sunday.  The 2nd weekend is Thursday, October 23 - Sunday, October 26.  It is a great opportunity to take the Nia White Belt and only take a couple of days off from work.

Check out other dates at: http://www.nianow.com/joanie#trainings.

My classes this week:

Monday (today) and Thursday at 5:30 pm

Saturday at 9:30

Sunday at 4:00 pm at The Synergy Studio.  (note: Angie will teach my Saturday and Sunday classes - I'm taking a Yoga training!)

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.com
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 1st Degree Black BeltJourney 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!

Business of Your Body and Life - Sensation of Sacred!

”Your body is boundless. It is channeling the energy, creativity and intelligence of the entire universe. At this moment, the universe is listening through your ears, seeing through your eyes, experiencing through your brain. Your purpose for being here is to allow the universe to evolve.” — Deepak Chopra, Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul

Sacred:  "Dedicated or devoted exclusively to a single use, purpose or person." - The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

Nia White Belt principle number 11 is called Creating a Sacred Livelihood, Business of My Body and Life.  This principle invites us to move, explore and connect to the sensation of sacred, and make choices that support our body and life. It invites us to sense joy and fulfillment by following our purpose.  I love this principle!  It used to be called Marketing and Business, and was not body centered at all!  Now this principle teaches how each of us are sacred, how our body is sacred and dedicated to us, and the sensation of sacred respects your body's way. Meaning, you make the choices that bring pleasure and joy to your dance and to your life. 

What is the sensation of sacred?  Do this with me:  Inhale and smell the moment and become aware of your breath.  Now tap into the sensation of pleasure you get from breathing. Your breath is sacred, dedicated to you and to fill you with life force energy.  Dedicated to you to cleanse, renew and heal your body.  Now stand and sense your feet.  What do you notice?  Your feet are sacred, dedicated to creating a foundation, allowing you to rise and sink, to dance through life, run, skip...many things!  The Nia 52 moves are sacred as well. Each of the moves are dedicated to you - to your conditioning and safety.    A closed stance is dedicated to give you the sensation of stability.  An outward punch is dedicated to give you the sensation of power and maybe to punch through any fears.  So the answer to "What is the sensation of sacred?" is BIG and unique to each one of us.

In class this week we will play with this sensation and seek the sensation of sacred in all our moves, with the intent to recognize the healing and conditioning benefits that are available when our dance becomes a sacred expression ourselves.  Potential and possibilities.   It may invite us to move slower so we don't miss the energy sensations our sacred movement!!!

My classes this week:

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 pm

Saturday at 9:30 am

and Sunday at 4:00 pm

all at The Synergy Studio

Also, on Sunday I will be facilitating another JourneyDance Prayer Circle from 10-11:30. YAY!!! Cost is $15 or a punch on your studio card.  Read about it HERE! 

What to do deeper into Principle 11 and the other Nia principles?  Take the Nia White belt intensive in October!  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   The October training is a split weekend.  The training starts at 3:00 pm on Friday, October 17 and will go through Saturday and Sunday.  The 2nd weekend is Thursday, October 23 - Sunday, October 26.  It is a great opportunity to take the Nia White Belt and only take a couple of days off from work.

Check out other dates at: http://www.nianow.com/joanie#trainings.

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.com
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 1st Degree Black BeltJourney 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!

Sensing Stability In Our Dance of Life!!

"I am the voice of Stability.  In me you will find constancy, integrity, peace. I am strength combined with quiet resting. I am able to hold myself in place while not ever losing my balance or leaving my center. In me, you know where you stand. I am solid even when instability is around me. I am grounded, contained, intrinsic. Access me to know calm..."  Debbie Rosas, co-founder of Nia.

​Hello Dancing Friends!

We all want it, don't we?  Stability.  Mental stability,  emotional stability, financial stability, stability in our relationships...What does stability really mean?  ​

​ From Webster we learn stability means the quality or state of something that is not easily changed or likely to change.  Hmmm... 

Nia invites us to sense and be in relationship with stability in a different way, The Body's Way.  This sensation is a foundation on where there is motion and change, and a support that allows for freedom.  In the body, stability is sensed as calmness in our muscles, combined with readiness for action. Stability is sensed as harmony between our muscles and joints.  Stability is present when we are resting and when we are moving, and energetically it is sensed as a force moving out from and in towards our center.  This sensation helps to vertically and horizontally align us with heaven and earth. Stability is dynamic, peaceful, supportive, grounded, rooted, and a heightened sense of awareness.   Stability is powerful peace!  I like The Body's Way definition, and I believe it can be applied in all areas.  In my relationships, emotions, thoughts and yes my financials, I love the image and sensation of powerful peace, calmness and feeling supported, and knowing it can be present even when there is instability around me.  AHHH!!  Let's play this week in class and in life with Stability!!

My classes this week:

Monday (today) at 5:30 pm

Thursday - 2 classes at 12:00 pm and 5:30 pm and

Saturday at 9:30 am

all at The Synergy Studio

What to do deeper?  Take the Nia White belt intensive in October!  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   The October training is a split weekend.  The training starts at 3:00 pm on Friday, October 17 and will go through Saturday and Sunday.  The 2nd weekend is Thursday, October 23 - Sunday, October 26.  It is a great opportunity to take the Nia White Belt and only take a couple of days off from work.

Check out other dates at: http://www.nianow.com/joanie#trainings.

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.com
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 1st Degree Black BeltNia 5 Stages of Healing Facilitator
Journey Dance Facilitator Mindful Change Coach

​Yoga Teacher
​

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!

Sensation of Health!

Hello my Dancing Friends!

Nia defines Health as "...a sensation of making right choices and decisions for your body and life. It comes from knowledge, practice, and the right kind of daily movement."  I love this definition and over the past 20 years of practicing and teaching Nia, I have discovered the power of movement and choices to heal my body, and also my emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. Health or being healthy is not something I achieve, it is a constant activity, where my movements and choices are powered by the question:  "Does this make me feel better?".  If the answer is Yes, I know I have made the right choice for this moment.  The movements and the choices can change; the motivation and outcome of living in pleasure is always the same.  This is my medicine. 

In each Nia class, and in daily life, we are invited to find the healing aspect of what we are doing by paying attention to our body sensations, our thoughts, and our actions.  This is Awareness and the path of the Sacred Athlete!  As we dance this week in class, I invite all of us to find the healing in all our movement.  What is the sensation of health when I do a cross front, cha cha cha, when I FreeDance, in my closed stance, in my breathing, when laughing?  Whether it is a smile, a laugh or a reach to the sky, we all have the ability to self heal and sense health.  Choices and decisions right for me - personal and unique!

My classes this week:

Thursday at 5:30 pm
Saturday at 9:30 am
Sunday at 4:00 pm.
And on Monday, Labor Day please note:  I will be teaching the 8:00 am Nia class and there will be NO 5:30 pm Nia. 

All at The Synergy Studio

What to do deeper?  Take the Nia White belt intensive in October!  Whether you want to teach Nia or take Nia for personal growth, it is an amazing experience!!!   The October training is a split weekend.  The training starts at 3:00 pm on Friday, October 17 and will go through Saturday and Sunday.  The 2nd weekend is Thursday, October 23 - Sunday, October 26.  It is a great opportunity to take the Nia White Belt and only take a couple of days off from work.

Check out other dates at: http://www.nianow.com/joanie#trainings.

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.com
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 1st Degree Black Belt
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!

Art of Play

Good morning 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 
"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw

 

Are you ready to play?  Playing is so good for our brain, our nervous system, our emotions and our general well-being. Play refreshes your body, sharpens your mind, and restores your energy. Play is a creative act that inspires imagination and gives you a means to reach beyond your usual limits. Play can show you a world that is filled with possibilities and allows you to examine your life within that limitless context. Play gives you a chance to ask "What if," and explore your options. 
You may not realize it, yet each time you step into a Nia class you are playing! We play with music, emotions, creating shapes with our body.  We pretend, "act as if", sing, laugh, roll on the floor, and interact with each other. 
Play invites us to be in the NOW, be spontaneous, discover new things about ourselves and be open to new challenges. 
According to Marianne St. Clair, Life Coach, and author of the Art of Play, the top ten benefits 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
So let's play this week and choose to embrace a playful mood today and everyday.  You just might find that life becomes much brighter!!!  Oh and have a good laugh...laughing releases endorphins, strengthens your immune system and is great for strengthening your core!!!

​ Many opportunities to PLAY this week.  And as I continue my Nia 20th anniversary celebration...we will PLAY with different Nia routines!  HMMM...tonight we will Play and Dance to Fantasia.  Fantasia was created by Carlos Rosas, co-founder of Nia, in 1997.  It's fun!  See you on the dance floor!

Classes this week:

Monday (today!), Thursday and Friday at 5:30 pm

Wednesday morning at 9:15 am (subbing for Adelle)

Saturday morning at 9:30 am

and Sunday at 4:00 pm all at The Synergy Studio

On Sunday, August 24, I will also be teaching a special JourneyDance class at 10:00 - 11:30 am. 

Open to the energy of abundance that is a constant in our Universe.  Abundance is there – we just need to recognize it surrounds us and open our body, mind and soul to its presence.   It all starts with love and gratitude.  Together we will dance and take a deep, personal journey and open to the joy of our life – open to Abundance.   Cost is $15 or a punch on your Synergy Studio card. Please bring a journal.

​

Love & Light,
Joanie Brooks,
http://www.joaniebrooks.com
Nia Training Faculty, Nia White Belt Trainer, Nia 1st Degree Black Belt
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!