Archive for Wellness

Nia Nudge: Duck Walk

Base Move
Duck Walk
Say it: “quack”
 
Stand with your feet slightly apart, no wider than hip width. With your heels planted firmly on the ground, lift the toes and ball of one foot up and down, alternately lifting and lowering.
 
Focus first on lowering your foot and slapping the ground, as if splashing water in a puddle. Next, focus on lifting your foot, as if pulling sticky gum off the ground.
 
Play with both of these energy dynamics. Read More→

Nia Nudge: Rock Around The Clock

Base Move
Rock Around The Clock
Say it: “wow”
 
Standing with your feet hip-width apart, rock around the outside edges of both feet, moving in a circular motion from the front to the side, to the back and to the opposite side. Reverse directions.
 
Move from the ground up using the strength of your feet and the mobility of your ankles to create small rolling actions that mimic a hula-hoop. Read More→

Nia Nudge: Cat Stance

Nia-Nudge

 Base Move
Cat Stance
Say it: “meow”
 

Stand in place on one foot and press your opposite foot against your standing leg shinbone, mimicking a flamingo standing on one leg. Soften and relax into spring-loaded knees and hip joints, surrendering your body weight into your standing foot. 

When practicing Cat Stance, sense the inner and outer arches of your standing foot. Play with moving the non-supporting foot around like a cat’s tail, moving at different speeds while sinking and rising through the three planes: high, middle and low. Use your core and upper extremities to support a relaxed, upright spine. 

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Nia Nudge: Bow Stance

Nia-Nudge

 Base Move
Bow Stance
Say it: “ready”
 

Standing in Open Stance or “A” Stance, imagine standing on two railroad tracks and slowly draw one foot back, stepping directly onto the ball of that foot while keeping the back heel high. Establish balance between your front and back foot. For more stability, turn the front foot slightly inward. Adjust the distance between your front and back foot to allow the back thighbone to hang down vertically, relaxing your groin and hip joints. Keep your feet relaxed, toes lengthened and your body weight spread evenly across the front and back foot. Sink and rise using your feet, ankles, shinbones, knees and hip joints to power the spring-loaded action of sinking and rising. 

When practicing Bow Stance, sense the inner and outer arches of your feet connected to the earth; this will help you to avoid collapsing inward or falling outward. Play with moving at different speeds and sinking and rising through the three planes: high, middle and low. Use your core and upper extremities to support you in moving down and up and vice versa. As you lower, point your tailbone backwards, generating the movement from the balls of your hip joints. As you rise, press your feet into the ground. 

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The 1st law of physics: A body in motion remains in motion!

body in motion
Ever take a few days off from exercise?  It feels good to get back to it, doesn’t it?  Ever take a few weeks off from exercise?  It sucks to get back into it, right?  Ever take a few months off?  Then, after your reconnaissance exercise class, you declare, “Oh my God, I am so out of shape.  I should’ve never gone off my program! I’ve got to get it back.”

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