Base Move
Sumo or Riding Stance
Say it: “stable”
Stand in place with feet parallel and your knees slightly bent (as if riding a horse). Keep your feet, ankles, knees and hip joints relaxed and spring-loaded. To sustain upright balance, slip into the posture of holding the reins of a horse. Sense your head moving up and away from the torso with the spine relaxed.
When practicing Sumo Stance, sense the inner and outer arches of your feet connected to the earth. Play with moving at different speeds and moving 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.
Stand with the intent to balance the left and right sides ! Benefits Increases flexibility, agility, mobility, strength and stability in the feet, legs, thighs, and buttocks Builds strength in the muscles in the front and back of the body Enhances agility, mobility, and stability in the foot, ankle, knee, and hip joints Improves posture
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Riding Stance, or Sumo Stance, Nia’s widest stance, enhances upper body power from a rock solid base. Sink deeper into Riding Stance, sending your knees away from each other and over your feet, maintaining natural length through your spine as you incline forward. This way you will experience and improve the tone of your thighs and the stability of your lower legs.
This week, take a Riding Stance to bend over to pick something up off the floor. Use Riding Stance in your kitchen to maneuver your way to low cabinets. Let yourself make natural sounds delivered through an extended exhale, to ground your stance. Invite primal, monkey energy in and PLAY!