O C T O B E R | 2 0 1 0
|
THE FEEL GOOD ISSUE: X-RAY ANATOMY
Isn’t it time that you felt better? Seasonal changes might cause a little discomfort – as all changes do – but then suddenly you’re in the midst of a beautifully transformed environment. You may have allergies. You may hate the cold weather. You may even be dreading that yearly blue feeling that comes with less daylight. But, BUT, look around you! Colors are everywhere, the air smells different, there are new options in the produce department, there are even new shoe styles to take advantage of. Change isn’t that bad. If you are in doubt that change can feel good, read on. You may have to seek no further than your own body to enjoy the fall of this year (and every year from now on). This month’s Suzworks focus is on self-healing. In Nia, we use X-Ray Anatomy for this purpose. X-Ray Anatomy is more than just knowing your bones, muscles and organs. It’s using your knowledge of those things to sense deeper into yourself, to know more, to feel better, to turn up the pleasure dial, to increase the intensity of the joy of living in your body the way it is today; at your age, in this season, with your current circumstances. If your “circumstances” include some challenges, look inward for a cure/solution. Your body is designed to seek and keep pleasure. Use your practice of being in sensation to seek and keep yourpleasure state.
If you take my classes, you know that I’ve been dealing with a pretty painful foot problem. I have a neuroma in my left foot which makes walking very painful. I recently got a cortisone shot in my foot which seems to be helping, but I am still aware of my left foot all day long. Now, I believe that Awareness is a good thing. I aim for awareness in everything I do from eating to driving to breathing, but the sensation of pain is making me aware of something other than joy in my body. I’m looking for joy in everything, but where my body is concerned, that is especially true. My friends, family, colleagues, and clients have all said this is my body’s way of sending a loud message that I need to slow down. Slow way down. Often, I dance even when I am in pain, but then, for an hour or so, my foot feels relief. I tell you this, not to advocate for “playing through the pain”, but because I believe what I am doing is actually saying, “No.” to the pain as opposed to working through it. While I am focusing on pleasure, there is no room for pain. When I Step In to class, I leave all my distractions outside the room and focus on the healing and joyful movements I am doing in Nia class. What if I could do this all day long, every day? Am I just rejecting pain? I think it’s a combination of accepting and rejecting the pain simultaneously that is really the key to feeling better. In the martial art Aikido the way to overcome one’s opponent is to get out of his way and then use his own force to take him down. This is the acceptance with which I step in. I know I am bringing my foot and its pain with me into the session and while we are all there together, I turn off my recognition of pain and turn on my desire for pleasure. It works. When I am dancing, I have no pain. The hour of being pain free is lovely, but more than that, it allows my foot to remember pleasure and it starts to heal. This is muscle memory. This is cellular re-structuring for pleasure. Where there is a problem in my body, I want to groove in pleasure sensation so that that is what my body remembers. When I do that, it’s like studying for a test. The test is then – Dancing Through Life. Passing the test with an A+ is being pain free. Honestly, when it isn’t my foot, other aches and pains follow me into my class, but pleasure wins out every time if I choose it. In the SuzSays section below, see an excerpt from the Nia Technique’s Free Monthly Newsletter about What X-Ray Anatomy is and how you can use it in your life – both in and outside of class. Once you try it, write and tell me how you’re doing. how you used it to change what you feel in your body. IN CLASS THIS MONTH: The Art of Feeling Better: X-Ray Anatomy
HANDOUTS FROM NIA
DANCE THROUGH LIFE
You can learn more about pleasure and X-Ray Anatomy and enhancing your mind-body-emotion-spirit experience by coming to a Suzworks Nia class! Make sure you check the new Suzworks Nia schedule below – There are a few changes. Please, share the news with your friends and neighbors and enemies. |
Get Nia’s Free Monthly Newsletter
CULTIVATING COMFORT WITH X-RAY ANATOMY By: Debbie Rosas“…X-Ray Anatomy is more than just a tool for interpreting musculoskeletal alignment; it also includes observing the ligaments, connective tissues, organs-and even blood. How do you do this? By somatically applying your anatomical knowledge-by turning it into sensation. Sensation is the language-the “voice” of the body-that enables you to track physical pain and pleasure, so you can avoid and correct imbalances that lead to poor functioning, illness and injury. To support your ability to track, observe and change, X-Ray Anatomy introduces the “Witness,” the objective voice within you who observes, and then describes what it sees to another inner voice-your “Conscious Personal Trainer.” Your Conscious Personal Trainer acts as a real personal trainer with your best interests in mind, guiding you in making the best choices for your body and your life. Together, your Witness-the one who observes and describes-and your Conscious Personal Trainer-the one who guides your decisions-help you notice what you do, and without judgement, guide you toward healthy changes. Basically, they help you move and feel better! Developing the art and skill of X-Ray Anatomy relies on your ability to sense for what is working-what is good for your body-and then using this information to evaluate your posture and movement. To apply X-Ray Anatomy to your life is to track comfort and ease in everything you do, seeking the perfect tension of tight-loose, contract-release. These sensations are voices that support you in moving safely and freely. At the heart of it all is your ability to be aware, to notice what feels good-and to take a stand for cultivating comfort and pleasure in your body and life. And I promise: with desire, awareness and a little practice, X-Ray Anatomy is easy!
Here’s how you bring X-Ray Anatomy into your body and life: Each day ~
1. Sense
2. Witness
3. Adapt
Sense, Witness and Adapt: Keep these three things in mind each day, and I promise you will notice wonderful changes in your body and life! So to you, your Witness, and your Conscious Personal Trainer this month: Let’s take a stand for helping ourselves and the world feel better, by moving with awareness and cultivating comfort and pleasure in everything we do.” |
Join Our Mailing List! email Suz SuzWorks Nia Technique Information Illustration The Mindfulness Center |
www.suzworks.org | suz@suzworks.org | 202-679-1226