Archive for Wellness – Page 10

Libraries

by suzannah
March 31st, 2009

 

booksPart of overall wellness is social wellness and one way to boost it is to get out and walk.  Walk to the bank or the post office – that is, if you don’t do that on a regular basis.  

·       Get and give smiles. 

·       Have a little conversation with a new face. 

·       Make a new face into a friendly person in your neighborhood.

·       Take the time to be engaged with your community.  Seek out your neighbors.  Visit in the doggie park, even if you don’t have a dog.  Dog park people are like modern day smokers.  You see them all hanging out because they have something in common, but they are just regular people too.  Go and meet the dogs and the owners in your neighborhood.   Read More→

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Weather

by suzannah
March 26th, 2009

 adelie-penguinWhen it snowed earlier this month, I took a walk into Cleveland Park (into town sorta-like) to go to the post office.  Not only was it a joy to see everything freshly covered with white, but it was a nice chance to take a walk rather than just rush around doing errands. When do I ever go to the post office? Never.  Almost as infrequently as I go to the bank.  I never actually stand in line to deal with a teller at the bank anymore.

It is slightly harder – or more challenging – to walk on snow or ice.  Even slush presents a little “situation” that challenges you physically.  I think it’s a great idea to get a workout when weather is happening.  Whatever you decide to do, walk run, garden, do errands, it will change if there is weather to contend with.  Rain might make you walk faster.  Wind might make you tighter and burn more calories. Heat can make you sweat more. Snow will change how you step and balance.  Whatever the case may be, there is benefit in having to engage mentally in your physical activity. 

What do you do with a snow day?  It’s like a free well day.  Do you relax all day and be grateful for the extra handful of hours when nothing is awaiting your attention and nobody is expecting any work from you?  What a nice concept: a true day off from all things that fall into the labor category.  Or do you get up and make a list of all the things you can knock out since you were served a handful of extra hours to get all the stuff done that crowds your to do lists?  

Why are free days off so much better for getting things done? It might be the unexpectedness of the free time.  It’s like putting time money in the savings account.  You do your laundry, answer personal emails, dust and vacuum, make dinners in advance, or rearrange your linen.  You get some work done on your taxes, make a doctor’s appointment, reconcile your checkbook, cook chili, wash lettuce, order some stuff on line, talk to your mother and change your sheets and pillowcases.  You even meet a friend for lunch and walk to the Post Office.

Suggestion: if you don’t get snow days in your area, take one anyway…it’s sooo worth it.

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The Confidence Thing

by suzannah
March 23rd, 2009

suznia-whiteI want to talk a little more about Girls Night Out  and how it relates to confidence-building. 

The music for this dance is really great and no matter who dances the routine, there is a playful and connected response to it. This is truly a routine in which you get a workout without even realizing it. The hour is over really quickly.

Another unique feature of this routine is that it starts and ends with the same song, and that calls for Freedance both at the top and bottom ends.  This is an unusual way to start a routine since Nia Technique usually takes you through seven cycles: Setting the Focus and Intent, Stepping In, Warming Up, Getting Moving, Cooling Down, FloorPlay, and Stepping Out.  

Freedance, although it can belong to any of the movement segments, is not usually the domain of the Warm Up.  In GNO, the music starts right in to get the dancers stoked up.  The song is actually called Girl’s Night Out, and it is supposed to create that buzz that happens when the girls are together pajama party-style and getting ready to go out together. 

Dancing it again at the end of the routine gives us an opportunity to feel the same groove but with a totally different body, a different movement vocabulary, a different familiarity with the music, and a different relationship to the others in the room.

One of my aims with teaching Nia Technique is to give my students more confidence with their bodies. The assurance that they can move the way they want without worry, pain, self-consciousness, or concern regarding ability. 

I want (and Nia wants) students to move from spirit impulse, in response to music, so that they feel good.  Even though there is attention to technique in every class and every routine involves stated principles to make movement safe for EveryBody, Nia class is also about doing movement Your body’s way.  

Nia is crafted in the Body’s way for each person to take, adapt, and use for their own Joy in Movement. When you feel Joy in your body, you will find yourself moving with confidence. In the same way that you need a map to get somewhere new and you might travel to the new place with care and consideration of every street, landmark, and instruction, Nia Technique beginners move at first with care and consideration of every movement sequence, music change, and lead from the teacher.  After a few minutes, or sometimes a few classes, students recognize the calls, the steps, and the concepts and can move with a new, strong confidence.

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The Thrill of Nia Technique

by suzannah
March 16th, 2009

untitled-1One of my newer students said to me, “I am just so intrigued by this.  I don’t know what it is about Nia, but something definitely happens to you during class.” 

This student is an inspiration to me while we are dancing.  She really looks like she’s enjoying herself in the expression and exploration.  She is comfortable with sounding and with movement.  She likes to dance right up close to me, which I understand.  I am the same way in a class.  It’s like she doesn’t want to miss a beat. 

Nia is never boring.  If I ‘stay in my body,’ really listen to the music (even if I already know the music), remain very present with the work, something refreshing happens every time.

Here’s another testimonial from a class a couple weeks ago: 

“First of all, I wanted to let you know just how much the class on Monday lifted my mood.  You know that I dragged myself in, and I left feeling much better about my body and life in general.  I hope that when you are having a hard time getting “up” for teaching that you know that you can have a tremendous positive effect on a student’s mood and outlook.  And you’d have no idea that happened. But remember that it does happen – and I think it happens pretty frequently.”     M. P. (Arlington, VA) 

Yeah. It’s pretty cool to have something that you can count on to bring you Joy. If something makes you feel good, tell the person.  It spreads the Joy.

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Changing It Up

by suzannah
March 12th, 2009

suz-lisa-teaching-nia062008

As a teacher, you have to be creative, constantly finding new angles and challenges to make sure you’re communicating well. So I thought I’d share some of the ways I’ve changed things up recently as I’ve been teaching. 

I am adding more sounding and affirmations into my classes. Even though it is difficult for some people to do, I ask my students to use sounds and words to tap into the emotional realm of dancing Nia Technique.   “Yes,” “no,”  “hai,” “shaa,” “ki-ya!” accompany kicks, strikes, blocks or any other move that spirit demands.  I also ask for a sigh or a loud exhale. When there are many people in the room, the energy builds and flows even more easily when sound is added. Read More→

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