tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67349998422291845292024-03-08T00:06:11.489-07:00Sol NiaLifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-38265973733479434682009-01-01T07:43:00.000-07:002010-10-19T09:01:30.319-06:00January 2009<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-family:Century Gothic,ITC Avant Garde,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The old Moon in the new Moon's arms</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" >We awaken to a new day... and a new Moon. Wild feminine that she is, she entered in on tip-toe through the back door at 12:55 this morning, mountain time.<br /><br />Of my own accord, I've decided that 2009 will be the year to celebrate every new "moonth", as the new Moon is a stellar (no pun, etc, etc) time to seed our hopes, wishes and dreams.<br /><br />Like our ancestors, like the ancients, we will do this by coming together in a sacred circle every month. Sometimes we will gather 'round the glow of a bonfire, sometimes we will bring our stories and talismans to share, sometimes we will bake and break and serve manna from earth, blessed by heaven.<br /><br />But this first new Moon we will come together, still in a sacred circle, but we will arrive at the circle single-file, as we turn on our computers this Monday morning... the first full week of our president at his new job... and open our emails and connect to the vast web. We will read these words and we will gather 'round the glow of the *computer* and our hearts will warm... knowing, feeling, the others that are already there, and those yet to arrive. For we are all a family, a Universal Family, with a sacred contract to be on this Earthwalk together, right here, right now.<br /><br />And so...<br /><br />Today is the first of the new Moons in 2009... yippee! I say. I might've missed out on the whole New Year's resolution (new shoptalk: intention-setting) ritual (and you might have duly written yours, but, right... what were they, and where is that list?) but here we have a second chance... redemption!<br /><br />Today, if you feel so moved, take a moment and write a list of three items: one hope, one wish, one dream (you may call these intentions or goals or some other like-minded term) that is either attainable in the next month or that you can begin to manifest. Put it on your dream board (like a vision board), in your wallet, tape it to your bathroom mirror, put it on your altar... somewhere you will see it and be gently reminded of what you are creating for your life in this next month.<br /><br />Here are mine:<br /></span><ol style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">to excavate, purge, clear out, burn, let go of all (clothes, books, thoughts, files, scraps) that no longer serve me or my vision<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">to begin a writer's group<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">to set the wheels in motion to bring healers, educators, dancers, motivational speakers (and whomever else I find that tickles my fancy) to this valley to heal us, educate us, dance us, motivate us, and yes... tickle us!</span></li></ol>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-73421997385389146792008-11-18T08:51:00.003-07:002008-11-20T03:16:29.423-07:00November 2008<span style="font-weight: bold;">Alchemy of Transformation</span><br /><br />This is the season when we turn inward, get slower and quieter. And right here, right now, that doesn't seem to be the course of life. Instead, an upsurge of energy, movement, possibilities. And so we must follow... pardon me, <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> must follow. I hear the call... and I follow it.<br /><br />A quickening... the river is getting faster. Hang on, let go? Hang on, let go? Maybe sometimes one, sometimes another. Both-and. Both hang on and let go. And you'll know which one is right in the moment... you don't have to "try" and figure it out. When you need to know, you will. Pardon me, when <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> need to know, I trust that I will know.<br /><br />It's that newfound (or maybe "re-membered") faith of mine. The one that made me say to God when I was 7, 8, 9, 10?: "God, I'll come back to you when my mom and dad die. I promise." And then I walked through the rest of my days alone, and man, was it scary. I know, I know, God was there all the time, in fact, maybe he was even carrying me, but I didn't know that, and that's what matters. I didn't let God in, I turned away, and so I felt alone... and scared.<br /><br />I am no longer alone, and I am no longer scared. Oh, well, sometimes I'm alone (and I really like those times) and sometimes I'm scared (it feels really bad in my body when I'm scared). I call "scared body" "fear body" now. As in "love body vs. fear body". But why do they have to be against one another, fighting one another? How about both-and? Is it okay to sometimes fear and sometimes love, if I take the opportunity when I'm in fear mode to really find out what I'm scared of, and to ask, "Am I still scared of that?" and then to really LISTEN to and then live by the answer.<br /><br />And so... today I'm in love body. I'm going for a tandem ride with a new friend in Glenwood Canyon outside of Aspen, and I'm making a birthday cake for another new friend of mine. Cheesecake, chocolate peanut butter cake, carrot cake or hot buttered rum cake?<br /><br />See what I mean about a quickening... 2 new friends in as many days. But I have the spacetime to share with them... to find out what we have to learn from the other.<br /><br />I am still following the Yes...LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-37485510772015271372008-11-16T19:28:00.004-07:002008-11-18T08:50:54.533-07:00October 2008<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vibe Tribe!</span></span><br /><br />Last month's fundraiser event for Maat Hetep, a Village of Peace in Ghana, West Africa, was a gigantic success!! We raised over our goal of $5000 and more than 100 people joined in the celebration of the International Day of Peace. All together, we drummed, we danced, we ate African-inspired food, and Vibe Tribe made their debut performance. Rochelle Norwood, visionary and girl-in-the-field for Inside OUT Africa is now in Ghana, implementing the plan for a Village of Peace and dancing once again with <a track="on" href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001w4UTD1iEI79iagMUQt4dBEe0pHqRAG0n9Ce2w7CTHG9L-etDNplPmvyQHYJRLJTPJGIQJ0_uTIXgjFwM31BUifR3NXq--PntUlx0Ype_7afDsihHklPN49KqRjx2TMUO" linktype="link" target="_blank">Africana Dance Ensemble</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><div><br />Vibe Tribe, an intentional dance troupe comprised of 7 Roaring Fork Valley women from Glenwood Springs to Aspen, ranging in age from mid-20's to almost 60, continues to dance for peace. Our next "gig" is at Rifle Middle School, as part of their cultural awareness days, during which we will perform our African routine and teach the students some African dance moves.</div>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-87618590218837963442008-09-18T16:19:00.005-06:002008-11-20T06:26:04.214-07:00September 2008<span style="font-size:130%;">Open Space<br /><br /></span>I've said "no" to two things in recent weeks. One was a relationship, the other was a business partnership. Both of them didn't feel right in my body, as evidenced by exhaustion, aching joints, inertia, and a closed-down throat chakra. Quite literally, I didn't have my words, and as you may know, I usually have my words and use them quite loquaciously. And I didn't have my words because I wasn't living my truth and if I'm not <span style="font-style: italic;">living</span> my truth, then I can't <span style="font-style: italic;">speak</span> my truth. It's all connected, you see.<br /><br />So I spent the month of August rather shut-down and closed off... it's darkest before the dawn, I'm fond of saying.<br /><br />And then, when the emotional and spiritual pain reached its threshold, I acted. It's my Truth or my Life. I spoke my truth to the man I was in relationship with, saying, "No, this isn't working for me," and I spoke my truth to my business partner, "This is your path and your passion, but it's not mine."<br /><br />And as I said "no," I made space for "yes." It was in Nia that I found my "no" when I first started dancing in 2001. I had to say "no" for several years on the dance floor before I found my "yes."<br /><br />It's been two weeks since I said "no" and in the time and open space since then what has begun to trickle in is the feeling state I am creating for my life: Beauty. Simplicity. Warmth. And as I have gotten clear on how I desire to feel, the possibilities of what that looks like in concrete form have begun to take shape. <br /><br />And at this point, I remain open to them all.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-12865460150757110582008-06-06T13:44:00.003-06:002008-06-06T14:09:00.328-06:00June 2008<span style="font-weight: bold;">Follow the Yes...</span><br /><br />Every morning, before arising from underneath cozy covers, I do a 10 minute free-write. I find that this leads me to my focus for the day. Some foci from the past week:<br /><br />gratitude<br />moXie!<br />receive<br />peace. presence. process<br /><br />and today's focus:<br />Follow the Yes!<br /><br />For me, following the yes means paying attention to the little signs that present themselves all the time, if i am only PAYING ATTENTION! (Do you remember the e-tiquette that tells us that ALL CAPS means SHOUTING?!?) so i really meant to write, "PAYING ATTENTION!" <br /><br />Are you?... paying attention that is... right here, right now? Where do you feel your body in this moment? How is your breath? I have been goinggoinggoing since last Thursday, and as I ask the question, "How is your breath?" I immediately feel my own and I realize I'm breathing only in my head.<br /><br />So I invite you, right here, right now, to breathe with me... to inhale deeply, sensing the air, cool, as it comes into your nostrils, sensing your belly expand as you fill it with chi, with life force... inhaling all the way up your chakra elevator, passing through energy centers that are the color of the rainbow-- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. And when you reach the penthouse, violet and vibrating, right at the crown of your head, I invite you to hang out with me for a moment... 1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand... and look around at the posh and luxurious surroundings, and feel yourself a part of it All.<br /><br />And then, ride the chakra elevator down, down, down past the red root cellar and along both legs. Sense the tingling alive energy of your legs as you release the exhale through your feet. And know that as you exhale the chi that was just in you, you are returning it to Mother Earth-- you are feeding her, nurturing her, appreciating her.<br /><br />With just this breath, just this one breath... you have said a big "Yes!" to Life.<br />Keep following the yes...LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-59666969495458001882008-05-26T21:32:00.000-06:002008-05-26T21:33:45.596-06:00May 2008<table style="margin-bottom: 5px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK16" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" styleclass="style_ArticleHead ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" bg width="99%"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lost & Found</span></span><br /></span></td> <td style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" styleclass="style_ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" background="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/top_right.gif" bgcolor="#ff9900" width="1%"><br /></td></tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_ArticleText" rowspan="1" colspan="2"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" >For once, I am at a loss for words. No, more truthful is this: sometimes this (being at a loss for words) happens, especially when I am feeling not-so-buoyant. Right now is one of those times...<br /><br />One trick of writing that I picked up somewhere along the way is this: just write. Put pen to paper (or in this instance, hover digits over keys) and write whatever comes to mind. Eventually, something of value will come. Or maybe not... but at least you (I) showed up.<br /><br />One of my students asked me on our drive home from the retreat in Paonia (which was both great fun <span style="text-decoration: underline;">and</span> informative in that deeply personal and soulful way), if I felt "responsible" for my students' experiences in class. <br /><br />It felt like an important question, and as an answer didn't come to mind immediately, I told her I was going to take a few moments. As I sat with it, what came to me was this: No, I don't feel responsible for my students' experience, but what is important to me is that my students feel moved to bring <span style="text-decoration: underline;">all of themselves</span> to class. To me, bringing all of one's self means showing up; being present in body, mind, spirit, and emotions; dancing one's Truth, even if it's ugly, loud, or messy; and having the courage to feel one's heart, and then to express that through movement.<br /><br />On that day, that was my truth.<br /><br />The next several days came and went, and "responsibility" came up again, and then again, until I said, "Okay, okay, this responsibility thing is something to look at!" So I looked, and discovered a different answer, a deeper layer, perhaps. Yes, I do feel responsible, maybe not for my students' experience, but for my own. I expect to show up the way I desire my students to show up: present in my body, mind, spirit, and emotions and having the courage to feel and dance the truth of my heart.<br /><br />However, as I've come to understand, me showing up as a teacher is different than me showing up as a student. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to hold the space, so that my students feel safe to allow their truth to come to the surface for transformation or release. <br /><br />As a student of Nia, I found this safe space, and in it, I bloomed. I found a joy I had never felt before, I found a voice that had gone underground years ago, I found a power that was all mine, and I found my spirit that had finally, finally found its most exuberant expression.<br /><br />I guess I could say I was lost, and now I'm found. <br /><br />And you? You don't have to be lost to find ever-deeper and richer facets of self, that's just my story. You, being given the space to explore, what have you found/what will you find as you attune to your body wisdom, take risks, and transform?<br /><br />Debbie Rosas, co-creator of The Nia Technique, says, "Be a roving, blazing question mark in Life."<br /><br />What you seek, you will find...</span></td></tr></tbody></table>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-75115066412789033802008-04-15T21:30:00.000-06:002008-05-26T21:31:10.311-06:00April 2008<table style="margin-bottom: 5px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK16" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" styleclass="style_ArticleHead ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" bg width="99%"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <b><span style="font-size:100%;"> An Athlete of God</span> </b></span></td> <td style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" styleclass="style_ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" background="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/top_right.gif" bgcolor="#ff9900" width="1%"><br /></td></tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_ArticleText" rowspan="1" colspan="2"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><img onload="View.inlineImageLoaded(this,undefined,false)" src="http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs095/1101552360431/img/20.jpg?a=1102037999815" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.20" alt="dancing back" align="right" border="0" height="171" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="115" /> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_ArticleSubHead"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><b>The Art of Discipline</b></span></span> <div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I read a quote by Martha Graham this morning that inspired me as I watched the dawning sun rise over the ridge:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I remember the obstacle I faced when I first began my Nia practice almost 7 years ago: it was that of being a beginner, of not being perfect, of feeling clumsy and 2 steps behind my teacher and of not feeling beautiful in this dance that </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">should</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> be beautiful. Something BIGGER in me kept showing up, despite the nigglin' of my ego: "You're not getting it... you don't look good... you're not perfect." The "BIGGER" in me, I believe, was my spirit. My spirit saw the vision, kept the faith, and had the desire to, again and again, dance and be danced.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I followed my "Yes!" and I kept showing up, week after week, until beginner turned into novice, not perfect turned into good enough, clumsy turned into getting it, and not beautiful-</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">looking</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> turned into beautiful-</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">feeling</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. My discipline paid off, my perseverance and reaching for something outside my comfort zone has made my life richer, deeper, wider and way more lovely.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And now, I am being asked to stretch again, to "answer that voice in my head that says, 'I want more.'" Sometimes, to have the more, we have to first empty out to create space for the more we desire...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Space is grace," one of my students said to me when I told her that cutting out two classes has resulted in a slew of opportunities flooding my way-- opportunities that address my desire for more. And the obstacle I face now is one of the mind-- my mind-- as I realize that it is my thoughts that create my feelings that create my reality. Right here, right now, I am in the practice of choosing good-feeling thoughts as I realize just how responsible I am for what I manifest based on my thoughts and therefore, my feelings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This morning, as I sipped my green tea and contemplated my day, I felt proud to be an athlete of God, training in this new discipline of right thought, good feeling and vital manifestation.</span></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-87620487885518152542008-03-03T21:27:00.000-07:002008-05-26T21:29:13.273-06:00March 2008<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><br /></span> <a target="_blank" name="LETTER.BLOCK9"></a><table style="margin-bottom: 5px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK9" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" styleclass="style_ArticleHead ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" bg width="99%"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" > <img onload="View.inlineImageLoaded(this,undefined,false)" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.12" alt="arlyn deva" src="http://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs095/1101552360431/img/12.png?a=1102021001665" border="0" height="120" width="120" /><b><br />Shadow ~ Light Yin ~ Yang Contract ~ Expand<br /></b></span></td> <td style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" styleclass="style_ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" background="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/top_right.gif" bgcolor="#ff9900" width="1%"><br /></td></tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" styleclass="style_ArticleText" rowspan="1" colspan="2"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;color:#000000;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>It was the didgeridoo healing session on the beach one morning in Mexico that changed it all for me. Through a not-so-fluent interpreter, I understood that this sound healing would harmonize my chakras and balance my emotions. Forty-five minutes later, I left feeling heavy, grounded, slowed down. And as I slowed down, I became connected to earth energies and a deep place within myself. <br /><br />In the month since the session, as I have gone to ever-deeper places of stillness and introspection, one thing has become clear: life as I live it now is not sustainable-- physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally I cannot support teaching 7 classes a week.<br /><br />I came to this valley a year and a half ago with visions that I would introduce Nia to Glenwood. I was here but a month and a half when Fate let me know that I would be sharing Nia not just with Glenwood, but with Carbondale, and shortly thereafter, Aspen. Initially, I resisted these changes to "my plan," but in hindsight, I soon realized just how fortuitous this unexpected twist in the road was, not only for me and Sol Nia, but for my students in Carbondale and Aspen who came to class and "got" Nia just as I had.<br /><br />And now, Fate seems to be working her way with me again, and I am in this new (for me) practice of trusting that all is well and the Universe is benevolent and letting go of control and remaining open to possibilities. I am also beginning to play with my powers of manifestation using visualization, appreciation and expectation. I have my wall of inspiration (visualization), that I am adding images and words to practically daily now; I awaken in the morning and my first thought is, "What am I grateful for in this very moment?" (appreciation); and I have been "acting as if" (expectation), feeling my way into the emotional space of what my life will feel like when I have manifested my dreams for my future.<br /><br />In the end, it's all about balance for me-- about accepting both my shadow and my light, working with both my masculine and feminine energies, and embracing both my contracted and expanded states of being. <br /><br />For the past year and a half, Sol Nia has been my everything: my passion, my bread and butter, my relationships, my work, my play, my mornings, my nights, my weekends. And now, we are both seeking balance. <br /><br />If I see Sol Nia as the child I initially envisioned her as, then we are both feeling the need for this stay-at-home mom to go out into the world and explore other gifts, other possibilities... tipping the scales back into balance.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-71541221078859759172008-02-23T21:26:00.000-07:002008-05-26T21:31:47.929-06:00February 2008<table style="margin-bottom: 5px;" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK9" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;" styleclass="style_ArticleHead ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" bg="" width="99%"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" > <b> I would love to live like a river flows...</b><br /></span></td> <td style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" styleclass="style_ArticleHeadBG" rowspan="1" colspan="1" background="http://img.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/top_right.gif" bgcolor="#ff9900" width="1%"><br /></td></tr> <tr> <td style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt;" styleclass="style_ArticleText" rowspan="1" colspan="2"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">carried by the surprise of its own unfolding<br /><br /></span> <div>I am learning about going with the flow and being in the moment and the surprise flavor of mango applesauce... from an 8 month old.<br /><br />When I let him, baby Kai is my biggest teacher. To Kai, every experience is new and it seems egg yolk mixed with breast milk is yet another surprising flavor (who knew!). Today, as I strapped on snowshoes, with him strapped to my back in one of those baby backpack contraptions, he was hanging nearly upside down, struggling to keep his head erect. And then, release: he relaxed into the moment and lay his head on my back... going with the flow.<br /><br />Last week, as I sat in stillness waiting for the inspiration for a class focus, I heard the river below me, moving, constantly moving. I thought of the quote above, "I would love to live like a river flows..." and I said to myself, "Let go... let go of the bank and let it be easy. There is nothing you have to do but let go..."<br /><br />Later that same day, inspiration came from another source, Abraham, who speaks of upstream thoughts and downstream thoughts. Upstream thoughts keep us stuck and unmoving, trying hard to swim against the current. Downstream thoughts (even if we judge them to be negative thoughts) are taking us in the right direction in our life, as we move through what we need to move through.<br /><br />In Nia, we have a principle called "Dancing through Life," and it is about being mindful of sensation in the body as we seek pleasure with every movement we make throughout the day. Today, I danced through life with Kai on my back in National Forest land, making Abominable Snowman footprints in the fresh snow. As I headed down the hill, I felt in my body just how easy and Joy-Full it is to head downstream, to live to walk to dance to love to play... like a river flows...</div></span></td></tr></tbody></table>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-9225806323170747422008-01-01T21:24:00.000-07:002008-05-26T21:25:53.755-06:00January 2008<span style="font-weight: bold;">manifesting. acting "as if". destiny.<br /><br /></span> <div>Inside of you is a dream... waiting to come true.<br /><br />What is this brilliant and beautiful life that is unfolding before you? What is the ground that you have found and the earth you are preparing? What do these next 12 months hold... these next 12 months that are pivotal in the unfoldment of your brilliant and beautiful life?<br /><br />That's just it... you get to choose. At the end of last Saturday's class, several students said, "I know I'm preparing for something, but what that is, I don't know." The not knowing is fine... for awhile. But there comes a time when the time is right and you are ripe to ask two little questions that will make you feel seen, heard and known... self meeting Self.<br /><br />Ask yourself, "What do I want?" followed by the more essential question, "What does my deeper self desire?" and then get quiet... and still.<br /><br />In her book, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Women Who Run with the Wolves</span>, Clarissa Pinkola Estes writes, "It is said that all that you are seeking is also seeking you, that if you lie still, sit still, it will find you."<br /><br />Begin in the not knowing, sit in the silence, and then enter into the manifestation process, using "walls of inspiration" (more on that in this Saturday's FREE! class). Manifesting flows naturally into acting "as if", an embodied "trying on" of that which you are in the process of manifesting. And finally, acting "as if" becomes just that- acting- as you move into a gracious and grateful acceptance of that which has been your destiny all along.</div>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-60369442779908438432007-12-12T21:06:00.000-07:002008-05-26T21:12:00.328-06:00December 2007:: relationships. communication. intimacy. ::<br /><br />oh my, what an experience. 2 weeks ago, i was spending 12+ hours a day with carlos rosas (one of the creators of nia) and 41 other blue belt trainees. it's called an intensive for a reason... <br /><br />the nia blue belt is focused on relationships, communication and intimacy. several months ago, during a live interview w/ kdnk, carbondale's public radio station, the interviewer, amy hadden marsh, asked me how one gets a belt in relationship. i did one of those pregnant pauses in which time seemed to stand still as the big black microphone in front of me grew ominously bigger and then (divine intervention) i realized, and said aloud, "well... i don't know, i haven't done the training yet."<br /><br />well, 77 training hours later, and the blue belt is... well... under my belt.<br /><br />so here's my short answer:<br /><br />i showed up... every day, hopping the bus at 6 am to get me across town for the first nia class at 7 am... i showed up with an open heart, an open mind, and an eagerness to experience whatever the day held. how do you show up in relationship? on time, late, tired, full of expectations, willing to let go of old ways of being, thinking, doing...<br /><br />i brought a mind settled, quiet, and cleared from a daily meditation in which 42 of us sat in stillness and silence with the intention of removing distractions in order to create the space for learning. what do you bring to relationship? the work day, a happy heart, lingering resentment, an argument with your boss, love, fear...<br /><br />i was in the conscious practice of speaking with impeccability, not assuming anything, not taking anything personally, and always doing my best. how do you honor these four agreements in your relationship to your self, another and the world at large?<br /><br />i was mind-full in removing "try", "hard" and "because" from my vernacular and here are the reasons these three little words are not in alignment with impeccable speech: there is no "try," only do, or don't do. as i say it is "hard", so it is hard (remember: my thoughts create my reality?). and when we say "because", we are either giving excuses, manipulating, or laying on a guilt trip. how do you use these words and how do they affect your relationships? pay attention to this... in nia, we define intimacy as "attention to detail".<br /><br />and last but certainly not least, a shaman's pearl (in nia, a pearl is a word or phrase that is succinct, polished, and clear); "relationship is god's gift for self-awareness."<br /><br />so i learned alot about myself and myself in relationship-- how i show up, what i bring, how i communicate, and what it means to be intimate... with myself, with another, with my surroundings, with my body, my mind, my spirit, my emotions. i have been given the next and<br />deeper level to share with you, my students, and here is where the real learning occurs... at home, with my tribe, in relationship. and man, am i ever bursting at the seams!LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-81797366361353255582007-11-10T21:00:00.001-07:002008-05-26T21:05:39.238-06:00November 2007:: blue belt gratitude ::<br /><br />my deepest thanks to all of you who have so generously supported me (beginning with that first sol nia jam in april!) as i embark on my next level of nia training. <br /><br />the blue belt is focused on relationships, communication and intimacy. what a natural next step, it seems, not just in nia, but as a deepening of what i have already experienced in the past year. <br /><br />two summers ago, before i had even moved here, my first thought as i walked into sopris park to enjoy the live music was, "i've found my people." earlier this month, on a saturday afternoon drive to aspen when the leaves were at their most brilliant gold, i realized as i looked at the beauty all around me, "i've found my home." <br /><br />this valley is my home... and i have been searching a long time. for all of my gypsy ways these past 15 years, i am ready to sink roots deep into mother earth. this valley called me just in time, as most things happen for me... in the 11th hour. i used to fight this trait of mine, calling it procrastination, and then, several years ago, someone re-framed it for me. "you're pressure-prompted," she said, "you do your best 'under the gun'." <br /><br />so i've stopped fighting against my true nature, and i'm learning that life flows easily when i get out of my own way. one of my students said to me on the phone yesterday, "julie, i'm surprised at how easily things come to you... it amazes me." and i replied, "you know, if there's one thing i've learned it's that there are enough doors swingin' open wide for me... i don't have to push against those that are shut."<br /><br />this path of ease and grace feels right, kind of like when i am in right alignment in my body. there's an effortless quality that feels vast and nurturing... like all i have to do is show up and give thanks for what already is.<br /><br />presence. receive. gratitude. <br /><br />you gotta show up to win, and then you darn well better say, "thanks!"LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-44756589890672217862007-09-27T20:51:00.000-06:002008-05-26T20:59:57.145-06:00September 2007:: full moon ::<br /><br />check out the night sky tonight and witness the face of mother moon in aries, full of fire... a time for action and self-expression; a time of emotional sensitivity and clarity. the full moon is a time of peak, illumination, revelation, climax; a time to celebrate beauty, produce, receive, express, distribute, intuit, surrender and fulfill.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-30655100351303437952007-08-26T20:42:00.002-06:002008-06-04T21:59:31.201-06:00August 2007:: the sounds of healing ::<br /><br />i took a gong bath last tuesday night in aspen. my tailbone felt like it was vibrating at 5200 rpm's for the entire hour. gong bath? vibrating tailbone? whaaaa?<br /><br />first off, let me explain that "gong bath" is a bit misleading (but it sure sounds juicy, doesn't it?). there is no water involved in a gong bath, and i remained fully clothed, along with about 40 other people. but it was juicy because what struck me most when i walked into the room at the yellow brick was the floor strewn with mats, blankets, pillows, sleeping bags and bodies in repose. it looked like a co-ed high school sleepover in the gymnasium! juicy. and what we were all there to bathe in was not water, but sound. the primordial sound of "aum"-- the sound that started it all, according to ancient vedic wisdom.<br /><br />well, i don't know about that, but what i do know is what i felt in my body as i lie on my back, crown of my head facing toward the gong in the middle of the room. we were encouraged to quiet our mind by focusing on our breath, and we were assured that eventually, the sounds emanating from the gong would naturally focus us.<br /><br />ummm... yeah, not this monkey mind. so i watched my thoughts dart this way and that, like moths around a light, never staying in one place too long-- non-attachment. what did seem to attach itself to me was this vibrating tailbone of mine, thrumming along, steady, unwavering. it was as if the soundwaves knew exactly where they needed to go in my body for maximum healing, and they glommed onto my tailbone with single-minded focus.<br /><br />the body doesn't lie, and on this night, my body's truth was that it was finally ready to allow in the healing salve of sound in order to break up years of tension, holding and frozen energy. tailbone = root chakra = survival, trust & feeling safe in one's body. as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, i spent years trying to leave my body; my body was not my safe space.<br /><br />the advent of nia in my life 6 years ago was nothing short of my salvation-- a reclaiming of my power, my sensuality, my sexuality, and my body as my temple, my safe space. the gong bath the other night was a body-centered reminder that although the gifts of healing i have experienced through nia are profound and life-giving, they are not all.<br /><br />my life is my art, my healing journey and my soul's evolution. to those ends, i am in the creative stages of planning several special workshops over the next several months, which i am so excited to share with you.<br /><br />we do not walk the path of our healing journey alone. together, sisters and brothers at our side, ahead, behind and all around our heart, we witness and are witnessed in our joy, our pain, our fear, our shadow and our light.<br /><br />i leave you with a quote from dogen, 13th century zen master: "to let the self be awakened by all things is enlightenment."LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-73325338918896607492007-07-15T20:37:00.001-06:002008-05-26T20:41:58.662-06:00July 2007:: body + mind + spirit + emotions ::<br /><br />in preparing last night for the transformational nia workshops next week, i came across a pearl. actually it was a strand of pearls, and it looked like this:<br /><br />spirit is the energy that allows you to be you.<br /><br />striking in its simplicity, in its truth. in my experience, this is the essence of nia.<br /><br />yes, we start with the body, this temple with which we are gifted in order to experience life on earth. and with the right and left brain activation inherent in every nia workout, we have the opportunity to re-wire ourselves: a flexible spine = a flexible mind. <br /><br />then there's my favorite, the emotions. i quote the founders of nia, debbie rosas and carlos rosas: "emotional involvement empowers you and supports physical movement from the inside out. when you become personally motivated, involved and interested in what you do, more of you is involved in working out. this means more bang for your buck and a greater return on your investment."<br /><br />but the most bang and the greatest return is when you meet, face to face, your own dancing spirit. you being you: joyous, unleashed, ecstatic, raw, authentic, primal... in a word, Real.<br /><br />in the end, the most bang and the greatest return is, shall we say, priceless.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-46781706462485487752007-06-26T20:35:00.000-06:002008-05-26T20:37:25.487-06:00June 2007:: Your Body's Way ::<br /><br />Your Body's Way<br />is not<br />Her Body's Way<br />is not<br />My Body's Way.<br />When I stop<br />jealously eyeing,<br />yearning to be Her...<br />You...<br />I turn my gaze inward<br />and silently ask for Grace<br />that I might,<br />For Once,<br />Honor:<br />What I have...<br />Who I am...<br />What I've done...<br />Where I'm going...<br />Where I've been...<br />Knowing that:<br />This place where I am right now<br />God circled on a map for me.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-23977571316908969002007-05-26T20:30:00.002-06:002008-05-26T20:35:12.188-06:00May 2007:: fitness is the business of the body... ::<br />... is principle #11 of nia, but when i read it, my first impression was, "this is dry." and then i explored it and felt into what it means to me and i soon found the juiciness within.<br /><br />of all four realms we explore in nia-- body, mind, spirit and emotions-- the only tangible one is the body. so it is with the body that we start.<br /><br />through movement of arms and legs, hands and feet, hips and head, chest and heart, we dance our way into not only physical fitness, but also mental, spiritual and emotional fitness.<br /><br />how do we condition and "work out" these intangible and yet oh-so-real and powerful realms? through the visualizations that we use, we gain access to the part of the brain that creates, and in this creative mode, the mind expands, and with an expansive mind, new ideas, thoughts and possibilities suddenly have room to grow. with every authentic movement we make, every vocalization that comes from deep within, we are expressing our spirit, our truth, through our body. and we strengthen our emotional "muscles" by giving ourselves, through our dance, a chance to "try on" different emotions-- be that joy or rage or freedom or ecstasy or... -- that may be unfamiliar or forgotten to us.<br /><br />so it may look from the outside like we're in a class for physical fitness, but if you've danced and allowed yourself to be moved, you know the power inherent in nia to strengthen and transform not just your body, but your mind, your spirit and your emotions.<br /><br />even the new york times gets what nia is about: "an emotional fitness odyssey, nia is just plain exhilarating."<br /><br />yeah, we know!LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-13236157643562170392007-04-02T20:03:00.001-06:002008-05-26T20:09:56.586-06:00April 2007sol nia dance jam 2007...<br />a gathering of the tribe<br /><br />it's time to gather in celebration of the music, the third principle of nia. the music of nia is what moves us-- body + mind + spirit + emotions-- into deeper places, possibly unknown or forgotten places, places where our truth resides... if we will only listen.<br /><br />on this day, you are invited to come and tune in... to the music, to your movements, to your body that is the temple you have been given to experience your soul's deepest longings. and we all know that moment in our dance when we touch truth, when we glimpse for a moment that sweet face of our deepest desire. it is as if we have come home... to ourselves.<br /><br />the music... the dance... and you... all together, so powerful, so power-full.<br /><br />"it is your soul's only desire to turn its grandest concept about itself into its greatest experience." -- neale donald walsch<br /><br />come experience your Self!!LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-18526985255445523352007-03-05T19:59:00.001-07:002008-05-26T20:15:26.679-06:00March 2007<span style="font-weight: bold;">:: focus. create. joy. ::</span><br />i'm focused right now on writing an article, so i feel a bit reticent. besides, again this month, i'm late (to get the newsletter out, that is!). i feel lucky that my work, my life, and my passion are all so intimately intertwined. i have 8.5 x 11" sheets of paper scribbled with my ideas for the magic playshop wallpapering my bedroom walls. my beloved took one look and said, "all work and no play makes a dull julie," or some-such like that. <br /><br />i'm so glad that's not true. my work, my play and my relationships all so richly inform my life and give me the raw material from which to create. and right now, that creation is an article that, like ever-widening circles, will extend past our dancing tribe.<br /><br />it has to do with that which we danced to, 17 of us, on saturday morning, as the sun streamed in the windows facing mt. sopris. we danced to joy-- around joy, in joy, between joy, among joy, underneath joy, playing hide-and-seek with joy, the joy that lives right beside the pain, but we can choose joy... always choose joy, even in sadness, despair, grief. they are both sides of the same coin, and just as our thoughts create our reality, so can we choose which side of the coin to look at.<br /><br />ahh... i think i'm on my way to focusing on and creating an article on the relationship we can have to joy.<br /><br />thank you... blessings... and i look forward to seeing you on the dance floor.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-79242702472495729012007-02-22T19:54:00.000-07:002008-05-26T19:58:38.597-06:00February 2007"Don't worry about what the world wants from you, worry about what makes you come more alive. Because what the world really needs are people who are more alive." <br />--Lawrence LeShan<br /><br />After naming when in your life you are most alive during last week's class, have you noticed even more moments of aliveness this week? To name something is a powerful gesture.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-74418647326881755512007-01-01T16:48:00.001-07:002008-05-26T20:20:15.803-06:00January 2007<span style="font-size:180%;"> ::2007 intentions::<br /><br /></span> this past week, as we've crossed over into the new year, i've offered my students 1/4 sheets of goldenrod-colored paper titled, "intentions for 2007," with the sub-headings, "let it be different," and "do something different." <br /><br />letting it be different (the realm of thoughts and emotions) and doing something different (the realm of action) are intentions i held for 2006. they served me well-- my creation of sol nia, my move to glenwood springs and my exploration of conscious loving in a new relationship are a direct result of my wanting something different for my life.<br /><br />doing something different is easy to understand, but what do i mean when i say, "let it be different?"<br /><br />for me, letting it be different is about being present in each moment and being mindful of my thoughts and emotions, and not falling into old patterns or storylines that no longer serve me. a courageous self-inventory, letting it be different is about being honest with myself and consciously choosing new ways of being, thinking, feeling.<br /><br />as i explained to one of my newer students after sunday's class when she asked what effects nia has on a person, nia helps us to be more flexible in our thoughts, because that is what we are experiencing in our bodies.<br /><br />so many of the moves in nia cross the physical mid-line of the body; as a result, new connections in the brain are formed, as right brain crosses the corpus callosum to talk to left brain and vice versa.<br /><br />and, one of my a-ha! moments in nia came years ago when, after throwing a block and saying, "no!" ferociously, i turned right around, lifting my arms heavenward, opening the flute of my body and said, "yes!" with just as much emotion. in that moment i realized, "i am not my emotions!" they can change on a dime and i am in charge of that change. what a breakthrough that was for me.<br /><br />having and holding intentions are important... they are the cornerstone of change and transformation. at the beginning of each nia class, we set a focus, an intention that we focus our attention on for the hour we dance together. nia is about disciplining, exercising, freeing, sensing, opening, expressing, liberating the body + mind + spirit + emotions. it really is all connected: all one. we really are all connected: all one.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-5539838459820196652006-12-01T17:08:00.001-07:002008-05-26T20:24:14.203-06:00December 2006<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Moving From Center<br /><br />Twice in the past two weeks during class, in the space between one song ending and the next song beginning, one of my students has asked, "Julie, what do you mean when you say, 'Move from center?'" Both times, I have attempted a quick body-centered and visual explanation, covering my solar plexus and hara with my hands, dropping my center of gravity, martial arts-like, and answering, "Your power comes from your center-- grounded, balanced, rooted into Mother Earth... I'll explain more later." Later is now, and I realize her question is my question... and maybe your question.<br /><br />What does, "Moving from center," mean?<br /><br />Before we move from center, I think we must first breathe into center, deepening our breath from the shallow, chest-centered adult breath into a fuller, belly-extending, baby breath. I just read recently that when we deepen (and therefore elongate) our breaths to 12 per minute,<br />physiologically, we cannot be stressed. Believe me... I have been practicing that 5-second breath!<br /><br />Breathing into center slows us down, connects us to our self and our surroundings, brings us into the present moment: "be here now." In this moment, I look out the picture window onto clouds floating above a snow-dusted hilltop, Colorado-blue-sky backdrop. My visual sense is<br />heightened, and I appreciate the beauty around me.<br /><br />In Nia, when we are moving our bodies through space, and belly-breathing into center, we begin to find authentic movement-- movement that is intimately and uniquely ours-- movement, truth, power that comes from the inside out. We come into a place of being self-directed, and from that place, truth-- our truth-- is revealed, and we can choose to become self-reflective, to witness the messages of the body.<br /><br />In Nia, as in life. Moving from center on the dance floor, we find out what is real for us, and when we sense in the body what is real, we can begin to live from that place of truth, growing into our unique power, being as big as we are.LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-81568523916411872262006-11-26T17:05:00.002-07:002008-05-26T20:25:59.717-06:00November 2006<span style="font-weight: bold;">to inspire your day:</span><br /><br />"dancing is not something we do, it is what we are. dancing through life [as a principle of nia] is movement as pleasure. it is nia's prescription for enjoying life in a human body. it actively integrates healthy movement into every aspect of living, from the mundane activities to the sublime."<br />-- debbie rosas & carlos rosas, co-creators of the nia technique<br /><br />i look forward to mundanely moving with you sublimely soon,<br />julieLifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6734999842229184529.post-29233308910914492272006-09-04T17:02:00.000-06:002008-05-26T19:52:11.011-06:00September 2006<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="center"><span style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 0);">music movement magic</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="left"><span style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 0);">Much of the theory of Nia is explained in triangles, using three "pearls", such as the ones you see above, to describe the power inherent in Nia. As I walked by the river this morning, I shared with a friend what "music movement magic" means to me.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="left"><span style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 0);">First, always, we begin with "music." We hear the music with our ears, drink it in to our skin through our pores. Our hearts and souls connect to the sounds, rhythms, melody, words, vibrations, tones and harmony and we begin the opening process of letting our bodies, minds, spirits and emotions be affected by something outside of us, something that has the power to change us, to transform us. </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="left"><span style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 0);">Enter the second piece of the triangle: movement. Connected to the music, we begin to interpret it through our movement. We give form, through the temple of our bodies, to sound. At first, we are simply copying our teacher's movements, but as we get more comfortable with the movements, we make them our own. We feel what feels good in our bodies and we do it, over and over.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="left"><span style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 0);">And that is where the magic comes in. Allowing ourselves to be moved by the music, we are transported to a place of transformation, a place where thinking, ego mind is overriden. Fully in our bodies, with only the music as dance partner, we become intimate with that most deep place of ourselves, a place where we are open to memories of rain; to body rememberings of being five years old, swathed in a red cape; to hopes for our future that only we can envision.</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="left"><span style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 0);">In Nia, through the music, through our movement, and through the magic that is the nexus of the two, we move into conscious awareness. In conscious awareness, we are most alive, dancing closest to our core, expressing our truth. When we take this conscious awareness with us off the dance floor and into our lives, in Nia we say we are "dancing through life."</span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="left"><span style="background-color: rgb(102, 204, 0);">For September, I wish for all of us, "mmm...": music movement magic... dancing through life with Mother Nature as she paints the hills in their burnished gold autumn cloaks.</span></p>LifeStoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16088757074967576464noreply@blogger.com0