In Nia we often say while dancing, “Everybody sense your . . . “ (For more see: Nia White Belt Principle #13 Teaching What You Sense.) This is to help bring attention to specific body parts. It could be because we are doing a specific move and we want to have the student’s attention on that body part. It could be that we feel a body part just needs attention. It could be that we want the students to move in a different way. Sensing a body part though does not require movement of that part. If I were to say right now, “Everybody sense your hand.” I wouldn’t necessarily mean for you to move your hand. I mean for you to sense it. Recently on Facebook I posted, “EveryBODY sense your trachea!!!!!! Breathe . . . . . . . .” and one of my friends asked HOW? Fabulous question. How do you sense your trachea? No, really how do YOU sense your trachea? How do you sense any of your body parts?
As I said, sensing a body part does not necessarily mean moving it. It could, if that is how YOU bring attention to a part and if that is how YOU sense it. It could mean you LOOK at it. Maybe looking at it helps you sense it. It could mean you touch it because you want to cause it sensation so that you can sense it. There are many ways to sense a body part and we all have different ways of doing it. Some might start with closing their eyes and picturing it in their head. Some might just think of it and be able to sense it right away. Part of the practice is the discovery of how we sense different body parts.
For sensing your trachea I thought that one way an individual could do it was by breathing. That might help you sense your trachea. Sensing your breath coming in and out might help. Maybe coughing would help? Maybe meditating on it? Maybe touching it? There really are so many ways to do it and it is up to the individual. Sensing body parts could even take practice. Maybe each body part is different. Perhaps you can easily sense your hand without looking at it, moving it, or touching it, but since you might not often “sense your trachea” it could take a little bit of thought and practice. Again . . . . the wonderful journey that is Nia and sensing your body.
Often times we don’t even give a second thought to a body part, unless it is in pain. Unless it SCREAMS at us for attention we might never stop to listen to it. We might never stop to sense it. There are so many reasons to sense your body . . . I have already stated just a few that might come up while in a Nia Class. I am sure you can think of many others.
This is one of the things we do in Nia that can be carried out into life and as we like to call it as we “dance through life”. This is one of the things you can do that makes Nia “practice”. You can practice sensing your body parts throughout the day. Back to the “pain” part of attention . . . say you have pain in your knee, you are going to want to sense it as you move throughout your day so that you can move in a way as to not cause more pain. Another example if you’re wanting to straighten up your posture a little bit you might want to practice sensing your spine or your shoulders during your day. As I said, many reason to play with and practice sensing your body parts. And it really is an individual thing. You do it in your own way.
Starting with body parts you can see and touch might be a good place to start if you are needing a suggested starting point. That way looking or touching can be the beginning of the sensing journey. Either way, if you let yourself be open to it, I am sure you will find a way.
Wow. This past weekend I went to an event a friend of mine invited me too. It was very cool. I had learned about walking the labyrinth not too long ago (about four years). I found it very fascinating. I love that you just walk the path and it is yours. You walk, you experience whatever it is you want to/need to experience. There are many different types of labyrinth. The first one I experienced was at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose, CA. The labyrinth was in their garden. Their garden is an oasis in the middle of a noisy city. The labyrinth I walked on Saturday was at a church, First Congregational Church. It is a stone labyrinth. Walking the labyrinth alone is a special thing in itself, but this event was sound healing while you walked the labyrinth. I had heard of sound healing before but didn’t really have an idea of what it was. I really had no idea what this event would be like, I just wanted to go because the one time I walked the labyrinth I really enjoyed it. The event was planned two months ago and in those two months . . . .wow! At this time I am just going to say that I felt this was the PERFECT time for me to be attending this event! There were four women that played their Crystal Singing bowls, drums, rattles and other sound healing instruments while we walked the labyrinth. It was a wonderful experience. Their intention is to hold this type of event every other month. I will be posting the information as I learn of it so anyone who wants to join can do so.
Crystal Singing bowls are very beautiful LOOKING and I was attracted to one so I went over to talk to one of the women about it. Since I didn’t know anything about the bowls I wanted to learn more. She shared with me the vibration of the bowl called “The Divine Mother”. She told me what it was made of and shared the sound with me. While she made it sing I was holding it. It was very warm. Then she had me hold it in one hand and strike it with the mallet. Then she took the bowl and held it in her hand and struck it while I held my hands close to the bowl but not touching. That was amazing. I felt the energy, the vibration from the bowl push against my hands. I had to give a little resistance so my hands did not move away from the bowl. The sound is very beautiful, but I was very intrigued by the energy coming from the bowl. She was very kind and she allowed me to experience this for a while. Then she had me turn in a circle while she moved the bowl up my body and down my body. It is kind of surprising the force I felt from the bowl as she did that. It was not strong as if to move me, but there was something and that really surprised me. I felt the vibration from the bowl.
At this time with what is going on in my life and what is going on in the world, I am open heartedly accepting it as healing sound and vibration. What is really is and what you want to believe is up in the air and up to you. I am just sharing that I knew nothing of this type of “healing” and was really just surprised and amazed by the sense and the feeling I got. I was just WOWED! Really. And I felt really good and relaxed after. The morning was emotional and a bit stressful and after that little session I was back to relaxation and joy.
So, a portion of my walk in the labyrinth was that of thankfulness and pure gratitude. But it was a — to me — a big labyrinth so I was also able to concentrate on some healing thoughts for someone else. Then while I walked I began so sense my feet and I took a little time to focus on self-healing. I walked the labyrinth both ways so I was able to do what I felt necessary.
Whew! It was an awesome experience. I look forward to attending more walks with sound healings. I will put the information regarding the next event up somewhere (here, my website, Twitter or Facebook) when they have the details worked out and have let me know. So check back if you are interested. I honestly can’t wait. I really felt some healing from the lovely sound and enjoyed the walk and the support of all those that gathered.
Here we are at Goodie Jar – Check In #12. I really do hope you are finding at least one good thing to note and put in your jar. Find the silver lining if that is what you must do. But there has to be something that when you look back at it, it would make you smile.It could be something as silly as a website or a meme you’ve seen on Facebook. There are so many that get passed around. You could note the URL and put it in the jar then on December 31, 2013 when you are reading all your notes you can go look it up. If it made you smile once I bet it will do it again. Here is one that makes me laugh. I had to look it up because we do a “penguin dance” in one of the Nia Routines I am doing and I was wondering what noise a penguin makes.
Cookie the penguin on YouTube:
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What do you think? Super Cute, huh? Worthy of the Good Things jar?
PS: The video of little Cookie was taken by Patricia Sund who you can learn more about from her blog Parrot Nation.
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Well, most people would say that it being Friday is a good thing. So that could go in the Goodie Jar, right? Sure why not. Often people have plans for the weekend so that could go in the Goodie Jar as a good thing. Weekend plans might be a “two-for” because it can be noted and put in the jar BEFORE and then after a good time was had by all it can be noted and put in the jar again! Ha! Two for one!
I recently checked in with my friend who had posted this idea of a good things jar on Facebook to see if she was still doing it. She had forgotten. I kind had a feeling that would happen. I thought I would forget too. So that is why I have the Friday check in so we can be reminded at least once a week.
I’ve had a couple of things make me extremely happy this past week. One I took a picture of and one was actually a FB post from a friend. I actually made jpgs of them both and printed them, like I did with the Sharks tickets. To me these are good things I want in my jar.
I hope you are still keeping track. You don’t have to write things down necessarily, it could be a receipt or a ticket stub. Something good. How is it going?
Have you seen this simple flow chart? What do you think? Do you think it is this easy? I first saw this awhile ago on FaceBook when a Nia friend posted this picture on her page. I googled it to find out where it came from. I found this to be the creative work of Alex Kopblin. You too might have seen this poster because it seems to get around. It makes sense. Are you happy? If not do something about it right? Sometimes that is easy. Sometimes it is not. Are you happy? To me this is a huge defining life question.
I know that many of us have things in our lives that can make us sad. We could all probably sit down and focus on those things and become sad, if not downright depressed. I believe that is what some people do. I also believe that the people who are happy choose not to do that. It is not that their lives are perfect and they have nothing to feel sad about, it is that they choose not to focus on that. So this flow chart graphic could just be a reminder not to focus on those things. It could also be a reminder to actually make some changes.
This easy to follow chart could just be a reminder to do something that makes you happy. The “thing” does not have to be time consuming, costly, or difficult, just something that makes you smile. Maybe take a walk at lunch. Maybe stop to smell a flower. Maybe go to the ocean. Maybe get all the errands done that you had planned. Whatever . . . . just do SOMETHING that makes you happy, something that fills you with joy and that is a step in a good direction. Those feelings can carry you to the next place.
If you can, if you have the opportunity . . . . if you MAKE the chance do something like that EVERY DAY! If you do just one thing that makes you happy EVERY DAY that can help a lot on the path to happiness.
Please try to realize that if you are happy that does not mean that you are not affected by the things that are going on in your life. There could be situations that are difficult and sad. Maybe you think that being happy is something you shouldn’t do. Maybe you feel guilty because someone else is suffering. I don’t think you should. I also don’t think that someone has to be happy and up all the time. I know that we all have moments and situations that can be sad. This is just me trying to remind you to take sometime for yourself and do something that makes you happy. I like this poster and I believe it, I just also believe that sometimes the “change something” can be a difficult thing to do. So maybe what I am trying to say is start small. Work your way into “happy” if you need to.
Are you happy? Is there something you like to do that makes you happy? Can you do it?
Other titles you might have seen: “Bag Ban Responsible For E-coli Outbreak”, “Are Reusable Shopping Bags Making Us Sick?”, “Reusable Shopping Bags Can Kill”. Well, it is terrible that the ban on bags has caused and outbreak of E. coli. It is so horrendous that the bags are making us sick. It is out-and-out scary that these bags can kill us! Just like the title of my post these titles are ridiculous. The bag ban is not responsible for anything, just like the bags aren’t going to kill us. What MIGHT happen is if the bags aren’t periodically wiped out and/or washed bacteria can spread and cause illness or even death.
Recently I was in a grocery store and the bagger commented on my bag. He said, “Oh your bag smells good.” And I said, “Does it?” He said, “Oh YES! You should smell some of these bags.” I hadn’t thought about that before. I mean, I thought about having to wash your bags because food goes in them and some food spills and you don’t want your food bag contaminated. Plus I use mine at the Farmer’s Market and I don’t always get a produce bag so dirt and bugs end up in there. So I spray mine and wipe them down. But I never thought of other people NOT doing it and baggers having to deal that. Then recently on Facebook someone commented on a post about E. coli outbreak in San Francisco. Again, I never thought of that because I just thought that people would wipe out their bags. I figured people would want a clean place to put the food they just purchased. Since I saw the comment about E. coli in San Francisco on Facebook I wanted to know if that was true. So I went looking on the internet. The titles, just like mine, and the things said in articles just crack me up. Would it really be the fault of the bag? Would the bag actually cause death? No, if there was something in the bag dangerous enough to infect me then it would not be the bag’s fault, it would be mine for not washing it out.
I came across an article that states the information about San Francisco’s E. coli outbreak is inaccurate because the study conducted used information from BEFORE the bag ban actually went into effect. This article mentioned that there was an accurate conclusion of a contaminated grocery bag having the norovirus and girls from a soccer team in Oregon all getting sick from it. But the article I found regarding THAT incident stated the first person to get sick got very sick in a bathroom and the grocery bag was in close enough proximity to have the germs deposited on it. While the first girl went home the bag with the snacks stayed behind and the girls that ate those snacks subsequently got ill. That is the staying power of the norovirus!
The first article had me thinking it was a grocery type of contamination that happened in the bag. I am glad I popped over to read the other article that clarified it.
Anyway . . . the point is the reusable grocery bags need to be washed. If you have the plastic-y kind that wouldn’t really survive the washing machine, spray them with a disinfectant and wipe them out. Or spray them and hose them out. But there are some types of bags that can be washed in the washing machine and that might be the route to go. You honestly might not have thought about it because using reusable bags is kind of a new thing, but now that you know the bag can kill you, I am sure you will think to wipe it out every once in a while.
Do you have a re-usable shopping bag you love? Where did you get it? Let us know!
I go to Starbucks when I have a gift card. I like Starbucks Chai Tea Lattes. When I first started getting them they were almost too spicy for me. Then they seemed to change a bit. They got less flavorful. Then one time I got one at a store I don’t normally frequent and I thought my teeth were going to fall out. It was soooooo sweet. Yes, I know that the fancy drinks at Starbucks and other coffee houses are a huge source of sugar. That is ONE reason why I don’t buy them. I DO have them on occasion when I am blessed with receiving a gift card. To me they are a nice treat. But this one hurt my teeth and my stomach. I chalked it up to this store making them different. But then I went to the store I usually go to and it was the same thing. Ugh. I posted a Facebook status asking if they had changed their recipe. I know places and manufacturers do that all the time. One of the responses I received was to make my own Chai. The response even included the recipe.
A few days after that I was in the grocery store and I actually remembered while I was in the spice aisle that I needed cardamom to make the chai. I looked and looked and when I finally found it I almost choked. It was $12.99. I didn’t realize it was that expensive.
So, again, I posted on Facebook, I said that I would stick to using my gift cards at Starbucks instead of spend $13.00. And again the replies were awesome. People near and far reminded me that I live in an area rich with many cultures and that I could find cardamom at Indian Spice stores. The major benefits to that would be that it would be cheaper and more than likely better.
But before I could remember to get to a store one of my amazing friends brought me a little box of it. She is awesome like that. She frequents an affordable spice shop so she picked me up some.
Boil 3 cups (.7 liters) of water with
4 cloves
2 pinches ground nutmeg
2 pinches ground cinnamon
2 pinches ground cardamom
1/2 inch (1.27 cm) piece of grated fresh ginger
Add 2 tea bags (black, green, redbush, etc.) and simmer for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup (.2 liters) almond milk or milk of your choice, and heat until hot, but not boiling. Add sweetener of your choice. Serve and enjoy!
I decided to measure my “pinches” so that I could have a more accurate measure and adjust accordingly. I used an 1/8 of a teaspoon as a “pinch”. I think that I need to work on it a bit. Either the person doing the pinching who created this recipe has REALLY LARGE pinches or they like a more mellow tea. I think that this might be really good if I made it ahead of time and let all the flavors really seep into the water. The time that is stated in the recipe didn’t seem to do that. Also it does help if, when you are drinking it, you actually get some of the spices in your mouth . . . . which also makes for an oddly textured and a bit chewy tea. But I’m ok with that.
I think I might experiment with chopping the ginger. For some reason I don’t might little tiny chunks of fresh ginger as opposed to what came off my grater . . . . it was odd.
That is a GREAT thing about recipes though, right? I love to try them the way they are then adjust them to my tastes. Maybe this is one that you can make and enjoy — either adjusting or not.
Do you like Chai Tea? Do you have a recipe? Doesn’t this one sound yummy?
As the New Year approached and very shortly there after, I started seeing pictures of jars with paper inside posted on Facebook. The idea was simple, write down something good that happened and put it in the jar, at the end of the year read it, and be reminded of all the good things that happened to you during the year. Even though I loved the idea and I wanted to do it, I got caught up in other things and I forgot about it. Just this past week a friend posted a picture of her jar saying, “Do you remember this?” And I hadn’t. I had completely forgotten. I want to do that. I want a “good thing jar”.
First of all I don’t have a jar. So I am going to use a pitcher that I love, but hardly use. This way, I will be using something that I love and it will be pretty. Second, I don’t remember how often one is supposed to put something in the jar. Was there a rule? Was there a timeframe? I THINK it was “whenever” something good happened. I like that but I also want to make sure something gets in the pitcher. I am going to impose an at-least-once-a-week rule. It is not that good things don’t happen daily, I just think that life gets busy and I might not write something everyday but I want to make certain I do it at least once a week. I also don’t think there was a guideline on what “good” means. So for myself I am going to define it a bit. I am going to keep track of things that make me smile and the memory of which will make me smile. It does not have to be a significant thing, something say “to write home about”, but I want it to be something where I can say, “Oh yeah, I remember that. That was great!” Another thing I thought of, which I think might add to the experience is to date the note so I can remember better as I am reading about all the good stuff.
I love when I make deals with you and we have check-ins. Even though this is just a feel good kind of thing, I know that sometimes projects — even fun ones — get pushed aside and/or forgotten altogether when time is short, so I thought I would do a weekly check-in.
If you want to join me you can just post a comment on the post. I am going to do it on Fridays. My first check in will be Friday, February 1, 2013.
Then on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, I will read about all the good stuff that happened throughout the year. I will be reminded of the things big and small. I am sure I will get warm fuzzies. I think this is a fabulous way to end a year and go into a new one.
What do you think? Is this a project you would like to join? Are you going to–join me?
So if you are participating in the little challenge of not getting on the scale for either 21 days or 30 days, today is the 21st day. I assigned 21 days so that is would land on a posting day (I post Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). I will let you know that due to more “stuff” as I had posted about before, I got off to a late start on my own challenge! So how is it going for you? Has it been a challenge to stay off the scale? Have you noticed that you are not obsessing about the number the scale displays because you are not looking at it? Now the thing with measuring with a measuring tape instead of scale means you need to keep doing what you’re doing. So if you were doing some type of cardio three times a week and adding some strength training in and weighing yourself, looking for that number to change when you stop using the scale it doesn’t mean to stop doing the other stuff. It is just a different way to track progress. And for some it could be a little bit of a reprieve IF they allow the scale to affect their mood. I found it funny that today on FaceBook someone posted about the scale stealing motivation and she reminded people it doesn’t tell the whole story. That is what I am saying too. That is why I thought it would be nice to change it up.
I know that some people don’t even have a scale. Some people don’t even use one. Everyone is different. I just hear a lot about people being upset because they didn’t lose a pound “today” and they’ve been trying so hard. So I think that maybe for those people it is nice to try a different way to track progress.
My schedule is a bit “off” this month as I am spending time dealing with “stuff” and I have picked up a lot of classes that I am subbing for the City of San Jose. I picked up eleven classes which is great but I have not been able to concentrate as much on my resistance training as I would like. My numbers did not change as much as I was hoping to see when I thought of this challenge. What about you? Did you see a change in numbers? Are you stopping at day 21 or going to continue on and see what 30 days will do?
Not only do I have the added class times to do I have a little bit of added prep time for each class and the travel time to and from each class. Since I am subbing in Nia for other classes such as Zumba, Zumba Gold, Pilates, Kick Boxing, and Cardio Toning, I do try to pick Nia routines that will fit. I am not changing Nia to fit the class, because I explained how that turned out in a post earlier this month, but I do try to pick routines that might fit a little better. With a Zumba Gold class I might do a Nia routine that is a bit mellow or doesn’t have a lot of bow stances. And with subbing a Zumba class I might put together a lot of the higher energy “get moving songs”. So all of that cuts into my plan. But I’m going to buckle down a bit because I have some stuff that I needed to get done this month behind me. I am going to keep up with this little challenge myself and see where that tape leads me.
Well? How are you still with me? Are doing the challenge? How is it going? Doing it for 21 days? Doing it for 30 days?
As I said, sensing a body part does not necessarily mean moving it. It could, if that is how YOU bring attention to a part and if that is how YOU sense it. It could mean you LOOK at it. Maybe looking at it helps you sense it. It could mean you touch it because you want to cause it sensation so that you can sense it. There are many ways to sense a body part and we all have different ways of doing it. Some might start with closing their eyes and picturing it in their head. Some might just think of it and be able to sense it right away. Part of the practice is the discovery of how we sense different body parts.
