Finger Extensions, one of the Fifty-two Moves of Nia. Yeah, extending your fingers is a Nia move. It may sound odd, but it makes sense. Extending the fingers helps move energy. Each finger holds its own energy. The finger movements also have emotional connections so these type of movements tie in very well with the whole body experience, the Body, Mind, Emotion, Spirit (BMES) connection. The finger extensions are the thumb, the index, the middle, the ring, and the pinky.
Each finger holds specific energy and whether you can think about that and believe it or not, when you really think about it you can believe it. Each finger has an emotional association. The thumb is associated with nurture. It is the finger babies suckle, it gives them comfort. The index finger is the desire finger. It is the finger a child uses to indicate what she wants. We use our “pointer” finger to point to what we desire. The middle finger is our power finger. When used with an extended arm pointing down it is the Balance Finger. Sometimes when pointed up it is used as a way of communication.
The ring finger is the commitment finger. It is where engagement rings and weddings bands are placed to signify commitment. It is the point in which a hand hold is fully committed. The pinky finger is on the edge of the hand it represents the boundaries. Boundaries that are respected yet can be nudged and expanded.
With the emotional attachments of each finger, can you see how there can be energy linked with each finger? Can you acknowledge how extending your thumb might elicit energy associated with nurturing because we or babies we know have sucked their thumb? Can you fathom how extending your desire finger might cause you to have an emotional response? And with our emotions there is energy attached.
I know that when I am dancing in a Nia Class and I extend my various fingers it often affects my feet. When I am extending my desire finger sometimes I feel happy because I am pointing at what I want. Sometimes that happy translates to strong movements of my feet because I am identifying my desire. Dancing my pinky, the edge, sometimes makes me feel brave. When I feel brave my movements, the energy, is different than when I am relaxed or feeling timid.
So now that you have an idea of how a simply hand movement can be used in an exercise class, in a cardio dance class, let me share how we do them. It really is somewhat simple. Just extend your arm and then point each finger one at a time, then take a moment to sense the “different qualities of energy”.
Some benefits to doing these extensions, as stated in The Nia Technique book, are that it “helps move energy in and out of the upper body, and keeps it from getting clogged in the next and shoulders.”. Finger extensions also help you move your fingers in a precise way which exercises the brain and the body.
So really this is an easy move and some might not even think of it as an exercise, but it is important to keep our hands strong and flexible. And if, when we do this it activates our brain, that is even better. And . . . if we can do it while we are dancing and having fun, then why wouldn’t we?
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