Posts Tagged ‘Nia class’
Posted by terrepruitt on June 29, 2013
Nia was designed to be done in bare feet. I believe that yoga is also supposed to be practiced in bare feet. But there are many reasons as to why people want to have something on their feet. Many reasons why people don’t like “naked feet“. Some people don’t like to be barefoot in public places (and with that there could be many reasons). Some people need support of shoes for their comfort and health. Some people like to have traction built into their footwear. Since Nia is designed to be done in bare feet we do not spin on our feet we lift them up so having a little bit of traction does not interfere with our movement, whereas in a Zumba class where you are often twisting on your feet you do not want traction. What someone has come up with for yoga are toe less socks with traction on the bottom. I had a friend give me some as a gift. She was so sweet and said, “I know you do Nia barefoot, but I thought you might like these.”
While I love to do Nia barefoot there are some floors where the toe less socks come in handy. Some floors that I dance on or have danced on have a texture to them that is not very comfortable on the feet. Some floors are really dirty (without access to a dry mop or broom) and so the layer of fabric between the foot and the floor helps to keep the grit from digging into my feet and being uncomfortable. The fact that the toes are exposed give me a bit of a barefoot sensation. Allowing the toes to come in contact with the floor and keeping those nerves activated. The energy flowing from the earth and to the earth via the exposed toes.
For yoga these are great because the textured bottom of the sock allows for traction if sliding is an issue for you. The texture also assists in keeping you from spinning on the foot when doing Nia. Ha! I just realized it might help stop that altogether. It is possible to spin, twist, slide on your bare feet although you might end up with blisters. But with the traction on the bottom of the sock it stops you in your tracks. You are unable to spin, twist, or slide.
Maybe the yoga socks could act as “training wheels” for some. If at first exercising barefoot seems odd, maybe the socks can help ease you into it. Perhaps the socks could also assist in training people not to spin, twist, or slide, so when they do decide to go barefoot for their Nia workout they will already have the know-how of lifting the feet.
Whatever the person’s reason for not going barefoot, toe less yoga socks might be a great solution. I do want to say, just so you know, when in my Nia classes as long as the facility allows shoes (some yoga/dance studios do not allow shoes), everyone is encouraged to be comfortable so when wearing shoes allow people to be comfortable then they are invited to do so.
Do you ever exercise barefoot?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: bare feet, barefeet, dance class, dance studio, naked feet, Nia, Nia class, Nia Practice, toe less yoga socks, training wheels, Yoga, Yoga Practice, yoga socks, yoga studio, Zumba, Zumba class | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 27, 2013
Stepping Back Onto The Ball Of Your Foot is certainly not unique to Nia. Many dance modalities incorporate this move. In fact this move is incorporated into every day life. How often are you moving forward only have to stop and move back? You could be in line at the store or anywhere when the person in front of you moves back towards you so you take a step back. While you might not “hang” out on the ball of your foot as we do in Nia you more than likely don’t take a step backwards heel first. 
So, yes, Nia has taken moves that might be done in other dance practices, martial arts, and even everyday life and put them in their list of Nia’s 52 Moves. Nia then weaves the moves into the Nia Routine choreography. This move Stepping Back Onto The Ball Of Your Foot is part of our Base Moves. It is done with the feet and legs and they are a part of the base.
This move is described on page 123 of the Nia Technique book written by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas and you can purchase it from Amazon.
As I have said many times there is a proper way to do all moves and while you are practicing them and learning them you do it the proper way. Then as you come across it in a Nia class while doing a Nia routines your body will know the proper way yet be able to adapt to the choreography that you are dancing at the moment.
So to practice this move you can start in Open Stance. Then with one leg step back onto the ball of foot. When stepping back pull the leg straight behind not to either side. Keep the foot parallel to the stationary foot, don’t turn the heel. As is indicated step back onto the ball of the foot. Keep the spine up and the heel high off of the earth. Then shift your weight onto the foot of which you just stepped back on and take the other foot off the ground. 
Your torso is upright, pelvis, chest, shoulders, chin, eyes facing forward. Do the same movement with the other foot. You don’t necessarily always have to start in open stance.
After you are comfortable with the stationary start, walk around and stop and step into the move.
This move helps with the mobility and flexibility in the foot. It also helps create or improve stability in the ankle. It helps with balance, especially if you hang out for a measured amount of time on the ball of your foot!
At the moment I can think of one routine in which we step back onto the ball of foot as a large portion of one of the dances. I know we step back all the time, but in this routine I think of one of the songs as “showcasing” this move. The choreography calls for lifting the leg of the foot that is off the ground. Or doing a knee lift. So that is a good example of the variations that Nia choreography uses with its 52 Moves.
Well, what do you think about this move? Can you see how it helps with mobility and flexibility in the foot?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: Amazon, Base Moves, Carlos Rosas, dance modalities, dance practices, Dancing, Debbie Rosas, especially if you hang out for a measured amount of time on the ball of your foot, flexibility, helps with balance, improve stability, knee lift, martial arts, Mobility, Nia, Nia class, Nia Practice, Nia Routine Choreography, Nia routines, Nia Technique Book, Nia's 52 Moves, open stance, Stepping Back Onto The Ball Of Your Foot | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 22, 2013
One of Nia’s 52 Moves is the Sink and Pivot Table Wipe. Ha! Sounds funny. I always think of cleaning when I say this move in class, but not many people LIKE to clean so I don’t like to remind them of cleaning while we are in our Joy! There are many other ways to describe the movement, but “table wipe” really gets the point across. It could be a dramatic sweep of the table. Regardless of what spirit might have me say in the midst of the move there is a particular way to do it. As with all of Nia’s 52 Moves there is a specific way to do it. And . . . as I have said . . . often times the specifics are adjusted to work into the song and the moment’s choreography. To me the Sink and Pivot Table Wipe is a combination of an arm movement and a bow stance.
To practice the Sink and Pivot Table Wipe you start in an A Stance. Doing one side at a time, say the left, you would place your left arm out. As you lift up your left foot you turn your body towards the right, your left arm sweeps across the horizon to the right. Your left foot lands gently on the earth on the ball of your foot and your left leg is bent. Your right leg is also bent. The bent legs become the “sink” part of the move. Your arm sweeping is the wiping part of the move. That “table” part is the imaginative part of the move to assist in knowing how the arms sweeps. The arm is straight out and just moves parallel to the ground. Doing the other side, you would you would place your right arm out. As you lift up your right foot you turn your body towards the left, your right arm sweeps out and around to the left. You place your right ball of foot gently on the floor with your right leg bent. Your left leg is also bent. The legs are similar to a bow stance.
In most instances — the ones I can think of — in the choreography, I usually do a tiny hop so that my front foot ends up with the toes facing the same direction as the foot in the back, the foot that is “ball of foot”. So as I continue to say, the instructions in The Nia Technique book* show the exact perfect way to do a move. Which is the way to learn it, but then once you know the move the choreography dictates the exact way it is done.
The book recommends the word “Whoosh” be said while doing this move. Of course that is just one of many words and sounds that can be made. Sounds are dictated by so many things. The “Whoosh” can be used in the practice of the move, if you would like. When in a Nia class anything goes!
I believe this move is a great stability move because as I said I am normally moving both feet in order to sink, pivot, and wipe the table so I need to “land” stable. Also, I think it is great for the legs because any sink type of move helps condition them. It is also good for coordination because you are moving both the upper body and lower body at the same time, but in a little different manner.
Tee hee . . . . it is really great for a lot of things, depends on what you put into it. The last couple of times I did it in the current Nia routine I am doing I had the class stretching the arm as far as they could reach as they wiped that table. It was a HUGE table and we wanted to wipe it all in one pass!
So what do you imagine you are doing when you do this move?
*The Nia Technique written by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: A Stance, Bow Stance, Carlos Rosas, Debbie Rosas, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia class, Nia routine, Sink and Pivot Table Wipe, The Nia Technique, The Nia Technique book | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 21, 2013
Goodie Jar check in day! How is it going for you?
I just got back from teaching a Nia class in Santa Cruz. The space that the class is held is so lovely. I wish I could teach there all the time. And as I was teaching I noticed a spot in the floor that was a little different from the rest and it called my attention to the wonderful floor.
It is a wonderful floor and I know this, but that particular spot made me aware AT THAT MOMENT that the floor is heaven. Not all dance floors are made the same and this one at the Tannery is FABULOUS. I was so happy I was available to teach at the last minute (sort of) for the regular teacher who found herself needing to rest.
Then on the way home I got an over due haircut. It might be a tad short. You know how it is difficult to tell sometimes what is up until you “do” your hair yourself. So we will see. But either way it will grow.
So that is my Goodie Jar – Check in #21 Friday, how about you? What are you doing today? Anything that you can add to your good thing jar?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: good things jar, Goodie Jar check in, Nia class, Nia Santa Cruz, Nia Teacher, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Tannery, Tannery | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 8, 2013
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.
So how do YOU sense your trachea?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Dancing, everyBODY, Facebook, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia Practice, Nia students, Nia White Belt, Principle #13, Sense your, trachea | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 30, 2013
Nia Technique’s Outstanding Routine DVDs (Part 2)
Three years ago I posted about Nia Routines and I stated in that post that I would describe what the training DVD is like. Here I am with that information. Also, I want to share about the whole routine teacher training package that a Nia teacher receives. It is turning out to be three (sort of four) posts long. This is the second post. That is how much we get in our Nia continued education Routine Teacher Training package. I am just sharing briefly about it. These posts are to give you an idea of what you would receive. As a reminder you receive a CD, DVD, and pamphlet. The CD and DVD are shipped to you and the pamphlet you can view online, save to your computer, and/or print.
The DVD consists of the Focus, Move the Move, Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the Music. In post one I talked about the Focus and the Move the Move section. Here you’ll learn a bit about Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the music.
In the Learn the Move section they explain the move. The way they did this morphed over the years. I have some DVDs where they stood facing the camera and talked about the moves. Showing you the move and going into detail about each move. I also have some DVDs where the teacher is just dubbed over the actual class as shown in the Move the Move portion. So you are seeing the same thing over again and the creator is talking about the moves as the routine plays. The explanation includes both the physical description and little tips. Sometimes they might explain alternatives even if they have not done them in the Move the Move portion of the DVD. They also sometimes explain why we are doing a move. “‘Holding a ball’ allows a body to move systemically, connecting the upper body with the lower body.” This portion at times can help with figuring out how to do a move if it is a little challenging to you or your students.
With Energize the Move the creator explains the energy involved. For example “the energy at this part of the routine is meant to be focused and very intentional.” And, “the energy of connecting to your body and space around.” This section can help provide pearls and additional verbiage that you can use to get your class moving.
The last section of the DVD is the Move the Move with just the music. There is no teacher instruction. This is where you do the Nia Class without being told what to do. You get to watch and just listen to the music.
The music portion of the DVD always makes me remember I have always wanted an option in the Move the Move portion to be able to turn up the music. I have an exercise DVD (Turbo Jam) where you can “pump up” the music. You can still here Chalene Johnson giving you instructions but you can make the music much louder. I think it would be of great help to me if I could turn the music up on my Nia Routine DVDs but still listen to the teacher talking. I have yet to suggest that to Nia HQ. It would really be nice for me to hear the music louder so I could practice my listening to the cues, yet still get the benefit of the instruction. I’ve tried to time the music say from my iPod to the DVD so I COULD turn up the music myself, but I can never get it synchronized. 🙂
In my post Continuing Education – Nia White Belt Principle #12, I talk about the three stages of learning a routine. I mention there are steps in each stage. The Learn the Move and Energize the Move are couple of the additional steps. Watching and learning the information contained in each of these sections of the DVD can be very beneficial to leading a routine.
In my next post I share some information about the pamphlets and you’ll see how there is even MORE information to learn!
Are you getting a clearer picture of what is contained in a Nia Teacher’s Routine DVD? Can you somewhat understand that there is a lot of good information?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Chalene Johnson, Energize the Move, Nia CD, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia continued education, Nia Music, Nia routines, Nia Teacher, Nia Technique, Nia training, Nia White Belt, Routine DVD, Turbo Jam | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 28, 2013
In my post about Nia Routines in February of 2010, I stated I would explain more about what we receive on a Nia Routine Teacher DVD. A comment with questions on a recent post (Nia Routines I’ve Learned), reminded me that I needed to do that. Over three years later, I am explaining what we get. I also wanted to share what is in the Nia Training/Continued Education package as a whole. We get a LOT. It is more than just music and routine. The amount of time and effort and all that goes into our training DVD/package is awesome. I know that even though I see the results and I think it is a lot, there is probably so much more that goes on in the background I would be even more impressed. Since we get so much I am finding as I type this that it is a longer explanation than I like to have in one post. So this will be part one of what is in a Nia Routine Teacher Training package. When a Nia Teacher receives a “Nia Routine” there is a CD and a DVD. We used to receive a pamphlet within the package, but now we have to print those out ourselves if we want a hard copy. But basically a training routine package is CD, DVD, and pamphlet.
The CD and DVD are in a cardboard holder, one side has the list of songs with the 8BC and the time shown. The other side has the Focus and Intent that the routine was created with. The back of the holder states the name of the routine and the creator, along with a paragraph about Nia Technique’s thoughts on routines.
The CD is a typical music CD. It has music on it. But as a Nia Teacher or student you know there is nothing really typical about Nia routine music. 🙂 The songs play one after the other with no pause unless the song itself has a pause before the music begins or after the song ends. Or I guess the engineer putting the CD together could put a pause in.
The DVD consists of five sections: the Focus, Move the Move, Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the Music. The “Focus” portion of the DVD is the creator (or one of them) talking about the focus and the intent of the routine. Often times they explain a bit about how the focus relates to the choreography. For example if the focus is “Steps and Stances” it might be mentioned that there are a lot of opportunities in the routine to experience all six stances.
“Move the Move” is the routine filmed almost as if you were taking a class. Sometimes they change the camera angle, but it is still basically as if you are taking a class.* The music is playing and the teacher is teaching. *There is one routine I have in which it was filmed with the class FACING the camera the entire time. I do not care for that at all. I like it when the camera is BEHIND the teacher with the mirror in the shot and it is as if I am standing behind the teacher taking a Nia class. I don’t know if there are other routines in addition to Birth that is filmed with the teachers and the class facing the camera, but I will inquire before I purchase additional routines.
Often times in addition to the teacher demonstrating different LEVELS of a move, they will demonstrate a lot of different moves that CAN be done while doing the routine. I always have to remind myself that just because they are showing us multiple ways to do the move or multiple ways in general to move to the music it does not mean I need to put them all into the routine when I am leading it. They are just showing examples as to what can be done. I find it very funny that a lot of the times Carlos was not even doing what he explained the choreography to be. To me, he often just let his spirit go and he danced to the music that he clearly loved. In his spirit dance he was able to show a lot of different things that could be done to the music.
As you can see this post is a bit long in itself. I have only touched upon two of the sections included on the training DVD. So stayed tuned for part two where I give a brief summary of the sections: Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the Music.
Do you like to take lead follow exercise workout classes where the teacher is facing you? Or would you rather have the teacher’s back to you?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: "Steps and Stances", 8BC, Birth Nia Routine, Carlos AyaRosas, Energize the Move, exercise classes, exercise workout, focus and intent, Nia CD, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia continued education, Nia Music, Nia routines, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia Technique, Nia training, Nia workout, Routine DVD, workout classes | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 25, 2013
So I am not always a big fan of salsa. I am not always feeling the love for tomatoes and I am NEVER feeling the love for the hot spicy of most salsa. Most of the time I will just “wet” my chip in the salsa. Since tomatoes aren’t something I really like I don’t usually like Pico De Gallo. Recently I saw a pico de gallo recipe with cucumbers in it. Yes, I know there are a lot of different types of salsa and chunky “salsas”. You can make what people call salsa out of anything now a days, just like you can make “aioli” out of anything even though aioli is “traditional sauce made of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and egg yolks” and salsa and pico de gallo are traditionally made with tomatoes. This was a tomato pico de gallo but it has cucumbers in it. I thought that would be cool. I saved the recipe with a plan to make it later.
Then one day, the day I was detoured by that little produce store on my way home from Nia Class in San Jose, where I bought my broccoli, I bought some tomatoes too. I was thinking I would make that pico de gallo. I knew I had cucumber and cilantro. Well, as sometimes happens, I didn’t get around to making it right away. I ended up using the cucumber I had for salads.
Of course, by the time I got some cucumber and decided to make the pico de gallo my cilantro was a bag of mush. That stuff goes fast and it was the bottom shelf so I hadn’t seen how bad off it was. So I ended up not having cilantro. But I had fennel. I thought I could try a “pico de gallo” with fennel tops. Not a traditional pico de gallo anyway because it has cucumbers in it.
Since it was not going to have any cilantro and fennel is not very strong I put in a lot of onions! A LOT. For me . . . too many. I think it made it too hot. But my husband liked it. The original recipe can be found here.
I made it like this:
________________________________________________
Pico de Gallo/Salsa Fresca
2 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
4 T finely chopped cucumber
2 T fresh fennel tops
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Squeeze of 1/2 fresh lemon
I pressed the garlic in a garlic press, then combined all the ingredients. I let it chill for a few hours.
________________________________________________
My husband liked it. But he is really easy to cook for because he likes pretty much everything. But he said it was good. I think the onions carried it. I am not sure the fennel was strong enough to add that much of a flavor. But I know it was very different than pico de gallo with cilantro.
The next day there was some left over and I added avocados to it. I didn’t even taste it because I don’t like guacamole, but my hubby enjoyed it.
I might actually try this again with the actual fennel BULB! I really like fennel! And I LOVE the idea of cucumbers in pico de gallo!
***(Added June 19, 2013) According to Wiki: “In Mexican cuisine, pico de gallo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpiko ðe ˈɣaʎo], literally rooster’s beak), also called salsa fresca”***
What do you put in you pico de gallo? Do you make chunky salsa?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: broccoli, chips and salsa, chunky salsa, cilantro, Cucumbers And Fennel, fennel bulb, garlic, Nia, Nia class, Nia San Jose, pico de gallo, Rooster's Beak, Salsa, San Jose Nia, Tomatoes | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 18, 2013
When I go grocery shopping I like to have a list otherwise, I spend too much! Too much time walking up and down the aisles and too much money. What happens is I see something and get an idea then have to run around the store to get all the ingredients. With the running around the store I end up seeing other things and it just snowballs into way too much! Yet having a list equates to not always seeing the new products that come out. And there are ALWAYS new things coming out. One day after my Tuesday morning Nia class, I was in the store and I was looking for a spice so I was on the spice aisle and I saw these packages. These could not be new to the market but they are new to me! I really think this is a cool idea! These packages contain all the spices you need for a particular recipe and yes, of course, the recipe is on the back.
I showed my husband the picture and he said it was all a marketing ploy. Well, DUH! Of course! These packages are probably really expensive if you were to use them all the time to make the same recipe over and over. But they are BRILLIANT. I love this idea. I mean, sometimes I want to make something but I don’t want to invest in an entire bottle of the spice I don’t have that I need to make the recipe. And this is the perfect way to try it out. I can buy the package and then if I like the recipe then I can buy all the spices that I actually need to have on hand when I want to make the recipe again. And, of course, you can make any changes to the recipe after you try the original recipe.
It is difficult to tell, but you may have noticed in the background of the photos, there are several different packages for different recipes.
As I said, I know food manufacturers come up with new stuff all the time, but I thought this was really cool. I think it can be really helpful to people. There are so many reasons. You could just be in a rush and you don’t want to have to measure out all the spices or as I said before you don’t have that ONE spice you need to complete the recipe. Maybe you are a new cook and just need a little help.
Plus the recipes look really easy.
I imagine there are many of you making faces and saying, “Oh, I would just use FRESH garlic, onions, oregano, and cilantro.” I get that. But again, there are a lot of reasons a lot of people could benefit from this nifty little package.
I know a lot of people who could just use this as a starting point. They often share that they want to learn how to cook . . . this is a great start.
Ok, I am not often impressed by our food industry, but this I like. It is not like a package of all the spices mixed together. I think of this more as an educational tool, a starting point, a little push to get people started cooking and making their own food.
What do you think? Have you seen these spice/recipe packages?
Posted in Food | Tagged: educational tool, grocery shopping list, marketing ploy, Nia, Nia class, pre-measured spices, quick recipes, recipe card, recipe packages, recipes, spice packages, spices, Tuesday morning Nia | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 11, 2013
We have energy running through our bodies. I mean literally we have electric currents in our bodies. Some people believe there are specific points where these energies converge and concentrate. The points, called Chakras, “correspond to vital points in the physical body i.e. major plexusaes of arteries, veins and nerves.” (According to Wiki.) Energy flows through our bodies and often with the belief of these energy points or chakras there is the belief that they can be blocked or imbalanced. With the belief that the flow of energy can be blocked or chakras out of balance there are beliefs that they (the chakras) can be cleared or put back in balance. I believe that there are at least as many beliefs of ways to open the chakras as there are the cultures believe in this type of thing. There are exercises one can do to get energy moving again. There are meditations one can do. I wrote a post about sounds one can make to help heal and open the chakras, you can see that post by clicking here. Another way to deal with imbalances is with essential oils.
There are many ways this treatment can be done. The one noted below can be done on oneself, it is an adaptation of the one in the doTERRA Spa Manual. The oils used in this treatment are blends from doTERRA, but there are single oils that can be used in association with each chakra. That will be my next post.
I feel steps one and two are optional when performing this therapy on oneself. You might not feel the need to find out which areas are blocked and may not be concerned with vulnerability since the treatment you are about to do will help with that. The same goes with step four.
Chakra Balancing with doTERRA Essential Oil Blends
60 minutes
Create chakra balance by applying specific oils to assist and support spiritual development and awakening of the chakra energies.
Step 1: Start by lying face up. Check your chakras by using a pendant over each of the 7 chakras. Look for movement of the pendant:
Clockwise circles = an open, balanced chakra
Counter clockwise or oblong circles = imbalance
No movement = blocked
Step 2: Apply OnGuard on the crown for protection, as you are creating some vulnerability by working on chakras.
Step 3: (To avoid mixing the oils use a different finger with each oil application.) Apply oil directly to chakras in clockwise motion. For the Root chakra apply the oil to the feet.
1. Crown (#7): apply Elevation
2. Third Eye (#6): apply Serenity
3. Throat (#5): apply Whisper
4. Heart (#4): apply Breathe
5. Solar Plexus (#3): apply Digestzen
6. Sacral (#2): apply Citrus Bliss
7. Root (#1): apply Balance
Step 4: Check the chakras. If they are not in balance, apply Purify to the chakra that did not clear, then apply the oil for that chakra again. Repeat until chakra clears or consider other options, such as discussing the emotions or relationships associated with that chakra or doing the exercise associated with that chakra.
Finish by sitting cross legged and just hold your feet and close your eyes until you feel ready to move into your day/evening/night.
This might be something that could help you if you are interested. I am interested in chakras and essential oils. I hadn’t really thought of them together until one day when Marlies came to one of my Nia Classes. After class several of us were discussing essential oils and chakra balancing came up. She sent a copy of this treatment to me and I immediately asked for permission to share it on my blog. I thought it would be something of interest to my readers.
As I stated the oil mentioned in the above are blends from doTERRA. But a little bit of research on the internet and I found several sites that had lists of oils associated with the different chakras. I am sure you could order the blends or the individual oils from Marlies. I am preparing a list of individual essential oils associated with each chakra for my next post.
When Marlies attended my Nia class she brought me a sample of Elevation. She also gave me another sample but I don’t think it is a blend. I love the way Elevation smells. I have the little bottle in my living room and I pick it up and sniff at it all the time. It is such a lovely scent. If I had a diffuser I would definitely enjoy having that aroma fill my home. Other than that, I have not yet tried these other blends.
Well? What are your thoughts? Do you have any thoughts on chakras? What about balancing them with essential oils?
Posted in Chakras, Essential Oils | Tagged: blocked chakras, chakra balancing, chakra treatment, chakras, doTERRA, Elevation, essential oil treatment, essential oils, Nia, Nia class, seven chakras | 9 Comments »
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