I was looking for something to post about today and I thought, “Hmmm . . . . let’s check out the Nia 52 Moves list on my site and see what I have yet to write about.” Much to my HUGE surprise, I have not posted about the shimmy. I am shocked. The shimmy is a very often used move in Nia Routines. . . heck, the shimmy is an often used dance move in many, many, many dances. So I am shocked I have not addressed this before. I think that the shimmy is somewhat misunderstood. I believe, from what I have experienced, that many people think of the shimmy as a chest move. I have sensed great hesitation in many people when it comes to executing the shimmy. It seems as if people might consider it a boob shake. Some women don’t want to do it and neither do some men. I mean, why would either want to shake their breasts in a cardio dance exercise class? To me, thinking it is a frontal shake is a misconception. While, yes, for many people the front DOES shake and move in a shimmy, that is NOT where the concentration of the movement is. The shimmy comes from the shoulder blades/back.
The Nia Technique Book* says: “Vibrate and shake your shoulders, standing upright or moving front and back, as if you are shaking water off.”**
I think that once the focus of the move is taken off of the chest, some people feel more comfortable with the move. It is not primarily moving your chest/breasts/boobs around. It is moving your shoulders and your back. Since our front is connected to the back, then, yes, our chest will move but the movement will be different than if you are purposefully just moving what is on the front side of your body. There are several ways to learn and/or practice the shimmy, here is one. First of all think: “BACK/SHOULDERS” not front of body.
With your thoughts and your intent shifted from the front to the back you can apply the correct motion. One way to start from scratch with this move is to lie down. Lie on your back, then lift one shoulder off the ground. Push your shoulder blade forward, jutting your collarbone out. Then bring that side back to the ground. Then do the other side. Push, jut, back down. Now push the first side again and as you allow the shoulder to come to the earth push the other shoulder forward. Continue to alternate. Only allow one shoulder up at a time. While you are pushing forward keep your shoulders down toward your hips (not down toward the ground). Keep the space between your ears and your shoulders open. So you are not shrugging your shoulders up to your ears, you are pushing them from the BACK to the sky. Do this until you feel you have the sensation in your body that when you sit up you will still have the correct motion. Vary the speed. Play with the size of the movement. Go for smooth and not jerky.
If you are not starting that far back, from scratch, then stand and concentrate on the shoulders going forward and back. Again, keep the shoulders down. This helps me with the forward back motion, otherwise they might start creeping up into that scrunching posture. Eventually you will be able to just move your shoulders forward and back with nice relaxed (down) shoulders. But in the beginning it might be something you have to think about in order to ensure the front back motion and not up and down.
This move is great for isolating the muscles that assist with good posture and balance. It is also a great stress reliever. It is fun to let out sound while you are shimmying. You don’t even have to waver your voice if you are shimmying vigorously enough, the movement causes the waver. FUN stuff!
As mentioned we do the shimmy a lot in our Nia Classes. Since we do it a lot we do it in many different ways . . . fast, slow, by itself, with other moves . . . it is just one of those great moves to throw into the mix.
I see many, many, many people who are challenged by this move. There are many reasons for that. I also see a lot of people’s movement change once they adjust the focus from the front to the back. I see those proverbial light bulbs come on! Shift the focus and let your body move!
When you shimmy, where is your movement focus? Did this post alter your movement focus? Can you shimmy so vigorously that your voice wavers with your movement?
*written by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas / **page 138, The Core
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