There are six stances in the 52 Moves of Nia. Closed Stance, Open Stance, “A” Stance,Riding (Sumo) Stance, Bow Stance, and the Cat Stance. Each stance has a sound associated with it for practice. There are benefits to doing each stance. All of them help with balance. With the cat stance the balance is on one foot. The cat stance is a stance in which you stand on one leg, using your whole foot. The leg you are standing on is not rigid, but the knee is soft, as if you were going to pounce. The spine is upright, hips are level, not pointing down nor up. The foot that is off the ground is pressing with the side against the standing leg, the foot relaxed, toes hanging towards the earth. Elbows are bent, relaxed. Either both elbows are at the sides or one slightly forward. The arms and hands are engaged. The cat stance is done on alternating legs. These are the specifics of Nia’s Cat Stance.
There are specific ways to do a stance, the body’s way. But your body’s way is also recognized. So different bodies will do it different ways. Some will do it their own way until the body can adjust to the specifics and some bodies will continue in their own way. For instance some bodies will use the power finger/balance finger hand technique to assist them in standing on one leg. In addition to each body having its own way to do each move sometimes the way the move is done in a routine alters the specifics. The specifics stated above are according to The Nia Technique book, however in the routine Birth, the cat stance in one of the katas consists of hooking the bent leg’s foot around the standing leg. In this particular dance, while we are in the cat stance with our foot hooked around the standing leg, our hands and arms are different from is described in the ideal cat stance stated above. One of our hands “hooks” around our face.
This is often the case. There is a specific way to do each of Nia’s 52 Moves, but each individual has their own body’s way that adjust the specifics AND the specifics are sometimes adjusted according to move in the routine. But it is important to know the specifics and the basics. It is also fun to practice the specifics and the basics.
The basics of the cat stance help with balancing on one leg. This can also be considered a strengthener, the standing leg’s muscles can be strengthened through the practice of supporting all of one’s weight. If this move is being done solely as a practice of the move, then agility can come into play. The practice of walking then stopping and moving quickly into cat stance would allow for the agility. Alternating with a light hop from whole-foot-cat-stance on one leg to the other is an exercise in agility. While this type of movement might also be something we do in a Nia routine it is not always the case. Sometimes we move into cat stance and from there do kicks.
As with all of Nia’s 52 Moves we play with them. All of Nia’s routines consist of playing with movement and music. With the cat stance you have the specific way to do it, then just like a cat you can play as you practice. You can “meow” and use claw hands. The cat stance is a fun way to play with balance and sounding. Practice the specifics then let the animal in you out!
In Nia we use the clock a lot. We don’t actually USE the clock, but we use the idea of a clock face on the ground. When we are moving and dancing we often times refer to the hours on the face of the clock to indicate where to put our feet or move our body. I had mentioned this in my post about Katas. I find that it works well when I am learning the routines. I note the “o’clocks” on my bars. I find it works well when sharing the moves in my Nia classes. And I find that Nia students appreciate having a reference point. It REALLY helps me when there is an actually clock in the room in my line of site. I know that probably sounds silly because the reason we use a clock to assist in the dance is because it is something familiar and constant, but sometimes it just helps to be able to glance up and be able to say, “Step to one o’clock.” I use the clock a lot.
Often times our stepping isn’t exactly on an hour. Often times I feel as if it is BETWEEN the hours, say between one and two, but it is still a great reference point. As with many of our moves in Nia it could be that we are stepping on the foot we have placed at a specific hour or it could be that we are pointing or tapping on the hour. Using the hours of the clock as a reference can help prevent confusion when required to state which foot is being used. Since we are moving to music one does not always have time to state, “Cross your left foot to the right diagonal and stop.” And saying, “Left right diagonal” could be confusing, so it is nice to have a set “direction” by using the hours on a clock. So I can say, “Left at 1:00” and that is even more clear than saying either one of the instructions previously stated. It is clear that the left foot is to cross over and land at 1:00.
Also it seems to even work better than just saying the directional left and right. If I were to say, “Put your left foot out” I have not actually indicated WHERE to put your left foot, but when I say, “Left to 9:00” it is clear where the left foot should go when it goes “out”. Another example is a bow, it could be executed with the leg directly behind or crossed back so again the clock adds a greater level of instruction.
Of course, the participants in a dance exercise class are watching the instructor but giving them verbal instructions allows them to do it in their own body’s way instead of just trying to do it the exact way the teacher’s body is doing it. Some people might have a LARGE clock face on the ground on which they are dancing and other’s might have a smaller one. It all depends on where they leg reaches, but at least they know what direction.
In Nia there are even moves that refer to the clock. Within Nia’s 52 moves we have a “slow clock” and a “fast clock“. So as I said we use the clock or at least the idea of a clock a lot in a Nia class.
Makes Nia sounds easy, huh? It is. And it is fun. Find a class near you nianow.com or check out my Nia class schedule on my website (www.HelpYouWell.com).
I have been slowly learning a new Nia routine. I worked on it this morning then right before dinner I decided to do a few of the katas that I are challenging me. I knew that dinner would be easy because it is FINALLY soup weather in San Jose, California and I made Chinese Dumpling Soup last night and I was just going to add a little more broth. Well, I ended up adding a little more than that. After I first had this soup, which I first mentioned in my Ginger post, I wanted it again. I made it once and I wanted to post about it then because it is so good. But normally I only like to post recipes when I made adjustments so it can be more like my own and not like I am just copying someone else’s recipe, but I really haven’t made any adjustments to this soup. It is so good. This time I did add some mushrooms. Ya know, have you ever had that soup at a Chinese food restaurant with paper-thin mushrooms in it? That is what I was thinking of so I sliced some mushrooms and put them in the original cooking and them more tonight when I added more broth and more spinach. This soup has so many flavors going on it is really a wonderful thing. I am going to make it and eat it without the dumplings (pot stickers). My hubby doesn’t want me to omit the pot stickers, but it is such good soup he will forgive me. I know he will.
Chinese Dumpling Soup
Ingredients
8 cups water
8 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon low sodium chicken bouillon
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar (although you can use sherry, which I am sure I will have to do one day)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
sprinkle of salt
about 1 cup Julienne baby carrots
24 frozen Chinese dumplings
3 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
4 cups bag baby spinach
Directions
Heat the eight cups water, stir in the 8 teaspoons of bouillon. Add the ginger, soy, wine, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the dumplings and cook for about 5 minutes. You might want to adjust the heat up a bit since the frozen dumplings will bring the temperature of the liquid way down.
Add the carrots (I like them crunchy). Turn the heat down a bit and cook for about two minutes.
Then add the spinach, sprinkle the salt in, and add the scallions. Let the spinach wilt, about a minute.
Get your taste buds ready for some super yumminess and serve.
Well, now that I have typed it up, the directions on the site are a bit different than mine, I am sharing with you the way I do it. But basically it is from the Food Network Cookbook and website. I don’t like my carrots really cooked so I add them after the dumplings where the site and the book say to add them before and cook them longer. The site also suggest cooking the soup without the pot stickers and just have them on the side. That is what I am going to do. If my hubby wants them in the soup he can put them in there. The way I cook them added them to the soup would add ANOTHER layer of flavor and probably make it better anyway.
The soup is really, really, really easy and without the dumplings is has to be really low in fat. With the spinach you are getting a good amount of greens. YUM. This soup is really good. One of those foods that has you thinking about it.
Well, the recipe this book came from is from a book I bought for my friend and she has made a few recipes in it for me and they have been really good. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to use cookbooks. What made me get it for her is that there were simple recipes in it (she has kids) and because it shows “additional uses” for some of the ingredients you might not know what to do with. If you buy a can of tomato paste and use two teaspoons, it shows you other recipes in the book that also use tomato paste. I thought that was so cool because I often end up with leftover ingredients. As it turns out I love this book because it has this soup recipe in it and I love this soup.
I hope you will try it and enjoy it too. If you do let me know what you think.
I spent most of the day working on learning another Nia routine. Some songs, as I have shared before, are easier for me to learn than others. This time I am actually I am having some issues with a copule of the katas. Today is the 5th of November. Back in 1605 there was a plan to assassinate the King by blowing up the House of Lords during opening of Parliament. This plot is referred to as “The Gunpowder Plot of 1605” or “Gunpowder Treason Day”. There is a lot of history surrounding this day and it’s celebrations. For some it is somewhat of a “cult classic” type of day. With the movie V for Vendetta leading the way.
The first time I saw the movie I really didn’t get it. I was distracted by the main character and waiting for him to reveal his face. But, being that my husband is the type of person who watches a movie over and over and over, I was able to actually understand the movie. I think it is one of those movies that you need to see a few times to really understand all that is going on. Or you need to be paying close attention the first time you watch it and not be distracted by the mask. There is a lot going on in the movie. I took me several times to understand certain parts. Each time I watched it I understood more. I don’t want to say too much and give any parts away.
I will say that the guy who plays Mr. Smith in the Matrix movies is in it. It also has Natalie Portman and Stephen Fry it in.
There are some very good quotes from the movie, with the speech from the main character leading the way:
“Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. [laughs] Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me “V”.”
And there is:
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
“Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.”
“God is in the rain.”
“Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us, but within that inch, we are free.”
These quotes might give you an idea as to the type of movie it is. It is about a country that got off track due to its people allowing its one and only ruler, the Chancellor, to dictate everything. There is one guy (or Guy . . . ha, ha!) who thinks it should be different and is willing to take a stand. Although, I don’t agree with the WAY he is going about it, I understand why he thinks it is the only way. The movie takes you through the events that transpired to get the country where it is. The path it takes you on is not straight by any means and the way it is revealed is very cleaver. But as I said before, it took me several viewings to get it.
For some reason . . . maybe just because it includes a date in it, my husband and I have always wanted to have a party on the 5th of November. But of course, sometimes the 5th of November is a weekday and having people over is not an option because at the time of the talk of the party it has always included the fact that we have to do it at midnight because that has a significance in the movie too. But this year, the year the 5th falls on a Saturday we have been a bit side-lined. We have friends that are fans of the movie so we are going over there to watch it. Should be fun.
Have you seen the movie? What did you think? Ever thought of having a party on the 5th of November?
Nia routines are choreographed movements to music. Nia’s choreography is pretty. In fact in many cases it is beautiful. Most Nia katas are based on the 52 Nia moves. Steps and moves have been carefully selected to fit with the music, for the most part. There are times when we are invited to just dance without a design. No matter the choreography we are always encouraged to dance in our own way–and that just might not be “pretty” to some people. The body — our bodies — the human body is put together in a specific way. Our parts are connected in a specific way. Movement is allowed and restricted by the way the body is constructed. Some bodies cannot move as was intended. Some bodies might have actual physical limitations that do not allow for soft, fluid, “pretty” movement. For some lifting their arm over their head might cause discomfort. It could be that they are not accustomed to lifting their arm that high so it might not be easy—at first. Some might have tight hamstrings or other muscles so their movement might be less than natural. But Nia is a journey, a practice. Over time the joints will loosen with practice and/or the muscles will become more flexible and be able to move with ease. It could become “pretty” or not. Nia might not be pretty, but it is authentic. It is not a performance. It is how our bodies move. Your body, my body, not the same body so we will move differently and it could be pretty or not. What I might think is pretty you might not. Let it be authentic.
Some bodies have other types of restrictions, could be mental or emotional. It could be, having been taught all her life “ladies” don’t move their hips “like that”, there is an automatic stop placed in her mind so her hips don’t thrust or gyrate. It could be that she thinks that movement is “ugly” so she won’t allow her body to do it. It could be that chipping away at that barrier will take time. And the learning might not be “pretty”. It might be choppy and not happen all at once. It could be that there is an emotion attached to a particular movement. An emotion can act as another type of mental block and not enable or allow the Nia participant to move as the body was designed. And that could, in turn, result in something that isn’t “pretty”. Nia might not be pretty, but it is authentic.
It could also be as previously mentioned — some have an idea of what moves are “pretty” and what moves are not, so for them maybe the “ugly” moves should be kept off of the dance floor, but Nia is not a performance. It is authentic movement of the body.
It could be an arm-raising, hair-whipping, sweat-dripping, face-reddening, body-jiggling, foot-stomping, voice-howling, eyes-crying, heart-softening, spirit-raising, mind-opening, body-moving dance exercise which, to some, just might not be pretty. It is not a show, it is not a performance it is a movement, it is a practice, it is a dance, it is an exercise, it is a workout, it is an experience, it is authentic. It is what you allow your body to do. It is what you want it to be. It is what you sense.
When we allow our bodies to move in an honest way we defer to the body’s intelligence. The body speaks to us, but we need to listen. It will tell us if what we are doing is causing pain so we can tweak the movement and move towards pleasure. Also we can learn which areas of our bodies would benefit from more flexibility or more strength if we listen. All the while, to someone who is expecting a performance this might appear “not pretty”. But to those who have experienced the freedom of listening to the body’s intelligence we see it as beautiful. We know there is a path, there is a journey.
I personally feel that it is beautiful when a participant moves to the music in a way that only s/he can move. Sometimes I might catch a glimpse of one of my Nia students and I have to remind myself that I too need to move according to the sense of the music because otherwise I would stop and watch. It is an amazing wonder to witness a surrender to the music. To some it might not be “pretty”, but it is truly beautiful. So dance your dance. Dance in your body’s way. Don’t judge. Don’t worry about if it is “pretty”. Movement is a glorious and beautiful gift to be enjoyed and not stifled. Let your movements be authentic and don’t worry about those who might think it is not pretty.
I believe that I have mentioned before Nia allows us—even encourages us—to do routines with different focuses. I know I have posted about focuses before. This past week I led my classes in the Nia routine called Sanjana. I believe this is a routine created by Debbie Rosas NKA Debbie Rosas-Stewart. It is an awesome routine (well, yeah . . . its Nia). I decided that I would do one of the nine movement forms per class. I know I have posted about Nia’s Nine Movement Forms before, too. I had used some of the movement forms previously with this routine, so I decided the ones we did this week would be ones I had not paired up with Sanjana. Monday in my San Jose Nia class we did the ideas of Moshe Feldenkrais. For Wednesdays Nia class in San Jose we utilized the energy of Tae Kwon Do. My Los Gatos class on Friday experienced Sanjana with the Modern Dance flair.
I love this about Nia. I love that doing the same routine, but doing it with different energies allows for different movement, different sensations. Each movement form has its own energy, that is how we apply them to a routine and come up with something unique. I chose Feldenkrais for Monday because often times participants are a bit sleepy on Monday mornings. Sometimes we prefer something that moves us but something more along the lines of a stretch or a healing art. It could be that too much was done over the weekend or not enough, so Mondays are a little different. With this conscious movement as our guide we were able to focus on the sensation of the body as we moved. The dance was conscious. We could concentrate on areas that needed attention, either from the over-use during the weekend or lack of use. Whatever the case, the idea is ease. Move with ease into one’s own power and strength. This is a gentle movement form but that does not mean it is not intense. We can still move our bodies to get a great strength and/or cardio workout when playing with the healing arts, but it is with greater awareness.
By the middle of the week, Wednesday’s class was perfect for Martial Arts. Nia students have “recovered” from the weekend so the whole body can be used. We have the strength to utilize the power of the Tae Kwon Do energy. The dance can be precise, by this time of the week. Two days are behind, only three are left (class is in the morning), the desire and focus needed to push on is there. Sanjana has great opportunity for dynamic ease to be exercised. There are katas that allow for the fluid moves of martial arts with dance, kicking, punching, blocking, and striking. In fact the “Exercises” listed in The Nia Technique White Belt Manual* under the Tae Kwon Do craft seems as if they were written expressly for Sanjana.
Friday, unknown to me at the time I planned my dance week, was a great day to do Modern Dance. With the tsunami that hit Japan over the night (Thursday night for us, Japan’s Friday) it was a great time for dance. Modern Dance calls you to express yourself. This movement form is one of imagination. You can be big and/or small, fast and/or slow, a tree, a rock, sand, water, air, even a feeling. People can truly dance whatever they want. So while we are still practicing our stances the feelings put into it are those of the participant. Movements led by me are executed by whatever sense is being experienced. Many people had different issues and feelings to work through. Even if some of those feelings were a celebration with the understanding that life is short and precious so we need to celebrate what we have while we have it. This form is that of balance–both on and off, flexibility, strength, power, drama, emotions . . . whatever fits. It was a great way to let our bodies move while our hearts went out to all that were affected.
Nia is awesome like that. We danced the same routine for all three classes this week. With each class it was different while we paired up the routine with different movement forms. While the movement forms were able supply the energy, the “feel”, the sensation that was required for the day.
(Thoughts and prayers go out to ALL that are/were/and will be affected by the earthquake in Japan on March 12, 2011 and the subsequent tsunami.)
I teach Nia in the San Francisco Bay Area. One thing I am trying to do is increase awareness of Nia and also, at the same time, increase my class sizes. So recently I hosted a Playshop in San Jose at the studio in Willow Glen where I hold my Nia classes. My topic for the Playshop was some of the 52 Moves of Nia. It was a success. I felt good about it, even though I put my students to work.
I had spent a day and a half or so preparing what moves I wanted to go over in the Playshop and what Nia katas from the various Nia routines I wanted to use in the Nia Class. I wanted the class routine to include all the various moves we explored in the Playshop. I spend a couple of days between doing other things reviewing to make certain I was comfortable with my presentation and to make certain I could get through it within the allotted time. So I was confident the Playshop and the Nia Class would go smooth. What I was nervous about was being able to get in and set up.
If you are a teacher of almost anything, you know that here is time needed to set up. Showing up early to set up and be ready to greet your students is not always possible with the time allowed in between workout classes. In exercise class situations sometimes there is NO time in between classes. They are scheduled to end on the hour and start at the same time. So I had scheduled 15 minutes in between, but there was still things that needed to be done and I wasn’t wanting to rush the class before us out.
So I came up with an idea . . . . now, I would bet I am not the only one to come up with this and I bet if I were to do minimum research I would find all the “Planning a workshop” information to tell me exactly this, but I am still going share it.
I realized that I could put my students to work! So I did. Most of the time people are more than willing to help. One of my students showed up really early—before me even. So I knew she was ready to do something. So I set her on one task. Then two of my students who I had been plotting to do this work all along were assigned tasks.
This assigning of tasks can also be connected to my post about “If You want something done right“. Because I had to be willing to “let go” and let my students do the tasks. And I have to say they did them beautifully. I was so proud. I was proud of myself for having thought of having them do it and I was proud of myself that I just let them do it. And I was especially proud that they did it so well. I believe they did better than I could have–it was awesome.
It was a great learning experience for me.
My hubby (thanks, Hubby!) also came to help. With him mopping the floor and some of my students setting up the room, I was able to concentrate on the participants coming in that needed to sign waivers and get settled. All of this allowed us to start on time . . . which allowed us to end on time — for the Playshop at least. The Nia routine I put together was a little longer than an hour so we went over on that. But all-in-all it was my students that allowed me to have a successful Playshop.
So today (July 31, 2010) was the Nia Jam and it was the third one that I have taught in. Cool. It was awesome. I just have to say, “Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” I know many of you feel this way because I see you post it in blogs, on Facebook, and in tweets. Just “Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” When you are with people doing what you love and they are doing it too! The Nia Jam was so beautiful and awesome. There were teachers from all over and we just danced—-and our students let us and they followed along. It was magical.
One of the creators of Nia is retiring at the end of this year. I must admit that I don’t really believe it (yes, probably denial). I mean, I believe he is leaving and I understand that, but I don’t believe that he will not be pulled back—by his own heart—into being involved somehow. I can understand that he is ready to move away from the day-to-day and all that it must involve, but I have hope that he will be doing it somehow. I picture him teaching in the city to which he is moving. I guess I will see.
The focus of the Nia Jam today was a celebration of Carlos AyaRosas. We did a jam using katas from his routines. Our intent was a thank you and a gathering of “Carlos” energy. I felt that we did a great job. I felt that our hearts were alive with gratitude for the dances he has created for us and for Nia. I felt there was a lot of “Carlos” energy! I have a feeling that he would have been honored and he would have been proud of us for sharing our love of Nia using his katas.
A Nia Jam is a great way to experience Nia. Teachers gather to co-teach. Once the music starts we just go. There is a trick sometimes to doing the microphone handoff, but it all works out in the end. Today is was joy, it was magic, it was fun, it was Nia. It was exactly what a jam should be. I like to think it is what Carlos had in mind when he created the katas we danced today.
Thank you, my Fabulous Nia Teachers. And thank you, Carlos for all that you have given to Nia.
Here is one song, this is not an example of Carlos’ choeography, because it is a Free Dance. I didn’t want to miss one minute of his dances. I could only bring myself to record a Free Dance. 🙂
In Nia you are your own CPT. In some circles that stands for Certified Personal Trainer. In Nia it stands for Conscious Personal Trainer. You are responsible for your body, its movements, and its health.
If you were to hire me as your Personal Trainer you would complete a Health and Behavior Questionnaire. We would discuss it, along with your health concerns, and your goals. We would work together to create a fitness plan that would help you reach your goals. We would have one-on-one sessions so I could observe, coach, and assist you when necessary.
In a class setting there is no Questionnaire that we discuss. We have not discussed all of the things you want to address and the things you want to work on. We have not discussed your concerns at length. A class setting is different than a one-on-one personal training session. You know your history your goals and how you feel at that moment. It is up to you to set your pace and intensity level for that class.
It is up to you to be your own coach. Be aware of what is going on in your body so that you can make adjustments to your movements. It is up to you to do it in a non-judgmental way. You have all of the information: your fitness goals, your health history, your behavior history, how you feel that moment, you know your own energy level, and the status of your emotions. It is up to you to tune into all of that and to use it to receive the work you need at that moment. Move your body in a way that brings comfort.
Every day might be different, with each kata it could change as I have stated before when talking about the different (Intensity) Levels of Teaching, there are different levels of doing. As you move and you become more aware of how your body moves and what you sense as you move you will be able to tweak it so that you are able to move in comfort, but also reach the goals you have. You will become an experience conscious personal trainer.
There are specific ways to do a stance, the body’s way. But your body’s way is also recognized. So different bodies will do it different ways. Some will do it their own way until the body can adjust to the specifics and some bodies will continue in their own way. For instance some bodies will use the power finger/balance finger hand technique to assist them in standing on one leg. In addition to each body having its own way to do each move sometimes the way the move is done in a routine alters the specifics. The specifics stated above are according to The Nia Technique book, however in the routine Birth, the cat stance in one of the katas consists of hooking the bent leg’s foot around the standing leg. In this particular dance, while we are in the cat stance with our foot hooked around the standing leg, our hands and arms are different from is described in the ideal cat stance stated above. One of our hands “hooks” around our face.
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