I have been teaching Nia since 2009. Just now, this year, this month, I decided to send a monthly e-mail. I HAVE sent e-mails in the past, but I have never done it on a schedule. I have never sent an e-mail on a MONTHLY basis. In the past I have sent e-mails when I had an announcement or when I wanted to wish my students a happy holiday or when I felt I needed to remind them of something. But I just decided in the middle of last month that I was going to send a monthly e-mail. It somewhat came about when I wanted to promote the Nia Class and Playshop I am producing in March. It also came about when a group of us were talking about people that we have not seen in a long time. I was asking the group of Nia participants if they saw so-and-so. Because sometimes the people could stop coming to the Nia classes but still attend other classes. The people I was asking about, I was told, had not been seen at other classes either. So then we started talking about being able to contact them. It has been suggested in the past that the venues should give me people’s information. I am not comfortable with third party hand-offs. Of course, no one is under any type of obligation whatsoever to tell me where they are and what they are doing when they stop coming to a class. But I – we, the other students and I would like to let people know that they are missed. So I decided to ask for people’s e-mail address so I could have a way to contact them. The classes for which I rent the studio, I have always requested a e-mail addresses. But requesting them in this type of setting is new for me.
There are a lot of reasons someone might stop attending a class. And honestly, it is not necessarily my business, I don’t need to know why you stopped coming. But I really do have a desire to let you know that we noticed and we miss you. When someone lets me know they are thinking about me, it makes me happy. So I think it would be nice to let someone know that we are still holding class and we miss their energy or style they used to bring.
I asked my students what they wanted to received: monthly e-mails, special e-mails, love notes. They all said, “What are love notes?” And I replied, “E-mails tell you I love you.” Some of them had quizzical looks in response. Some were completely ok with that. I did explain that sometimes I just wanted to say thank you or let them know I was thinking about them. Or sometimes I might inquire as to their status. And I mentioned some of our fellow participants that are no longer here and they nodded. The monthly e-mails are going to consist of announcements, tidbits, and links to my blog posts.
This monthly e-mail format is flexible, it might change. I might not have anything to announce one month so I might use that space as a reminder. The tidbits will be little bits about Nia, exercising, nutrition, a quote, etc. It will be a short e-mail and it will be skimmable. Recipients will be able to skim it quickly. There will be links to information in case you want more.
I am so blessed to have such great students. We have fun.
I am excited about this new thing. I know that many people send out monthly e-mails, I get them. I know this is something I probably should have been doing since the beginning, but I didn’t, I am doing it NOW.
Would you like to receive the monthly e-mail? If so indicate that in the comment. You enter your e-mail address when leaving a comment. So that is the one I will use if you ask to be added. No one else sees that information. Do you receive any e-mails monthly?
I did not intend to write a blog post on all of the 52 Moves in Nia. My intent was to post a few and entice you into buying The Nia Technique Book. It seems as if I just might get to all of Nia’s 52 Moves on my blog. It so happens that sometimes I am at a loss as to what to post, so I turn to a move on the list of 52 Moves. Or sometimes I am intrigued by one the moves because it is in a routine that I am currently dancing with my students. Or I am intrigued by of the moves that it is in a Nia Routine that I danced with another Nia teacher. OR I am intrigued by of the moves even though it is NOT in a Nia Routine – as in, it is not part of the original choreography, but we do it anyway. That is the fun thing about Nia Routines and the 52 Moves. You can kind of put them in anywhere. And, I will say it again, because I think it is important to state that the moves that Nia includes on their list are not unique to Nia. Nia is not claiming to have created them. Also, it is nice to know that you will experience moves in Nia that you have experienced before. The moves are on the lists and included in Nia Routines because there are benefits to doing them. Some of them are so simple the benefits could be overlooked. Some of them might seem odd to have included on a list of moves done in a dance exercise class. But they have benefits. One move that is simple and might seem random to have in an exercise class is Finger Flicks.
Yeah, you read that right, Finger Flicks. Flicking your fingers. This move can be done so many different ways. Fast, slow, high, low, fingers up, fingers down, with an emotion, without an emotion, with the music, against the music, so many possibilities. The benefits of this move include conditioning the muscles of the forearms and hands. If you really use your thumb to resist the fingers the move contracts the forearm muscles and makes your fingers work! The Nia Technique Book states that this move helps rid the hands of tension.
The how-to is simple enough. I bet you know it already. You form a loose fist with your hand, keeping the thumb on the outside of the fingers. Then push with all four fingers against the thumb. Allow your thumb to resist. Then let your fingers push through. Practice this move with your hand at different levels-as in high above your shoulders, at the same level as your shoulder, below your shoulders. Let your arms hang, hold them out . . . in other words flick your fingers all over. Use one hand, then the other, then both. Just flick, flick, flick, flick. Try doing it how I mentioned, fast, slow, high, low, fingers up, fingers down, with an emotion, without an emotion, with the music, against the music, play with the possibilities.
You can practice this move while dancing around your home. You probably do this move without even thinking about it after washing your hands. You could probably check the mirrors above the sink to verify it.
As you may know if you have perused my blog or website, Nia has moves called the 52 Moves of Nia or Nia’s 52 Moves. Moves concentrated and focused on. Generally moves included in all of the routines. Not all the moves are included in all of the routines, but the routines are jam-packed with most of the moves. The moves on the list have physical benefits. Some are fun or silly so they can have mental or spiritual benefits. And in this case I am talking about your spirit or inner child, the part of you that likes to have fun, the part of you that you might not get to display in your regular everyday work life. So not the religious type of spirit but the kind of spirit that you think of when you say or hear “school spirit” or inner child. The fun playful side of you. To me, one of those moves is Claw Hand.
Claw Hand is a great move. It is super easy. It can be done all on its own. You can just stand or sit and do claw hand. You can add it to some foot work. You can add it to some complicated choreography. You can make it soft or hard. You can do it fast or slow. It is very versatile.
You can even make noises when you do it. You can growl like a big cat or a bear. You can meow like a kitty-cat. You can make any noise you want. It is fun stuff.
As I said you can do it standing or sitting and this moves gets done in to all the stances and steps in the Nia Routines. The Nia Technique Book (by Debbie and Carlos Rosas) recommends it be practiced in all the stances and steps. And that is a great idea since we use it with all of them. The routine I am doing now even add it to blocks. We block in with claw hand and we block out with claw hand. Why not?
You can probably figure out what this move is from the description but I tell you what the book says:
“Mimic a claw with your finger and claw the air, as if you were in a cat fight. Keep your wrists relaxed, and sound a cat’s hisses as you do the move. Use both hands.”
The benefits can include strengthening your fingers and hands.
In addition to keeping a relaxed wrist I like to use the claw shape to bring tension into my entire arm. I imagine I am really clawing something. I figure I would need strength to do that so I put my entire arm into it. You can use one had to “claw” and the other hand to feel the muscles in your arm (forearm and upper arm) contract.
The book states that this move can increase your sense of power. When I am doing it with muscles contracted as if I am REALLY clawing something I do have a sense of power. I imagine that is how an animal feels when they wield their claw.
This move allows you to practice bending your fingers too. That helps with the mobility of the joints. I like this move. I like to add sounding to it.
Ok, so stop and try it? What sound do you like to do best with your Claw Hand?
I have said it many, many times, but I am going to say it again. Nia has 52 Moves which we incorporate into the Nia routines. These moves have a specific way to be done. But the way they are done is adjusted, like many things, when you are doing them in a routine. There is or was a debate about one of the moves called the bow stance. The debate is or was about how the weight of the body should be distributed. The reason I am saying “is or was” is because I don’t know if the debate was ever settled. The discussion regarding it — at least one that I had seen — was on Facebook and it was a long discussion. I don’t know what the end result was or what the “official” decree is because to me, I want to teach balance, so if I am JUST doing a bow stance then I would instruct people to have their weight evenly distributed. Usually I am not doing JUST a bow stance. If I am showing people the bow stance it is because it is in the routine and there are other steps prior to or after it and with other moves on either side the weight gets distributed according to the need. So, in other words, we adjust the move to fit the dance and choreography. So that is what my class and I are experiencing right now with the Nia 52 Move called Rock Around the Clock.
If you read my original post about it, the one that explains what it is, the instructions state to start the rock on the heels. But in the routine I am leading my class through currently we start the rock on the toes. Then we roll (or rock) to either the left or the right. We actually go both ways and like many things, the different “sides” or directions are very different in regards to sensation and difficulty level. One side is easier than the other . . . at least that is the consensus with my students. So it is very beneficial to practice “rocking” both ways.
With this post I am doing two things; 1) I am reminding you to practice moves going both directions. Just like we do both sides. If we are doing a move with the left side we do it with the right. We – trainers – often say to keep the body even and it really is to work both sides of the body AND the brain! 2) Share with you a different or additional WAY to practice Rocking Around the Clock.
My original post says something about this being an example of an easy move. It is not necessarily “easy”, what I probably should have said was the Rock Around the Clock was not a high intensity move. So for those that are really starting out learning this move you might even want to sit down and do it. Since feet are in shoes for a large part of the day and those shoes might not allow for a lot of ankle mobility, it could be that your ankles just don’t want to move in the way that is required with this move. So it is a great idea to sit down and allow the ankles to loosen up.
For me, my feet want move opposite of each other. So each foot wants to be on the opposite edge, so training my feet and my brain to be on the same edge it interesting. Sitting in a chair while doing this move allows my feet and brain to understand that this move is “same edge”. Once you get your feet and brain on the same page, then you can stand up. (FYI: Sitting and practicing this move is very different from trying to take pictures of your feet while sitting and practicing this move. But hopefully you will get the idea from the pictures even though they are not very good.)
When you are standing you can use something to hold onto like a counter, table, chair, wall, something that is sturdy and can assist you in balancing. Having something to steady you while your feet get used to supporting your weight on the edges is nice. The support also allows you to really exaggerate your foot movements to help get the movement into your muscle memory.
This move helps build strength in the ankles and the feet. This is also a very “mental move”. It is one of those moves you might have to really think about in order to do it correctly. Then, with practice, it will become one of those moves you can do without thinking so much about. And your feet and ankles will benefit greatly.
So have you tried it? Can you do it sitting down? Can you do it standing up? Can you see how it is an interesting move?
Years back I created policies for the classes I teach. There are always different people and different circumstances, so it is important to have polices in place. So, I had these policies in place, but, like I said – people, circumstances – so once when I encountered “people – circumstances” I allowed something against my policy. Then I was upset. I thought about it for days. I was sad, I was mad, I was annoyed. I was upset. I was upset that this person asked me to break my policy. I was upset that I allowed it. I was upset that I took time to think long and hard about my policies and that I took the time, the effort, and the money to print and post disclosure of said polices. I was upset because when someone attends my Nia class at the studio I rent they sign a sign-in sheet stating they agree to the policies. I was upset that I felt unfair to everyone else that complies to the policy and doesn’t even ask to break the policy. I was so grumpy. I resented the entire situation — FOR DAYS! Then I realized, I let it happen. In trying to be nice and allowing the person to break my policy I ended up being REALLY upset. I created something I didn’t enforce. When I do something nice I love the feeling it gives me. I feel nice. I feel as if I am spreading joy. And this nice thing I did, did not make me feel nice. It made me feel stupid. I put all this effort into polices and then I just disregarded them. I learned my lesson. There are polices for a reason. Recently I enforced my polices and I found myself wanting validation. So in sharing my story with a friend she told me, “Don’t resent what you allow.”
See? That is what I figured out long ago. I was so resentful that I allowed a break in policy. I realized that in order to not be resentful I have to stick to my policy. So when I shared with a friend the fact that I just stuck to my polices because I hadn’t once before then I was upset, she said it in this succinct way and told me the story of how she learned it and who told her. She said her friend had told her this when she was having an issue with something she allowed to happen.
Obviously you CAN resent something you allow, but the idea is to avoid that. If you are going to resent it, don’t allow it. So even though I didn’t say it that way, I learned it. I was visiting with a different friend today and we happened upon this same subject. We shared some stories. I was not certain about posting this but then when the subject came up again today, on the day I need to post, I decided it was serendipity.
One huge part in helping me stick to my policies is fairness. If one person asks for an exception and I allow it, then when that same situation happens with someone else in order to be fair I would need to pass on the same exception. But that is not a wise business practice. Policies are made for a reason. In the case of class passes there are multiple reasons. When a class pass is purchased in advance it helps the teacher with business expenses, like licensing, insurance, and rental fees. But first and foremost is it supposed to help motivate the student to attend class. The idea is “you already paid for it, you might as well go to class.” It is encouragement to stick to your fitness routine. So often times, having the policies broken cheats you, too. Because why do you need to go to class to use the pass before it will expire if you know that the expiration will just be extended?
When policies are in place and they are clearly disclosed everyone feels better because they know what is expected.
So that is my story with “Don’t resent what you allow.” Even though I learned the saying AFTER I learned the lesson, I still like it.
What about you? Do you know what I am talking about? Do you resent some things you allow? Is there some changes that you could – would like to – make, in order to be less resentful?
Nia Technique comes out with four routines a year. I actually do not know if this is how it has always been or if this is how it has been lately. When I first started teaching Nia there were so many routines – to me – that I didn’t bother to keep track of the new ones when they were released because there was a stock of them I could order from. I do vaguely remember reading some teachers saying on the teacher forums that HQ needed to create some new routines as they hadn’t done any for a while. I remember thinking, “Wow! I can’t imagine having the need for new routines, look at all of them!!!” HQ just released four new routines in December. I think they are considering them 2014 routines, but I think of them as new for the New Year.
It is really great to have new routines to start off the New Year. Facebook is all a buzz about the new routines. I think, I don’t know, but I think some deliveries of the new routines were delayed due to the Holidays. Many Nia teachers are talking on Facebook about waiting by their mailboxes. Everyone is very excited about new routines.
There are four new routines. I only had enough credits for three so, I ordered three out of the four. I could buy the fourth one, but I will just wait until I renew my license. Four routines are included in the licensing renewal fee of $520.00. So when I renew in a few months I can just get the fourth one at that time. I am slow to learn routines so I will have not learned and taught the three I just bought by the time I can order the fourth one.
The new routines have great names: Magic, Beautiful, Dream, Reach. Could be that you Reach for your Beautiful, Magic Dreams. Ha. That is not what Nia HQ says, it is just dawned in me while writing this.
Anyway . . . . it really is exciting. Although, as I mentioned, it takes me a long time to learn a new routine. So I am still learning one that was released in 2013. I will admit to not being able to learn anything new for the first half of the year. It was like my brain just couldn’t concentrate and retain a new routine. I have moved past that now. And I am still current with my quota (we are supposed to learn four a year) so I don’t feel bad.
I do love how so many Nia teachers jump right in and on the new routines. Some Nia teachers have been teaching Nia since in the ’80’s so they have done ALL the routines there ever were and more so they really NEED the new stuff. I have only been teaching Nia since 2009 so there were twenty-six years of routines before I even started Nia. Although, as I said, I don’t think they came out with routines every year so there are not 124 routines to choose from. Especially, since a lot of the old routines are no longer available.
Well, I do hope I will see you in a Nia class in 2015. Come sooner than later!
Do you like to do the same routine for a bit before you move onto another one? Do you like to have a new routine to do every time you step into the class?
I sometimes think life is always trying to teach us lessons. I admit that sometimes I am oblivious to the lessons. But I also think that sometimes I can see them. I also think that sometimes the lessons are a practice. It is not as if I go through life, have something happen, see the thing I am supposed to learn and then – BAM! I got it. Lesson exposed, lesson learned, I’m good. Nope. Sometimes it is a practice. Just like yoga and Nia or learning an instrument. Continuous or multiple exposures helps you learn the art of it. Last month I wrote about “The Art Of Letting Go“, where I went with a friend to an evening event called Paint Nite. The idea is to paint something in two hours being led step-by-step by an artist. My idea was to just let go. To know that my painting was not going to look exactly like the original, but it would look like something. It would bear a resemblance to the one I was taught to paint. I liked it because it was blue. Well, I have been doing things that remind me to concentrate and be in the moment. Yes, I write about this often because it is something I need to be reminded of constantly. I need to live in the moment. I need to concentrate on what I am doing. I need to enjoy what I am doing. I need to fully sense and experience what I am doing.
I think my first post about this was me talking about brushing my teeth. I stated that I brushed my teeth while doing a lot of different things — all the time. I am better now. I used to think that if I brush my teeth while doing something else I could save time, but what ended up happening was that I was concentrating on the other task so much so that I didn’t know if I brushed the upper left side so I would do it again. Then wonder if I brushed the bottom right . . . the point is, I think I ended up brushing a lot longer because I was not concentrating on just brushing my teeth, than if I would have JUST brushed my teeth. I am better at that now. I start to step away from the sink and I remember that I will be done faster if I just get it done than if I go . . . do whatever.
I did another Paint Nite and I really had to concentrate on what I was doing in order to keep up with the artist. It is my opinion that she was going really fast. I couldn’t keep up, so listening and talking and participating in what was going on around me put me WAY behind the instruction. I just had to buckle down and concentrate on what I was doing so that I could listen to what she was saying so that I could do the next step she explained. I was concentrating so hard on what she was saying that I took a swig of paint water. YUP! I was listening to her, I reached behind my canvas, grabbed the cup and brought it to my lips and took a sip. I realized it tasted odd and spit it out – mostly in my cup, partially on my friend. (Thank God, she is so understanding and forgiving.) That was me not paying attention to the cup I was grabbing.
But I like this creation better than my last. I learned so much from my first time, that I was able to do this one better, but I actually had the opposite problem. I wasn’t using enough paint. But I think — still not, sure it was the water I need more of. Regardless, I learned some more and I really like this painting. No, it is lacking the soft lines of the original, but I like it.
One of the other things I am doing that requires one to clear one’s thoughts is archery. I wanted to see what shooting a bow was like. I wanted to use a “regular” bow, but that is not the popular bow to shoot. We were shooting one of those fancy things with what remind me of pulleys on each end. We weren’t even using what they call a “recurve”. Whatever bow you use the target is the target so learning how to get the arrow where you want it to go was the interesting part. Not that my arrow always went where I wanted to go, but I was taught the premise. But the instructor (Mike at Predator’s Archery) really emphasized concentration. He shared his (award winning) techniques regarding targeting and shooting the arrow, but he emphasized again and again how you have to concentrate. And you might be surprised on what you concentrate on, but that is not the point of this post, the point is you have to not think about distracting things. Live in the now and focus on the task at hand.
Focusing and concentrating really goes a long way in getting things done. We are always multitasking because that is just how life is. In most situations you cannot not think about more than one thing, but sometimes just DOING one thing really helps you get it done quick and with focus so that you can move on to the next thing. Things like to have your undivided attention. I will continue to practice focus, concentration, and living in the now even though the world around me as a whole thinks I need to do fifty things at once in order to be productive.
What do you thing? Do you think that less can be more? Do you think sometimes if you just do ONE thing (instead of multitasking) you can get it done faster and better?
I have posted about Nia’s 52 Moves. They are moves that Nia has decided to include in the Nia Routines. They are moves that work the entire body. They exercise the brain and the nervous system. As I have explained before they are not moves unique to Nia. Many dance modalities and exercise modalities incorporate them into their practices. It is somewhat like Bikram Yoga in that they have a set number – 26 Postures – that they move through. The moves are yoga moves, but if you were to practice Bikram Yoga (Hot Yoga) you would know which poses you are going to be doing. That is what Nia has done. They have just gathered 52 Moves and we use them in our Routines. Of course, not ALL moves we do in a Nia Routine are part of Nia’s 52 Moves. We do more than just those 52 movements. Sometimes we do other dance moves. Sometimes the movements we do can be likened to actual dance moves. There is one move that we do that I compare to a Pas de Bourrée. Or more accurately what I learned as the Pas de Bourrée.
Today one of my students asked me what I was saying and I said it so fast and learned it so long ago I never really thought about it. So I decided to look it up and give it a little attention. After class I was thinking about when I first learned it and it was so long ago I don’t even know where I learned it from. It could have been my brief foray into tap and ballet. I am going to assume so. It seems like I don’t know where I learned things like Kick Ball Change, grapevine, Cha-Cha, and the Pas de Bourrée. I am also thinking that I learned it when I was young because I don’t remember ever researching it. Where I think I would be more intimately familiar with the name had I learned it as an adult. But then . . . I really remember also learning it as a “drunken sailor” so . . . I don’t know.
Carlos Aya-Rosas (Nia’s co-founder and the choreographer of the Aya Routine) does not call it a Pas de Bourrée in the routine Aya he actually just puts his feet together then out and that is how he describes it. I instruct it as a Pas de Bourrée. But it is not a Ballet Pas de Bourrée which has one lifting up on ones toes. So that could be why I think of it more as a “drunken sailor”. That visual really helps people do it. Although in some venues that might not be the best of descriptions. It is also like trying to walk on a swaying ship.
So as I said, Carlos, brings his feet together then steps out. When I do it I cross my foot behind, shift my weight and come up a little bit on one foot then step out. It is more of a Jazz Pas de Bourrée than a ballet one. So three steps (Jazz) as compare to four to five steps (Ballet), with no pliés or pointes.
pas de bour·rée (pä d b-r, b-)
n. pl. pas de bourrée
“A small stepping movement, often executed on pointe, in which the dancer either skims smoothly across the floor or transfers the weight from foot to foot three times as a transition into another movement.”
I am grateful for my students who remind me to revisit things I know, in order to refresh or learn something new. It is somewhat like the beginners mind when I go back and revisit something. I know how I learned to do the step, but it is nice to take it further and learn more about it.
Are you familiar with the Pas de Bourrée? Have you taken Ballet?
Nia is a cardio dance exercise . . . . yes, it is much more than that, but that is sometimes where we start. The Nia Technique produces DVDs that teachers use to learn the Nia routines that have been choreographed by the Nia Trainers. The teacher-learning-routines process is similar to many exercise formats that are taught in group exercises classes across the board. Most often the music is adored by my students. They don’t like every song, but I would begin to wonder if they did. Nia uses a large variety and I would think it odd if EVERY SINGLE SONG was liked by every student. Every so often though there is a song that someone asks about. They want to know who sings it. They want to know the words. All of Nia routines are available for purchase as an album*, but sometimes it is just a song. Currently I am teaching a Nia routine with one of those songs.
The song is Shine by Joshua. The lyrics are as follows:
People want freedom in life
People want freedom in life
come seek a, come seek a
People want freedom in life
Verse I
(Shine within)
My sun is blossoming my dreams
aloft amidst the winds and the promises they sing
walking in the stream
lovin’ runs often in my veins
become light
so I breathe softly when it rains
crossing over phases of the moon seas change in a whisper
risen from the chambers inner wisdom
painted with the pigments of a vision(ary)
dancing in the plumage of illuminary
I ruminate the way that newness carries me towards my selfness fragrances in praises form a shelter
waves of vibrations pour over relics saturated in wellness precious moments envelope me so my language is angelic
tell it – like a picture spoken in scripture
listen – to the morning born from hope in the mists of enigmas ocean of rhythms sweet ambrosia of beginnings openness is living
Chorus
People want freedom in life
come seek a
way of living, breathing the light
it’s gonna be the
eve before the dawn song before the rhyme
open up and let your love shine
(love shine)
(repeat)
Verse II
Rays of sun trickle down my throat coated with sounds of growing abound
and hope flutters on a melody telling me to develop these heavenly grounds of mine
*Shine* *Shine*
Soul surfing the divine
nurturing intuitions relearning to visualize the moment’s gift it’s open like an infant’s mind
an intimate design a wish up in the sky wisps by “Spread your wings! Come let your spirit fly!” (fly fly)
Ascending inside levity mending the mind states to befriend a sublime face of a love you always knew and present beside waves of benevolence, rise, bathe and through cleansing your eyes you’ll see:
that love was always you!
flow through the mirror to embrace your destiny it’s beckoning so hold it dearly to your breast and feel the blessings the fibers of your being vibrant reasons to let me be me – free
a love shining to eternity, a love shining to eternity, a love shining to eternity, a love shining to eternity, a love shining to eternity, a love shining to eternity, a love shining to eternity, a love me to . . .
Chorus
Let your light shine, let your light shine Let your dreams shine, let your light shine Let your heart shine Let it all shine, shine, shine Shine now, shine now
(repeat)
Chorus
Heart shine, dreams shine, mind shine
I shine, you shine, we shine… we shine… we shine…
Composed, written, arranged, performed,
produced, and engineered by Joshua Seaman.
I first looked up the words when I heard the part I have in bold. I love that. I hope you enjoy this song. It is a look into some of the music that we dance to in Nia.
What type of music do you like to workout to? Do you have a favorite song that really helps you get your “exercise on”?
We dance Palm Directions all the time in my Nia classes. It is an easy thing to do. Palm Directions is a great move to incorporate into freedance. It is also often one of the moves choreographed into a Nia routine. Palm Directions is one of Nia’s 52 Move.
It might not be something you think about, but the direction the palm is facing affects the shoulder joint. When the palm is facing down (or towards the body) the shoulder joint is closed and when the palm is facing up (or away from the body) the shoulder joint is open. When your arm is straight that is when the shoulder joint gets the open and closed action. Along with the shoulder joint, the entire arm is affected. The arm bones are twisted with the movement of the palm.
It really is as simple as facing your palms in one direction then another. Unlike Webbed Spaces – another move in Nia’s 52 Moves (you can read about it by clicking here) – in Palm Directions the fingers are kept together. If practicing to affect the shoulder joint, lengthen the arm straight out in front of your body or straight down next to your body, then turn the palms up/face them out away from the body to open the shoulder, then turn the palms down/turn them towards your body to close the shoulder joint. You can observe the radius untwisting as it switches places with the ulna. You can sense the movement of your humerus, the upper arm bone.
In addition to opening the shoulder joint, the Nia Technique book reminds us that, “Palm Directions also express emotion. Palms up, for example, is a universal body language indicator of openness.” So it can open things other than the shoulder joint. Changing palm directions also moves the energy around. In Nia classes we move the arms all around the space around us, changing the palm directions, pushing and pulling and mixing up the energy. Also, while we are dancing and our arms are moving around us with the palms facing different directions we vary the speed of our movement. When Varying the speed that are arms are moving and our palms are changing direction allows us to play with agility – one of Nia’s five sensations (click here for more information on that).
This type of movement helps us connect with the space around us. Palm Directions, the Nia Move, also helps with keep the shoulder joint mobile.
This move is also a great move with which Nia participant’s can practice their own body’s way. The body was designed so the humerus rotates in the glenoid fossa or shoulder socket. But life sometimes affects the body so that it cannot move the way it was designed, so all of us have different levels of how much we can move the arm. So while playing with Palm Directions and dancing the arm around the space each individual can do it in their own body’s way. This will allow them to get the work that their body is capable of and needs.
Ready? Straighten your arms then change the direction of the palms. Are you able to sense your arm bones twisting/untwisting? Are you able to sense the action in the shoulder joints? What do you sense when you move your arms around while playing with Palm Directions?
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