Click on the image to watch the video!
Resilience and the Global Video Project
Nia HQ invited Nia movers from all over the world to submit a video recording of themselves moving to the track Can’t Help Myself , featured in the routine Resilience. From more than 180 submissions they created a compilation. Jen, Kerryn, Laurien and I collaborated and submitted a video.
Here’s what they did with all of the submissions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-HB96ujtMQ
(You may catch a microsecond glimpse of us at about 4mins)
Bravo from people all over the world!
What a wonderful and professional compilation!
It shows how Nia is for everyBody!
An expression of joy and resilience!
2021 - The Year of The Metal Ox
At the beginning of each year and just for a bit of fun I enjoy stepping into the world of Chinese Astrology and sometimes Numerology. Generally, I don't give it a great deal of thought during the rest of the year. This year I have, as there seems to be a particular relevance.
In February, I contacted a local Feng Shui practitioner to see if he could assist with the sale of a property that had been on the market for more than 12 months with little interest and no offers. Very basically Feng Shui is about assessing and enhancing the flow of energy, often applied to architecture and land.
While at the property he brought out his very complicated looking Feng Shui wheel and placed it on the ground in the centre of the house. He said lots of interesting things and made suggestions of “cures” that would improve the Feng Shui, and therefore perhaps improve the sale-ability.
One thing he said stood out for me. He said this is the year of the Metal Ox, so we will see an increased number of lung and skin problems. Last year was the year of the Metal Rat, so that began the vulnerability of these organs.
Chinese Five Element Theory – or Wu Xing – is a philosophy used to describe the relationship and interdependence between all things and is used in Feng Shui and Chinese medicine as well as many other practises.
The five elements are: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. In the human body we have tracks of energy flow called meridians, and these are grouped in the elements.
For background reference, in my world of chiropractic, being a Professional Applied Kinesiologist and NeuroEmotional Technique Practitioner, we draw upon information gained in Chinese medicine that has been developed over the past 4000 years and so I am familiar with aspects of the Five Elements as it relates to my work.
Certainly, in the last months in practise I have seen many people with viral and bacterial respiratory infections and consequent ongoing cough. For the record none have tested positive for Covid-19. There seems to be an increased number of skin complaints as well.
What does the Metal element relate to?
As mentioned, the organs that are related are the lungs and the skin. Another metal organ relationship is the large intestine.
For over 1500 years Five Element Theory has clinically validated the link between specific emotions to specific meridians. For the metal element the most common emotions are grief and holding an inflexible opinion or feeling stuck. The “positive” emotion is bravery. The overall theme is of controlling and holding on and of letting go.
There are some other metal characteristics:
- these will be protective: the colour white, anything metal
- this will be aggravating: prolonged lying down, arid environment
- these tastes are favourable: pungent (eg spicy, chilli), umami (savoury, eg broths, meat, mushrooms)
Ideas to navigate this Year of the Metal Ox
Optimising your way through these metal years will be about making choices that bring harmony within the metal element. I've gathered some (non-clinical) ideas that are easy to implement.
How do you look after lungs, skin and large intestine? I like to start with the essentials in order of importance: breath, water and food. Then movement.
At the time of the dreadful Australian fires and heavy smoke in the air at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 I posted “Looking after your lungs” on Facebook. This is still relevant and I've included it again here.
Here are some more ideas:
- wear white clothing
- sleep on white sheets
- let your hair go white/silver and wear metal braces on your teeth (those who have seen me recently may have a giggle here, but I swear my timing to stop dying my hair and let my natural silver hair colour come through, and to have my teeth aligned was not intentional on this and last year being metal years!)
- wear metal jewellery
- (not sure if it's the right time to get piercings or tattoos that will interfere with the skin???)
- make or purchase a metal ornament or sculpture that gives you pleasure and place that somewhere in your space
- start a coin collection
- learn/play a metal instrument
- look at what you are putting on your skin and ask yourself “it is toxic” and “is there is a better choice available?” – fake tans, skin products, perfumes, underarm deodorants – many are highly toxic
- time to have your skin checked for skin cancers. You know you can't see your back yourself, no matter how much yoga you do!
- during your walk in the fresh outdoors take a moment to fill your lungs more fully and visualise the air coming in as brilliantly golden
- due to the background global pandemic and all the things that are out of our control, everything that we have lost or are losing, placing our attention on what we do have and finding that place of acceptance of what is (this is very different to resignation, by the way) will be a wise practise. I can recommend journalling
- lift your sternum a little in a motion of bravery
- be brave and try something new
- place a photo of someone you love in a metal frame that will make you smile and bring joy to your heart whenever you look at it
- what attitudes, believes, thought patterns, expectations can you let go of. You know, the ones that no longer serve you.
There would be endless ideas and I would love to hear of yours.
Are you interested to hear what happened to the property? Within one week after the placement of the Feng Shui “cures” we had interest in the property, and then later a sale!
Thank you for reading all the way to the end! I hope this has been helpful and perhaps useful for you. Fiona xx
Could movement and dance change your world... and the world?
"If only everyone in the world danced Nia,
what a wonderful world that would be!"
New year greetings everyOne!
We have a delightful term ahead. I’m listening to the playlist of the routine that I am learning to share with you this term. While it is typical of Nia to have diverse music with a variety of excellent rhythms and genres, this playlist is particularly gorgeous and has me dancing in my seat, dancing while I’m cooking dinner, dancing while I’m driving, dancing whenever I listen to it actually. I’m so looking forward to sharing it with you in a couple of weeks! I wouldn’t be surprised that at the end of moving to this routine you will leave class feeling like you have been massaged all over.
Could movement and dance change your world... and the world?
Yes, I believe it can. So I continue to dance, and to share the transformative Nia principle we call the Joy of Movement, the felt-sense of life force energy moving through our body.
The body is designed for and meant to move. When you move, your body will allow you more movement. In Nia it starts with moving your body to music, intentionally tuning into and seeking pleasure. You will move better. You will feel better. When you feel better, you greet the people in your life with more love and smiles. When you are aware of sensations in your body and living in the present moment, you take care of yourself, love yourself first and then you can share that love in the world. Movement heals. Movement breathes life. Movement makes you feel alive. Movement can bring positive change. Mindful movement will bring you greater peace in your mind, and conditioning to your body.
If you are just beginning your Nia practice, know that these changes in your mind and body will come... and your spirit will delight! Your whole body will say “thank you”.
I invite everyone to join the "joy of movement" movement!
I hope to see you in class.
with love and light
Fiona ❤️
2020 - The Year of the Voice
After attending the Nia Brown Belt training in 2013, I made a commitment to myself that I would have a personal yearly ‘theme’. Much like the focus and intent that we have during a Nia class. As an example, one year my focus was on the feet, another year it was the hara-heart-head. Once I have a focus, I then set up a daily practise around this and take it through the year. This year I thought it may be interesting to you if I shared my personal journey that led to my focus… “giving it voice” I suppose.
This is the story of how 2020 became the Year of the Voice
I don't really know when it became the Year of the Voice. I guess it was a gradual stacking of many things that had this common theme. Somewhere along the way I had the realisation that there was a commonality and then this is what it became.
During 2019 we received the announcement that Lis Addison would be touring Australia and New Zealand. Lis is an accomplished musician from California and has had a relationship with Nia for a long time. If you attend my classes, you would be familiar with her music and may recall dancing to a routine called Source at the beginning of 2019. The music for Source was written and produced by Lis.
As part of her tour Lis is offering personal growth workshops that incorporate song and dance, liberating that wise voice within and becoming an active listener of this voice. She will be offering her Kinetic Voice (KiVo) and Chakra Dance Training while she is here. This sparked my interest. The full details of her tour are on the Nia Australia website.
Another Australian tour announcement came in. This time by Nia's mother, the Voice of Nia herself, Debbie Rosas. She was, and still is, a leader in mindful movement. The body has a voice. The voice of the body speaks to us in sensation. When listened to, the voice of the body reveals The Body's Way. It guides us to move in holistic and safe ways. I am continually in awe, not only of Debbie's ability to sense and listen to this voice, but then to language it and create an integrated and sophisticated, not to mention fun, physical movement practise around it, is remarkable.
There's nothing sweeter than the voice of your own mother. Sometime around then I happened across a video taken at my son's 4th birthday party in 2003. My mother was still alive at that time and there she was in the video. It had been 12 years since I had heard her voice! Yes, there were tears... of joy and love and deeply held memories.
Meanwhile, my other son was on the Rotary Student Exchange program in Denmark for the whole of 2019 and, while parental contact was encouraged to be limited so the child could immerse themselves where they were, occasionally we spoke and my voice to him was like a healing balm, as his was for me. He described it as being “a beacon of safety”.
Debbie Rosas' voice, in her readings, has become like that to me... a nurturing, healing balm. During Debbie's Aussie tour she will be coming to Canberra! Imagine that, the co-founder of Nia, coming to visit us. She will be here 15-18 October 2020. You will have the opportunity to hear her voice for yourself. Her full program is available on the Nia Australia website as well.
There came another input when I was attracted to some music my son was listening to. This led to the inclusion of The HU's “Horse Head Fiddle Player” in last term's routine. The HU is a Mongolian rock band that uses traditional Mongolian instruments and Mongolian throat singing in their music. I became one of the 25 million YouTube viewers of “Wolf Totem”, and fascinated by throat singing. How do they do that? The resonance possible from this part of our anatomy, and sometimes two notes from the one voice box at the same time! Listening and dancing with this throat activation several times a week over the term cleared a blockage I had held in this area and was accompanied by a memory of being told to “shut up”. Yep, the healing power of Nia through movement and music.
In mid 2019 I met Julianne Bolton, Alexander Technique teacher. As a bit of background, Frederick Alexander (1869–1955), who developed the Alexander Technique, was a Tasmanian Shakespearean actor. He developed recurrent voice loss during his performances. Because there was no medical cause for his voice loss, he examined what he was doing and came to realise that his posture was interfering with his speech. He was able to change his posture and resolve his voice loss problem. Again my attention was taken in the direction of the voice.
It was at the end of the Alexander Technique + Nia Workshop with Julianne, that Maria Stewart approached me and suggested doing a workshop specifically for the voice. Yes, absolutely! You would know Maria if you come to Thursday night's Nia class. She is a highly skilled and experienced drama teacher. She knows about the voice. Plans for the workshop are underway and will be on the Saturday, 28th March 2020. I will be creating the event and a link to this soon.
On a wider scale, I have been impressed and also fascinated by the rising voice of Greta Thunberg. One young voice has the influence to activate the collective! The voice of the planet has been shouting out loud for a long time, as demonstrated locally by our recent weather extremes - smoke, fires, hail, dust storms, record high temperatures, big winds, drought. Time to speak up and time to listen! I would love to write another blog on our collective dysfunction and taking ownership around climate change! Later.
And that is how I came to choose the theme of the Year of the Voice! Here we go.... let the ROARing 2020s begin.
PS I have been invited to join in with a Sea Shanty singing group!
A Huge Thank You to Everyone Who Contributed to the Success of Dance 4 Dignity 2019
Happy and relaxed after the Deakin class, Saturday 1st June 2019
♥♥♥ WE RAISED OVER $1000.00 ♥♥♥
A special huge thank you to:
the dancer~donators
the donators who didn’t dance
Leah House (Amy’s cousin) who welcomed to country on Sunday
the organisers and co-ordinators - Share the Dignity and Nia Australia
Forrest Chiropractic and Tuggeranong Community Centre, who gifted the use of the venues
the teachers… Amy, Jen, me and Kerryn:
Amy, Jen, Fiona and Kerryn :)
The beautiful ladies at Tuggeranong Community Centre, Sunday 2nd June 2019
This is our wonderful Nia community in Canberra.
Together we made a difference and had fun in the process!
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members”
Activating the “Third Eye"
During Term 3 our focus has been on the chakra system, starting at the base and working up to the crown. This week our focus has been on the 6th chakra or “Third Eye", which is physically related to the pineal gland, pituitary gland, nervous system, brain, eyes, ears. Several people have commented on how much they have enjoyed this focus in class and found my recent newsletter very interesting, so I thought I would share here.
The pineal gland is fascinating! Throughout history and in almost every culture around the world a great deal of attention has been given to the pineal gland, which is symbolically represented as a pinecone, because it looks like one. Once you “get your eye in” (pun intended) it shows up in so many places, including the Vatican flag. Seventeenth century philosopher and scientist, René Descartes, dedicated a lot of his time to the study of the pineal gland, which he called the “principal seat of the soul”. He said it was the link between the physical and spiritual world. Many other traditions throughout the world credit experiences, such as spontaneous spiritual experiences, out of body experiences, and ‘flow’ states (that state of joy, creativity and total involvement, where everything else seems to disappear, including time, and where there is an exhilarating feeling of transcendence) to this little gland.
In terms of physiology, this tiny gland sits in the geometric centre of our brain and is intimately linked to our body’s perception of light. Interestingly, it contains rods and cones, just like our eyes, to receive light. Through the production of biochemicals, melatonin and serotonin, it regulates our daily and seasonal circadium rhythms, our sleep-wake patterns, that then determine our hormone levels, stress levels, and physical performance. What a great focus for this trans-seasonal time as we are receiving more light moving out of winter and into spring. Worthy of mention, serotonin is also a relaxation, pleasure, learning and memory biochemical. I’ll have more of that little molecule, thanks! Another interesting fact... the pineal gland receives a higher percentage of blood flow than any other organ of the body except the kidneys.
Also worthy of note… while I was at university studying anatomy and physiology, a fellow student presented his research findings on the inhibitive affect of wearing sunglasses on the pineal gland function, specifically on the production of melatonin.
How you sleep, think and feel every day depends on your pineal gland!
We can powerfully activate the 6th chakra (and pineal gland) on the dance floor through movement - by focusing on head and eye movements (one of Nia’s 52 moves), using repetitive twisting and turning moves, activating the brow through touch (also one of Nia’s 52 moves), and yoga poses. Let’s do it!
7 Things I Know For Sure About Your Nia Practice
Christina Mae Wolf, Black Belt Nia teacher and owner of Embody Movement Studio and Lifestyle Boutique in Centralia, Washington, US, published the following insightful wisdoms (very slightly adapted) so beautifully in her article ‘7 things I know for sure about your Yoga or Nia practice’ published on FB in June 2018.
If you maintain a regular consistent practice long enough, you are pretty much guaranteed to, at some point, experience the following:
1. You will fart in class. 💨 I promise... no matter how much you try to hold it in or swear to never eat beans before class... at some point, despite your best efforts, you will let one fly in class. Don’t sweat it. Allow yourself a brief moment of embarrassment and move on. You’re human... in a body... after all. It happens.
2. You will fall, stumble, trip, lose your balance, or otherwise “screw up” in class. 😜 Here’s the thing... it’s not “screwing up” at all. If you’re trying new things and working to grow your strength, flexibility, balance and agility, you’re likely not going to get it perfect the first time (or even the second, third or fourth). Sometimes you might just be having an off day. Oh well. This is part of the practice. Take a deep breath and try again.
3. Your teacher or a fellow student (or both) will hurt your feelings or royally piss you off. 😢😡 Yep... it’s not always all rainbows and butterflies on the dance floor. In the class experience, you’re sharing deep, intimate space with others who are walking alongside you on the path and you are allowing yourself to be guided by someone you (hopefully) respect and trust. As in any deep intimate relationship, feelings get hurt, words are misunderstood, someone’s habits or voice gets on your nerves. It’s part of the process. In Nia we bump up against ourselves as we bump up against our practice partners or teachers. The key to entering a serious, lasting practice is to see all of these moments as an opportunity to be curious about yourself and deepen your understanding of yourself and others.
4. An illness or injury - acute or chronic - will tempt you to give up your practice entirely. I get it... when your body does not cooperate in the way you want it to or pain becomes a limiting factor it can be extremely disheartening and disappointing. The first response is often to throw in the towel. “If I can’t do it 100%, I’m not going to do it at all.” There are some practices where that conclusion would be warranted - but Nia is not one of them. In fact, the right Nia class can actually help you heal or recover much more quickly when entered in to with the right strategy, tools and mindset.
5. You will become bored, disenchanted, disillusioned or disappointed with your practice and/or the organizations or community associated with it. 😕 Here’s the truth... I do not know one person with a long-time practice who hasn’t experienced this at some point. As in any long-term relationship, there will come a time when the new blush of twitterpation and infatuation with your new discovery and “how AMAZING” you feel will wear off. Pretty soon that new shiny feeling will start to feel like your usual routine and can progress to feeling confining and cause downright resentment. Again... another choice point in relationship. You can: a.) go in search of the next shiny new thing. b.) abandon any type of practice entirely... or c.) use it as an opportunity to listen deeply to yourself and your body and go deeper. Make tweaks and changes as necessary to honour your deep truth but stay IN it and progress forward to the next level and depth of your practice.
6. You will you enter a season of life that is busy and hectic and will threaten to derail your practice entirely. Maybe it’s a family wedding👰 ... or a new baby 👶🏼 ... or graduation 🎓 ... or school... or kids sports schedule ⚽️ ... or holiday. Life happens and we’re all busy. There are natural ebbs and flows where something else must be priority in the short or long term. And yet... life will always be busy. The invitation is to find a way to stay in your practice even in the midst of the chaos. This is when you can call on the practice you’ve cultivated to keep you grounded in the cacophony of life. Maybe it’s 5 minutes of breath once a day... maybe it’s 1 class a week... maybe it’s turning on music and dancing for 15 minutes at home. There is always a way to stay in your practice. I promise.
7. If you’re able to sustain and deepen and stay “in” your practice through these inevitable embarrassments, frustrations, challenges, disappointments or hurts, I promise you will be rewarded in ways you can’t possibly imagine. You will build an inner and outer strength, confidence, balance and beauty beyond anything you’ve known. You will build faith and belief in the power of your SELF. You will experience a deeper relationship WITH and integration OF your body, mind, emotions and spirit - allowing you to more gracefully and skillfully navigate all aspects of life. The strength, fortitude and depth of your relationship with yourself, your practice, your peers and your teachers will fortify all other relationships in your life. And you will marvel at the continuing unfolding, growth and evolution of your body, mind and spirit on this never-ending journey of health and wholeness. 😁🙌✨
One of my greatest joys is witnessing the profound transformation of those who keep saying “yes” to this life-changing journey. One of my deepest heartbreaks is seeing people get derailed from fulfilling the longings of their bodies and souls by one of these simple and predictable bumps along this well-traveled road.
If you’re in it... stay in it. If you need help navigating these twists and turns, reach out. There’s a whole community of people (including me) who have walked this road before you. You’re not alone. ❤️
P.S. if you have made it through the gauntlet of all 7 of these and are still firmly rooted in your practice, congratulations! Seriously! You’re DOING it!! 🙏👍
Gratitude
My deepest gratitude, Debbie Rosas, for your continued commitment to the excellence and integrity of this work. I will be forever grateful for how you have impacted my life and the lives of so many others all over the world!
