Stress and Fitness

"Your feet are the hands that touch the earth and through your legs they carry the energy of the earth to your whole body. Connect to your foundation, your feet, the hands that touch the earth. Focus on your feet and legs with intent to move in a grounded, functional, and safe way." Pearls (words to trigger your mind and body to get the most out of the focus of Nia moves and your legs and feet): foundation, hands that touch the earth, balance, support, connected, texture, sensation, toes.* Nia Moves: Relevé, Rock Around the Clock, Duck Walk, Squish Walk, Heel Lead, Smile Line ... Read Full Story

Understanding the fundamentals of Nia Dance Fitness, continued... The Thirteen Principles of Nia (a 13 part series) Principle Five, Part 2: Awareness and Dancing Through Life Principle 5 is about living in the present, about having all 5 senses turned on and about paying attention. Last month we addressed the pain half of Awareness this month we look at the pleasure half of the principle. Commentary by Julia Desmond,Certified Nia Instructor Pleasure : a state of gratification, a source of delight or joy The pleasure half of Awareness consists of three parts: Dancing through Life, Living Meditation and Life as Art . Dancing through ... Read Full Story

"We are wired to be fully aware." from the Nia teacher and personal development guide: White Belt Manual The Thirteen Principles of Nia (a 13 part series) Principle Five: Awareness Commentary by Julia Desmond, Certified Nia Instructor Principle 5 is actually consists of two parts. One half is the awareness of pain in the body and the use of stimulation to promote self healing. The second half is the awareness of pleasure that leads us to " Dance Through Life ." This month I will focus on the awareness of pain and our ability to self heal. This principle has been a powerful one ... Read Full Story

You had a bad day You’re taking one down You sing a sad song just to turn it around You say you don’t know You tell me don’t lie You work at a smile and you go for a ride You had a bad day The camera don’t lie You’re coming back down and you really don’t mind You had a bad day Do these lyrics from Daniel Powter’s song, “Bad Day” hit close to home on some days? Did someone play one too many bad April Fools jokes on you yesterday? We’ve all had bad days. It happens. And sometimes the bad things ... Read Full Story

1. Make a conscious effort to go slow. The way you think about your day has a big impact on how stressed you feel. If you roll out of bed with a sense of time urgency, you will feel rushed all day, guaranteed. Deliberately walk, talk, and eat slowly. Force yourself to drive in the slow lane. When you learn to slow down, you will find that your world slows down too - and you’ll experience a lot less stress on a day-to-day basis. 2. Make time for yourself. Add up the time you have each day and then compare it to the amount ... Read Full Story