I’m sitting in the airport reflecting that it has been over 35 years since I taught my first dance class, and 14 years of those teaching Nia. I continue to be fascinated and awed when introducing Nia to a new community. The beginner’s eyes, mind, heart and spirit that are open to change, discovery, mystery and transformation. I am humbled at the healing power of this work, and how much our body has to teach us.
Our body is filled with ancient wisdom waiting to be revealed.
Returning to Oklahoma City, the city of my birth, introducing Nia to a new community with fellow trainers Joanie Brooks and Shannon Mairs, and getting to dance with my beautiful daughter Louisa, has been humbling and gratifying. We focused our weekend on the sensations in our body that keep us healthy and vital. It was fantastic fun… and we will focus on them this week in my classes…
FAMSS… an acronym we use in Nia to describe the five sensations of functional fitness and how they move energetically in the body.
Using your hands, open them as wide as they can go with web spaces… moving energy out…sensing Flexibility.
Now open and close them, catching flies, or dreams… energy that starts and stops.. Agility in action.
Spreading Your Light… How You Affect Others Daily
As the pace and fullness of modern life serve to isolate us from one another, the contact we do share becomes vastly more significant. We unconsciously absorb each other’s energy, adopting the temperament of those with whom we share close quarters, and find ourselves changed after the briefest encounters. Everything we do or say has the potential to affect not only the individuals we live, work, and play with but also those we’ve just met. Though we may never know the impact we have had or the scope of our influence, accepting and understanding that our attitudes and choices will affect others can help us remember to conduct ourselves with grace at all times. When we seek always to be friendly, helpful, and responsive, we effortlessly create an atmosphere around ourselves that is both uplifting and inspiring.
Most people rarely give thought to the effect they have had or will have on others. When we take a few moments to contemplate how our individual modes of being affect the people we spend time with each day, we come one step closer to seeing ourselves through the eyes of others. By asking ourselves whether those we encounter walk away feeling appreciated, respected, and liked, we can heighten our awareness of the effect we ultimately have. Something as simple as a smile given freely can temporarily brighten a person’s entire world. Our value-driven conduct may inspire others to consider whether their own lives are reflective of their values. A word of advice can help others see life in an entirely new fashion. And small gestures of kindness can even prove to those embittered by the world that goodness still exists. By simply being ourselves, we influence other’s lives in both subtle and life-altering ways.
To ensure that the effect we have is positive, we must strive to stay true to ourselves while realizing that it is the demeanor we project and not the quality of our wondrous inner landscapes that people see. Thus, as we interact with others, how we behave can be as important as who we are. If we project our passion for life, our warmth, and our tolerance in our facial features, voice, and choice of words, every person who enters our circle of influence will leave our presence feeling at peace with themselves and with us. You never know whose life you are affecting, big or small. Try to remember this as you go out into the world each day… Madisyn Taylor
Use what talents you possess; The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best… Henry Van Dyke
Adelle Brownlee Brewer
Owner, The Synergy Studio, San Antonio, TexasNia Black Belt Teacher; White Belt Trainer
Nia Training Faculty
Journey Dance Guide; Professional Fiber Artist
www.thesynergystudio.com
www.nianow.com/adelle
www.journeydance.com