Moves #10, 11 and 12:  Heel Lead, Whole Foot, Ball of the Foot

Heel Lead improves the way you walk and nurtures your Base (feet and legs) with every step you take.  It's most everyone's natural way of walking.  No need to pound your heel into the ground!  Just step forward leading with your heel, lifting your toes to shift your body weight fluidly.  Allow your hips to integrate the spine (wag your tail!) and allow your hands and arms to move naturally.  Use Heel Lead for walking freely and expressively.  

As you take a step forward, sensing the heel lead -- stop for a microsecond as you lift your toes. Notice the sensation in both legs.  In the leg that is leading forward, I sense the "dancer's muscle, anatomically known as the "gastrocnemius" muscle, and my achilles tendon activated.  I also sense a definite strength and stability in the other leg. It's so interesting to isolate all of these sensations.  I love Heel Lead -- it's one of the most natural for me of the 52 Moves of the Base.

Whole Foot stimulates sensation in the foot and ankle making it possible to move in agile and safe ways.  Instead of using Heel Lead, walk, step or land on your whole foot. Sense your entire foot as the foundation of your body; this is a great move for feeling grounded.  Be aware of the three points on the bottom of your foot:  the center of your heel, the inner edge of the ball of your foot and the outer edge of your foot.  Each foot has an amazing network of 33 joints, 26 bones, more than 100 ligaments, 19 larger muscles and many smaller muscles AND 7,000 nerve endings.  WOW!!!  

Ball of the Foot improves the ability to move quickly and with more agility. This is such a fun move for me.  When I was younger, and worked in the corporate world, I wore high heels -- oh, come on, let's be serious -- I wore SPIKE heels and I loved them, they made my 5' 3" frame look tall and I felt very graceful.  

I don't wear high heels anymore (let alone spike heels), however, I am able to re-create that sensation of gracefulness by using the "Ball of the Foot" move.  Although it sounds simple, it takes a bit of practicing to press into the ball of the foot and really lift the heel. That's why I love the image of "walking in high heels."  

So go ahead.  Stand as if you were in high heels, keeping the heels off the floor.  Keep your toes relaxed.  Begin to walk around on the balls of your feet.  Using this move can definitely improve posture!!

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Rock Around the Clock - improves agility in your feet and ankles.  Standing with your feet in no wider than Open Stance (hip width), roll around the outside edges of your feet sensing the edges of the back, right, front and left sides.  

Keep the Upper Extremeties loose and knees relaxed as you rock back lifting toes, rock right shifting weight, rock front lifting heels and rock left shifting weight - make this one fluid motion as if balancing and rolling on top of a ball.  Be playful!!  Change directions.

I just did it ... perfectly!  WOW!  That's a treat!  I've never felt very adept at doing this move; however, I've discovered that it helps to follow the instructions for the performing the move! In the past, I've always started with my toes lifted and then rocking around...this never felt very balanced at all.  Now that I've actually read HOW the move starts -- lifting the heels first -- and I've practiced it a number of time...HA!  Easy schmeasy.  

Go ahead, do it!!  Make sure your feet are LESS than hip width apart -- I found that "less" is better for my body.  Lift your heels, then rock around to the right (clockwise) sensing the edges of the your feet -- the toes really just naturally lift as the rocking around continues.  I also found that if I thought about it too much the move became a challenge.  If I just went with the path of least resistance and left my feet doing the rocking around the clock, my body just naturally knew what to do.

Duck Walk - improves flexibility and mobility of the ankles, calves and shins. Standing with your feet no wider than hip width apart, alternately lift and lower the toes and balls of each foot as if you were slapping them in a puddle of water.  Be conscious AND be playful (you can "quack" with each slap in the puddle!).

This move may look and sound easy, but alternately lifting the toes and balls of the feet is a work out!  I like noticing the difference between Squish Walk and Duck Walk and the adaptability my body does to perform each of these moves.  Both of the moves work my abdominals, however, in Duck Walk I find my tendency is to lean forward a bit more. Interesting!

Squish Walk - improves strength and flexibility in the lower leg, foot and ankle which helps you move safely with different speeds and intensities.  Standing with your feet hip width apart (Open Stance), rise up onto the balls of your feet, then sink one foot down into Whole Foot and continue alternately squishing one heel down slowly. Speed up this move as you feel comfortable doing so.

I love Squish Walk.  It can be practiced in Closed, Open, A or Sumo Stances.  It can be practiced at any speed.  I love the sensation of the muscles in the backs of my legs, and articulation of the ankle and my heel raises and lowers.  I also love the image of squishing a lemon under my heel as it comes down -- lemonade is one of my favorite summer drinks! Squish Walk improves balance, posture, range of motion and stability in the feet and ankles.

Have I told you lately how much I love Nia??!!

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Rock Around the Clock - improves agility in your feet and ankles.  Standing with your feet in no wider than Open Stance (hip width), roll around the outside edges of your feet sensing the edges of the back, right, front and left sides.  

Keep the Upper Extremeties loose and knees relaxed as you rock back lifting toes, rock right shifting weight, rock front lifting heels and rock left shifting weight - make this one fluid motion as if balancing and rolling on top of a ball.  Be playful!!  Change directions.

I just did it ... perfectly!  WOW!  That's a treat!  I've never felt very adept at doing this move; however, I've discovered that it helps to follow the instructions for the performing the move! In the past, I've always started with my toes lifted and then rocking around...this never felt very balanced at all.  Now that I've actually read HOW the move starts -- lifting the heels first -- and I've practiced it a number of time...HA!  Easy schmeasy.  

Go ahead, do it!!  Make sure your feet are LESS than hip width apart -- I found that "less" is better for my body.  Lift your heels, then rock around to the right (clockwise) sensing the edges of the your feet -- the toes really just naturally lift as the rocking around continues.  I also found that if I thought about it too much the move became a challenge.  If I just went with the path of least resistance and left my feet doing the rocking around the clock, my body just naturally knew what to do.

Have I told you how much I love Nia?

Duck Walk - improves flexibility and mobility of the ankles, calves and shins. Standing with your feet no wider than hip width apart, alternately lift and lower the toes and balls of each foot as if you were slapping them in a puddle of water.  Be conscious AND be playful (you can "quack" with each slap in the puddle!).

This move may look and sound easy, but alternately lifting the toes and balls of the feet is a work out!  I like noticing the difference between Squish Walk and Duck Walk and the adaptability my body does to perform each of these moves.  Both of the moves work my abdominals, however, in Duck Walk I find my tendency is to lean forward a bit more. Interesting!

Squish Walk - improves strength and flexibility in the lower leg, foot and ankle which helps you move safely with different speeds and intensities.  Standing with your feet hip width apart (Open Stance), rise up onto the balls of your feet, then sink one foot down into Whole Foot and continue alternately squishing one heel down slowly. Speed up this move as you feel comfortable doing so.

I love Squish Walk.  It can be practiced in Closed, Open, A or Sumo Stances.  It can be practiced at any speed.  I love the sensation of the muscles in the backs of my legs, and articulation of the ankle and my heel raises and lowers.  I also love the image of squishing a lemon under my heel as it comes down -- lemonade is one of my favorite summer drinks! Squish Walk improves balance, posture, range of motion and stability in the feet and ankles.

Have I told you lately how much I love Nia??!!

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Cat Stance always surprises me.  In my humble opinion, it is one of the best ways to experience balancing on one leg, while having a ton of fun!  The raised leg can also shake and shimmy like a cat's tail -- that's always a fun one, too!

The ladies in the photo above actually have their knees rarised a bit above the hip.  In Nia's Cat Stance, I like to invite my students (and myself) to keep the raised knee at hip level or below.

I feel all the muscles and bones of the upper body as well as the solid foundation of the supporting leg when I practice Cat Stance.

Meow, baby.

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Katniss from Hunger Games is an archer.  I decided to use Katniss' picture to draw attention to the "Bow" of "Bow Stance".

Bow Stance can be somewhat elusive to new and/or seasoned Nia students.  The elusiveness seems to come from not having a sense of balance due to the back foot's raised heel .  I personally didn't like Bow Stance early on in my Nia practice.

It's now one of my favorite (aren't they all?) Nia moves.  Bow Stance can be practiced from Closed Stance, Open Stance, "A" Stance and Sumo Stance.  

I like to begin in Open Stance -- my feet are hip width apart (remember hip width is measured from the inside hip socket, not the outer fleshy part of the hip).  I step the right foot straight back so that my heel is raised high and the ball of my foot feels like it is sticking to the floor (and image I like to use for balance in this stance).  For additional balance, I slightly turn in my front Whole Foot.  

My range of motion is altered as I use "A" Stance or Sumo Stance to create my Bow Stance.  The wider my Bow Stance the more balance I sense.  

While practicing Bow Stance (which is one of "The Base" moves), I can also practice undulating my arms and shoulders and finding a range of motion of my upper extremeties that allows me to feel graceful and elegant.  I can also move my hands, arms, shoulders and head in a way that allows me to sense on/off center kinds of sensations.  That's where the "sticky" sensation of the ball of my foot comes in handy.

Mobility, Agility (alternating sides), Flexibility, Strength and Stability are all Sensations that I sense while practicing Bow Stance.

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Practicing Nia's Sumo (Riding) Stance is excellent conditioning for all the muscles of the legs.  Practicing Sumo Stance creates a solid foundation for creating and improving the power and mobility of my upper body -- all of the Martial Arts blocks, punches and elbow strikes can be practiced in Sumo Stance.  

My ability to sink down farther in Sumo Stance, depending on the width of my stance, has come over time.  The flexibility and strength in my legs has definitely improved.

I can keep my feet parallel, using the Whole Foot technique to support my posture (aligning my pelvis, chest and head) from underneath.  I can also turn my toes out slightly which allows me to sink even deeper; in fact, the more I sink and rise, the more conditioning I give my legs.  Using my arms and hands, along with moving my head, neck and spine conditions my Core.

This is one of my favorite Stances as it gives me the sensation of Confidence and Power.

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"A" Stance is standing in place, legs wider than hip distance, imagining the letter "A".  Energy flows up and out.  This particular Stance in my experience is my Warrior Stance.  I feel the most power in this stance. The immediate sensations are Stability and Strength. I have more range of motion in my upper body in "A" Stance.  

I am a Sensation Scientist.  There are any number of sensations that can be created from "A" Stance.  I can hinge from my hips, keeping my knees soft and lengthen through my spine to create the sensation of flexibility.  I've already mentioned Stability and Strength. Mobility is sensed by the freedom provided by flexibility in the joints -- my upper body's ability to have a greater range of motion.

Other sensations are awareness, groundedness, positive tension, powerful, pleasure, expansiveness, confident, balanced.

The sensation of being an Action Figure comes to mind when I'm in this stance...Wonder Woman for instance.

YES!!

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The energy rises up from the bottoms of the feet into the legs, up through the pelvis and hips into the belly, the ribcage, the chest and lifts up through the whole spine.  There is an "open" feeling through the solar plexus and heart realm.  An Open Stance -- being open to receive what is present.

An open stance does not mean that I receive everything without filtering out what does not belong or what no longer serves me.  Being open does not leave me vulnerable; on the contrary, it gives me power.  An open heart, an open mind.  Make it so.

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Closed Stance is both of my feet close together, big toes touching and heels just slightly apart.  I keep my knees soft, yet strong.  The earth's energy rises up through the bottoms of my feet, into my ankles, up through my legs into my pelvis and hips, lifting up through my ribcage into my chest.  My arms move, I can bend and sway and swirl my upper body, still grounded through Closed Stance.

It is a place to start...a beginning.  From here I move out into my day with joy as a companion of my heart.

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Ahhhhh...tomorrow is my Galactic Birthday. It seemed appropriate to begin my 52 Moves pre-training on the eve of my galactic birthday.  My new personal adventure with the 52 Moves begins tomorrow.

The 27 Base (Legs/Feet) Moves:

Closed Stance, Open Stance, "A" Stance, Sumo Stance, Bow Stance, Cat Stance

Heel Lead, Whole Foot, Ball of the Foot, Releve', Rock Around the Clock, Squich Walk, Duck Walk, Toes In/Out/Parallel

Sink and Pivot Table Wipe; Stepping Back onto the Ball of the Foot, Cross Front, Cross Behind, Traveling in Directions, Lateral Traveling, Cha Cha Cha, Slow Clock, Fast Clock

Front Kick, Side Kick, Back Kick, Knee Sweep

The 7 Core (Pelvis, Chest, Head) Moves:

Pelvic Circles, Hip Bumps

Chest Isolations, Shimmy, Undulations, Spinal Roll

Head and Eye Movememts

The Upper Extremeties (Arm, Hands, Fingers) Moves:

Upward Block, Downward Block, Inwark Block, Outward Block

Upward Punch, Outward Punch, Across Punch, Downward Punch

Elbow Strike Down, Elbow Strike Back, Elbow Strike Out

Touching, Fists, Pumps, Strikes, Chop Cut, Webbed Spaces, Palm Directions

Finger Extensions, Finger Flicks, Creepy Crawlers, Spear Finger, Catching Flies, Claw Hand, Power Finger Cross-Over, Balance Finger

Nia!  http://www.nianow.com

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I'm continuing that train of thought by considering things that happen in life as seeing the Glass Half Full or the Glass Half Empty.  In the self-centered state, the state of the ego, human being see things as lacking -- there's always the need for more.  The ego also says, "I'm only human."

From the world of Spirit, there is no ego.  Yes, of course we are human -- we have a physical body, but we are also being -- we have a divine spirit that animates the body.  The human part of us has feelings (heart), thoughts (mind), pain (body).  The being part of us knows that NONE of that is in fact reality...we are not our thoughts, our feelings or our bodies...those are capacities through which we are given the opportunity to express Love, Truth and Life.  

We live in this world, but we do not have to be "of" this world.  We are constantly given opportunities to rise up out of the ways of the world and provide a consistent expression of our divine spirit.  I was given such an opportunity yesterday.  I began the situation seeing the glass as half empty -- I saw a tremendous "lack of."  I ended up (after a grueling self-imposed butt kicking) with the glass half full -- an abundance of Love.  The difference was in how I chose to look at what was happening.  There is ALWAYS a choice to be made.  

 There was a palpable vibration and energy available to me when I chose to see the situation with new eyes -- choosing to see it as an opportunity to clarify, clarify, clarify, forgive, forgive, forgive...and to have an abundance of gratitude.  

There will always be things to handle in daily living, circumstances that will rise up, situations that will test my ability to stay centered.  Keeping handy the Four Agreements (or in Nia we call them the Four Energy Allies) is essential:

Speak with Impeccability:  Speak up, say what you mean and mean what you say with the fewest words that have the greatest clarity.  

Don't Take Anything Personally: Stay centered.  Avoid making up stories in your head. There are no excuses for giving away your power - which is what happens when you take something personally.  Forgive, forgive, forgive.

Don't Make Assumptions:  Ask questions.  It takes 10-12 seconds to ask a question that will bring clarification -- speak with impeccability.  Avoid letting something go by that is unsettling and that could lead you to take something personally. Clarify, clarify, clarify.

Always Do Your Best:  It's your personal best, not someone else's interpretation or expectation.  In your heart, you know what doing your best means.  

When we see ANY situation with the eyes of clarity, forgiveness and gratitude, the glass is ALWAYS half full -- in fact, with water as the symbol of Truth, I choose to see the glass as TOTALLY full.

Drink!!!

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Most human beings look at things through the their vision of "lack" rather than their vision of "abundance".  It's a choice and all it takes is deciding to see things differently.

Sometimes for close up computer work or reading, I wear what are commonly called "cheater" eye glasses.  I have my prescription glasses for reading which I keep in my purse.  I also keep several pair of cheaters around in different places where I know I'll be, just in case I need to grab them to read something.  I used to have 20/20 vision, until I turned 50 (11 years ago).  When I turned 40, I found that I needed reading glasses occasionally, but the instant I turned 50, my eye sight changed dramatically.  Cheaters were necessary more often than not.  

The metaphor here...in case you were wondering...is that we tend to cheat on how we see things. The quickest and easiest scenario is pick up on what is lacking in the situation, rather than seeing the abundance of what is already present. Use your super vision...no need for cheaters...be thankful for what IS.  

Be grateful.  Gratitude...with an attitude.  Love what you have, not what you want.  You might be surprised at what is actually occurring...

It's magic.

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Meditation:  It's time for 52 pick up!  We've gone through 52 Days, Nia's 52 Moves and 52 Meditations.  WOW!!  Congratulations if you've been following the entire time.  You just completed a major event in your life requiring discipline and consistency!

Discipline and consistency are your allies!!!  Some folks snub their noses at discipline, (thinking it to be militaristic) and consistency (thinking it to be boring).

Nothing could be farther from the truth when creatively expressing life.  It's an art.  A spiritual discipline (I'm not speaking of religious discipline) can be quite rewarding. Consistently expressing the spirit of love into all you do every moment of every day will profoundly effect your life.  It is a discipline that brings an abundance of opportunities and challenges.  It does not mean being a Pollyanna.  It does not mean never being ill or having a temper tantrum.  

Discipline and consistency are available 24-7.  One has to be in a place to accept the responsibility of being disciplined and consistent in one's expression.   

I see the world in the 21st century as a world full people who are undisciplined and whose expression is inconsistent; there's very little creativity. There's plenty of accusation, blame and criticism.  Taking sides.  Judgment.  Lots of folks talk about love and finding the secret, but their actions speak loudly of bigotry and hate and finding ways to manifest material things. Emotionally, the world is full of anger and fear. Mentally, the world is full of mind games and intellectual battles of wit.  Physically, the world is full of either starving or obese people.  The food of the world continues to be genetically modified.  

So where is the Balance??  There is only balance when one is being the crossover point between heaven and earth.  Practically speaking, it means taking responsibility for one's thoughts, one's words, one's action.  I know that there is a creative cycle -- a returning cycle -- what comes forth from me will come back to me.  THERE is the balance.  

Conscious movement upon the face of the earth.  There are small bands of angels (beings expressing spirit through human form) present on this planet who are taking responsibility for restoring balance.

Will you join me?

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Day 51 of 52:  Power Finger Crossover helps you extend energy along the arm bones and out through your hands which keeps your neck and shoulders relaxed.  It creates positive tension in the hand and adds to awareness of the integration of the hand and arm.  

Cross the middle finger (your power or balance finger) over your index (your desire finger) as if you were crossing your fingers for good luck.  Keep your arms long and extended.  Use both hands. Begin to move your arms, spiraling the arms and hands in. Release this and then cross your power finger over your ring (your commitment finger). Move your arms, spiraling the arms and hands out.

Meditation:  As I was practicing these two moves, Power Finger Crossover with the index finger and Power Fiinger Crossover with the ring finger, I thought about the meaning of the energy each of the fingers has in Nia (see my blog post on Finger Extensions, Day 45).

The index finger is the Desire Finger.  The ring finger is the Commitment Finger.  The middle finger is the Power Finger.  As I cross my Power Finger over my Desire Finger, I consciously bring into focus the energy and power of Desire.  Human beings are filled with desire, much of it misdirected.  There is passion behind Desire.  It depends on where one's focus is as to what can manifest through one's Desire.  As I cross my Power Finger over my Commitment Finger, I consciously bring into focus the energy and power of Commitment.  Human beings often fear Commitment...afterall, what if there's something better out there?  

Ahhh...the twists and turns of Desire and Commitment.

When I started these 52 Days of blog posts, I made a commitment based on a desire to share the 52 Moves of Nia along with a personal meditation.  I could've quit anywhere along the line, made excuses as to why I did not want or need to finish.  My Desire and my Commitment to complete the 52 Days of blog posts was stronger than any excuse not to do so.  I am passionate about sharing Nia's magic.  

Someone asked me the other day if Nia was like Zumba.  I am a Licensed Nia Black Belt Practitioner and I was at one time certified to teach Zumba.  My answer to this person was a resounding "No".  Nia is nothing like Zumba.  Perhaps some of the moves could be considered similar, but the essence behind Nia has more substance, in my humble and professional opinion.

My husband, who is my biggest fan and supporter of my Nia practice (besides my students, of course) describes the difference between Nia and Zumba in the terms of a dating relationship.  If what you want out of a relationship is something purely physical and fun, then Zumba might be the answer -- he calls it the "one night stand" date.  Lots of fun, but no long term substance.  If what you're looking for in a relationship is commitment, fun and a desire to connect mentally, emotionally, spiritually as well as physically, then Nia is your answer. 

The people who come to a Nia class, and keep coming back (I have students who have been with me for 10 years) are those precious beings who desire change in their lives and who are committed to stepping into their greatness.  Nia creates space for new perspectives on health, healing, and living in general.

Nia is my passion.  The power of my desire and commitment to Nia is endless.

Come and dance!!! 

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Mimic a claw with your fingers.  Claw the air with the both hands or like a cat cleaning its claws on a wooden post.  Keep your wrists relaxed and sense positive tension as you claw the air, scratching down.  Claw Hand can be practiced in all Stances and Steps.

Meditation:  I had an interesting dream last night that continued into the morning. Interestingly enough, it was one of my cats clawing on the bedroom door that awakened me from it.  I very infrequently remember my dreams.  This one is still really vivid.  We (the human race) were living without the element of time.  A major shift had occurred in the world and time became non-existent.  We had time one time and the next we did not. Those who were dependent upon time were lost.  Those who were familiar with Natural Time found themselves responsible for teaching the rest of the world how to live in the moment.  Businesses had to continue to operate without the aspect of time.  My dream started out with mass chaos -- much like one sees in an "end of the world as we know it" kind of movie.  It took awhile for the huge influx of distorted vibrational energy to calm down. It was through the perseverance of a small group of people on earth -- not located together geographically -- creating the space for something new to occur and holding that vision for as long as it was necessary -- that a new world view of time was allowed to manifest.  

I had to laugh out loud when I sat down to write this specific blog post and discovered it was "Claw Hand".  I found it funny first because it was one of my cats that awoke me from this incredibly delicious dream but also due to the many people who were clawing their way out of their own self-made prisons of time.

What would you do if suddenly there was no "time" as we know it?  Could you live flowing with Natural Time?

Take a minute (pun intended) to think about it!!!

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Day 49 of 52:  Catching Flies increases brain activity.  This move neurologically connects your hands, your head and your eyes and engenders manual dexterity and speed. Emotionally, you can use this move to express determination, playfulness and achievement.  

Pretend you are catching flies with your hands as they buzz around the room.  Follow the imaginary flies before you catch them and let them go.  Lead your movements with your eyes to integrate your hand and your head.  Catch big ones, fast ones, slow ones, slippery ones.  Use both hands.  

Meditation:  Are adventures ever complete? There are never ending cycles of beginnings and endings.  Some of these adventures we would rather forget.  Some of them we would like to hold on to forever.  

Consider a waterwheel.  The water MUST flow if the water is to remain fresh and clear. As soon as we try to stop the waterwheel -- either from bringing forth something we don't want or to keep it from moving so we can hold on to something we DO want, the water in the tank below becomes stagnant.

Likes and dislikes are of the ego's making.  Love what IS.  Love what you have.  Offer gratitude into the Universe and what you need (perhaps not what you want) will manifest.  Gratitude and Forgiveness.  Gratitude in ALL things -- no picking and choosing.  Forgiveness is not something to hold on to -- just as the word implies it is FOR GIVING.

Offer forgiveness to one's self first, then to others. If we are not forgiving, what is it that we are for?  Taking?  I think the world is full now of takers.  

Let the adventure continue...let the waterwheel flow.  Water -- a symbol of truth. 

 Cool, clear water. 

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Extend your index and middle fingers and fold in your ring and little finger.  Your thumb acts as the "trigger" (it does not hold down the ring and little finger).  Move your arms freely through space, bending and extending them.  Sustain your arm extension and sense the positive tension Spear Fingers provides to your and hand muscles.  Spiral the forearm bones.  I love this move.

Meditation:  Warrior Energy can be a powerful ally.  One can rightly use warrior energy to assist someone in recognizing their own potential.  Warrior energy is also effective in adding intensity and or pressure into a situation or circumstances that requires more clarity. Warrior energy can be used wrongfully to accuse, blame and criticize.  

There are 4 Energy Allies available to everyone at any time.  

The first is to Speak With Impeccability.  Warrior Energy is useful for keeping one's self on point, saying what one means with the fewest amount of words and the greatest amount of clarity.  Not an easy task, even when one believes oneself to be speaking impeccably.  There is always perception and interpretation from the other(s) who are listening.  Speaking with Impeccability also includes learning to avoid gossip.

The second is Don't Take Anything Personally.  Another energy ally that seems to be shelved more often than not.  My mother used to call it being "thin-skinned."  If you know who you are and live to your highest vision, this energy ally is always in you pocket, front and center.  Taking things personally is giving away your power. Signs of taking things personally:  pouting, moping, mumbling under one's breath, gossiping.  In general, acting immaturely.  Be a warrior.  Don't take anything personally.

The third energy ally is Don't Make Assumptions.  What we think we understand about what someone says, how someone looks at us, what someone really means by what they do or say, may often not reflect reality at all, and more often leads us to think badly of oursleves and/or of others.  It reinforces not being impeccable with our word and again gives away power.  Warrior energy allows us to ask questions rather than make assumptions.  It only takes 15-30 seconds to ask a question.  Much clarity can come from a very small amount of time/action.

The fourth energy ally is Always Do Your Best.  Your best is a variable thing from moment to moment.  Doing your best is living life fully -- being in action.  Inactivity is denying life -- sitting in front of the television every day for years due to the fear of really living and taking the risk of expressing the greatness of who you are.  Warrior energy provides the path for always doing your best.

The ABCs of the world are Accusation, Blame and Criticism.  The ABCs of Warrior Energy (Spirit) are Acceptance, Balance and Clarity.

Live life to its fullest...step into your greatness.  Be Love in Action.

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Day 47 of 52:  Creepy Crawlers helps your fingers, hands and forearms remain strong, flexible and agile.  This move empowers you to move with precision and keeps the fingers, hands and wrists mobile, dispelling tension.  Wiggle all of your fingers, including your thumbs, as if you were tickling someone.  Keep your elbows bent, and occasionally change the position of your palms to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed.  As you practice Creepy Crawlers be playful and mischieveious and make the sound of laughter (which will also tighten your abdominals!).  Use both hands. 

This is one of my favorite hand movements of the 52 Moves.  I have osteo-arthritis in my hands.  Keeping my fingers and thumb wiggling as I practice Creepy Crawlers keeps the synovial fluid flowing through the joints of my fingers.

Meditation:  Keeping it light.  Keeping it Light.  Laugh.  Giggle.  Blow kisses in the wind. Hug your pet.  Let your Light shine.  Radiate the abundance of spirit that flows through your body, mind and heart.

YOU are amazing!!!

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Day 46 of 52:  Finger Flicks conditions your forearm muscles and hands, keeps energy flowing into and out of the hands and keeps tension out of the neck and shoulders. Fingers Flicks strengthen the forearm, the fingers and the hands.  This jmove rids the hands of tension which commonly builds up during the day due to the extraordinary amount of fine-motor movements the hands must continually perform.

Make your hand into a very loose fist so that your thumb is over your four fingernails. Push the fingers against the thumb to create positive tension and then flick your fingers out as if you were flicking water off of them.  Using both hands, practice Finger Flicks with your arms extended, keeping your hands below shoulder level so that the flick uses relaxed power.  Change the direction of your palms for movement variety.

Meditation:  Everyone wants to know what the secret is. It's no secret that millions of dollars are being spent by millions of people searching for the secret. And those millions of dollars are taken by people who actually believe they know the secret. It's also no secret that the people writing books, making movies and taking money from "the seekers" are becoming quite wealthy. Wake up folks. The secret is not going to come from a book or a movie. 

One must be in the place of the creator to know the secret.  There are very few people on the face of this earth who will stand in that place. Most feel they are sinners.  Many are self-loathers. And many want to be led rather than be a leader. 

The secret is a secret to those who do not acknowledge their own birthright...we are creators.  What has been created on earth has been and continues to be an abomination, not a creation.  Mother Earth knows the secret and I think she's getting pretty darned tired of people destroying The Garden.  One day...perhaps sooner than later...she may Finger Flick the human race off of the planet.  

It takes guts to stand as a creator, it takes knowing the truth of who you are, it takes a clear mind and a pure heart.  Who will stand in the place of the creator manifesting the Truth of Love?  Let me see a show of hands.  Uh huh.  That's what I thought.

There's still time.  

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Meditation:  The hands are so powerfully expressive.  Envision, or better yet practice, the palms together in Prayer postion.  The thumb knuckles pressing gently into the sternum or thymus gland/heart chakra area.  All fingers pressing lightly together, fingers extended upward.  All of the energies are powerfully connected.  Glide the hands upward, still pressed together in Prayer position, until your arms are almost extended fully (avoid hyperextending the elbow), looking up as you do this.  Part the hands until the arms are in a "Y", then bring the palms of the hands together again and lower the arms (eyes following) until your thumbs once again nestle gently into the sternum.

When I have my hands in prayer position, I sense my acknowlegment of my own divine power, the power which connects me to Universal Love.  I nurture my desires, balancing the power of my commitment with my boundaries of conscious integrity.

It is interesting to consider variious mudras (sacred hand symbols/gestures):

Thumb and index finger together:  Nurturing Desire
Thumb and middle finger together:  Nurturing Balance and Power
Thumb and ring finger together:  Nurturing Commitment
Thumb and little finger together:  Nurturing Boundaries

I was noticing the other day in my Nia class as we practiced Spear Finger (which we will cover in the next couple of days), the first two fingers are exended, the second two fingers are pulled in and the thumb is in the position of a "trigger".  I thought to myself, and then spoke aloud to the class, "we have our Desire finger and our Power finger extended -- desire and power -- what is it that you desire and what kind of power do you have behind it? Notice we also have our Nurturing finger (the thumb) activated.  Nurture the power behind your desire.  Be conscious of what it is you wish to manifest."  

We are more powerful than we imagine.

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