The language of Nia is the language of loving the body.  The 52 Moves --The language of the body in the joy of motion.

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!!

 

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??!!

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??!!

Cat Stance improves balance.  As I stand in place on one foot, I am experiencing the sensation (physically and emotionally) of balance.  My knee and hip joint of my supporting leg is soft and spring loaded.  The foot of the raised leg can be flexed or pointed.  It can be tucked behind the back of the supporting leg's knee or the toes of the raised foot can touch the floor slightly.  As I move and shift from one leg to the other, I like to sound "meowww".  

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.

 

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.

When I think of "riding stance", I think of a cowboy (John Wayne for instance), as in the photo above.  Yee haw.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"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!!

An Open Stance is with feet hip width apart.  Hip width is less than what most folks think...it is not measured from the outside of the hip, but from the hip joint.  The hip joint is a ball and socket.  One of the easiest ways to find "hip width" is to place one's right heel into the left foot's arch.  Without lifting the right foot from the floor, simply pivot the heel out from the left foot's arch so that both feet are facing forward and parallel.  Voila'!  Hip width. 

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.

Joy is a place to start.  The sensation of absolute bliss while grounded in Closed Stance; my upper body in motion, swaying like the limbs of a willow in a warm summer breeze -- that is Joy for me.  

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.

My husband and I were walking in our gardens today. I was telling him about a friend who had expressed some angst over the small numbers of students in her classes.  I had related to her that my classes are generally smaller in the summer...it's been that way for the past 11 years that I've been teaching.  I've gotten over the ego's need for large numbers in order to feel that I'm a worthy teacher.  I love every one of my students who come to class -- whether it's one, two, three or sixteen. The students that want to be there -- the ones who are compelled -- come, and they want to dance.  I've taught class with just one person before...actually a few times...it's a more intimate setting...a little one on one Nia class.

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.