Comfortable Body

I love being aware of the sensation of moving comfortably in my body.
Today, I was walking down a hallway and I became aware of how good my body felt.
My feet were rolling from heal to toe, my toes breathing in with each step.
My tail was gently swaying from side to side, creating space for my spine, freedom for my belly.
My arms were gently swinging, hands brushing my thigh, moving me forward.
My eyes were looking up and out through a window, seeing the clouds float on by....
I was aware of the space within and around my body.
I was feeling tall, powerful, elongated, and yet, small compared to the world around me.
Today the awareness of comfort in my body brought a smile to face and my heart.

What sensations are connecting with right now? Are they pleasurable? If not, tweak, move, wiggle
your body until they are. Pay attention to your body and allow the sensations to bring a smile to your face.

I Am Enough

I am constantly asked what else I do besides teach Nia. What an interesting question. I am asked by my students, friends, other Nia teachers~what else do I do? Do I have a day job?  I don't know that people would ask a lawyer what else they do. My chosen life path does not seem to be enough for other people. I think it might be the money or my lack of stress, but it is something that people don't quite understand.

This question has followed my around most of my working life. I live in a college town and there is a certain expectation that if you are a server in a restaurant, for example, you are also a student. It isn't enough for people that you are just a server. This expectation used to make me feel like I wasn't enough. I was working a creative job in retail and was embarrassed to say that was all I did. Or when I was creating my own jewelry line, I felt like I needed to be doing more and my answers would always dance around the question. I would always have some back-up answers like I am thinking about going back to school or I am also working on a website or.......they were honest answers, but only because I felt like I wasn't enough.

My negative reaction to this question came from my own self doubt. Even though I was working a job that satisfied me in many ways, I also felt like there was more. So when people would ask what else I did, I internalized it and made it personal. I was missing something and people were constantly calling me out, even though I don't think that was their intention. I didn't understand that my worth is more than my job. I do so much more than the thing that earns money. Then I stepped on my Nia path and things began to shift. My work and my life began to blend together into one beautiful work of art~my life! I was on the path to creating a sacred livelihood. (read this post to learn about my sacred livelihood) I have discovered my gifts and abundance and I no longer feel the sense of lack, I am enough.

I do not work a traditional job that earns buckets of money, and so people still ask me what else I do, the shift is in my answer and my body's reaction. I no longer feel a gut reaction to come up with more. I answer honestly what I do and don't need to fill the answer with "well....I'm working on this, maybe doing that" .  Now ,when people ask what else I do besides teaching life changing, healing Nia movement classes, my answer is living my life, being creative every day, continuing my journey through life, studying the body, building a community, playing, caring for our home, being a loving partner, and deepening my relationship with Nia.
Living a life I love is enough. I am enough.

Why do I dance?

I recently saw a post on the "Conscious Dancer" facebook page asking the question "Why do you dance?" I don't know that I have ever answered that simple question. I have always just danced. I have had no formal dance training, but I get asked all the time about my dance background. My dance background includes dancing around the living room as a child to my Mom's Elvis records, dancing on my Junior High Drill team, and dancing at bars.I am always the 1st one on the dance floor. I just truly connect with my dancing spirit and always have. 

So why? Why do I dance? What is it in me that has always felt the need to move to the music? 

I dance to quiet the crazy in my head~movement is my medicine! This is at the top of the list for a reason!
I dance to have fun~Yahoooo!
I dance to let go~I can't hold on to negativity when my body is in motion.
I dance to feel free~I feel absolutely free when I am dancing.
I dance to escape~I leave the world behind and let my body get lost in the music
I dance to exercise~My heart rate is up, I am sweating, I am using allllll of my muscles!
I dance to create~My body is a work of art and I can use it to create a masterpiece with every song.
I dance to heal~Again, movement is my medicine! I have healed my aches and pains with movement.
I dance to inspire~I hope to inspire other people to find the joy of moving their amazing bodies.

When I found Nia, it was the perfect fit for my dancing spirit. Nia has given a form to my dance, but is still allows me the freedom of my own expression. By understanding how the body is designed to work, I can dance with knowledge and intention. There is science behind the dance. What a gift I have been given to know the joy of dancing in a body that I love, and that loves me and rewards me with the sensation of pleasure.  I love it everyday when I step in to a Nia class or my living room and dance~dance~dance.

Why do you dance? or Why don't you dance? I know not everybody feels the way I do. People dance for different reasons. Some people don't think they can dance at all or feel self conscious when they dance. I invite you to let those thoughts go, put on your favorite song and move however you want to move. I believe that dancing can change the way you feel about your body and your life. Moving your body to music, letting go for even 3 minutes a day CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE! So I invite you to dance, in anyway you want, just dance ("it'll be ok....doo doo do do just dance":)