Day 47 of 52 Nia dance
I haven’t selected any of the “Moving to Heal” routines from Nia’s online library, so I chose one today: “2gether” with Jule Aguirre.
This 45-minute routine begins with a little trick Nia instructors have. The first time I heard it, I thought it was dumb. “Smell the moment,” they will say. I thought it was a bit of an affectation, a new way of inviting people to be present. But if you take it literally — which they intend, I think — you breath in deeply and then release it, which is always a great way to begin dancing. Now, I smile whenever I hear it and I do take that good, grounding inhale and exhale.
I don’t know why certain routines at certain times offer an emotional release, but I had that experience today dancing with Jule. I loved the graceful tai chi-style movements, the pace, and the invitation to be aware of how I felt physically as we moved through the routine. Jule called for an inventory of sensation at the beginning, asking me to note any stiffness or pain anywhere while walking slowly around. At the end, she called for a similar inventory to see if there were changes.
In the beginning, I had a twingey nerve from my lower back going into my left hip. By the end, that sensation had gone. More importantly for me, there is something very soothing and centering in this routine that I found meditative. I know I will come back to it.
Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now 