Moving Consciously
Living the Truth of Who I AmArchive for Now I Am
Transformation
Day 52 of 52 Days: White Cosmic Worldbridger
If you’ve been following along, congratulations! We’ve completed 52 day of journeying inward. It is simultaneously the end of one cycle and the birth of a new one.
Step into the fire of transformation. You are more than your body, your mind or your heart. You are spirit in form in action.
Use your capacities of body, mind and heart to express the truth of who you are. Who you ARE, not what your opinion or someone else’s opinion is of yourself, but who you really are.
I have a name, I have a job — neither of those is who I Am. My name and my job (I’ve changed my name a couple of times, I’ve had different jobs) are merely place markers for our short stay on earth. The “I am” never changes. I am spirit. I am love. I am life.
Step into the blue of flame. Let everything burn away that no longer serves your purpose for being on earth. Step into your greatness.
Thanks for traveling with me. Thanks to those of you who stopped by to read and comment. Carry on.
The Sensation of Being Alive
Day 39 of 52 Days: Red Cosmic Skywalker
Today is the Fall Equinox. A new season begins. A time for transcending old paradigms and limitations. A time to align ourselves with heaven and earth.
We begin to Dance Through Life simply by choosing to be alive in our own body, rather than being divorced from it. As we become more in touch with the sensations of our body, mind, heart and spirit, we experience the sensation of wholeness.
What has been my experience of wholeness up to this point in time? The paradigm shifts almost daily. What I once thought was a state of wholeness is replaced by a new experience of wholeness…the shift is imperceptible…but it is a turning point. Recently, I’ve come to know this shift as “crisis and transformation.”
Currently several of my friends, as well as myself, have been dealing with extreme physical pain. Crisis. How it transforms is based on my relationship with both my spirit and my physical body.
I am a Sensation Scientist. My body is my laboratory. I am alive in my body…I do not seek wholeness…I AM wholeness. My entire being vibrates with the frequency of the world and with the frequency of spirit — is it any wonder that I feel physical pain? I am grateful to be consciously aware of the truth of who I am. I am energy. I am spirit in form. Now I Am transformation.
Now I Am
Day 20 of 52 Days: White Resonant Wizard
Now I Am…operative word there is “Now”. It’s not Now I Was or Now I’m Going to Be. NOW I Am…Receptive, Authentic, Healing, Sacred, Blessed, Timeless, Creative, Perceptive, Inspiring, Balanced, Flexible, Powerful. What words of magnitude would you use to fill in the blank after Now I Am?
As you no doubt are aware, I teach a lifestyle and cardio dance fitness practice known as Nia. Nia has evolved from No Impact Aerobics to Neuromuscular Integrative Action to Now I Am. Now I Am is a personal statement of awareness and clarity.
Nia is a cardiovascular fitness practice, but it is so very much more. If a great cardio workout is what one is looking for, look no further than a Nia class; however, Nia allows access to information from the Body, the Mind, the Emotions and the Spirit. The voice of the Body is Sensation. The voice of the Mind is Visualization and Imagination. The voice of the Emotions is the vibration of Mood. The voice of Spirit is the individual’s Unique Creative Expression.
Today, put on some music and dance, move with purpose, focus on and notice the information you receive from your Body, your Mind, your Emotions and your Spirit. Add the attitude of Joy. How do these voices effect your dance or your general movement throughout the day? What happens when you consciously add Joy?
Now I Am…
The Mandate of Spirit
What is it that makes me want to dance? It surely is not just the physical aspect of dancing, although that is certainly a joy in and of itself. My experience is that it is the mandate of spirit. My purpose for being on earth is to express the spirit of God on earth. Since I was a young girl, I’ve loved to dance and it is definitely a way that I have allowed myself to express the purity of that spirit. But just dancing doesn’t do it for me…it’s the spirit behind the dancing that matters.
Nia, a beautifully created lifestyle practice disguised as a fantastic cardiovascular dance exercise, is my given path for expressing the magic and mandate of Spirit. It is what I am being called to do. It is my sacred livelihood. However, I was not given this gift to hide, to keep secret, to selfishly hold it close. No, indeed not. I was given this gift to share.
Until Nia, I had never taught anything in my life, in fact, I would’ve not chosen this path for myself. I’m much to self-critical. Being a hermit and never having contact with another living human would’ve been my idea of Nirvana — prior to Nia that is. I just never saw much hope in humanity. I knew my own failings and self-judgments along the way were an indication of the whole. Yet, when I began to teach Nia, people (mostly women) began to come to my classes and they liked it! I have some students who have been with me for 10 years — my 10 year anniversary is in June of this year. Nia invites change…it make space for change for those who will honor the path. I found that teaching Nia was a way for me to blend my love for dance, my love for offering spirit, and my creative expression. Teaching was a piece of cake.
Nia, created in 1983, began as Neuromuscular Integrative Action — a body/mind practice. It’s had several “names” associated with it…as if the letters N.i.a. needed to stand for something. Non-Impact Aerobics. No Inhibitions Allowed. But Nia stands strong as, well….Nia. It is an entity in itself. And if any “words” could describe Nia, they are “Now I Am”. For me those words reflect the invitation for change. “I was this, but Now I Am.” You can insert any word at the end of that 3 word phrase…Now I Am brilliant. Now I Am brave. Now I Am beautiful. Now I Am strong….OR….just leave it at three words. Now I Am. Do you realize the strength of that three word statement?
Within those three words is the Mandate of Spirit. Do you feel it? Do you sense it?
It is my delight and passion to be able to share the beauty and magic of Nia. Form. Freedom. Yin. Yang. Music. Movement. Magic. Silence. Sound. Awareness. Is there another cardio dance exercise out there that has this kind of depth? I’m pretty sure there isn’t. Is Nia a household word? Not yet. Why? Hmmm…let me see…ahhh…yes, Nia invites change. And that is scary for some folks.
Are there 500,000 Nia teachers worldwide? I don’t think so. Nia’s teacher training is not cheap. One cannot learn to teach Nia in a day and a half for a couple of hundred dollars. However, with the Nia Teacher Training (Nia uses the martial arts belt system of White, Blue, Brown and Black, with a Green belt optional), one receives monthly Continuing Education modules, class videos (on the website for teachers and students), 4 Nia Headquarters routines created by Debbie Rosas Stewart and the First Generation Trainers, and so much more.
Does Nia have some kick-ass elements to it? Oh you bet your booty it does. Martial Arts: Tae Kwon Do. Aikido. Tai Chi. Does Nia have some expressive dance elements? Yep. Dance Arts: Modern Dance. Jazz. Duncan Dance. Does Nia have any healing elements? Ahh yes Grasshopper. It does. Healing Arts: Alexander Technique, the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais, Yoga. And then there’s FreeDance – an element of Nia that allows for breaking one’s habitual ways of moving the body. And yeah, everyone has the habitual ways of moving…we all do. Nia’s choreography is based on 52 Moves (27 Foot and Leg moves, 7 Pelvis, Chest and Head moves, and 18 Upper Extremity moves). These specific moves are freshly choreographed into an hour long class, starting with a focus, a warm up and ending with a cool down and the element of floorplay.
I am on my knees every day giving thanks for having been gifted with the honor and ability to teach and share Nia’s magic. If you haven’t tried a Nia class yet, I would strongly encourage you to find one. Here’s the website: http://www.nianow.com. Find a class. There are many ways to h0nor your body’s need to express the spirit of God in action. Nia is merely one of them. But there is nothing mere about Nia.
Now I Am. Come and dance with me. You won’t regret it. In fact, you’ll find your world changing before your very eyes. Honoring that is accepting the Mandate of Spirit.
Sacred Is as Sacred Does
Nia (www.nianow.com) known in the past as Non-Impact Aerobics and Neuromuscular Integrative Action is most appropriately known as Now I Am. Nia is transformative movement. That may mean physical transformation for some, it may mean mental transformation for others. For me it is transformative movement in all realms: body, mind, emotions and spirit. Nia is my sacred livelihood.
When I tell people that I teach Nia, a vast majority of people have never heard of it. If I mention Zumba to those same people, ahhhh!! Zumba! Yes, of course. It’s taught in virtually every health club in the world. It has become a household name. They even have their own television station.
Unlike any other fitness practice though, Nia has been in existence since the beginning of time…it took two human beings (Debbie Rosas Stewart and Carlos AyaRosas being in place and accepting their roles as creators of this lifestyle practice and premier cardio dance-based fitness fusion (that can change your body and change your life) for Nia to actually come into form on earth. They might not have known how integrative Nia really was when they were first bringing it into form…and then again, perhaps they did and it’s just taken this long (28+ years) for the design to be fleshed out. It is a divine design for sure.
It’s been my experience that because Nia creates space for change…in all realms (body, mind, heart, spirit)…not everyone relates and/or wants to relate to it. I have one friend who keeps saying she’s coming to one of my Nia classes…for about 5 years now. My bet is that her motivating factor in staying away from Nia is fear of the unknown. She has no personal experience of the fact that Nia is a kick-ass cardio dance class…the kind that I know she’d really like.
Health clubs and other exercise facilities want what’s going to draw in large numbers. Human nature is always impressed with large numbers, whether it be people or money or whatever. The world is full of companies, organizations and groups that have drawn to them impressive numbers — in fact hordes – of people looking for a secret, an answer…something that will fulfill the piece they imagine is missing from their lives.
After having taken some other fitness classes where the emphasis is basically on the physical realm, I’ve had students come to my Nia classes and express how they love the quality, the character and the spirit of Nia. There is a certain “something” about Nia that touches people who are ready for change, who are ready to accept and express the greatness, the magnificence of who they are. To do this does not require a class filled with 500 people. I’ve had students who were dramatically touched by Nia in a class of three. What’s done requires relatively few, because it isn’t being done from a human nature approach. Nia touches into the sacred.
I’ve heard it said that Nia is the best kept secret in the fitness world. I think that comment comes from folks who think great things are only accomplished through large numbers of people. It takes but a few people to make a big difference in the world. We’ve been making that difference for over 28+ years. Come and dance with me. Become part of my secret service. Make a difference in your own life, your own world and see it move in waves of conscious joy throughout THE world.
I posted on my Facebook page status the other day that the difference between feeling ”sacred” or feeling “scared” was a simple recognition of the divine within. I am sacred. My sacred livelihood is Nia.
Sacred is as Sacred Does.
The Power of Spiritual Expression
Throughout human history there have been so-called revolutions, which of course were supposed to change everything. They have come and gone and there has been no real revolution. Only the revelation of ignorance, greed and ego. Human nature has merely been replaced with more human nature.
The only worthwhile revolution would be the reappearance of Divine Identity through human beings. Currently there are many nations, our own included (the United States), in the throngs of revolution — whether it be political, religious, racial, etc. It saddens me to see statements, made by otherwise seemingly intelligent people, likening this or that person to Adolf Hitler. Really? That is the highest vision that can be expressed in the moment? Judgment and condemnation? Have those people looked in the mirror lately? I would guess the image reflected would be pretty ugly. The harshness of judgment and condemnation, accusation, blame and criticism becomes evident over time in one’s physical appearance and in the way one’s life unfolds. Those qualities and characteristics are of the lowest of human nature; they do not speak from divine identity. Human nature is ugly. Divine identity uplifts and allows the dance of love to be known in one’s thoughts, one’s words and one’s actions. We are not merely human. We are human beings. We are spirit animated through a human body.
Often it is imagined that if one expresses divine identity one would not experience uncomfortable feelings. Pain can be experienced at all levels because we are in fact part of the human condition, in body and in consciousness. Yes, we will have physical challenges. Yes, we will experience fear and disappointment.
We experience the cloudiness of mass consciousness — the clouds that cover the sun. Do you realize that the sun is always shining — even when the clouds cover the sky — the sun is always shining. It’s just not visible to the human eye. And the mind, seeing clouds, thinks only of the dreariness of the day rather than the radiance eminating from divine identity….if only it were recognized. YES, we can choose to be conscious amidst chaos and confusion. We can be the enfolding beacon of radiant expression in every circumstance.
NEVER underestimate the power of spiritual expression. When clouds are present, be the sun. The world will do its best to overpower spirit, but in reality if one expresses Divine Identity into the world, the ugliness and harshness of the world has no power. Each of us is responsible for clear spiritual expression — the release of creative energy.
If I don’t take responsibility for spiritual expression in my world, who will? There is no one else. I am. What a privlege to know this, to accept this and to be the change I want to see in the world.
Yes, Now I Am.
Now I Am
Day 43 of 60.
Now I am…
Spirit, Song, Dance, Inspiration, Abundance, Generosity, Clarity, Being, Trust, Humility, Wisdom, Trust, Freedom, Creativity, Consciousness
I am in this world, not of it. I have a Body, but I am not my Body. I have Emotions, but I am not my Emotions. I have a Mind, but I am not my thoughts. I am Spirit. My body, mind and emotions are the capacities through which I express God in Action on Earth.
I cannot serve two worlds.
The world of accusation, blame and criticism continues to manifest and overwhelm with destructive force. It is indeed powerful to those who give it energy.
Yet there is another place from which to live. A world of true power. My world has choices…I am being called to change, to realize, to forgive. I am a God-being, filled with passion and desire to express my highest vision in every moment, to hold sacred the mandate of spirit.
I will not live my life caught up in the wounds and pain from the past that relentlessly claw and scratch at the present moment.
I am Now Here (“nowhere” does not exist).
My world is bound by unbreakable Love. This is my service.
Consciousness Evolving
Day 27 of 60…
Consciousness is evolving. And it’s not just “out there” where it’s taking place. It does take place “out there,” but it’s also happening in me, in you, and in others that call this planet home.
The evolution of consciousness happens when there is a fundament shift away from believing that I walk upon this earth and stuff happens TO me — to the awareness that I am creating my world.
Now, obviously there needs to be a “consciousness” present for it to evolve. That could be a problem for some. I actually observe there to be a lack or an avoidance of people being conscious in the world. There is an awareness of time and space of course. Yes, there is my car and I’m getting in my car and I’m driving and I need to be at work by a certain time. Okay…an awareness.
Now take that awareness to ”I am creating my reality” as I’m driving my car. Someone cuts me off. I can choose to curse that person and “lose control” in that moment (which then affects all subsequent moments) or I can maintain an empowered presence behind the wheel and continue to create my reality. My awareness allows me to know that I have enough room to move a lane over if I need to or to step on my brake if the conditions call for it, but my CONSCIOUSNESS allows me to maintain a calm presence and move beyond the situation in that moment (which then affects all subsequent moments).
It’s disempowering to believe that the person who cut me off could create my experience or that my experience is being directed by circumstances that are beyond my control.
I take responsibility for my experience.
The next time you find yourself being “stirred” emotionally: first be conscious. Something is happening and you are aware of it. Use the 4 Agreements (or the Energy Allies as they are called in Nia): Don’t Assume Anything and Don’t Take Anything Personally (avoid mental chatter and the tendency to accuse, blame or critize). Speak with Impeccability (Now I am). Always Do Your Best (take responsibility for your creation).
The evolution of consciousness occurs not only when you become aware that you are creating your world, but also that beyond any doubt you are not separate from what you are creating.
And finally…on this Super Bowl Sunday…I’m creating my reality…and the Packers are going to win!!!
