As we embark on the New Year, I've begun a new routine. choreographed by Carlos Rosas, entitled Earthsong. The focus (what we are putting our attention on) of for this wonderful routine is the One Point. The Intent (how we want to be in our Nia experience) is to direct all our movements from our body's center of gravity, the One Point.

Today, in Jill's Nia class, Jill led us in Earthsong. WOW! Focusing on the one-point, the center of our body movement and grounding, this routine is one you've got to experience! The one point is slightly below or around or belly button and interior, sometimes referred to as our center point. The music and moves and Jill's teaching of Earthsong led us to play with expanding and compacting from the one point. This gave us the ability to expand the edges of our boundaries 360 degrees in body, mind, emotion, and spirit.

Connected, whole, controlled yet free, free yet stable. The body secure in the one-point moving in and out of its limits effortlessly and with joy. It's as if I could see for miles with senses other than vision as I moved in and out of places known and unknown. Even better, the whole group of us were moving in and out of movement from the one-point. It was palpable and delicous.

Lately, I've been reading a book that my loving husband (Don, Nia Diva's webmaster) gave me, The Intuitive Body, Aikido as a Clairsentient Practice by Wendy Palmer. Aikido is one of the martial arts forms that feeds into Nia, and I'm hungry for all things Nia, all things embodiment! Anyway...in the book, the author talks about the physical center of the body being "the part of us that remembers we belong to the universe." Beautiful, isn't it!

Today was the first time I've done Earthsong, and I'll be back for more!

Sending hugs of harmony,
Lesley