The Value of a Holiday
May 17th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
- photo by Jasjit Rai
Me near one of my favourite beaches on the Big Island.
While I enjoy being near an ocean, the roar and jubilance of the waves in Hawaii is magnificent. The island is alive and it makes it presence known. My desire to return to the Big Island was in part due to its constant display of power, a reminder of the insignificance of so much that can occupy my mind. It’s difficult to hold a weak or meaningless thought when you can feel the primal earth around you and under you. The colours, sounds, scents, and ever-changing terrain demand attention. The exotic flowers growing everywhere expect to be noticed. The birds love singing their song. And the volcano flows its lava.
My most calming experience, in heart and mind, was watching the giant sea turtles wading in the waves. I felt that sitting there for a few days would have alleviated all tension and returned me to my heart and soul’s gentle whispers. Alas, this realization only came near the end of my trip!
There were two sea turtles who hung out at my favourite morning spot. Talk about going with the flow…they just seem to waft in and up with the water. They knew they couldn’t be in charge (the waves being not so gentle), so their bodies were tossed about. They showed no resistance, only harmony. Occasionally a flipper would pop out when they needed to regain their balance. And when they’d had enough, they could go inside their shells for time alone, to focus within while the life without did its own thing. This level of peace was truly humbling.
I remind myself that I have the joy of returning to these friends in my memory. Watching them move as they do is a sensation I can feel and all I need to do is close my eyes.
The strangest part of coming home is being indoors so much. Living, eating, and being outdoors in beautiful weather is a true luxury. Such an experience changes us. We are positively weathered by the sun and wind and cannot hold onto the stuff that seems to stick to us through city life. A realness emerges. Food tastes better. Sleep comes more easily at night. And we breathe freely, no longer contained but open to the world. Thank you Hawaii. What an incredible jewel, not too too far from home.
The jubilant waves of Hawaii!
Nia Fitness and the Joy of Movement
April 23rd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Free Nia Class
Creekside Community Centre
Wed, Apr 25, 12 – 1
Spring Nia classes have begun at the Scotiabank Dance Centre and the Roundhouse Community Centre, however you can still join in and get your groove on! The Creekside class is launching this week with a free opportunity for you to try it out and experience fitness in a fun, low-stress way.
Fitness, for me, has always been something best enjoyed with others. Doing it alone has never been motivating and I gave up in those situations in the past. But when I find a great teacher, class atmosphere, or potential workout friends, I find myself heading to energize my body with far less resistance. As a teacher, I also love connecting with students who are willing to commit to their health and have fun doing it. So I encourage you to bring people along or come and make new friends. Nia seems to naturally draw people who are open and willing to connect. It doesn’t mean you have to be best friends (although I’ve made a few wonderful ones along the way), just that it’s possible and can turn out to be a treat working out with a like-minded lot.
I have also taught Nia to many groups at events or organizational team building sessions. The smiles and laughter always come out and help people relax and find their joy. It may seem like it would be intimidating to do with colleagues, however having experience in organizational development has helped me facilitate in a way that creates a safe, fun, and playful environment that brings out people’s best. I love these occasions. Work can be stressful and challenging, so doing something fun with co-workers can really help you let go, break down unnecessary walls, and return to being in the moment in a human and joyful way. I have consistently found that when I taught Nia as part of an organizational program, people took the time to mention it in their feedback forms and share how valuable and energizing it was. It regularly stands out above the rest.
You can join any one of the three classes I have going on or buy a flexi-pass that allows you to attend classes at all three venues. Come on, try something new and dare to have more fun while getting a physical workout that invites play, laughter, and expression along with the usual benefits of a well-rounded fitness practice. It’s here for you.
Doing Some Nothing
February 28th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
This week I’d like to share a blogpost by a favourite author of mine that I feel everyone could benefit from immensely. Martha Beck, Life Coach and Author, explains the concept of “doing nothing” in her most recent post.
Click here to read it.
I completely understand when she describes how much we all want to do nothing for a while (i.e. have a break), yet how absolutely resistant we can be to going through with it, even for ten minutes. I challenge you to begin this as a daily ritual. I have.
~~~~~
A couple of years ago, I led a weekly relaxation class over six weeks. The time was spent practicing different forms of relaxation (meditation, stretching, visualization, muscle relaxation). I put it on upon hearing that some of my Nia students felt they were lacking it in their lives, and realizing that I was feeling the same. I was sure this class was going to be popular, after all I was giving them what they said they desperately needed!
Five students was the largest number that showed up for any one class. Usually it was three.
It turned out that many of those who originally expressed interest told me that they didn’t have the time to attend (the most common excuse in any path towards greater health, exercise or well-being by the way). In other words their lives were too busy to relax and they weren’t really ready to change that even though they had asked for it.
This is not uncommon. No matter how much we all want things, most of the time we’re not prepared to do what it takes. Reading Martha Beck’s blogpost may inspire you to sit in emptiness every day for a short while and see where it takes you. You may find that any resistance which is in the way of your highest priorities will simply begin to melt away.
And it’s amazing how much fullness you will feel by sitting through the emptiness.
My Nia Love Story
September 17th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
It all began at the turn of the millenium (2000)…
Something in me began calling for fitness, expression, strength, and joy. This was new. Prior to this, I had made a couple of attempts at jogging and joined a couple of dance classes( for no more than four classes) until I dropped out feeling I just couldn’t do it. I think I tried aerobics once and I certainly didn’t feel excited to go back to that. Exercise just didn’t interest me. I wanted to play and do something that felt natural, not like painful work. The only thing that managed to stick for any length of time (3 years) was yoga. I met an amazing teacher while I was working in London and her teaching was so incredible that my body still benefits from those initial lessons in posture and alignment.
But then, in 1999 and back in Vancouver, I began my own business and found I needed something more vigorous. I also wanted more fun and playfulness, a class where I could learn and enjoy (some of my yoga classes felt way too serious, people didn’t even smile!). I began searching around and found a class called Nia. It seemed to combine everything I wanted to experience in one form. I was intrigued and hopeful. This thing called Nia seemed to be holistic, a quality that I always knew to be critical in creating true health.
Much of my need for a fitness class arose because I was now working alone at home. It was lonely at the beginning and I felt depressed at times without the structure of a job and colleagues. I knew the costs of stress and depression and wasn’t willing to go down that road. I felt a fitness class would provide some weekly structure, offer connections with fellow students, and motivation. Little did I know I was about to change my life.
I pushed myself to get to the first class (had a really late night out and my bed was so comfortable). I had promised myself I’d do it, so I kept my commitment. I arrived a couple of minutes late but joined right in. After no more than a few minutes, I heard my own voice in my head tell me, “if you want to teach something physical, this is it“. I honestly looked up wondering where this voice came from, for it certainly couldn’t have been mine! I didn’t like exercise and now I was supposed to teach something that provided it!?! Yeah right. Not wanting to have a talk with myself in the middle of class, I returned my attention to the music, movement, and the teacher. I was amazed at how some stuff felt so absolutely natural – like I had just slipped into my skin for the first time. It was delicious. Other steps were a little more challenging and so I later asked my teacher to show them to me in slow motion. The overall feeling I had when I walked out of that that class was one of power. I felt ten feet tall. I felt capable of handling whatever came my way. I felt that I could burst through any blocks and go for what I wanted. Nia showed me my strength.
I actually felt empowered enough to go home and make a phone call that would’ve been difficult before I did Nia. Conflict is not my favourite thing, but that day, I decided I needed to express how I felt about a situation with a friend and go for what I wanted. And it worked! I was calm, said my bits, and was heard. Wow. This was powerful stuff.
I completed my initial certification in October 2000 with the Nia founders. Years later, I have my Nia Black Belt and continue teaching and loving it. Just today, I had a bunch of new students come and express their joy. Two of my favourite comments were, “I didn’t know my body was missing something until I did Nia. It needed to move! I love it!” and a gushing student who could barely find the words until she just had to say…”I’m in love.” Yes. Welcome to Nia.
Registration is open for all classes. Check the Nia classes page and sign up at the respective venue in and around downtown Vancouver. Whether you’re simply looking for a fun fitness class or wanting transformation, come give it a go!
What is Somatic Movement?
September 14th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Today began my series of free introductory Nia classes which I’m offering through to next Tuesday. I often discuss how Nia is a somatic movement practice and thought it would be a good time to clarify what that means and why it’s important, whether you’ve been attending Nia for years or are wanting to attend your first class.
Somatic movement is moving with awareness and focusing on your subjective experience. For example, many fitness forms show you what to do and ask that you copy what you see until you get it. A somatic movement teacher, on the other hand, will show you a movement and ask you to express a similar movement originating from within you. In other words, it’s not about looking like the teacher or copying with exactitude. Instead it’s observing and then sensing through your own body. This creates a far more relaxed nervous system since the individual is sourcing from his or herself, not externally. When we do that, we bring our own selves into the picture. This allow us to be clear about what we are doing, feeling, sensing rather than moving blindly as someone following. When we source externally, we leave our own experience and aim to become something other than ourselves. In such a situation, you are sure to feel something being lost in the process, most likely ‘you’!
In an educational setting, it is natural to look towards the teacher to provide guidance, expertise, and even inspiration. With somatic movement, the teacher asks you to also bring awareness back to yourself. It’s a constant dance of looking out and being within. It takes practice, and initially may require more effort until it becomes a natural response. The rewards are many though. This looking out and being within engages your heart and soul, not just your mind. In the wired world we now live in, this is a critical benefit. With your heart, mind, and soul engaged, you act with conscious integration. In other words, you feel whole rather than isolated, overwhelmed, or fragmented. You make decisions based on the complete information that is available to you, not only through your mind but also through your physical awareness and intuition. The process is whole.
Many somatic movement practices are slow (Feldenkrais, Pilates, Alexander Technique) allowing you much time to be with each movement and sensation. Those who are needing healing after an injury/trauma/illness find these invaluable for reprogramming their bodies back to health. Somatic movement is also a part of Nia even though it is a cardio practice. This is another reason Nia is unique in the fitness world. It offers cardio benefits and combines them with the healing experience of somatic movement. The most common phrase students mention at the end of a class in how energized and relaxed they feel. This is a gift of the somatic movement process.
Check out the free Nia classes happening this Sat/Sun/Tue. Classes led by Jasjit, Nia Black Belt Teacher, celebrating over 10 years of teaching Nia in Vancouver. Certified by the founders of Nia through each of her belt levels, Jasjit is known to bring depth, playfulness, spirit, wisdom and clarity to her classes.
Thinking Differently
August 2nd, 2011 § 4 Comments
Summer is a natural time to think differently. First of all, the warm weather can make it difficult to sustain focus. This instinctive daydreaming is a gift, it forces your mind to wander. Giving your mind a break is one of the best ways to refresh yourself and also to be here now rather than thinking ahead or obsessing about the past. This process also gets you away from habitual thinking which is where your mind hangs out the majority of the time, whether or not you are conscious of it. Most of us think the same thoughts over and over again. It may seem amazing that we keep ourselves entertained with such repetition, but the truth is that we’re usually not aware of what is going on. And when we think the same thoughts, we act in the same predictable ways getting the same results.
There was a great Seinfeld episode where the character, George, decided to do the opposite of whatever he usually does, feeling that his life had not turned out at all like he imagined. Check out the start of his journey.
By doing the opposite, his life and luck begin to change for the better and in dramatic ways. I love it. While it is a tv show, there was great truth in it. It showed how there was nothing ‘wrong’ with him as he usually assumed, but that he simply needed to approach things in a different way. Now, how many of us would dare to enrol in such an experiment? Worth considering!
Given that summertime already loosens any rigid approaches to life, why not use this energy to expand your life and open your mind to thinking differently? Take a course, hire a coach, go on an unplanned adventure. Personally, I’m far more able to do this when in a course or working with others. I rarely have the discipline to change my own behaviour by myself over a length of time that will be effective. I guess that’s why I’ve always loved intensity in learning – it’s like travelling on a rocket instead of a bus. Reporting to others is always far more motivating than doing it for myself. Similarly, having conversations with others helps me hear what I’m really thinking or wanting. Ideas and actions make themselves known easily when reflected back by a conscious listener. The power of having someone in your court who sees you and is skilled to guide is what can turn things around without the resistance you’d have on your own.
So why not use the summer to wander from typical thoughts and repetitive actions to a world where you are present, alive, aware, clear, having fun, making real progress, and expanding your vision of who you thought you were (old ways of being and acting) to who you really are…which, by the way, is likely to be way more than you may realize.
Getting support is a giant way to fuel your desires. Doing it alone can too easily lead to self-sabatoge or a “one day I will” syndrome instead of living life fully right now. I am offering a summer coaching special in the form of a “virtual camp” to inspire, and help you create momentum whether it be in your career, job search, wellness, creativity, wardrobe, self-expression, and inspired and soul-centred living. This is about living the life you keep knowing is possible (not just thinking about it). Contact me for details, info@joiworks.com!
The Energy of Summer
July 12th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Having four seasons creates distinct times in the year that allow access to certain kinds of energy. Summer can be a happy-go-lucky, see what comes, just hangin’ out kind of time. You may have scheduled holidays or it could be your busiest time of the year. Either way, the feel and rhythm is clearly different from other months. So why not take a look at it and discover what it has to offer?
Summer relaxes our usual habits and approaches to life. It invites something new in space that is created for relaxation, fun, gentleness, or simply ease. This is an asset to those who are run by their mental capacities. It allows you to slow down long enough for something new to enter – a perspective, person, opportunity, activity, or feeling. This is valuable stuff. Having your eyes open to it magnifies its presence. Given that there is already a fullness in the air with flowers, fruit, and sunshine, the magnification can be more tangibly felt.
Mark this as the day that you will open to the energy of summer in a way that you haven’t done before. Welcome it consciously through your five senses and the sixth, your intuition, so that you receive its full effect. And report back as you discover the fruit available to you.
I will be offering a unique summer program to enliven your summer and expand your expression and being to create fulfillment and fruitful happenings. It will be a program where you get to choose what you want to focus on and when you want to meet your desired vision. Areas include health and wellness, styling, career development, life transition, and creative expression. Watch for it or ask to be added to my monthly emails to receive news! info@joiworks.com
Thoughts from Today
March 8th, 2011 § 2 Comments
Myriad snippets of thoughts and ideas are moving through my brain and so this post is going to offer two of them.
STRETCH!
Thanks for National Geographic for this gorgeous pic!
There are days I love being on the computer, reading, writing, responding to communication. On those days, I enjoy being glued to my chair. Fortunately my body alerts me to the tension created from sitting for long periods. So the other day, I got up and stretched and rolled around on my carpet. Boy, did that feel amazing! In that moment, I couldn’t believe that I’d sat for so long. As I stretched my body, my breath flowed, energy returned, aliveness was present. I know that the physical stretching creates mental alertness and ‘stretches’ my mind beyond whatever borders it’s recently created. Try it a few minutes each day and discover a heightened energy and focus. Having stiffness can be a direct cause of lack of stretching, rolling, turning, twisting, (all of which we practice in Nia by the way to keep our bodies both strong and supple). And let me know about your experience!
International Women’s Day
What is it to be a woman today? Well, there’s far more freedom of expression and being then there was in the past, at least in many parts of the world, although not all. Being able to write publicly is something that wasn’t possible in the past. There were many women who wrote secretly or under a man’s name, whether it was journalling or fiction or whatever else was important to them. Their voice was not considered necessary, mature, or welcome. So to all women who fought the fight, thank you. It is a true blessing to be able to write, to express, to be seen and heard. Did you know that the publishing industry has women to thank for keeping it so alive today? Funny given that women weren’t welcome for so long. Apparently, if women stopped reading, the industry would collapse.
What I did for my Health this Week
February 19th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I’ve been writing about recent health fairs (including the one that is still going on this weekend at the new Vancouver Convention Centre) and so I thought I’d share my experience. To my surprise, the Wellness Show was full of way more goodies for food lovers than I expected, and of course, of the healthy variety to boot. I tried yummy artisan cheese from Farmstead, delicious bread with a tapenade from Choices, and a healthy tea from Gaia Garden Apothecary. The best thing about healthy food (that is delicious vs the tasteless kind) is that you don’t have to eat a lot to feel satisfied. The flavour is full and leaves one feeling fed and content. I also spoke with people at some of the booths and learned a little about colour therapy, an aphrodisiac cookbook, and shiatsu. The event continues through to tomorrow, so if you haven’t wandered into it, go take a walk on this beautiful sunny day over the the convention centre (gorgeous view of the mountains, water, and Stanley Park), learn and try some new things at the Health Show, and end it off with a lovely dinner at the Mill for something casual or Cardero’s.
The other thing I tried this week to improve my health was Pilates. Admittedly, I hadn’t felt motivated to do it before. What I did know is that it teaches healthy alignment, core strength, and works the abs. Teaching my new Nia classes at Pilates Unlimited, I decided it would be good to learn what goes on at their studio. I was excited to try the Reformer, which is a strange looking contraption with pulley-like chords. While it was weird to set myself in it, the workout was evident. What was most important for me, though, was the strength building and alignment work that I could sense happening in my body. Recently, I had some difficulty with my left hip and realized I was out of alignment. This is also caused my body to forget some connections around my hips and I needed my body to remember them in order to heal. My work with an acupuncturist brought this to light, and I may go back for more of that. I also feel the Pilates Reformer class could do the trick. Most of us wait until things get worse before we take action. I encourage you to take action when you sense something wrong. Healing happens far more quickly and easily when you do.
Enjoy the beautiful sunshine this weekend!
Health and Wellness Show
February 15th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
What would most improve your well-being? Vancouver is hosting the annual Health and Wellness show on Feb 18-21 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. There will be presenters, booths full of information, massages, Nia demos (Fri 6:30, Sat 6:00, Sun 10:30 and 5:15) , yoga and other fitness demos, cooking lessons, and much more. This may just be the thing to stimulate your interest in finding ways to keep your energy high, your moods balanced, your stress to a minimum, and your body happy and enjoying life.
If you’re the kind of person who finds such an event overwhelming due to the volume of information and the numbers of people, use these tips to create the right experience for yourself:
- Eat before you go! (when you’re hungry, it’s hard to learn and remain interested)
- Take a look at the website to highlight things you don’t want to miss
- Go with a friend or two and make it a social trip
- Allow your intuition to tell you where to focus your energy
- Be open to learning, be curious.
- Ask questions so that you learn what you are most interested in.
- Take a break or two. And participate when you can!
Enjoy trying new treats from cheeses, hummus, chocolate to smoothies and teas. You can chat with a life coach, find out about eco-fashion, or learn how to reduce stress in your life. General admission is $12.50 or get a 3 day pass for $27 and pace yourself to focus on a different interest each day! I’ll check it out as well and look forward to new discoveries in the field of wellness.
