Week one ...completed :-)

It is said that once you learn how to do something you never truly loose it.  Although I have been moving more this year than I did in my final years at XL ... I was surprised to find my muscles stiffening up as the week progressed.   A true indication that I have not been putting as much effort into moving my entire body daily. 

To ease through the stiffness, I reached out to yoga (I'm trying to make it a friend) and with the aid of DvD's worked my way through poses that focus on lower back and hips. 

I received the following notice at the beginning of the week:  

"My Dearest Friends~


Come Dance and Celebrate the Beauty of who you are!!

With gentle guidance discover the incredible ways in which you can move and be moved!

Friday Night 8:15pm-10:00pm
Little Church House
(right on the corner of Chapel and Middle Roads, in Paget)

$20.00 /class

Wear something comfy Bring water

This is an ongoing, Friday night, Dance Experience! Whether you are new to movement, or you are a pro, you will be brought to your own edge, and get to dive into the expanse of your own unfolding beauty.


Any Shape, any size, AnyBody is Welcome.

If you have a body, you can dance! This is a Safe, Loving, Fun environment where, with gentle guidance and a spirit of openness, we come to move with ease and grace

and honesty. Life is a Dance!

"...follow your courageous spirit... jump in!"

Well...you know that this is right up my alley - and the fact that it's an evening class was even better!  Ironically, the venue is one that a friend in the US suggested that I use to teach NIA ... so I was very curious to experience what was being offered and made plans to attend on Friday evening.

So, instead of vegging on the couch flipping through tv channels or playing games on the computer screen - I ventured out, eager to move in the presence of others.  It was a small group of women - they were all friendly and welcoming.  As she described what was to unfold - I found myself wondering if this was based on Gabrielle Roth's 5 Rythms (Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical and Stillness) ....after the introduction of the second wave - I was compelled to ask - and the teacher confirmed that it was.  I enjoyed moving around - and incorporated some of NIA's 5 Stages into the last number as my body was craving the support of the floor.  It felt good to play around in the embryonic stage, using the floor for support.

At the end of the class we came into a circle - and collectively we created a poem - as each person around the circle said something that reflected where they were at that moment ... that when spun together resulted in a lovely poem. 

I discovered at the end of the class that the other particpants knew each other as they were all members of the Ba'hai community.  They got very excited when I said my maiden name ...and wanted to know if I was related to Randy & Oonagh - they all wanted to know when you were next coming to Bermuda and have sent hugs to you both as well as the boys. 

I didn't do much physically on Sunday as I spent most of the day in transit from Bermuda to Orlando, FL.  Walking between gates as well up and down the terminal is not quite enough.  I did manage to meet up with a friend who was in transit to Paris - so we had lunch together at JFK.  We went to Bobby Van's restaurant at JFK - if you find yourself hungry and you're hanging about in Terminal 8 I would highly recommend it.  We shared a calamari starter ...with an interesting twist (lightly seasoned and coated in sweet thai chili sauce with a peanut sauce)...I will admit that I was a little dubious -but my friend said that it was really good ...and after one bite ...I had to agree ...it was scrumptious! 

This morning I woke up and listened to Sanjana - Mel and I are both working to learn the routine - and have committed to learn 3 of the songs this week.  It is important that I fully embody the routine -as I will need to be ready to lead a class when I do my green belt in March.  It's also nice to be doing it with Mel.  Katrine is hoping to do her White Belt in 2010 - and by that time she's have two great mentor's!

It's time for me to get physical!

Have a great day!  Thanks for all of your support.

Lots of love,

Norma

Time

It's amazing how fast time can seem to pass at times ...and yet at other times - - - it can seem like time does nothing but stand still!

Here I am 11 months into 2009 and as often as I crafted things in my head to write - I never managed to actually transcribe my thoughts into words. In many respects, this reflects my state of being this past year. As excited as I was to reach my goal of donating 50 lbs to Structure House ... I soon discovered that there was a very big part of me - that really was not ready to let go of the excess.

I'm pleased to report that I did not reclaim the entire donation .... I did manage to claw back a few pounds and now after 11 months find that I'm recouped 15 lbs from my initial donation. (Not good!)

When I first started this journey, I decided to create the blog as I was looking for something that would help me to keep on track and as a tool to be accountable. As a coach, I know that being accountable for the steps that I take to achieve my goal usually leads to a successful outcome.

I've slightly revised my goal this time ....instead of donating weight ...I've decided that I will simply focus on dancing my dance - this means a daily commitment to move, shake, and celebrate the joy of movement!

For incentive, I've signed up for additional NIA trainings in 2010 - the first will be 5 Stages of Healing in Portland Oregon with Debbie Rosas in February and at the end of March I will head to Cambridge MA to do my NIA Green Belt with Carlos Rosas.

I started the week with NIA Unplugged ...I love that the entire routine is done to the sound of drums ...the beat is electrifying. Today, I did Opal ...it's one of my favorite routines ...although I will admit that I did get a bit stuck with the yoga moves at the end. I do know that with practice it will get easier.

It's been a while yes ...but it feels good to be back.

Lots of love,

Norma