Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Invitation to Dance


On Wednesday nights I teach Nia. Today I was wishing you could all come out and join in the dance and then I had an idea. I could share our class focus and perhaps you could find your own way to join in.

Tonight our focus is our hands. Every day our hands do such great work for us - they type, they write, they greet others with a wave or a handshake. Maybe, like me, you've experienced what it's like to overwork your hands and they need some love and healing. In Nia we believe that pleasurable movement invites healing into our bodies.

When was the last time you invited your hands to dance? You could do it right now. Your movements can be as larger or small as feels good to you. Maybe you just tap your fingers. Maybe you conduct an orchestra. You don't even need music though that's certainly a treat. Just take your hands away from the keyboard and give them a moment to discover how they like to move. Do they express your flow? your agitation? your curiosity? your sense of play?

What do you notice when your hands dance?

3 comments:

Suzie Ridler said...

This is beautiful Jamie! I love getting to see your hands dance, so lovely.

I've become very self-conscious of my hands, they're looking very old. I work them really hard and live with a lot of morning pain and always do a little wakeup dance with my hands. I'm very conscious of them and try to keep them happy. I will also now try and make them dance.

Shannon said...

That is so lovely Jamie! Thank you for sharing your beautiful hand dance :)

I relaize I need to remember to let my hands rest sometimes, they feel always in motion... typing, writing, prepping food, knitting.... it's never ending!

Romana Mirza said...

I think you'll love this film from Pangea Day. http://www.pangeaday.org/filmDetail.php?id=4