February – the month of cupid and Valentine’s Day. Giving your loved one chocolate, love poems and flowers. What if you gave your loved one the gift of Nia also? Nia has been described as a box of chocolates. Try one. You’ll like it. Try another or the whole box. It’s delicious.
Besides honoring your loved ones, February is also a perfect month to bring attention to your heart. Did you know heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the U.S. and the world? Staying around for more Valentine’s Days is a good idea. And Nia can help you with that.
Movement from the heart
Nia is one of the best fitness programs to engage the cardiovascular system. Shifting from isolated muscle training into movement-based training strengthens your heart and lungs so it can supply oxygen-rich blood to your working muscle tissues. A variety of moves from martial, dance and healing arts (that box of chocolates) establishes coherency between your body’s movements and the heart.
Love versus fear
You have the choice to criticize your body or love it. When you say, I hate my thighs, your brain hears it and understands your thighs are bad – a disconnect. Your heart is probably sad, too. Shifting out of fear and into love alters the message running through your body. The heart generates the largest electromagnetic field in the body. Love increases the electromagnetic field when you love those thighs; thus, increasing the electromagnetic field of the universe. Your brain and emotions working positively together for a healthy heart. A win-win.
Do what you love
“Do what you love, it’s now or never,” are words from one of the songs in the Nia routine Source. All of the songs are by composer, writer and singer Lis Addison. The rhythms of the music, the sounds of the instruments and words inspire the body to move your body’s way. Nia routines are scientifically choreographed to engage all aspects of your body, mind, emotions and spirit. And doing what you love in your life is good medicine for your heart.
Calming the heart
When something in your life happens that causes your heart to beat faster, what do you do? Fight, take flight or freeze? You can quickly stimulate the vagus nerve – one of the largest in the body that starts in the brain and takes two paths to the abdomen – to slow down the heart and to gather your senses before decision making.
- Take 3 deep breaths – in through the nose and slowly out the mouth. On the 3rd exhale, do it quickly and forcefully.
- Start laughing – that works, too.
- If you know yoga, make a gentle tree pose or another you like.
- Sing your favorite song, hum or sound the chakras.
These movements are incorporated into Nia classes. They calm the heart and lower blood pressure. When you step out, your whole body is energized. And your heart is healthier and happier.
Give yourself the gift of Nia by taking one of my classes. Or go to Nia on Demand to find a variety of teaches, classes, podcasts and more. It’s a huge box of chocolates to choose from. The first 2 weeks are FREE! Browse and play. As for Valentine’s Day and your heart, here’s a poem I wrote years ago. Enjoy.
I Need a Love Poem
Not one dripping in juicy cherry cordials
or ancient sonnets filled with wherefores or love loves nots
I need one that is soft on my bones
gentle with my heart
not one that shouts with writing across the skies
or paints love’s labor in glowing colors.
I need one that whispers through the trees,
promises laughter at dawn and sugar in my dreams.