Month: January 2010

Posted in Exercise, Health

Find your pleasure through Nia

Posted on by Suitcase Cally
The hands that touch the earth

NIA® is a mind-body-spirit fitness programme created by Debbie and Carlos Rosas in 1983.  It is based on three movement arts: martial, dance and healing movement art forms. 

It combines nine movement forms and concepts from Yoga, Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jazz, Modern Dance, Duncan Dance, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique to offer a total-body cardiovascular conditioning workout.  It is suitable for cross-training for any sport or activity.  All Nia movements are adaptable, and can be personalised for any level of fitness and agility. 

Nia is designed to guide you to move your body the way it is intended to move.  This is why it is suitable to work with everybody, and in my fields of interest: eating disorders, addiction, and other mental health issues.  What I love is I get to dance and play barefoot – pure pleasure to ground and connect with our source – Mother Nature.

It is a way to discover your unique way to move, and discover health.  This video was filmed in Cape Town when we (Nia teachers) danced at the Women’s Show with founder Debbie Rosas.

In Swahili, Nia translates to ‘with purpose’, and through the moves people benefit through the conscious application of practicing concentration and mindfulness. Through the use of music, people get to engage with their own playfulness, and learn to be more intimate with themselves.  This is the pleasure principle-if the body feels good, accepted, and loved; it will naturally become stronger and heal.

Balancing – practising on rocks for class
Walking bare feet at the beach grounds and connects me to our source – Mother Nature
Posted in Body, Exercise, Health, Mind

Addiction Tree

Posted on by Suitcase Cally

Addiction is like a tree, it grows when it is nurtured and fuelled.  The trunk is our addictive thoughts and behaviors. The branches are the ways in which these behaviors affect our day to day lives.

The roots are the causes of the addiction.   The causes can be many depending on what school of thought is adopted.  Some causes include abuse (mental, physical, emotional, sexual), trauma, genetics, loneliness, fear, shame, guilt and anger.  Dependant on who and where we interact we can be drawn to people who fuel our addictions.

Recovery from addiction is possible, and there are many ways to find a healthier lifestyle; regain a sense of normality, and learn tools to cope with life.

What is your addiction hiding you from?

Posted in Books, Health, Mind

Neurotic Ego vs Healthy Ego

Posted on by Suitcase Cally

I was once asked ‘What does it mean to have a spiritual awakening?‘, all my thoughts immediately went to my past script, perceptions, and old hurts.  I immediately placed my guard up, and became defensive.  My old script was about not trusting anything, anybody, or any organisation that mentioned the word spirituality.  I was scared, and didn’t know why.  I was about to learn a valuable lesson in the art of letting go, being open to something different and new.  Change in many guises can be fearful.

Through my studies, and working in the mental health field, despite these words still evoking a momentary emotional reaction, I have learnt to rewire my thinking as best I can.  I stumbled upon a book (accident or meant to be) called ‘The Power of Coincidence:How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know‘ by David Richo.  In his book I sampled a few of the exercises, and discovered some of my old inflated, arrogant, neurotic ego thoughts would say to me:

  • I have to be right
  • I overreact to minor slights
  • I am controlling
  • I cannot be criticised
  • I demand love, respect, and loyalty no matter what
  • I have to return a favour (I must keep it even, don’t owe anyone)
  • I can not show that I need others or I am dependant on them for anything

I realised they were negative patterns I was holding, and I came across as compulsive, because of my ‘neurotic ego’ wanting to take charge, be in control, and be self centred.  I was fearful of losing control over anything.  It was a trait of perfection I had to display no matter what happened.

To change my ‘neurotic ego’, and move towards healthier thinking and outward behaviours, I began to practise new ways of thinking, and adapting my perceptions.  This is how I became more open to this idea of letting go old patterns, and invoking a spiritual awareness in my Self:

  • I gave up getting my own way  all the time
  • I let go of being controlling all the time
  • I admit when I am wrong
  • I make amends when I am wrong
  • I can love a person, and make allowances for them (perfection does not exist)
  • I ask for what I want with no expectations that I will necessarily get it

Today when I hear those words ‘spiritual awareness’; I am not fearful because I understand what it means to be me, and I have a choice always to act from a ‘neurotic ego’ or a ‘healthy ego’ state.  No matter what situation I am in, I PAUSE when I am tempted to go the old way, and THINK what is the new way? 

FURTHER READING

The Power of Coincidence: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know by David Richo