Nia on the beach: Christmas Day!

On Christmas morning I was grateful to dance on the beach here in Florida! My journal entry for christmas day is a collage of 4 photos I took during a Nia class taught by my friend Kathy Oravec . . . larger view. I always bring my camera with me and when the time is right, I will grab it and take a few shots, then get back to class!

Kathy teaches on Siesta Beach every week and you will often find me there. Moving barefoot on the sand to music, looking at the ocean in front of me (usually with a few dolphins playing in front of us) or looking up at the sky overhead with various birds flying in sync with our movement -- this is more than simply a physical workout for me. The connection I feel to nature and a greater life force while participating in a Nia class with Kathy is quite profound. When we ground our feet, take a deep breath and raise our arms up in the air for an over head stretch, I feel the wind through my fingers, I watch the birds swoop and call, I hear the waves and I feel very connected and alive. I think this is one reason why Nia is a mind-body-spirit program.

After Nia class on Christmas day we had a Gratitude dance event where we simply danced freestyle on the beach, often with colorful scarves (veils) to express our gratitude. The beach is a popular Christmas day destination for many people, so we had lots of observers who often decided to join us. I remember one woman saying to me, "I want to play!". I said, "you can play too!! Just grab a scarf!" Afterwards there was a potluck feast. Then I went home and shared a lovely afternoon and evening with Steven, my mom, my sister, her husband and my 2 nephews!

Afterwards I created two short videos, one from the class and one of the gratitude dancing -you can find them here! I think they will either make you want to go to the beach or start dancing! There are also some extra views of dancing with the scarves here. I hope you enjoy. My family was here for dinner tonight (our first dinner party!) and so I am behind and catching up . . . I will return tomorrow with a few more days of photos!