Two colleagues were comparing notes yesterday on their home remodeling projects. They shared photos of re-painted cupboards and up-dated fixtures. It sounded like the joy is in the doing and “done” is not what drives them on to the next project.
I can relate to that, except that my remodeling project seems to be my life. I’m certainly not eager to be done, but I relish opportunities to make little (or big) improvements in my life and work. Like my friends who re-do the cabinets or move the bathroom wall, I tend to always have a project or two going.
Some members of my family put their time and energy toward creating a better society and government. There, too, is always something to be improved, and I am grateful for their efforts.
However, I need to be wary of living in the perpetual dissatisfaction of incompletion. I have to remind myself to celebrate accomplishments. I want to love my culture, my nation, my home, my body and my life, even as I strive to make each of them better. That’s where my Nia Technique practices come in handy. I learned first with aches and pains in my body by making subtle changes in how I moved, and asking myself, “does this feel better?” If the answer was “yes”, then I figured out a way to continue what I was doing to sustain the good sensation. If the answer was “no”, then it was time to make another little adjustment and ask again. This practice has worked so well on my physical issues that now I apply the same sequence to solving emotional problems. One of the best side effects is that I switch into an attitude of curiosity and get out of feeling grumpy or sad. I think, hmmmm…. I wonder what will happen if I do THIS? Wonder feels so much better than discouragement.
That’s just one of the principles of Nia I share in the Nia White Belt Training. There are so many valuable elements, that the whole Nia Training takes 6 days, done either all at once or spread out over a couple of long weekends or even 6 weeks of one day a week. Here’s one in October of the one-day-a-week schedule: https://nianow.com/node/1056233 This first level of the Nia Five-Belt system focuses on sensation. It’s a good place to begin, the way I did, and you can apply it to all aspects of your life when you feel ready.
