Cross-Training Body Mind Emotions Spirit | Rachael R. Resch

The focus of our Nia practice today, chosen at random from the cards for 2010, was “commitment.”

Whenever we see a word with the prefix, “com-” we know we’re in the field of relationship.  “Com-” is from the Latin, cum, meaning “with.”  We are in relationship with . . . everything.

The suffix of “commitment” is from the Latin, mittere, “to send,” “to place,” “to put,” “to throw,” “to release.”  This tells us commitment involves some kind of motion with another, be it with oneself, another being or a state of being.

We could say that commitment is to be with what is placed before us.  We could say that commitment is the state of being thrown together with another, blown by the winds of chance into this very moment.  Or that commitment is the motion of releasing one’s heart with another.

Commitment says I am moving in relationship.  I’m being sent, placed, tossed or released in relationship.  Maybe the motion of my commitment is with a friend, a partner, a path.  Maybe the motion of my commitment is with my body, the Earth, the Holy.

In the Nia practice, we call the ring finger the “commitment finger.”  Each finger carries a unique energy.  The energy of commitment moves along the shoulder blade, up and down the back of the arm and the ring finger.  This meridian, the Triple Warmer, guides the motions of chi and fluids through the body.

Placing the commitment finger and the thumb — the nurturing finger — together with each other creates the prithvi mudra. It’s a practice for cultivating patience and tolerance, both of which are useful in relationship.

What is the sensation of commitment?  What is the sensation of moving in relationship?

Gravity shows that the Earth is committed with us, and we with the Earth.  The Earth and my body are thrown together in relationship by gravity, the attraction of two masses for each other.  I can feel the Earth’s commitment, her motion toward me, and with every movement, every step, and every time I make contact with the ground, I can feel the motion of my commitment with the Earth.