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

In Nia the Five Sensations help us develop the art of sensing.  Sensing how your body feels at any given moment — during a Nia class, another movement practice, or in life — is a great way to become your own best teacher.  I teach myself with my senses.  My senses tell me how to move my body’s way.

The Five Sensations are: Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength and Stability.  

The body craves all five in dynamic balance for optimal function and harmony.  Learn to recognize each sensation in your body.   Then you can self-activate each one whenever and however you desire.  You can turn them on or off.  You can turn the volume up or down.

Develop a relationship with each sensation.  For example, I can literally say, "Hello, Strength" to initiate a conversation between myself and the sensation of Strength.  I notice what I bring to my relationship with Strength, and what Strength brings to its relationship with me.

At times I have brought to my relationship with Strength fear, insecurity, frustration, curiosity, love, appreciation and satisfaction.  Strength has brought to its relationship with me timidness, gradualness, encouragement, pain, confidence, grounding, ecstasy and energy.

The Nia book and the glossary on the Nia website give us definitions of each of the Five Sensations, and examples of what they feel like. What’s most important, however, is to get to know each sensation in your body.  This is your personal body language.

Articulate the Five Sensations in your own way to integrate body and mind.  This will help you create a map of your practice of living in a body.  You might say, "Wow, I haven’t been visiting Stability much," or, "Gee, I notice lately my body likes it when I visit Mobility before moving on to Strength."

The Five Sensations guide us in our movement practice and in life.  Each sensation, Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength and Stability, has an energy that brings a gift, a unique usefulness to life’s circumstances and to the practice of dancing through life.