Time for Natural Time in 2007

Wow, where has the time gone! The start of a fresh new calendar year full of potential. With Nia, one of our main Principles is that of Natural Time which in our terms, means finding your own way of moving. This allows us to stay connected to sensation defined by our own individual movement and pace, an experience which isn't governed by mechanical time.

So what is mechanical time? In everyday life it is the mechanical clock and Monday through Sunday calendar. In fitness terms it is the concept of everyone moving in the exact same way, to the same beat with no sense of uniqueness or individuality. Have you ever been to a fitness class and really enjoyed a particular piece of music and felt the need to groove or spice it up? Did you actually feel you could comfortably do it in that particular time and space or did you feel you would stick out like a sore thumb and refrained from doing it? This tends to be the sensation with mechanical movement. The impression that we must all color inside the lines and anything else would just be "weird". I personally think weird is good.

Within the framework of Natural Time, not only can we embrace the opportunity to move the way our body needs to move, we can be expressive while we do it. If the class 'zigs' and you 'zag', we go up- you go down, who cares! The world will doubtfully end because of it. If it is what your body requires from you in that particular moment, then it is exactly what you should be doing. It is moving with natural flow and rhythms.

Wouldn't it be great if the entire world operated like this? The Mayans believed it did and still many people follow their philosophy. The 13 Moon Calendar is an ancient calendar which follows a 13 moon cycle. The following info is from http://www.tortuga.com

Did You Know?
... In one year the moon circles the earth 13 times?

... In the current global standard calendar,

a month doesn't correspond to one natural cycle?
... The word "calendar" comes from the Roman word, "Calends",

which was the name of the account book,

the book recording monthly debts and bills to be paid?

... Time isn't money?
... September means seven, but is the ninth month?

... March is named for Mars, the Roman God of War?

... July and August are named for Julius and Augustus Caesar?

In contrast, every moon of the 13 moon calendar is exactly 28 days.
This type of calendar, a 28 day-calendar, was actively supported by the

International Chamber of Commerce in 1931. The calendar change was

supported by people such as Eastman Kodak and Mahatma Gandhi.
The 28-day calendar makes accounting easier and means that any day

will fall on the same day of the week, year-after-year.

Each year, the 13 Moon Calendar remains constant.

The first moon, or New Year's day, always begins on July 26.

So if that is the case then our new year celebrations are still 7 months away! The entire concept is a great read and who knows maybe it will inspire a little Natural Time to your schedule.

Live to color outside the lines,

Lisa