Courage + Chop Cut
52 days of Self-Care to improve the quality of your life + 52 Nia Moves for Health. Fitness. Power. Beauty.
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela
Thoughts of countless days spent at the swimming pool on the Air Force Base in Albuquerque take me to the memory of conquering my fear of diving into the water from the diving board. It seemed so much higher than the side of the pool, dangerous in fact! After accomplishing that feat I set my sights on taking a leap from the 3 meter board. All the while observing a gentleman who came to the pool each day (during his lunch hour?) to practice diving from both the low and high board. I yearned to dive as gracefully as he. I studied his every move, imagined myself doing the very same. I achieved my dream becoming an accomplished competition diver in high school. Yet in retrospect, my most earnest sense of triumph is felt in memory of the courage it took for me to leap from the 1 meter board for the first time. Honoring the Courageous part of YOU, Julie
Self-Care: COURAGE
Daily choice/action: Take the leap ~ Your courage will see you through.
Inspired by: Cheryl Richardson Self-Care Cards
Noun: courage (Wiktionary)
- The quality of a confident character not to be afraid or intimidated easily but without being incautious or inconsiderate.
- “A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- It takes a lot of courage to be successful in business.
- The ability to do things which one finds frightening.
- “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” —Mark Twain
- He plucked up the courage to tell her how he felt.
Etymology
From Old French corage (French: courage), from Latin cor (“heart”). Distantly related to cardiac (“of the heart”), which is from Greek.
Share: How did courage (feeling or action) affect you today?
Nia Move: Chop Cut
Daily practice: Chop the air with the edge or “blade side” of your hand, as if you were executing a karate chop. Keep your thumb and fingers extended and your wrist mobile to support a powerful chopping action. As you chop downward imagine you are vanquishing something that is holding you back from achieving all that you desire and rancorously sound the word because! Practicing chop cut is an excellent exercise for affirming your personal power. The move effectively builds strength in the arms and shoulders and is superb for releasing stress.
excerpted from: The Nia Technique by Debbie Rosas & Carlos Aya-Rosas
Share: Chop cut – creating or dissolving boundaries?
Leave a Comment