Archive for December, 2010

Why ‘Connect’ with Nature?

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

The easy answer to that question for me is because I find connecting with nature to be awesome - hiking in the mountains - planting a garden - hitting the beach - surfing - snowboarding - soaking in the sunlight/moonlight - taking a walk to get some fresh air - I could go on and on but I’d like to concentrate on a much more important answer to the question - I could comment on several reasons but for now I’ll focus on two huge reasons - the first being because we are nature - each and every one of us has an entire universe inside of us - we are comprised and sustained by the elements that we touch, see, and taste on a daily basis - the air we breathe - the vitamins and minerals we consume that come from the earth - the fire that burns within - the eternal flame that reminds us that we will live forever - nature takes great care of us with its generosity and undying commitment to our survival - which takes me into the second reason why we need to connect with nature - just as nature provides and cares for us we must do the same for nature - sadly many of us are failing to recognize just how important - how crucial it is that we return the favor - by failing to connect with nature I believe we can easily start to take her for granted - we can become oblivious and/or turn a blind eye to the man made destruction that’s taking place - collectively we are causing the problems and collectively we need to solve them - we need to remember that nature is a living entity and human beings are its heartbeat - if we destroy nature we destroy ourselves - the problems and the severity of them are enormous but the good news is we are much more than capable of changing our ways - making little adjustments in our lives that can make a difference - producing less waste - composting - growing a garden - supporting eco-friendly companies - that list goes on and on as well so may I suggest we all do our homework and find out what we can do to make a positive impact - Have you noticed the huge shift that’s happening in our world at this very moment? - It’s a shift in social consciousness - more and more people are realizing that we can’t go on abusing our planet and it’s very possible that we could be approaching the point of no return - so it just might be a good idea to jump on that ‘think green’ bandwagon and do what we can to help - isn’t it time we start treating good ol Mother Nature with more love - more respect and much much more tenderness and care? After all she deserves it!!!

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How do you MOVE?

Monday, December 20th, 2010


Move is definitely my favorite of the 7 disciplines - I grew up in a very athletic family - my Dad played B-ball at Georgetown - three of my uncles played a college sport - two football and one crew -my grandfather and a few of his brothers were boxers and baseball players and one was an all- American football player at Fordham University and an inductee into theCollege Hall of Fame.
Competitive sports were my biggest passion from a very early age - As an athlete, one’s objective is to master movement - to develop the ability to be agile, fluid and sometimes graceful - an athlete sometimes needs to generate speed, power, and aggression and other times they call on finesse, coordination, and skill. Although athletics were always a mainstay in my life, I’ve always enjoyed exploring different activities that challenged my ability to move - surfing - skiing/snowboarding - skateboarding - swimming - and even dancing– even though I was very self conscious and insecure when it came to dancing until about 10 years ago (fortunately I got over that!). The human body thrives on movement - it actually craves it and celebrates when we’re active - when we opt for a sedentary
lifestyle the body suffers - our health begins to deteriorate and disease can easily infiltrate - collectively our activity levels have dropped severely over the las few decades and our need for movement is becoming a crucial necessity - in order to preserve our own personal well being I believe it’s imperative that we get off the couch - out from in front of the computers and from behind the wheels of our cars and start to use our bodies the way nature intended we use them - so whether your a seasoned athlete, a weekend warrior or someone that loves taking a walk I implore all of you to use and move your
body more often - come to The Power Center for the East Meets West ChiCamp class, Heated Power Yoga, an Ultimate Athlete Conditioning class, Tae Kwon Do, Wing Chun, or MMA session, go for a walk, a swim, a bike ride, go dancing, or hike up a mountain - whatever it is you do - do it with an intention - the intention to make our world a healthier place - let’s all start to take better care of ourselves and put an end to the deadly trend of leading unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles - we’re all in this together and together we can change our ways - we can prevent disease and we can live long and prosperous
lives - here’s to your health - Be well - MOVE!!!
Live the Seven,
John Nies


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How can we “SERVE” our world together?

Monday, December 6th, 2010

One of the most rewarding and instantly gratifying of The Seven Disciplines that I practice is one that any one of us can be a part of– serving your world by helping our fellow man. Going out into the world and doing something to help someone in need - not only helping humanity but also finding a way to contribute to the well being of our planet - there are many people that have fallen on difficult times or are suffering due to unfortunate circumstances - people that have lost their homes - people with no means to provide life’sessentials for themselves or their family - communities that have been devastated by war, genocide, disease or natural disasters - there are thousands of kids that have been orphaned or are livng in very challenging conditions - there are also thousands of the elderly population that have no one in their lives - unfortunately the list goes on and on, and it seems like its too much for one person’s efforts to make a difference. I have often felt overwhelmed with the sheer volume of problems and challenges we see and hear about on a daily basis–the war, hunger, poverty, abuse, natural disaster, disease all run rampant in all corners of the world. I thought there was little I could do on my own to make any real difference, until I realized that there were so many opportunities to serve right in front of us all the time. There are people in need right in our own backyard-and every time we do something for no other purpose than to be of help, we get so much in return.
Serving others is a perfect way to spend some quality time away from the our typical self-serving behavior - it’s a great way to be on the receiving end of a big smile from someone that truly appreciated your helping them out - help can be offered in many ways - I like to think of mankind as one enormous family and if one of our brothers, sisters, mothers or fathers is in need than someone that is in a position to help than they should - the benefits that we reap from participating in performing
acts of kindness are immeasureable - it’ll lift your spirit, warm your heart, and put a huge smile on your face - if all of us that are in a position to lend a hand did just that imagine how much more love this world have - I say we do it - let’s make 2011 the year of service - let’s right some of our wrongs - together let’s create more peace and harmony - all it takes is a little effort from a lot of people and we will all witness unimaginable miracles - sounds exciting right? Well let’s make it a reality and together let’s take care of each other - see you in the trenches.
Live the Seven!
John Nies

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