Coming Soon, With Debbie Rosas.

I have a reading ritual on Sunday mornings: the New York Times and I have a date. As someone who grew up with learning disabilities, struggling to read and comprehend; I feel proud each time I sit down with my coffee to read this newspaper. But eventually, something was different for me. Not once did I feel proud of my accomplishment. I believe this means I have transformed and I have finally embodied the belief that, “I can read.” By finally, I mean I’ve come close to sensing this in the past, but I have never really arrived to it as my own truth.

The first time I sensed this to be true was when I read the book, Zen Mind Zen Horse: The Science and Spirituality of Working with Horses, by Allan J. Hamilton, MD, who is also the author of the most beautiful book about horses. He eloquently writes on the subject of the primary method of human communication and explains how we receive information: 70% comes from what we see as body language or nonverbal communication, while 20% comes from the tone of our voice, and 10% comes from the actual words that we speak.

Reading this, I finally understood something about myself and how my brain and in fact, the human brain itself, is coded to learn; first by receiving and processing information through sight, as in images, colors and body language; second through the sound, tone, and pitch of a voice; and third, by the words we speak and hear. This was a revelation to me, which explained to me, why I am so seduced by what I see and why I, being unable to read at a young age, was propelled into the arts where I found both solace and sanctuary.

To understand how I learned to interpret information from childhood to adulthood, beginning with decoding the world around me…

As an artist, I felt that I didn’t necessarily have to read any words, at all, and that I only needed to read symbols. Shape and design is still how I best receive information for clarity. This is also how I understand things, by looking at shapes and seeing how they fit together, support each other, or not at all. When I attend meetings with colleagues, staff, or clients, I usually look down at symbols and shapes I draw for better listening and understanding of what I am hearing, but I need time to process communications later and not in the moment.

The second time I sensed that, “I can read,” could be true, was when I read the book, Proust and The Squid, by Maryanne Wolf. Her beautifully synthesized interdisciplinary research in psychology and archaeology; linguistics and education; neuroscience and history helped me to better understand what she calls, “the reading brain.” She eloquently chronicled human brain development from the process of writing to reading, while detailing the neuroscience, the magic, and the mechanics behind writing and reading. This gave me a deeper understanding.

Her book provided me with the validation I needed to understand how I learned to adapt to the learning disabilities I was born to overcome. To understand how I gave my attention and my awareness to my body to learn its sensations. And to understand how I learned to interpret information from childhood to adulthood, beginning with decoding the world around me through an innate methodology all my own that used drawing and shapes and symbols, and then only later through adding words to explain what I understood and comprehended.

But the deep learning, understanding, and embodied knowledge which originates from reading my body includes the Art of Sensation…

One particular quote in Wolf’s book by the ancient Greek dramatist Meander, who is best known for contributions to Athenian New Comedy was, “Those who can read see twice as well,” which inspired me. It stimulated a new conversation between my body and my mind. I began to wonder if this could be true about reading the body? If I can read the body, do I see twice as well? As someone who struggled with book reading, the idea I could see twice as well by body reading was exciting! Reading my body has become a constant practice in life.

When people ask me what I am here to do, I know that I am here to inspire people to “feel to heal.” I have always known this. Feeling and healing by way of reading the body is my work and teaching people to develop the most important relationship they will ever have, the one they have with their body, inspires me to save the most endangered species on the planet: the body of every human whole being. Imagine what kind of world we will have if we all develop reading the body? I want to use that knowledge and wisdom to make change for the better.

I can now read, but the deep learning, understanding, and embodied knowledge which originates from reading my body includes Nia, Art of Sensation. I listen for, pay attention to, and hear the narratives of my body speaking to me and calling out for me to read them closely. I believe that no matter how challenged anyone might be and no matter what labels our culture and society might assign to those challenges; given the opportunity, the time, the attention, and the multiple literacies of each and every individual body – everyone can learn.

This is why I am writing my book, The Body’s Way!

I’m only one perfect example of that. My way, which became my foundation for The Nia Technique education programs that begin with The Body’s Way, established a path for me to learn and to discover how to learn. How to read, and best of all, how to be in a relationship with my body by reading my body through sensation have given the time and space to research and to write on the subject of The Body’s Way and moreover, Your Body’s Way, so that everyone can find a way for their body and life to heal better, root better and strengthen better at any age.

The Body’s Way is a unique and individual path, journey, and even an adventure for elevating mindfulness, awareness, whole being, and awakening in every body, mind, emotion, and spirit. Your relationship with your body might become the most important relationship you will ever have and your instrument for change in your world and the world around you, helping you to evolve and sustain your connection to one of the most valuable and important attributes of being human: sensing and feeling. This is why I will finish writing my book, The Body’s Way!

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