Alliance Center for Independence
One of ACI's most popular new groups is Coloring for Adults! Established back in August, adult coloring has proven to be a great way to meet new friends and to de-stress. Experts say that coloring can lower anxiety, stabilize mood, increase attention span and serve as a sleep aid. Coloring has become the latest trend among adults and has many health benefits, but the best reason to join this group is to just have fun!
Over the summer, ACI offered a 5-week series of integrated belly dance classes. These beginner classes were taught under the guidance of performer, teacher and choreographer, Farasha. The classes Influenced by the Middle Eastern form of the dance, focused primarily on seated moves that incorporated upper-body and arm movements accented by articulations of the hips and waist. We hope to offer the classes again in the future!
Last month, ACI presented a class on adaptive yoga to 25 members of the NJ Self-Advocacy Project at the municipal building in North Brunswick. Adaptive yoga has all the benefits of traditional yoga, but is adapted and modified to accommodate various disabilities and experience levels. Interested in adaptive yoga for your group or organization? Let us know!
Congratulation to ACI staff member Nybil Ghanem, who recently completed a certification course on Laughter Yoga taught by laughter therapy teacher, Beverly Burns. Laughter Yoga is a recognized form of Hasya Yoga under The American Yoga Association. Laughing can actually boost positive levels of "feel good" hormones within one's body, through "playful laughter" not only through joke. The class also focused on deep breathing of inhaling and exhaling while engaging in this fun activity!
The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) is bringing Get FIT to Edison with the goal of providing inclusive healthy living opportunities for people of all abilities. Get FIT which was launched in 2008 by The Family Resource Network, is a national movement of organizations all of whom are connected in the mission to increase health and wellness opportunities for people with disabilities, chronic illness and their caregivers. Get FIT provides evidence-based programs that have been tailored to meet the specific needs of people with varied ability levels. Get FIT participants have reported that they experienced an improved quality of life, increased independent living skills, improved health outcomes, increased physical activity levels, an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and a decreased risk of chronic health conditions after being in the program for 12 weeks.
For more information on Get FIT, please contact ACI or visit getfitnj.org.
ACI is proud to be a community partner with the Clement A. Price Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience at Rutgers University on a grant to bring AXIS to New Jersey. Tickets are on sale now for their NJPAC performance on November 17th. Look for details on a upcoming dance class in Middlesex County.
Paving the way for physically integrated dance, each year AXIS shares its cutting-edge artistic and education/outreach work with thousands all over the world.
AXIS exists to change the face of dance and disability. Founded in 1987, AXIS emerged at a time when the Disabilities Rights and Independent Living Movement were making strides and the dance community was beginning to open its doors to people with disabilities. With more than 75 works in its repertory, AXIS has toured major dance venues and festivals in more than 100 cities nationwide, Europe and the Soviet Union.
For more information, please visit: axisdance.org
