Nia is about joyful movement.  Move with joy.  Move for

Trust me with your wellness needs. Nia Free Dance has eight stages Freedance Being Seduced by the Music Feelings and Emotions The Creative Source Authentic Movement Witness Choreography Nia Class Nia is not like any other workout I have ever done.  It is low impact.  And the intensity is self-regulated so it can be high, medium, low, or whatever YOU make it.  It is up to you!

joy.  Move to joy.

On the surface Nia is a full body workout that is done to music in bare feet.**  Anyone participating in the Nia workout can elect to stay there, on the surface, or you can try to engage your mind, body, spirit, and emotions and get an entire PERSON workout.  Either way, you will feel great!

A lot of workouts make you feel good after you do them.  I believe that people should get moving and if they find something that they love that gets them moving, that is what they should do.  For me, Nia is that something. 

Nia is fun because it includes nine basic movement forms.  From the martial arts; T’ai chi, Tae kwon do, and Aikido.  From the dance arts; Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, and Duncan Dance, and from the healing arts; teachings from Feldinkrais, the Alexander Technique, and Yoga.  So in one workout you can experience all those things.  Strength is balanced with grace.  Fun is balanced with seriousness.  Body is balanced with mind. 

It is basically a workout, done in bare feet, to music.  Because of the bare feet it is low impact, but because of the bare feet you can really work on your balance.  It is also what I am calling “self-regulated” because YOU decide upon the intensity.  The idea is for you to move your body in accordance to your body.  Even though there is a teacher leading you through a routine,  there is no one shouting at you to “lift that knee higher . . . . move your hands faster . . . .”  Of course there is an ideal on how your body should be ABLE to move because there is a certain design to it, but it is understood that maybe you are tired today or you have pain in that joint so Nia does not force you to move it, but you are encouraged to “listen” to it and move it to make you feel better.  Kind of opposite from most workout regimes, huh?

Nia Is A Journey.

Nia, as a practice, can be described in many ways because it is different for everyone, as I said, on the surface it is a work out, but if you apply the technique it becomes much more.  And different for everyone.  I truly believe that when you move your body as it was made to be moved you just FEEL better. 

For some, Nia might not effect a change in your life after the first class . It might not affect you after the first class, but if you give it a chance it will do wonders.

• Nia helps joints loosen and muscles tighten.

• Nia makes me feel relaxed, yet strong.

• A Nia workout is about pleasure.  If you are doing a move that causes pain, stop.  Seek pleasure.  Discomfort is ok, but not pain .
• They say, “Nia is like chocolate.  You can’t describe it---you have to taste it.”  That sounds reminiscent of Forrest Gump to me, but it is true.

• Nia wants you to learn to pay attention to the sensations of your body.

• Nia has different levels that are called belts.  The White Belt is about the body.  Learning the Body’s Way.

• Like a Yoga “practice”, Nia can be a practice that allows you to work the body and the mind and spirit if you so choose.

• Nia has a lot of ideas behind it.  One of them is “fitness must address the human being, not just the body.” 

**There is also Nia 5 Stages, which is another type of Nia Movement Practice.