The Five Basic Principles of the Body's Way
1---The Body Thrives on Dynamic Ease. Dynamic ease is somewhat comparable to muscle memory. When you do movements enough that your body can perform the task without you thinking about them. When you can do something with great efficiency, but with little effort. There may have been a time when you first tried to do something and you found it a struggle--maybe golfing, bowling, climbing--then with practice it became second nature. That is dynamic ease.
When you are first learning a movement the challenge of doing so generally keeps you from being creative.
Trying new things and stepping out outside of the designated form is not something you can do right away.
Once you have reached the stage of dynamic ease it allows for your creativity to flow. Your brain can get exercised and so can your body because you are trying new things.
So the body craves this state so that it can be exercised. It can expand and grow.
2---The Body Demands Balance. The body was built with balance in mind with body parts on each side. The body runs best when its systems are in balance. Most of the functions of the body are to keep the systems in balance. One way to help achieve balance is to do circular movements and motions. Circular uses both halves of the brain and calls upon the joints to move in the full range of motion. Instead of linear motions and movements that are typical of many exercise classes Nia workouts include big "round" movements.
3---The Body is Balanced in Yin and Yang. Yin is believed to be the soft, feminine energies. Yang is the hard, masculine energies. Both have a place in the body.
Inhaling, rest, and cooling down the body are all considered yin. Exhaling, intense activity, and warming up are yang. Can you see how both yin and yang have a place in the body and are actually necessary in order to have balance in the body.
4---The Body's Way Demands Simultaneous Mobility and Stability. The body's joints allow for mobility and the muscles for stability. If the joints did not have the muscles to stabilize them they would not be very useful. And the strong stable muscles would not be much good without the joints that can move in ways to fully utilize their strength.
The proper balance of mobility and stability help with the balancing of yin and yang, and moving energies around.
An example of an imbalance in mobility and stability is when someone has a hyper-mobile joint, usually referred to as double jointed. The joint is especially mobile where the muscles are not as stable as they need to be to keep the limb from moving too far.
5---The Body Itself Reveals the Body's Way. The body often tells us what it needs. Sometimes we are too busy to listen or we are not sure of what it is telling us. But its very design instructs us on its use. Feet with all of its bones and joints tell us it is a shock absorbing structure. It also indicates its ability and need to bend and flex.
Also our bodies give us feedback both negative and positive. Both can be used to help guide our movements.
Negative feedback would be what we consider pain, you can adjust your movements away from something that is painful. There is a state where your muscles might begin to vibrate or you will feel a rush of energy, you will feel physically challenged and maybe even be sweating. This is called positive tension. This is an exhilarating state where your body is becoming stronger.
People sometimes refer to "being in the zone" which is comparable to a prolonged state of dynamic ease.
Things are easy and movement just flows and there is joy and enjoyment in what you are doing. Since both yin and yang are necessary and it is important to have them balanced Nia can help people be more yin, more fluid and feminine in their movements or more yang, more hard and masculine. Whichever is necessary Nia can help achieve the balance. Nia respects the body's way and can successful assist in achieve balance in the body.