Having recently completed an Intro to Nia workshop, I’m inspired to share this series on the Six Fundamentals to support you in gaining the most from your workouts.
Today I’m focusing on Number Two: Fitness must address the Human Being, not just the body.
In my years of working with people as a life and business coach, I have seen what happens when we try to compartmentalize our lives: work and personal life, bodies and minds, etc. My conclusion? It doesn’t work. We are whole beings and what we do in one part of our lives impacts the rest of our lives, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise.
Exercise that is done strictly for its own physical sake, divorced from the emotions and human spirit, isn’t satisfying, isn’t fun and eventually fails. To feel good enough to last a lifetime, a workout must satisfy all parts of us. When we find a practice that engages body, mind, emotions and spirit we can make the best use of our time and gain great value that is sustainable over time. Nia is one such practice.
How is this accomplished? Nia is a holistic experience. It is a playful, integrative approach that evokes joy, pleasure and comfort. It is a self-expressive art that is a workout, a practice and a lifestyle that fosters vitality and well-being.
How does it do all of that? In Nia, we draw from nine movement forms: 3 dance arts, 3 martial arts and 3 healing arts. Dance arts free us to be creative and expressive with our movements. Martial arts cultivate mastery of focused power, targeted energy and control. And, healing arts unify the body, mind, emotions and spirit.
We begin each session with a focus and intention that helps to deepen our in-class experience. It also helps us integrate our movement practice with the rest of our lives, further adding to the value. Using visualization and play engages the senses and brings richness to our movements that taps into more than just our physical bodies. By consciously stepping out at the end of each session we are more able to take what we’ve gained from our practice out into the rest of our lives.
In Nia, we use a system of “Dancing Through Life” to integrate the sensation of healthy movements into every aspect of living. Rather than being something we do for an hour and then get on to the next thing, Nia is something we can take with us wherever we go. More on that in a future newsletter.
Time to get moving!
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