This past weekend I held an “Introduction to Nia” workshop. In that workshop, one of the things we talk about is the Six Fundamentals of Nia.
I thought you might enjoy a reminder of (or an introduction to) those fundamentals.
Today I begin with Number One: The Joy of Movement is the Secret of Fitness.
It wasn’t that I never experienced joy in my workouts. I loved running and often experienced joy while out running trails. I also thoroughly enjoyed many years of sculling (rowing in a single shell), which I did purely for my own satisfaction. My emotional experience while sculling was far different than when I was sweep rowing in eights, which was nearly always accompanied by a coach drilling us to improve our time and technique. If one of us happened to look up to enjoy the scenery along the river, we were swiftly reminded to keep our “eyes in the boat!”
That’s not to say that I didn’t have some great times while sweep rowing. When we all came together, like a human machine, the feeling was magical! But, I don’t remember joy ever being a result that was considered a part of the goal. It was really all about training to win. If we enjoyed it, that was nice. But, it really didn’t matter.
Years later, I discovered Nia, where the very first fundamental states that “The joy of movement is the secret of fitness”. I was intrigued.
In Nia we are taught that the primary sensation you should seek from all movement (not just your workouts) is joy. If your movement loses joy, then tweak your movement until joy arises again. The intention is to find ease, efficiency and pleasure as we dance our way through life. Fitness becomes a by-product of moving.
I invite you to explore this notion as you go through your day to see how it works for you. Follow the pleasure principle: If it feels good do it; if it doesn’t stop. That might mean adjusting how you sit in your chair as you work, changing your footwear (or ditching it more often), moving more frequently, dancing your dishes from the dishwasher to the cupboard, a quick dance with your sweetie as you pass each other in the hall, going less deep (or deeper) when you do squats, pausing for a delightful stretch… your imagination is the limit. Choose to feel joy in your movements as you do life.
Ask yourself, “How can I incorporate more joyful movement into my days?” Then do it and notice how things change for you!
Want to practice more joyful movement? Join me for class!
Join me for a class!
Leave A Comment