Take the Path of Least Resistance
This is the last in a series on the Six Fundamentals of Nia. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about the Six Fundamentals, and that you’re able to apply them in all of your activities for greater health and well-being.
Today I’m focusing on Number Six: Take the Path of Least Resistance.
In Nia, we move away from pain and move towards pleasure.
Contrary to the well known message of “No pain. No gain.” that many of us were raised on, in our practice we believe a more natural, easy way of movement is the key to fitness for life. The militaristic, punishing element often found in traditional fitness is generally not sustainable in the long term, nor is it as effective in the short term.
When you strain, you create psychological resistance, rather than enthusiasm and self-respect. Physically, you are more likely to injure your body when you are pushing to excess, rather than listening to the body’s way. (See “
Use Your Body to Heal
This is the fifth in a series on the Six Fundamentals of Nia. Whatever way you choose to help yourself get and stay fit, these fundamentals will support you in gaining the most from your workouts.
Today I’m focusing on Number Five: Use Your Body to Heal Your Mind, Emotions and Spirit.
Every muscle in our bodies has memory receptors that are connected to our brains. These receptors help create muscle memory and help store the physical components of emotional traumas. As you become a more conscious mover, you can gain awareness of and access to these mind-body connections. Doing so can lead to release of traumas long stored in the body, and allow you to heal in ways you didn’t realize were possible.
The body holds the story of our life, whether we realize it or not. Much of the pain we feel in our bodies is a result of stored emotions and trauma. Choosing conscious movement that […]
Use Your Body the Way it Was Designed to Be Used
This is the fourth in a series on the Six Fundamentals of Nia. Whatever way you choose to help yourself get and stay fit, these fundamentals will support you in gaining the most from your workouts.
Today I’m focusing on Number Four: Use Your Body the Way It Was Designed to Be Used.
The Body’s Way represents the ideal of proper physical function, which is generally not attainable because rarely is anyone structurally perfect. It means using the body with ease, efficiency, balance, blending of yin and yang energies… perfect flow. While this is a great goal to work towards, it is unlikely any of us will attain this level of perfection.
Given that, in Nia we emphasize moving in accordance with Your Body’s Way, which is the current design and function of your own body. You might choose to work towards merging Your Body’s Way with The Body’s Way, and becoming closer to the “ideal” over time. However, we believe it is important to start […]
Move with Purpose
This is the third in a series on the Six Fundamentals of Nia. Whatever way you choose to help yourself get and stay fit, these fundamentals will support you in gaining the most from your workouts.
Today I’m focusing on Number Three: Movement must be conscious. Not habitual.
As we discussed last week, to get the most from our workouts we must engage the whole person. To do that, we need to stop moving on autopilot and engage with awareness.
Living (and moving) by rote and routine leads to a life experience that becomes dull – much like that of a hamster in a wheel. Boring!
By focusing on the physical sensations that course through your body as you move through your day, you can begin to consciously choose to move with purpose. Because Nia is a non-impact program, we can do our workouts without the protective padding (barrier) of shoes. This increases our awareness of how we are moving. In […]
Engaging Body, Mind, Emotions and Spirit
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 […]
Relearning the Joy of Movement
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. […]
Centering with Stillness
Today is our final newsletter in our five part series on “The 5 Sensations of Fitness” (FAMMS) included in our Nia practice, which are:
- Flexibility
- Agility
- Mobility
- Strength
- Stability
To truly be physically fit, and respond effectively to demands of our daily lives, Nia teaches that we must cultivate all five of these sensations.
Today I’m focusing on #5, STABILITY.
Stability is sensed as calmness in the muscles, combined with readiness for action. It is the physical feeling of harmony between muscles and joints.
Dynamic stability is the perfect balance of opposites that energizes your body and is sensed as a powerful peace.
When you sense stability, you can connect to your center point and find stillness, intrinsically grounded by a strong foundation.
Loss of stability is sensed as weakness and loss of balance.
Stability is nurtured by practicing balanced postures, bringing awareness to structural alignment and engaging in both momentary and sustained periods of movement and non-movement while integrating the […]
Increasing Strength
Today is our fourth in a series on “The 5 Sensations of Fitness” (FAMMS) included in our Nia practice, which are:
- Flexibility
- Agility
- Mobility
- Strength
- Stability
To practice the Five Sensations, become aware of what each sensation feels like in your body, and determine which sensations you tend to overdo or under-do. Then apply the Five Sensations to heal and create the body you desire. We include each of these Five Sensations in a Nia workout to promote healing and overall fitness.
Today I’m focusing on #4, STRENGTH.
Strength is the core of the power you exert in your life. It is the force that protects: the Warrior and the Lioness. Physical strength allows you to consciously engage your body and mind to use specific muscles to achieve a desired result that requires force.
Strength is sensed as energy moving inward. It is the physical feeling of containing and sustaining power. Dynamic strength is the perfect action between contraction and […]
Flowing with Mobility
Today is our third in a series on “The 5 Sensations of Fitness” (FAMMS) included in our Nia practice, which are:
- Flexibility
- Agility
- Mobility
- Strength
- Stability
To practice the five sensations, become aware of what each sensation feels like in your body. Next, determine which sensation/s you tend to overdo or under-do. Then apply the five sensations to heal and create the body you desire. We include each of these 5 sensations in a Nia workout to promote healing and overall fitness.
Today I’m focusing on #3, MOBILITY.
Mobility can be sensed in the body as energy in constant motion. It is the physical feeling of flowing with fluidity to the full range of motion available in each joint.
Mobility teaches us how to be free spirits, following the flow of energy. It spirals and waves much like the rolling of the ocean – constantly alive, moving, undulating, flowing… seeking to explore the frontiers of space and take you […]
Developing Agility
- Flexibility
- Agility
- Mobility
- Strength
- Stability
Nia teaches that to truly be considered physically fit and respond effectively to the demands of our daily lives, we must cultivate all five of these sensations. Because of this we include each of these 5 sensations in a Nia workout.
Today I’m focusing on #2, AGILITY.
Agility is about tapping into your animal body, and activating life preserving instincts that allow you to spring gracefully into action on a moment’s notice. It is sensed as quick and sudden shifts in the physical body – the feeling of quickly starting and stopping, pushing and pulling, changing and moving in new or different directions.
Dynamic agility is the ability to contract and release with spring-loaded joints while maintaining a relaxed and responsive body. It allows us to negotiate spur of the moment shifts in weight and […]