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 […]
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 […]