Nia has been around since the early 80’s.  I’ve been teaching Nia since 1999.  I’ve done all the belts (white, green, blue, brown and black), some multiple times.  Someone asks me every day, what is nigh-uh? what does Nia stand for? what is N – I – A?  And to tell you the truth – even now I don’t have a great answer.  I can answer each question “technically,” but whenever anyone asks me about Nia I feel this need to champion the depth of Nia and simultaneously I feel frustrated about how to do that in our instant gratification culture.

The good news is Nia can provide instant gratification – if you put on music and dance around your living room, you are doing a version of Nia and you’ll likely have an enhanced positive mood afterward ;).  If you pop in a Nia video, you’ll have a slightly deeper, more conscious experience and you’ll likely feel better afterward.  If you go and take a class with a licensed Nia teacher – the chances are very high you’ll have one of the coolest experiences of your existence. All of this doesn’t mean I can tell you in a couple of words what Nia is.

Nia is DEEP.

Nia is FUN.

Nia is PROFOUND.

Nia is A WORKOUT.

Nia asks us to grow, to grow up, to be present, to be here now – in our body – no matter what’s going on in there.  And for those willing adventurers – it’s precisely that – being here now, in our body, sensing, feeling, seeing, touching – which allows us to begin healing – EVERYTHING.

So when somebody asks me “What is Nia” – what do I say, how do I tell them all of the above in a few words?

As the good girl I’m prone to being I always want to say the “right” thing.  The right thing according to Nia Headquarters, the right thing according to my mentor(s), the right thing to get people to come to class and playshops, the right thing so that THEY (whoever “they” are) don’t think I’m _______ {airy fairy, out there, a freak, a weirdo, that dancer chic, etc.}, the right thing so I don’t offend anyone at any venue where I teach, the right GD (gall dang) thing.  After 14 years I still don’t know what the right thing is.

I CAN tell you why I continue to teach class, take class, attend increasing levels of training and study this body of work called Nia:

• I do Nia because it let me move my way after I’d been beaten up and burned out through years and years as an aerobics instructor.
• I do Nia because I can do it ANY WAY I WANT TO – with people, on my own, with music, without music, in a park, on a beach, naked (haven’t tried it that way – too hard on my “girls” ;), barefoot, in shoes, to ANY kind of music, any where, any how.
• I do Nia because I LOVELOVELOVE to dance and Nia doesn’t need a partner or a dance club or any previous experience.
• I do Nia because I’m happier during and after.
• I do Nia because I have FUN when I do it!

I CAN also tell you why I continue my journey with Nia:

• Nia has been instrumental in my passage to becoming a profoundly intuitive and effective healer of myself and others.
• Nia taught me an exceptional meditation tool that fit my personality, my spirit and my INability to sit still for more than 3 minutes at a time.
• The Nia Belt Intensives continue to show me the potential of my body, mind and spirit in ways that inspire me to persevere even when the journey seems arduous or when I feel clueless about how to proceed. Not just in Nia but in all facets of my life.

What is this thing called Nia?  I still don’t have the succinct answer but I would love to continue the exploration with you.  In the comments below I invite you to play with at least one of these things:   if you are a Nia practitioner (someone who has taken at least one class live or on a video ;), please leave a comment about your Nia experience and what Nia is for you; if you have never taken Nia, please ask any question or questions you like.  In any case the best trick is to have the experience.  You can do that right here with Nia co creator Debbie Rosas Stewart (the class begins at mark 4:18).

Great love and big hugs,
j