Nia

Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering. ~ Steve Maraboli

Never In A Thousand Years…

When I decided to take an intensive Nia white belt course it was clear ‎to me that this was merely another outlet for self-development. Never ‎in a thousand years did I see myself actually teaching Nia!‎

gilboa

One evening not long ago my eldest daughter joined my Nia class. I ‎was blown away by what she had to say:‎

It was strange. Suddenly I saw you in a different light. You practice ‎‎(Nia) all the ‎time at home. Aba has commented on this in the past and ‎I, as well as everyone ‎else, agree with him that there has been definite ‎improvement in your ‎movement, your grace. Without warning, ‎however, today I saw you in a ‎completely different light! It was like: ‎wow! Where are those moves coming ‎from?! I looked at you and ‎thought there is no way that I will be able to ‎duplicate those moves! I ‎thoroughly enjoyed watching you move and just ‎wanted to sit down ‎and watch.‎‎‎

Nia embodies the joy of movement and is the natural synthesis of movement, nutrition and “the ‎courage to dare” (Naked Nutrition ‘n’ Nia). Nia is delightful movement set to the sounds of rich and ‎diverse music, a fusion of dance arts, martial arts and ‎healing arts. Nia is an authentic multi-sensory ‎experience and a journey to self-healing and empowerment, mind body and soul alike.‎

Allow me to break away from accepted convention…‎

You CAN dance!‎

On the dance floor I always felt completely out of my element. I was ‎hesitant to venture out if the dance was any more than Israeli folk ‎dancing or other dances with fixed choreography. As my luck would ‎have it, my partner’s “dance intelligence” was even less than mine. ‎Our “time cards” were clocked full of flowers; our “dance cards” ‎remained empty, a constant state of “sitting this one out”.‎

Step In‎

At the beginning of each Nia class we symbolically "Step In" and take a few steps forward leaving all distractions and worries behind on the sidelines.

As a rule, I do not like to sit on the sidelines. I always disliked ‎watching sports from the sidelines. Why watch? I would rather be ‎playing!

I longed to learn ballroom dancing together with hubby. Almost ten ‎years ago I surprised him on his birthday with an exclusive package of ‎dance lessons. Sometimes my audacity surprises even me! I outdid ‎myself big time! Couch potato days of yesteryear (pre-biking times) was ‎always a challenging time to buy gifts (don’t need anything, don’t ‎want anything). I unabashedly decided to give him a gift that I wanted. ‎I hoped that ultimately it would be a present which we would both ‎enjoy.‎

In retrospect, I can safely say that this decision opened the door for ‎change. We are not the same people that we were and it is not ‎because of the changing landscapes on our heads… Without a doubt, ‎dance enhanced our connection to one another. Dance, as it ‎sharpened and enhanced our senses, added a heightened level of ‎intimacy and sensuality to our relationship. It wasn’t just on a ‎between him and her level either. There was a change in our ‎interpersonal relationships on all levels. We are more open, happier ‎and more involved socially – not to mention that we dare to step on ‎the dance floor…‎

The gift of dance was definitely a mutually beneficial one. For me the ‎experience was especially volatile and challenging: would the general ‎be able to follow another’s lead?! Ultimately dance was liberating ‎beyond imagination but it came at a price. The challenge of giving ‎total control to another was daunting to say the least. It took a long ‎time and much practice before I was finally able to let my guard down.‎

Dance as Therapy?‎

It is just dance. What is all of the fuss about?‎
Dance moves us far from our comfort zone and leaves us exposed and ‎bare.‎

Exposed.

I can recall the child in me. A sweet memory of that six year ‎old child comes to mind. My girlfriend and I jumped in our birthday ‎suits on my bed. Liberation: free movement, flowing and natural, ‎falling up to defy gravity. Not a care in the world. We were not at all ‎occupied with thoughts about what would happen if someone were to ‎see us…‎
‎In today’s modern, sterile and cold word human touch is a scarce ‎commodity. A huge chunk of our day is spent gazing into one screen ‎or another. We barely glance at one another, let alone touch.‎

Dance can add much, not only to sculpt and strengthen our bodies, ‎but to rebalance and reset ourselves back to center.

Dance not just as ‎a hobby but as a tool to:‎

♦ Improve interpersonal skills
♦ Develop trust
♦ Enhance teamwork
♦ Foster maturity
♦ Bolster self confidence
♦ Advance executive function
♦ Improve focus
♦ Alter self-perception
♦ Gain self-control

In short, dance leaves its mark far past the dance floor! Some inspiring ‎and fascinating applications in the works:‎

Dance and Children

Ballroom dancing in elementary schools: amazing work with an ‎eclectic mix of children

Here in Israel:

Dance and Dementia

Let the numbers talk – frequent dancing can reduce the risk of ‎dementia by a whopping 76%! ‎

Dance and Parkinson Disease

Dance to liberate movement, flexibility and control.

Fascinating, uplifting and promising!‎
Shall we dance?!‎