Author Archive for suzannah – Page 4

Weiss Family Nia A Success

It was an interesting mix of my real family and my Nia family.  Altogether, it worked so well that everybody left with a smile.  I worked on a playlist that I thought my sister would like.  She’d tried my Nia class a few years ago and thought the music was too “New-Agey.”  I forced her to attend a second class and I pressed myself to learn the Routine Girls Night Out.  It was the only routine on the approved list that had pop music that she would like.  She never returned. 

BUT… three or four years and four belts later, she came with my mom for Weiss Family Nia.  So, the least I could do is entertain her ears with something she could hum tomorrow.  She said she liked it very much.  “I can’t imagine what the music would be if not that…,” she said.  Well, the playlist is 1/3 Nia Music, 1/3 Pop Music and 1/3 Music from the work we did at the Nia Workshop at Kripalu.  Here is the playlist with the artists.

Read More→

The 52 Moves In Order

 STANCES
    1.    Closed Stance
    2.    Open Stance
    3.    “A” Stance
    4.    Riding (Sumo or Horse) Stance
    5.    Bow Stance
    6.    Cat (One-legged) Stance

 

Read More→

Teaching Pleasure and Joy With Working Out

Nia is about pleasure and Joy and about working out. 

I have a lot of newcomers in class this time of year since everyone is working on  resolutions. So, I always say something about “keep moving in pleasure throughout the whole class.”  “If your heart rate is too high and you are sucking-wind, it means you’ve probably checked out of your Conscious Personal Trainer (CPT) and gotten carried away with the Joy…  bring everything back toward center so you can recover. Smaller is a good place to study your moves, your mind, your feelings, and expression.” 

I invite students to explore all levels no matter their familiarity with Nia or their level of fitness.  Read More→

Unleashing Feeling, Healing and Expression with White Belt Principle 8

By: Debbie Rosas Stewart

When you watch a Nia class, it is clear every person is bringing something unique to the dance. Yes, the choreography is the same, yet each pelvis, chest and head seems to be dancing to a different drum. You see people expressing thoughts and feelings from a deep and empowering place – from the inside out. Everyone is dancing in their own way, in their body’s way.

When given the freedom to move and space to explore what feels pleasurable, a body will always move in The Body’s Way. As a teacher, knowing this gives me great confidence. If I ask my students to move and listen to their bodies – by always choosing pleasure and comfort – I can trust they will move safely and efficiently. I can trust they will increase the experience of joy and conditioning in their own bodies when I guide them to follow The Body’s Way. Read More→

The Smile Line

For those of us “of a certain age,” it will be nice to know that the Smile Line in Nia Technique refers to something that we want more of-  as we age.  Working the Smile Line becomes more desirable the more you know about it.  It is revealed in White Belt Principle #7: Three Planes of Movement ~ Sink and Rise. To understand it envision a smile, end to end – starting from a high point, dipping, curving and returning to it’s original height.  All the while moving forward (or sideways) to create a curved line.  Imagining this will enable you to see what your body is going to do in order to follow the Smile Line.

Debbie Rosas writes: When practicing Nia steps, imagine your hara (located 2 inches below your belly button) following the Smile Line every time you shift weight. This will support you in sinking and rising with ease.

This is a good Smile Line to follow, and the more you follow it into the different planes (Low, Middle and High) the more conditioning you will receive from your Nia Dance. Read More→