Transformational Nia

Nia is an integrated dance technique which involves the mind, body, spirit and emotion. The process awakens you to  new levels of awareness and higher levels of consciousness. Nia is a comprehensive, engaging experience that will shift your mood, foster creativity, and improve aerobic capacity.

As a psychotherapist, counselor and Nia devotee, I created a system called Transformational Nia - a holistic practice which allows you to tap into your mind, body, and emotions on a fundamental level. This technique is an invaluable way to work through deep-seated issues and/or problems, as well as learn new ways to manage stress. The story below recounts my own personal Nia experience and the resultant spiritual transformation. 

My Nia Story

In May, 2005, I walked into a gym in my new neighborhood to take a new class. I thought I was taking a weight training class, but had the wrong time and inadvertently walked into a Nia class. I had never heard of Nia, but thought I would stay for what looked like a jazzercise class. By the end of the hour, I was in love with the process.

I was deeply moved by the expertise of my instructor, Jason Griffin, who epitomized the elegance of a dancer with the grace of a man who embodied both the masculine and feminine energy. From the very first encounter, I recognized the intelligence of the movements and the power of the whole experience.

From the time I was a child, I was drawn to physical activity and particularly to dance. But, while I was comfortable competing in the sports arena, I had many issues surrounding moving my body through dance. I remember that my mother exposed me to the musical theater and ballet at a very young age. I would sit in the dark theater and secretly envy the dancers' ability to be so expansive with their bodies. I was locked up: too self-conscious to let myself move freely in anything that was unplanned and feminine in nature. All through high school and college, I would watch others dance, while I secretly practiced at home in isolation. Occasionally, I would get up and dance at parties although I was extremely stiff. I never had that great time that others seemed to be having.

Then, when I was in my early 30's, I participated in personal growth training. During the breaks, they played dance music and everyone would join in. I began slowly; then, I started moving my shoulders. The experience was memorable. I was amazed that my shoulders actually moved. Then I began to allow my body to follow the rhythm of the music. I found myself, little by little, being drawn in and having fun. And that was the beginning of my intimate relationship with body awareness, movement, dance - and myself. Several years later, I was at a wedding where professional dancers partnered up with the guests. An elderly woman came up to me and said, “You're such a good dancer. Are you part of the troupe?” I chuckled to myself and thought, “You should only know.”

Soon after the personal growth training, I went back to graduate school to get a Masters in Social Work. I had finally been able to name the profession that I had been groping to discover. I wanted to be a psychotherapist and this was the most accessible way to achieve that goal. Soon after I started practicing, I realized that just talking to clients, was not necessarily the singular, most effective way to help them change at a fundamental level. What was the secret? How could I access those very deep feelings that I knew were there?

Yoga began to give me the clues. Through yoga, I discovered the mind body spirit connection. That was the next piece of the puzzle on my journey. I have had two interwoven concurrent paths. One has been my personal journey and the other, my professional one. Through my personal work, I have discovered how to best help my clients.

Over the years, I have studied with many brilliant teachers. Thematically, all the trainings have incorporated, in one way or another, the interconnectedness between mind, body and spirit. But for me, Nia is the most comprehensive. It touches me on every level of my being.

Mind
One of the first things I noticed when I started going to Nia classes, was a shift in my mood. No matter how I felt when I came in, I always felt better when I left. This is a benefit of many exercise programs, but this was different. I felt expanded. And most interestingly, I felt creative. New ideas and images would cross my mind as I was engaged in the movement. I know, from my knowledge of the brain and traumatic memory, that I was accessing (in this joyful way) powerful centers in my mind and body.

Body
On the physical level, I started Nia classes with little cardio capacity. While I had maintained my flexibility and weight training over the years, I have never been adequately fit in cardio. I find running boring and walking never seemed to prepare me for sustained aerobic activity. My son had a soccer coach who said, “Wouldn't you like to enjoy the end of the game (after 90 minutes) as much as you enjoy the beginning of the game?” I made that my goal.

At first, I could get through ten or fifteen minutes without being winded. As the weeks went by, I would watch the clock and notice that my “enjoyment” time was increasing and with Nia, I could keep moving for hours.  Pure bliss.

Emotions
Emotionally, Nia is a gift. Watching my mood throughout the class was fascinating. I could come into class with a particular issue I was working on, and would notice that my mood might shift. Specifically, I remember a time soon after I left my marriage of 34 years. I was aware of the mourning process I was going through; the painful pruning of cutting off the branches that were so close to the roots. My heart ached.

Jason did a series of heart opening movements and ended the class with his arms outstretched and said, “take this movement and walk out into your life with it.”  I felt uplifted and hopeful, that I might be able to progress through that most difficult period intact. Or, I might have a physical sensation that would give me some insight at an emotional level. I learned, over time, that my father and my husband had taken residence in my second chakra, or the place the where we hold our sensuality, our sexuality, creativity and fear. I had had a hysterectomy ten years prior, and I could recognize the correlation between some of the fear that I would experience when my father or husband would be angry at me, and the frozenness in my pelvic area. Being able to move that part of my body with joy and awareness has been tremendously healing.

While doing Nia, I could start to cry, I could start to laugh, but invariably, I felt different - changed, more grounded, more in my body. This efficient access to my unconscious material through body sensation, led me to ask a number of questions.  I watched the other students and wondered how they felt after a class. I wondered what they did with the range of emotions that might have been triggered during the class. I asked Jason if he had any idea of the impact his classes had on his students. He said he was curious, but rarely had the chance to engage in those kinds of conversations. I thought to myself, “what a rich opportunity to create an even more holistic experience for other Nia students.” Having a safe space to process what might have arisen during a class, could seamlessly contribute to the healing process.  And thus, Jason and I gave birth to “Transformational Nia.”

Transformational Nia

Transformational Nia started out with four students. Two of the women were Jason’s students, one was a professional dancer and teacher, and another was a professional actor. We combined one hour of Nia with one hour of journaling and processing their experience of the routine. Since that time, I have become a Certified Nia Instructor and conduct both hours of the class (the Nia routine and the process group).
 Some of the comments were:

“This class turned into so much more than what I was expecting. I signed up looking for a new way to move other than choreographed dance routines and I found my body to be the single most powerful instrument of communication to my emotions, my mind and my soul.”

“It’s a great class, involving the body, mind, spirit. I enjoy ‘dancing my heart out’ while simultaneously being presented with emotional/psychological challenges. I believe in the power of movement and dance to help us face (and make friends with) ourselves.”

“Even though it takes me a while to process some of the connections I make between the Nia class and the discussion after, I have found the process really valuable in staying present and learning to identify and name what I am experiencing through the practice of Nia…Thanks.”

Spirit
Nia has become an intimate part of my spiritual journey. The way that I interpret spirit, is having access to my most authentic self - the self that is both personal (mine) and transpersonal (connected to Source and all of creation). This self, in its unawakened state, is hidden. Nia, through its compassion and intelligence allows me to touch those parts of myself that have been out of my awareness. As I become more conscious and aware, I can choose new thoughts and behaviors that are more in alignment with the real me. I am more present, more alive and more content.