Rachael R. Resch, MS PT/LMT, is a Nia Black Belt, and physical therapist with over 30 years’ experience in movement

In the spring of 1995 I walked into my first Nia class by chance – and my life changed forever.  I was totally disabled by asthma, a physical therapist unable to work and a dancer unable to even cross the room to answer the phone.  I could barely breathe and had no business being in a cardio class.  But Nia is no ordinary cardio class.

Nia gave me the medicine of awareness and the medicine of The Joy of Movement that allowed me to discover my body’s way to heal. Through Nia, my breathing improved until I was eventually off all medication. Today my respiratory function is 130% of normal.

The Joy of Movement is a practice that is the foundation of the entire Nia body of work. Nia teaches us to cultivate the sensation of joy — the sensation of the life-force energy in the body — irrespective of circumstance. The life-force energy is available to us to sense at all times. Not just happy times, not just in strong times, but in grief, loneliness, pain, illness, frustration, fear, anger, goofiness and wonder.

My Philosophy is that the body is sacred. The bones are sacred, the muscles are sacred, the brain is sacred, everything is sacred. This philosophy guides my life and my work. My purpose is to help people remember that their bodies are sacred.

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease”. Thomas A. Edison US inventor (1847 – 1931)

Do you want to re-gain and maintain vibrant health until your last day?

When asked about the objective of NIA Dance, a Nia trainer replied: “To JUMP into our coffin!”

Despite the humor, this illustrates the purpose of NIA: To experience true JOY and Aliveness in our Body until we die.

A baffling concept to some who subscribe to the belief that death is a necessary consequence of dis-ease.
However, it is NOT necessary and natural to deteriorate in health and vitality when advancing in age. We require a paradigm-shift in our beliefs and also look much deeper into the factors contributing to ill-health.

Most of us are aware that nutrition and exercise are BOTH essential to good health. A number of studies suggest that MOVEMENT might however be more important than healthy nutrition in this equation!

Sitting down is the Plague of our times!

Therefore let’s enjoy the most PLEASURABLE, SAFE MEDICINE of our time: JOYFUL MOVEMENT !!!
Only positive “side-effects” -  JOY, Energy, Vitality, Mobility, Agility, Strength, Flexibility, Stability…!

Whether you can make it to a regular NIA Dance class or not - Make it your priority to MOVE with Joy as often as you can!

Are we aware of our body’s natural speed at which it prefers to walk or move during activities? We are so used to overriding our body’s natural timing that most of us don’t even know how it feels to move according to our body’s “Natural Time”. No wonder we are often feeling rushed and exhausted.

In NIA Dance we are reminded of how to move our “BODY’S WAY”.  Movements are specifically created to flow naturally and joyfully in alignment with our unique Body’s anatomy and allowing various speeds of movement. Some dance exercise  classes can be too fast to allow and encourage true body awareness and natural timing during movement, disconnecting us from our body. Nia enables us to fully “embody” movement allowing growing awareness and self-discovery.

Experiment with different speeds during walking or activities and sense when your movements feel the most natural to your Body. We might feel we need to rush to make things happen – but see what really happens when you SLOW DOWN. Experience how much energy you are preserving. It’s exhausting to go at a speed that is not natural to our Body. Let’s put our Body in the driving seat and witness the positive effects it will have in all areas of our life.

Nia Dance encourages Body Awareness and moving with Grace, Ease and Joy. Nia movements feel very natural to the body as they follow the Body’s Way without pushing, straining or over-exerting yourself. They were developed based on the human anatomy and Nia’s uppermost principle of JOY OF MOVEMENT. This is why Nia does not feel like exercise, despite having all the benefits of the most advanced forms of exercise: Increased Flexibility, Stability, Agility, Strength, Mobility and Vitality. In Nia movement is infused with conscious intentions which helps dancers access higher states of connectedness and consciousness.

Dancing through Life is one of Nia’s Principles. In Nia Dance this literally means that every movement can become part of your dance. Turning a door handle. Crossing the street. The joy of movement can be found in every little movement in the present moment. We can focus on the the joy of movement during breathing or stepping in the shower. Life is movement and movement is Dance.

Methaphorically and literally we can DANCE through Life’s currents, ups and downs!

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE MORE CLEARLY!

Every step is part of the dance, whether it’s forward or backward. Let’s enjoy Dancing through Life.