I am practicing Nia this morning, aquainting myself with the Skywalker routine before I go off to teach today. My body is sore.  An achey, cranky, unlubricated sore. I must admit my first reaction is to not like it. Thank goodness for Nia. She has taught me to listen and reflect on this sensation. My mind energy reminds me this has been one "helluva month...actually more like 6-weeks". It started with chipping my tooth that lead to a crown. It also lead to excruiating mouth pain that was only relieved by Tylenol every three hours, requiring me to wake up like a new mom to pop more of this powerful pain reliever. Being in pain, every day left me feeling drained and lifeless. Thank goodness for Nia that helped me dance at my own pace and helped me to create joyful celebration. Then my heart and body got filled up with a wonderful trip to disneyland. Crazy to suggest, but I felt my nervous system feel ragged after so many rides and crowds. My dear friend Connie suggested I had a Disneyland hangover. That is what it felt like. Until I got the flu. Could have been swine flu. Who knows. Just a day later from Disneyland and I am curled in a ball on the couch not moving with a very high fever for 36 hours. Bless my family. Even the kids made their own lunch for school!

I returned from my Disneyland trip with my children on Saturday and by Monday late afternoon I could feel it coming on. You know that feeling...like something you don't want is invading your healthy system. I always notice it in my eyelids first. Their hot feverish feeling is the first sign that I'm getting sick. And this time was no different. Except is was a doozy for me. I'm happy that I don't get sick very often or for very long, yet this bout had me on the catch with a whopping fever and aches and pains for over 36 hours.

And today is Thursday, and I am feeling better. And I'm going to teach class. I feel so fortunate that I teach a body of work that doesn't REQUIRE me to perform, but instead allows me to BE. And I feel even more fortunate that the lovely individuals I'll be dancing with support me, at my best and whatever that best is. It's a joy to know that I can show up, dance in a healing way and not diminish the progress I've made in my health. Isn't that what we all want?

Oh, boy Saturday was fun for me.  Many of you may not know that I spent over 10 years in fitness and personal training before I became a Nia teacher. My specialty was taking people who were released from physical therapy rehab and getting them fit and healthy again. During those years I worked with many people who were recovering, everthing from back fusions, knee and hip replacements to breast cancer.  Sharing some of that wisdom that's stored inside me is a pleasure.

I always, yes always, enjoy time spent studying the body. I love the anatomy pictures that give me a window into how my bones align and my muscles wrap. The beauty of Nia is how each of our movements (52 classic Nia moves) is designed with the body in mind. On Saturday's Learning Lab we took the opportunity to study the anatomy of the base (hips, thighs, knees, shins, ankles, feet) and how to consciously train ourselves to move with more accuracy and consciuosness among the 52 moves.

And it felt great! I love being able to slow down Nia movements and explain their alignment and benefits. We spent the hour becoming more aware of what our body is able to do and how to listen for sensation (the voice of the body). Nothing is more fun than a student saying.."oh, wow...I didn't know my body did that" or "I can really feel that..here." Combining education with awareness is a powerful way to honor ourselves and also bring about change.

 So here's a very brief review of our 45-minutes together. The focus was on The Base of the body, understanding X-Ray Anatomy (the ability to sense muscles, ligaments and bones) and applying that awareness to some of the 52 moves.

 We started with:

Okay, I'm still grinning! Still sizzling inside after an hour of dancing with all of you at our first Naughty and Nice Nia class. You were amazing!! I can't tell you how happy I was to see all of you there..you came out of the wood work to show up, show off and dance your heart out. That blew me away.  I am just in awe of the beauty and the energy of "woman" that exploded in a mere 60-minutes.  And wasn't is crazy the way after just a few minutes even lingerie felt like too much clothing!

The idea for a lingerie Nia class came one day when I was practicing at home. I was in my clothing and got hot. So I peeled off my shirt and my jeans and was left in my pretty panties and tank top. It was freeing. Not only did I like how I felt, I also caught glimpses of my reflection in the flat screen tv and I liked that too. So the idea came from there and developed into offering women a place to be brave...to be a little daring and to celebrate their beauty.

And what I got out of it was a sense of overwhelming love and support. I felt like we danced not only in celebration of who we are but also a celebration of what we create together as women. I learned that exposing more of myself doesn't take away from your radiance. In fact, we all rise in the presence of a woman enjoying who she is.

Thank you for your willingness, your love and enthusiasm. Last night was pure, silly, bubbly pleasure!! And I'm so looking forward to us doing it again!! How was it for you? I'd love to hear.

With love, Jill

So what's with all this change at NiaDivas? Well first off, much has stayed the same. It's still Lesley and I (and lesley's husband , NiaPimp webmaster, Don). We're still at Youngstown teachin' what we love three day's a week. And yet, something is stirring.

That's what happens when I take  8 weeks away from the daily task of having a business and let some fresh air in. You see, I've always wanted NiaDivas to be more than just a place where you take classes. And I've always felt I am more than just a Nia Teacher. Not more in a "better than" way.  Just more in a "there is so much I love to share" way. And so, with the doors wide open this summer, inspiration dropped into my head. Ya know..that voice that isn't part of your own thinking brain. The voice that seems to come out of know where ( I was curling my hair) and yet make so much sense!

And the voice said...go beyond and also with Nia.  Be willing to connect ... share all that you love that can help people feel better in their life. I admit, I'm a personal growth junkie. Yup, self-describe, I love to splash around in anything from Feldenkrais, to intention setting, to meditating. I've always been this way. It's my creative path. I like to get in, get a taste (or a big bite) and then share all that is great about it with others. I've learned the most important part of this process for me is --to share it. Without that--it's not so fun.  So I want to bring that to you, and others. You as members of something that is more than taking fitness classes. You as, individual self-mastery seekers, who are a community of learning, loving and sharing.