Tommorrow is NiaDivas first Welcome to Nia class, hurray! Lesley and I are looking forward to introducing Nia to more folks and also having a little more "talk time" in regards to the Practice of The Nia Technique.

In addition to describing Nia, we will be introducing a handout on the Three Stages of Practice. Nia's three stages of practice will help you learn and embody Nia's 52 moves and 9 movement forms in a more graceful way where there is less pressure to "start out perfect" and instead more time honoring where you are in our learning curve.

The Nia Technique's 3 Stages of Practice:

1. Learn the Move- Try it on. Start by learning The Base (the feet/legs), then the Core (pelvis, chest, head, spine) and lastly the upper extremities (arms, hands and fingers). In this first stage you'll be thinking more and perhaps even silently talking yourself through the move. You'll become consciously aware of how and what you do. The moves may feel mechanical. Take all the time you need to get a feel for the move as you seek the sensation of ease--moving in ways that make you feel better.
2. Move the Move--Sense it, move it through your whole body. In stage two, you continue to dance and now begin to connect all your body parts as a whole. You'll be thinking less and sensing and feeling your body more. Your movements will feel more free and less mechanical. Take all the time you need to seek the sensation of whole body pleasure.
3. Energize the Move--Bring it to Life. In this final stage, you are energizing the moves with 1) the personality and energy from the 9 movement forms (Modern, Jazz, and Duncan dance; Aikido, Tae Kwon Do and Tai Chi; The Work of Moshe Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique and Yoga.) and 2) The five sensations of functional fitness: agility, stability, mobility, flexibility and strength. As you continue to dance as a whole, you now begin to integrate energy into your dance to bring it to life. Take all the time you need to get a feeling for energy moving your body as you seek the sensation of the "you" who brings the dance to life.

My next blog post will be about the 9 movement forms and the language that describes their sensations that you'll become familiar with as you energize the foundational 52 moves of the Nia Class. If you'd like the student handout on The 3 Stages of Practice (it includes the 9 movment forms too), just email Jill@niadivas.com. I will also have this handout at the studio this week.

If you'd like to learn more about The Nia Technique and the 52 moves and 9 movement forms, register for the New to Nia Workshop on Sunday, February 24th from 3:30-5:30 at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in West Seattle.