Nia, an internationally acclaimed practice for over 30 years.
Nia is now taught in 49 countries around the world. Awakening the senses, Nia teaches you to love your body and your life. Here in Australia, Nia is shared with enthusiasm by a lively community that has grown organically since 2004.
Check out the Events page for the latest workshops, gatherings, retreats and trainings Australia-wide. Explore the Blog below for community news and stories.
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4th October, 2021 in Body-Mind, Mental Health
A HEALTHY DIET OF HAPPINESS by Noël Boycott
One of the perks of being a psychologist is that I learn ways to improve and maintain mental health. As a teacher of Nia I know that it plays a big part in keeping me both mentally and physically well.
To understand how participating in a Nia class creates mental wellness and happiness, let’s look to research from Positive Psychology.
This tells us that there are three sources of happiness – pleasure, flow and meaning (Seligman, 2002)
A healthy diet of happiness includes all three sources . In my experience, being a Nia participant taps all three (and even more so as a teacher of Nia).
The first source of happiness is a PLEASANT LIFE – one where we engage in doing things that give us pleasure. We get a quick hit of happiness by doing things such as eating a favourite food, drinking a favourite drink, watching a movie, shopping, gaming and, of course, moving to music in a Nia class. All these actions make us feel good at the time. However, the happy feelings may not last for long.
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5th September, 2021 in Body-Mind, Mental Health
5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR BODY AND BRAIN by Sophie Marsh
Science affirms what we intuitively know – that feeling connected is essential for our physical health and mental wellbeing. In this time of lockdowns, social isolation and physical distancing take time to tune in and ask yourself “what do I need?” Allowing whatever you feel to be moved and expressed is medicine for body mind and spirit.
Go gently on yourself… remember you’re doing the best you can!
Here are 5 simple science-backed self-care strategies to give your body, brain and mood a boost!
1. Move your body! Exercise improves memory, learning and concentration. Moderate intensity movement, sustained over time, promotes the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which causes nerve cells to grow and make new connections. It also helps improve your mood, boost your energy, and reduce stress in your body and mind. Read More >
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CHANGE BEGINS WITH AWARENESS by Erica Kostiuk
We all have different opinions, beliefs and fears about what is going on in in our country and the world, but one thing I’m sure we can all agree on is that it has certainly taken its toll on our body, mind, emotions and spirits.
Financial stress, being socially isolated, feeling like I can’t express myself authentically and anxiety around what the future may hold, have all had a significant impact on my own physical and mental health over the past 18 months. I have personally gained 30kg since January 2020, putting me at the heaviest I’ve ever been. I have judged and beat myself up for this, telling myself “Erica, you know better. What are you doing to yourself?” I have set the intention to “start the diet” every Monday for the past 18 months and every time I don’t follow through, I judge myself more which just makes it worse.
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4th July, 2021 in Body-Mind, Nia Community
REGULATING YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM
Have you been thinking about your body’s immune system and what it needs to stay balanced in order to do its job most efficiently?
Like many of us, you may be navigating through both emotional and physical hurdles. What about taking time to tend to your well-being with a spotlight on your nervous system? The sensations of a state of ‘fight – flight – freeze’ (governed by the sympathetic nervous system) might be tightness in the chest, shallow breath, increased heart rate, joint pain, fear, sadness or anger. These are signs to reach into your Nia bag of energetic movement tools and utilise what is needed in order to return to a place of balance, and back to a state of ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic nervous system).
The variety of offerings, whether they be online Nia classes, NiaTV.fit offerings or the tools learned in any and all belt trainings, allow for the return of balance, health, peace and feeling good. Read More >
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14th March, 2020 in Body-Mind
PRACTICAL & LOVING WAYS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY & STAY HEALTHY
Every little cell in my body is healthy…every little cell…
We are facing unprecedented health challenges on a global scale, over which we have very little control. A lack of control can generate fear. Fear generates physiological and psychological stress responses. And prolonged stress lowers your immune system effectiveness, making you more susceptible to viral infections.
One way to temporarily feel more in control is to act out of the fear… to panic-buy toilet paper or tuna (the man in front of me at Woolworths yesterday had 50 tins)… but on the other side of that, you probably will still feel stressed… only with a very full pantry. Research suggests that while stress can drive materialism, shopping as a coping mechanism does not release stress.
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5th August, 2019 in Body-Mind, Nia Practice
WONDERING IF Nia IS FOR YOU?
In a society that generally promotes an image of health, fitness, beauty and power that is air-brushed, ageless, homogenous and unattainable, Nia says, ‘Come as you are, in your glorious wholeness and imperfection, learn to listen to your body’s wisdom, be kind to yourself, and dance like no one’s watching.
No more apologies, guilt, comparison or shame.
What if ‘Health’ was about choosing Joy and expansive self-love…
What if ‘Fitness’ was measured as your capacity for pleasure playfully expressed…
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1st July, 2019 in Body-Mind, Nia Practice
Nia welcomes us at the door and says come as you are…
We all know, pretty much, what it takes to be healthy.
Good food, exercise, plenty of sleep, meaningful connections – bonus points for happiness, fulfilment and joy.
But in our modern world, it takes a gargantuan effort to keep up with all these ‘to do’s’ especially with so many other things blaring at us for attention.
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LOVE THE SKIN YOU ARE IN
Love the skin you are in!
It’s a simple statement filled with gratitude for the body that you have now. Yet as simple as it may seem, the embodiment of this statement is sometimes easier said
then done.For as long as I can remember, I have been experiencing the ups and downs of the relationship I have with my body. On some days I feel confident and completely at ease with my body. While other days I look down at my body with displeasure and frustration, spending the day avoiding mirrors, for I know I will not like what I see.
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4th February, 2019 in Body-Mind, Nia Practice
Nia IS CREATIVE EXPRESSION
The term creativity refers to the ability to produce something both new and valuable in an innovative way. Related to this is self-expression where you infuse your personality, feelings, and opinions even down to clothing and how you “wear yourself!”
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Nia WHITE BELT TRAINING – A TIME FOR CONNECTION TO YOUR BODY
Nia White Belt offers a 7-day immersion into the Art of Sensation for self-discovery, self-healing and self-mastery.
The Training is an internationally recognised course of somatic (meaning body-centred) education. Yes, you will move a lot but it’s not all high energy cardio dance class. This is embodied learning, a well-crafted balance between cognitive and experiential journeying … Listening to your body … learning from it … consciously tracking pain and pleasure and then choosing to be kind to your body, to move with the joy of movement and feel the power of your aliveness.
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FROM SELF-DOUBT TO CONFIDENCE & CLARITY – A Nia TRANSFORMATION
How to transform your body and life in a pleasurable way that just gets better …
I fell in love with Nia straight away, the music and moves got under my skin and my teacher’s vivacity drew me in. Back then I had no inkling of the changes to come, even if someone had told me I wouldn’t have believed. Lucky for me, Nia has worked its magic softening edges and removing inhibitions until confidence and clarity quietly replace self-doubt.
All this from a movement practice you ask? Yes!
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1st October, 2018 in Body-Mind, Nia Practice
TODAY I CHOOSE JOY!
“Turbulence and divisiveness can distort our minds, leaving us susceptible to the contagion of fear. Like the common cold virus, fear is all around us….and none of us is immune.”
The easiest way I know to build immunity against fear (and the cold virus!) is to raise our vibration with Joy, individually and collectively. Nia’s foundational principle, Joy of Movement, is more than just feeling happy. This Joy is an expansive life-affirming energy that can sit beside any emotion.
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4th September, 2018 in Body-Mind
NATURAL TIME & MOVEMENT FORMS
I take a deep breath, feel the space around me, take my time there is no rush, it is in, my time in Natural Time.
Exhale enjoy the movement, the sensation of living in a body that moves, senses and is there for me.
Take a deep breath, sense how my body is feeling, how the energy is flowing around. Is there resistance? comfort? ease?
Tune in to these sensations as it is my body my awareness of my sensory being.
These sensations are the teachers on how I will move today. To be in my body and trust my body. Exhale, feel the fluidity in my body, the juices running into all my joints and digits exploring high, median and low, taking my body around my body feeling back and front.
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2nd August, 2018 in Body-Mind, Nia Practice
MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?
When we think about Medicine we often conjure up thoughts of bottles of pills, prescriptions, potions and many other things prescribed to us to make us feel better, to heal from an illness or prevent us from getting sick.
What about if we switched the concept of medicine as we know it and think about how movement can heal our bodies, mind and spirit.
This is precisely why the theme for this year’s National Playshop – Movement is Medicine. At this Australia-wide event we will be guiding those participating to sense “movement as medicine”, experiencing the healing and conditioning power of moving your body in ways that feel good to you.
To explore this concept a little deeper we asked our teacher community what Movement is Medicine means to them. We have broken their thoughts into a few key areas:
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27th January, 2018 in Body-Mind, Our Stories
Nia Dance – ‘Feel the Fear & Do it Anyway’
Whenever I’m about to do something that makes me feel nervous, I remember the quote from Susan Jeffers – “Feel the Fear & Do it Anyway”.
Fear itself is not the enemy, sometimes it protects us from real danger. Sometimes we give fear the power to make us much smaller than we are destined to be. We need to feel our fear and then decide if it’s based in reality.
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1st November, 2017 in Body-Mind, Our Stories
Medicine for my whole being.
I discovered Nia . . .
at a farmers market in Eugene, Oregon where Nia was being shared on a grassy patch. I happily danced along with the group and was given a pass for a free class. I can’t remember who it was or what they looked like but that person changed my life! Read More >
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Fitness Pioneer Debbie Rosas to Tour Australia in April 2017
Fitness pioneer and thought leader Debbie Rosas is embarking on a tour of Australian Nia communities starting April 15th. Debbie will be teaching in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Mullumbimby, to audiences of both Nia veterans and new dancers. Read More >
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14th September, 2016 in Body-Mind, Our Stories
Go There! Embracing change …
When Nia student ‘Cosima’ experienced a sudden change in circumstances, her first response was panic. But thanks to Nia’s practice of listening to the body’s voice, she found a way to embrace the change. “The beauty, the simplicity of it was uplifting”
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16th August, 2016 in Body-Mind, Nia Practice
Health, fitness, beauty + power
In a society that generally promotes an image of health, fitness, beauty and power that is air-brushed, ageless, homogenous and unattainable, Nia says, ‘Come as you are, in your glorious wholeness and imperfection, learn to listen to your body’s wisdom, be kind to yourself, and dance like no one’s watching.
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17th May, 2016 in Body-Mind
Remember the floor is your friend: Maintaining Mobility as We Grow Old
‘Are you comfortable down there on the floor?’ my sister, who is younger than me by several years, asked while we sat around with Mum, Dad, our other sisters and their husbands. We were talking about the physical ‘woes’ of getting old. I was sitting on the floor, as I often do and always have and looked up at her and answered truthfully with a ‘YES’.