Nia is a dynamic fitness practice which delivers sustainable fitness by integrating body, mind, emotions, and spirit.  It is also a lifestyle practice that can have a profound impact on life outside the studio.  This is the first blog in a series on Nia as a lifestyle practice, where I’ll share my own experience as well as tips on how to enhance your Dance Through Life. 

Let’s begin with the first Nia White Belt Principle, The Joy of Movement.  The Joy of Movement is based on the idea that Joy is not only an emotion, but also a sensation – Universal Joy – that is available to us at all times and in any circumstance.  We activate that connection to Universal Joy through sensation in the body, by bringing our attention back to the body, as we dance both literally and figuratively. We can CHOOSE JOY in any situation, when we understand that it is more than an emotion caused by our likes and dislikes.  It is acceptance of what is, and being fully present in the moment.

My own experience with this principle has been very powerful, and it is one of the reasons I was drawn to Nia.  I first experienced this sensation a few years ago when I had an intense awakening experience that left me in a state of Joy for an extended period.  As that state subsided, or rather faded more into the background of my consciousness, I was happy to discover that I could use Nia to access that state and to cultivate it in my life. 

Since then, I have used the sensation of Joy to listen more to my body and to give it what it needs versus what my mind wants. This includes beating the Joy out of my movement in the studio and in life. The Joy of Movement has taught me to follow Pleasure rather than Pain, and showed me how to be healthy and fit in all dimensions of my life, not just in the studio.  I have reduced 75% of the stress in my life using this principle. I can access Universal Joy in the dentist’s chair, while driving, and heal myself and others in the process.  Joy energy is of the highest vibration and heals everyone in its field – I am proof of that.

To engage Joy in your Dance Through Life, give a couple of these things a try:

I choose Joy as my guiding energy. I am committed to sustaining and increasing Joy today, sensing Joy in my body. If Joy is not present, I will tweak what I do, changing something until Joy returns.