Nia is to Exercise What Holistic Medicine is to Healthcare

I discovered this article today. It captures Nia beautifully, especially for those who haven't experienced it yet. My favorite quote from the article is: "Nia is to exercise what holistic medicine is to healthcare. Through movement we find health." Well put!

This article was originally posted on this website: http://sassyhongkong.com/sassy-guest-blogger-tracey-fenner-tell-us-about-nia/ 

Sassy Guest Blogger: Tracey Fenner tell us about Nia

July 8, 2010

Today, our guest blogger, Tracey Fenner (founder of Nia Hong Kong) tells us about Nia, which is an expressive body-mind movement and lifestyle practice. Nia is now available in Hong Kong thanks to Tracey who is a Certified Nia Blue Belt Instructor and we can’t wait to check out one of her classes. Check out Tracey in action (she is in the red pants and white tank) on You Tube – so neat! 

Nia is an expressive body-mind movement and lifestyle practice, integrating fitness and health and it creatively blends movements, concepts and philosophies from both Eastern and Western traditions. Founded on the concept that there is a dancer, martial artist, and highly aware person within each, this neuromuscular integrative action melds various concepts together.

Combining classic movement forms, it encompasses three arts, martial, healing, and dance to create a synergy unmatched by any isolated technique. Revolutionizing the world of fitness and well being, it replaces punishment with pleasure and advocates doing things the easy way. Nia builds internal and external strength including strengthening bones, joints, muscles & breathing, cardiovascular conditioning, improved muscle tone, flexibility, weight management, relaxation and stress reduction. Nia is to exercise what holistic medicine is to healthcare. Through movement we find health.

Nia is normally practiced in hour-long classes but the true depth of the work lies in a rich body of education, which for many develops into a powerful life practice. With a philosophy rooted in “The Joy of Movement,” Nia teaches people of all lifestyles to use the sensation of Pleasure as a map toward physical, mental and emotional health. If it feels good, keep doing it, if it hurts stop! Nia is danced in bare feet and provides three levels of intensity in every movement, a variety in range of motion, and endless user-friendly choreographic movement choices.

Nia blends nine movement forms taking the energy essence of each. The nine forms are: Martial Arts (Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido); Dance Arts (Jazz, Duncan, Modern) and Healing Arts (Yoga, Feldenkrais, the Alexander Technique). Playing with these forms helps to unblock impediments of energy flow in the body. In Systemic Movement, Nia opens up to moving as a unit and increases your sensitivity to moving as a whole. Creating awareness within how you connect parts, energetically connecting limbs to the core, spine and breath.

Nia and has been established for over 26 years with 100,000 of students being taught by more than 2,500 Licensed Teachers in 42 countries worldwide. Nia is safe and bursts boundaries of age, gender and fitness levels, delivering a fun, effective and life changing practice for all walks of life. Discover Nia for yourself today. For more details on classes, workshops, retreats currently being staged in Hong Kong and around Asia please visit www.niahongkong.com.