Enjoy the Freedom You Were Born With

Did you wonder why so many people in class looked blissful? And why so many people are commenting here that Nia deserves a second glance? It is because of how inherently healthful it is to free yourself from your restraints and enjoy the freedom you were born with. It gets your body fit without being uncomfortable, and it releases tons of endorphins when you play in stead of always working all the time. Nia offers fitness, but it also offers wholeness, emotional release, joyfulness, vitality and youthfulness. I've worked in the fitness industry for over 2 decades and I've never come across anything that can touch people on so many levels.- Jason Alan Griffin

Photograph by Nia (www.nianow.com)

I feel compelled to share with you a comment one of my Nia colleagues, Jason Alan Griffin, shared in response to a blog post on someone's first Nia class experience (I Tried It: Nia at Athleta Philly). I must say up front that I embrace everyone's comments about Nia - the good, the bad, the confusing! Like the woman who wrote this blog, I felt like a "bad dancer." I do not exaggerate when I say that I lacked coordination and had no idea how to dance to the beat. I have a come a long way in nine years! In my case, I didn't care that I felt awkward and uncoordinated because my entire body was smiling and I felt blown open in the best way possible. It was as if someone finally gave me permission to express my fullest, biggest and most childlike self. But not everyone experiences "love at first Nia" and that's okay. I hope the blogger gives Nia a second chance but if she doesn't then I am glad she tried it once and hope she, like all of us, finds some form of movement that is fulfilling and rewarding. I am sharing Jason's comments because it captures so beautifully how I personally feel about Nia and why I encourage everyone to give it a second, third and fourth chance. Nia changed my life (including my body) and continues to do so in profound ways.

The below was written by Jason Alan Griffin of JAG Healthy Lifestyle:

The one sentence of this blog that struck me as cringe-worthy, was this, "We did have fun. Maybe a little too much, though, as I realized during our third laughing fit that we were the only people in the room who found the class so amusing." Laughter is one of the best things you can do for your overall health, not to mention your abs. And don't be so sure that just because you didn't notice any of the others laughing, that they weren't totally tickled, amused and turned on by the class, because the chances are, they were enjoying it just as much as you were.

The first time I tried Nia, I wasn't impressed either. I come from an athletic background and I found the movements a bit too fluid. I couldn't deny that I was getting a good workout, but I found that I wasn't allowing myself to relax and have a good time because I was so concerned with how I was doing, and even more so with how I looked and how I would be perceived. The truth is, there is much more to be gained through Nia than fitness. Sure you can get a good workout, but you also have the opportunity to move your body like you did when you were a child and didn't have a care in the world. Do you wonder why you laughed like a child during the class? It's no coincidence. Did you wonder why so many people in class looked blissful? And why so many people are commenting here that Nia deserves a second glance? It is because of how inherently healthful it is to free yourself from your restraints and enjoy the freedom you were born with. It gets your body fit without being uncomfortable, and it releases tons of endorphins when you play instead of always working all the time. Nia offers fitness, but it also offers wholeness, emotional release, joyfulness, vitality and youthfulness. I've worked in the fitness industry for over 2 decades and I've never come across anything that can touch people on so many levels.

It is a shame that we, as a culture, are encouraged not to play and have our emotions. But I'm confident that as we become more and more educated, we'll realize that the 'best workout' is not the one that's the hardest or the most painful, but in fact, the best workout is one that can touch us more than just physically. We are not just "bodies" walking around in between "pumps." We are living, growing, feeling, sharing, sensitive beings. Nia addresses that. All of it. That's why the feelings are so rich and unusual. And as I said, I was unimpressed (maybe even a bit frightened) by Nia the first time I tried it. It's a lot for an American man to handle. But I did try it again. And to make a long story short, I've been teaching it now for 15 years. I teach a handful of different types of classes but Nia is the only one where students are constantly commenting on how it feels so miraculous and it changed their lives.

I'll just wrap up by saying that I'm so glad I didn't follow my first impulse, which was to run away from all the things Nia was bringing up for me. I will join the ranks of people who say that the practice has changed and improved my life dramatically.