Spice up Exercise Routine with Free Dance

The Thirteen Principles of Nia (a 13 part series)
Principle Four: FreeDance

"Anything goes movement-wise. Let go of structure."
from the exercise book The Nia Technique (This book provides instruction on all 52 moves in Nia.)

Commentary by Julia Desmond,Certified Nia Instructor

Free Dance is one of my favorite parts of the Nia Techinique. I have observed, as both student and teacher, that this principle seems to give students the most trouble. I too found it intimidating at first. I was afraid that people would think I looked stupid and as a result I felt awkward, but overtime I ceased to censor myself, became seduced by the music and learned to move in my own way. When I fully give myself over to free dance I feel exceptionally free, light hearted and emotionally moved in a positive way for a few minutes and I carry that feeling with me for the rest of my day!

The first tenant of free dance is anything goes, and Nia truly means anything! As a teacher, I will never comment, criticize or attempt to modify a student’s movement. The second goal is to be seduced by the music. This means to truly listen to each song, you will find that you relate to each song differently and as a result move in quite different ways. The next step in the journey of free dance is to tap into emotions and feelings. Feel free to pretend to move with a given emotion, see how feelings such as anger and joy change your body's response to a song. Once you have acted an emotion see if you can tap into that authentic feeling and witness how true emotions influence dance. Don't let yourself get stagnant, dancing the same safe move over and over. Change you movement frequently, eventually you will run out of old standbys and be forced to find your own authentic movement. Finally: Do not judge or censor yourself!! Free dance is not about dance steps, it is a path to authentic movement. Witness your progress and let free dance fill your spirit. It truly is amazing when you feel free to fully participate.

To my class: When I witness you all attempting free dance I am amazed at the results although the class is only 5 months old! The result is incredibly organic with you all moving as one being –sensing the music-while each person moves in their own individual way. You are all truly amazingly beautiful and I am honored to share this Nia journey with each one of you!

Commentary by Allison Frederick Nia Studio owner/operator

FreeDance is the time to push aside some of our inhibitions and rediscover the free spirit inside each of us.

A workout routine with a free dance portion? What is the reason for that? For me, free dance during Nia has always been a little odd. Why am I dancing in the morning and without a glass of wine in me? Each class I muddle through this portion of the routine. I do enjoy losing myself in the beats of the music and eventually my body follows my mind as I sway, stretch, or actually dance. It all depends on my mood and that is exactly the point of free dance – anything goes. I met one lady during my Nia teaching training who said she took the "anything goes" literally and she would leave each time free dance started to go to the bathroom or read literature in the lobby.

So, if there are some people who feel self-conscious about the free dance portion of the routine, why do Nia teachers keep it in? The philosophy of Nia is to reestablish the connection between our mind – and in this case we might say our "mind police" and our free spirit which often hides in a tiny corner somewhere in our body. Our mind police tell us that we are busy people with a lot of responsibility and there isn't time for us to dance or express ourselves freely. If we are going to exercise we should do something practical like jumping jacks or lunges.

Our free spirit may still have a voice but it is often trampled on by the governing mind police. Nia is one hour, given to yourself, to push the mind police aside and discover and hear your own free spirit. free dance is the perfect opportunity for you to listen to your body and do what your body wants to do. This is probably a big change for most of us.

To help you dust off your free spirit, the Nia Technique offers keywords, or what they call "pearls." These are words you can say to yourself during a Nia routine to trigger your mind and body into a particular movement or emotion. If you feel awkward during free dance, trying keeping some of these words in your mind: anything goes, pretend, no judgment, no thinking, change, or creativity. Try using one of these keywords whenever you feel awkward and want to quit. Does is shift your mood? Does the word help take you to a better experience? Sure, there are a few people who are very comfortable with this part of the routine. They look graceful and happy as they float around the room. For me, I consider it a journey and with each new experience I can feel my body lift as I improve my ability to stifle the mind police.

Read more about the 13 Nia Principles that lay the foundation for Nia exercises.

-- Castle Rock Nia Fitness Studio
http://www.niafitnessclasses.com/
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Learning Natural Movements for Health

The Thirteen Principles of Nia (a 13 part series)
Principle Two: Natural Time and the Movement Forms

"All of your Nia movements are done in your own personal, natural sense of time and include movements and energy from nine clasisic forms." - from the fitness book "The Nia Technique"

Commentary by Julia Desmond,Certified Nia Instructor

Principle Two of Nia contains two different yet interconnected parts. The first is Natural Time and the second is the Movement Forms that influenced the development of Nia.

Natural Time is the concept of honoring the rhythms of nature as opposed to following the current calendar and clock that run most of our lives. Moving in Natural Time is about staying true to yourself. It is a tool to help you get in touch with your body's natural rhythm and the reason for the teacher reminding you to dance in your own way. Once embodied by the student, Natural Time results in the participant dancing their body which in turn leads to feelings of fun and satisfaction during and after a class.


In Nia we use a total of 9 movement forms which fall into 3 categories – Martial Arts, Dance Arts and Healing Arts. Nia incorporates the essence of these various art forms rather than attempting to teach the students how to correctly perform these arts. Nia can change the energy and focus of a single movement by changing the Art Form influencing the movement.

Martial Arts:

Tai Chi – The Slow Dance: Inspired bare foot dancing, heel lead, and mindfulness

Tai Kwon Do – The Dance of Precision: Inspired passion, whole body strength, and voice

Aikido - Harmonious Spherical Motion: Inspired the integration of internal and external energy and the use of spirals


Dance Arts:

Jazz – Fun, Showmanship and Expression - Inspired playfulness, softened the martial arts an added Fun to the technique

Duncan Dance – Spirited, Honest Movement – Inspired natural movement, use of imagery and spontaneity

Modern Dance – Playing With Balance, Shapes and Space – Inspired improvisation, use of balance and creative expression


Healing Arts:

Feldenkrais – The Conscious Feeling of Movement – Inspired slow movement, sensory awareness and the knowledge that the body can be retrained to function more efficiently

Alexander Technique – Movement From the Top: Inspired incorporation of the head in movement and directing the body up and out

Yoga – The Conscious Dance of Alignment: Inspired alignment of the bones, flexibility and breath


Principle 2, Natural Time and the Movement forms, is the foundation of Nia. This principle guides all of our movement and when the two aspects are merged in our bodies we experience the Joy of Movement (Principle 1). The class feels "natural" and we have fun!

Commentary by Allison Frederick, Nia Studio owner/operator


In order to keep up with the rest of the people in exercise classes, most of us feel compelled to carefully study the teacher's technique and copy it perfectly. I know that I sometimes feel flustered if I am not in sync with my fellow exercisers and it isn't unusual to see me facing right when the rest of the room is to their left. Nia exercises are helpful in strengthening a connection between what your ears hear; your brain processes, and then what the brain commands your body to do. This is the foundation of mind/body exercises and scientists tout the benefits of mind/body fitness and activities like dancing and martial arts, which help keep our brains vibrant and ward of deterioration diseases like Alzheimer's and other dementia.

Each Nia exercise builds on the foundation of the previous one. I find that one exercise elongates my spine even more or a following dance move reaches deeper into my hips, really working on any stiffness that lurks in my joints. Closely following a Nia routine will give you the most benefits out of the program because of how thoughtfully the moves are designed to build upon each other.

That being said, a primary tenet of Nia, however, is balance. Nia is like a loose, fluid structure. There is structure but the founders of Nia and Nia teachers encourage each person to find their own rhythm, their own pace, or their own level to exercise at. This is the idea behind Principle Number Two, "Natural Time."

Each of us probably has an area of the body that we feel we need to strengthen. We may have weak knees or, for me, tight muscles in my lower back. No matter how much I stretch, I can't seem to loosen my lower back muscles the way I would like. Every time there are lower back moves that help stretch or stabilize my back during Nia class, I slow down from the pace of the class and really focus on the exercise so that I can get the most out of that particular move. For some of us, Natural Time means speeding up a routine or moving our bodies in larger ways to burn more calories. For others, Natural Time may mean slowing down a move and giving oneself a chance to breathe deeply to help heal some troublesome areas.

“To stay connected to Natural Time, stay connected to sensation, an experience which isn’t governed by the clock!”
–Carlos Rosas, co-founder of The Nia Technique

If Nia sounds like something you would like to try, we invite you to take your first Nia class for free. Simply Click Here to receive your coupon. Our Nia fitness classes are offered in Castle Rock, Colorado. Feel free to call us at 303-522-4740 with any questions or visit http://www.niafitnessclasses.com/

The 13 Principles of Nia (a 13 part series)

Principle #1 of Nia: The Joy of Movement


From Julia - The Joy of Movement is the heart of Nia. When we honor our bodies and move authentically in our own body's way we experience the Joy of Movement.

For myself, I look forward to Nia because it feels wonderful for my body and it brings joy to my spirit. The class leaves me more energized than when I walk in and can improve my attitude if I come to class stressed. I always leave class in a better state than when I arrived. I guess I'm addicted!

From Allison - Take a kid to the beach and no matter how cold the water is - they jump in! Walk a child through a forest and they'll leap up to see if they can touch the low branches. A child finds joy in moving their body. A child isn't reluctant to move in order to get what they want or to have fun. At some point, many of us lost our spontaneous movement; we forgot the "joy of movement."

The founders of Nia, Carlos and Debbie Rosas recognized this loss and created an exercise routine rooted in childhood bliss and activity. The goal of each workout is to experience joy. They believe that if you are having fun and experiencing joy while working out, you'll stick with it. Moving your way towards greater health and more joy is the first of 13 principles of Nia. It sounds like a great way to start to me.

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Nia classes in Castle Rock. Serving the south Denver metro area.