So I recently decided to check out a Nia class. If you’re thinking “what the heck is Nia, I’ve never even heard of it before”, that’s ok I had no idea what it was a few weeks ago. I was reading one of my fav blogs and one of the commenters mentioned that she was a Nia teacher, and since I’m a bit of a geek I googled it to find out what it is. So, Nia has been around since the 80’s and is a low impact aerobics that combines movements from dance, martial arts and the healing arts and is done barefoot. I always loved dance when I was a kid but I haven’t done it in years, so it was pretty easy to decide that Nia was something I needed to check out.
So I found a wellness centre in my city that offers Nia, and they let you take your first class for free, so I did. Before class started the teacher told me a little about Nia and stressed that it was important to stay in your body and feel the pleasure of movement and emphasized that she was just there as a guide and to not worry too much about the steps but doing what feels good to my body. She stressed that nothing should hurt, everything should feel good and to keep the movements small to begin with. It was a lot of fun! The teacher was really energetic and fun throughout the class, and the other students are really nice. The moves are pretty basic and there is a lot of repetition, so I think even if you’re not a dancer or even particularly coordinated, it wouldn’t be too difficult to pick up. And when they say that Nia is for every body, they mean it. There were dancers there of every size shape and age. And Nia can be danced in a way that’s right for you, if you’re athletic, or not, you can tailor the movements so they are comfortable for you. There’s also a lot of freedom in the moves, there’s no wrong way to dance in Nia.
You may feel a little uncoordinated the first couple of classes, but I assure you that Nia is a fun, booty shaking good time, and you will work up a good sweat and get a great workout doing it. So if you’re bored with your current routine and want to try something new, or if you danced when you were younger but want to stay away from strict choreography type classes, I highly recommend Nia.
For more info or to find a class near you click here.
