Nia from a dog’s point of view.

I am recalling last year when I attended the Nia Blue Belt Intensive at Nia Headquarters in Portand, Oregon, observing Debbie Rosas’ (co-founder of The Nia Technique® and The Body’s Way™) tiny white dog as it tossed my big fluffy sock into the air.  The sock was nearly as big as the dog, yet it lifted the sock into the air, shook that sock with a mighty wiggle, and ran after the sock across the polished studio dance floor. Debbie commented that we all wanted to become like the dog.

It’s sooo true.  Especially after cleaning house, walking my own dog and tending to my family, my body has moments when it craves that spontaneous, fluid, animal sensation of easy, natural movement.  I get it in my Nia classes, from preparing and dancing the classes as well as from the group energy.  When I take or teach a Nia class, I come out feeling energized and completely refreshed.  My body always feels newer –  my mind feels relaxed and refreshed.

Today, I took my own dog, Bodger, to Petsmart’s obedience class and observed him happily doing his own version of “downward dog” and then rolling onto his back for a belly rub. He’s a 50 lb. white English Bull Terrier, a rescue bull that I adopted in April.  He’s 15 months old, and a bundle of wacky, wonderful, goat-boy, huckle-bucking energy.  He watches me as I practice new routines, moving with me when I travel laterally, or step cross-front-cha-cha-cha.

When I look at Bodger and he grins at me, I think of my 11:00 AM class at Midtown Sports & Wellness yesterday.  32 students came and we had fun shaking our tails and moving to the wonderful, smooth saxophone music of Candi Dulfer.  The routine I chose – Girls Night Out.  GNO is a routine crafted by Carlos Rosas, the other founder of Nia. Carlos has a delightful sense of playfulness which is always present in his routines.  Our focus: Principle 1 of the White Belt – The Joy of Movement. Our intention: a deeper sensory connection with our bodies.  Joy of Movement speaks to something other than emotional Joy, although that is certainly a part of Nia.  Joy of Movement means joint ease and body comfort.  While doing Nia moves during class if we sense in our bodies the innate quality of ease, the natural animal moving, we can increase the intensity of the workout and then deepen the JOM.

Looking at Bodger today, his high-energy spontaneous puppy sparkle makes me happy.  I’m looking forward to the first week of the new me, a la Nia.

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