All you need is your body
Henriette Lamprecht
In Swahili it means “with a purpose”, but it also stands for many other things.
Used all over the world, including in Namibia, NIA is simply NIA, says instructor Michele Gregan. “With NIA you’ll get an awesome workout through moving and dancing with your entire body, without isolating specific muscles as is the case with other forms of exercise.
“We use 52 moves which are easy to learn, so it is simple to follow different routines and combinations of the moves,” she says.
Best of all though, is that you don’t need to be able to dance or have brilliant rhythm. “All you need is a body!” Michele says. “We dance barefoot, so you don’t even need shoes!”
NIA is low impact and focuses on keeping your joints mobile. It is also all about loving how your body feels, rather than how it looks.
“We don’t do ‘no pain no gain’, nor do we believe that exercise is meant to punish your body for how it looks or what you ate last night. We do NIA because of how great it makes us feel!”
Everybody is different, says Michele, and NIA focuses on exactly that. There is the body’s way, which is what the “perfectly” designed body would be able to do, and then there is “your body’s way”, which is what your body can do, taking everything individual about your body and movement patterns into account.
As a NIA instructor, Michele encourages and helps you find movements that suit your body, that makes you feel good and comfortable when dancing.
“I help you tweak each movement so that you feel no pain or discomfort, you just have fun and feel great working out for an hour.
“Anybody can do NIA; any fitness level; any age. People even do NIA in chairs or wheelchairs if necessary!”
Michele says since there is loads of science to back NIA up, it is also an excellent rehabilitative therapy, including being used for recovery after a stroke, for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with research being done in the latter areas.
“The great thing about NIA is that you are listening to your body, so you won’t push it beyond what it can do and hurt yourself. Although, with time you will see how much more you are able to do, as you become fitter and more flexible.”
NIA works on three levels, which gives everyone options on how they want to work out. Each level has different benefits. Level one focuses on core muscles, while level three gives you a cardiovascular workout. Level two is between these.
“You can move between these levels throughout your workout; every given moment you can make a different choice, which is liberating and keeps you feeling good. I have never had that feeling of ‘oh my word, if I do one more rep, I am either going to collapse or throw up!’ during NIA. Some people might want that feeling, but not me!”
For Michele the “pleasure principle” sets NIA apart from other exercise forms. One goes into NIA with a different mindset than other exercise forms, she explains.
Yes, it is exercise and yes, it is a great workout, but “you feel amazing doing it, and are not there to punish your body or push it beyond its limits.
“Feeling good in your body means looking amazing, no matter your shape or size, as you exude such confidence that is super attractive.”
Another major difference is that in NIA a person moves the entire body, with a routine not broken down into cardio, arms, abs, legs and cool down.
“We do have a warm-up, a get moving and a cool down stage, but that just means your whole body is moving at a different tempo and in a different way. This helps the pleasure principle in that no muscle ever shakes or aches during the routine, even though all muscles and joints are getting a great workout.”
Michele also encourages fun and individuality, so that participants never have that feeling of horror when the entire class goes left and you go right by mistake.
“There is also something called FreeDance in NIA, where you can move to your heart’s content, though you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable and can then just follow the instructor, which is great for creativity.”
The benefits of NIA are holistic. “It really is a workout for body, soul, emotions and celebrating one’s uniqueness,” Michele says. “Not only do you get a great physical workout, but you also release a lot of other things that might be trapped in your body that are causing physical or emotional stress.
“Although many people are unaware of this, every emotional experience, good or bad, big or small, has a physical component that remains in your body. NIA can help you release these, so it is healing on all levels.”
The NIA “tribe” is a loving, supportive one that celebrates each other, rather than feeling intimidated by something someone else might have that they don’t. This is because they are focussing on the positives in themselves, explains Michele, making it easy to focus on the positives in others.
“We have lots of fun in class and I find that people doing NIA have lots in common and friendships grow from that. It is also a very safe space, which allows people to really explore who they are and be true to themselves, knowing they won’t be judged.”
An hour in the NIA bubble is very liberating, she promises. “It takes everyone out of their heads, so I kid you not, frown lines and wrinkles all but disappear because of it and the muscles relax and tension in the mind drains away!”
Michele’s journey with NIA began when Kathy Wolstenholme, an American woman who brought NIA to Southern Africa many years ago, did a one-day workshop in Namibia in 2014. Although it wasn’t a NIA workshop, she used many NIA principles.
“We danced some songs, and I had never felt anything like what I felt during that day. It was like my entire being was blown open, and I just knew that this was something I had to explore.”
Based on this one day and not ever having taken an actual NIA step or class, she signed up for the White Belt Intensive in June 2015 and hasn’t looked back since then. The White Belt is the first belt in NIA, introducing you to the 13 principles of NIA. Once complete, you are eligible to get a teacher’s licence, which Michele did, as she just knew she had to share this joy with other people.
“It is my calling to help people heal joyfully,” she says.
It has changed her entire world, finding an exercise form that doesn’t feel like a schlep or an effort. She never dreads a NIA class or goes because she should, and nor do her dancers.
“We can’t wait to dance every week! I have made friends with whom I have so much in common.”
She has found a “tribe” that is welcoming and supportive and that bring much joy to her life.
“I dance, I laugh, I look and feel better than I have in years, because the joy radiates out of me. I am better equipped to cope with the challenges of life, as I have a safe outlet for everything.”
Not only does she feel amazing in herself, but she also gets to experience the joy it brings to her dancers, something she describes as incredibly humbling and exhilarating.
“Knowing I am helping people heal and become all that they can be, fully loving themselves, is an incredible feeling, and I am so grateful to NIA for this opportunity to touch people’s lives in the way that I can and do!”
• [email protected]
In Swahili it means “with a purpose”, but it also stands for many other things.
Used all over the world, including in Namibia, NIA is simply NIA, says instructor Michele Gregan. “With NIA you’ll get an awesome workout through moving and dancing with your entire body, without isolating specific muscles as is the case with other forms of exercise.
“We use 52 moves which are easy to learn, so it is simple to follow different routines and combinations of the moves,” she says.
Best of all though, is that you don’t need to be able to dance or have brilliant rhythm. “All you need is a body!” Michele says. “We dance barefoot, so you don’t even need shoes!”
NIA is low impact and focuses on keeping your joints mobile. It is also all about loving how your body feels, rather than how it looks.
“We don’t do ‘no pain no gain’, nor do we believe that exercise is meant to punish your body for how it looks or what you ate last night. We do NIA because of how great it makes us feel!”
Everybody is different, says Michele, and NIA focuses on exactly that. There is the body’s way, which is what the “perfectly” designed body would be able to do, and then there is “your body’s way”, which is what your body can do, taking everything individual about your body and movement patterns into account.
As a NIA instructor, Michele encourages and helps you find movements that suit your body, that makes you feel good and comfortable when dancing.
“I help you tweak each movement so that you feel no pain or discomfort, you just have fun and feel great working out for an hour.
“Anybody can do NIA; any fitness level; any age. People even do NIA in chairs or wheelchairs if necessary!”
Michele says since there is loads of science to back NIA up, it is also an excellent rehabilitative therapy, including being used for recovery after a stroke, for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, with research being done in the latter areas.
“The great thing about NIA is that you are listening to your body, so you won’t push it beyond what it can do and hurt yourself. Although, with time you will see how much more you are able to do, as you become fitter and more flexible.”
NIA works on three levels, which gives everyone options on how they want to work out. Each level has different benefits. Level one focuses on core muscles, while level three gives you a cardiovascular workout. Level two is between these.
“You can move between these levels throughout your workout; every given moment you can make a different choice, which is liberating and keeps you feeling good. I have never had that feeling of ‘oh my word, if I do one more rep, I am either going to collapse or throw up!’ during NIA. Some people might want that feeling, but not me!”
For Michele the “pleasure principle” sets NIA apart from other exercise forms. One goes into NIA with a different mindset than other exercise forms, she explains.
Yes, it is exercise and yes, it is a great workout, but “you feel amazing doing it, and are not there to punish your body or push it beyond its limits.
“Feeling good in your body means looking amazing, no matter your shape or size, as you exude such confidence that is super attractive.”
Another major difference is that in NIA a person moves the entire body, with a routine not broken down into cardio, arms, abs, legs and cool down.
“We do have a warm-up, a get moving and a cool down stage, but that just means your whole body is moving at a different tempo and in a different way. This helps the pleasure principle in that no muscle ever shakes or aches during the routine, even though all muscles and joints are getting a great workout.”
Michele also encourages fun and individuality, so that participants never have that feeling of horror when the entire class goes left and you go right by mistake.
“There is also something called FreeDance in NIA, where you can move to your heart’s content, though you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable and can then just follow the instructor, which is great for creativity.”
The benefits of NIA are holistic. “It really is a workout for body, soul, emotions and celebrating one’s uniqueness,” Michele says. “Not only do you get a great physical workout, but you also release a lot of other things that might be trapped in your body that are causing physical or emotional stress.
“Although many people are unaware of this, every emotional experience, good or bad, big or small, has a physical component that remains in your body. NIA can help you release these, so it is healing on all levels.”
The NIA “tribe” is a loving, supportive one that celebrates each other, rather than feeling intimidated by something someone else might have that they don’t. This is because they are focussing on the positives in themselves, explains Michele, making it easy to focus on the positives in others.
“We have lots of fun in class and I find that people doing NIA have lots in common and friendships grow from that. It is also a very safe space, which allows people to really explore who they are and be true to themselves, knowing they won’t be judged.”
An hour in the NIA bubble is very liberating, she promises. “It takes everyone out of their heads, so I kid you not, frown lines and wrinkles all but disappear because of it and the muscles relax and tension in the mind drains away!”
Michele’s journey with NIA began when Kathy Wolstenholme, an American woman who brought NIA to Southern Africa many years ago, did a one-day workshop in Namibia in 2014. Although it wasn’t a NIA workshop, she used many NIA principles.
“We danced some songs, and I had never felt anything like what I felt during that day. It was like my entire being was blown open, and I just knew that this was something I had to explore.”
Based on this one day and not ever having taken an actual NIA step or class, she signed up for the White Belt Intensive in June 2015 and hasn’t looked back since then. The White Belt is the first belt in NIA, introducing you to the 13 principles of NIA. Once complete, you are eligible to get a teacher’s licence, which Michele did, as she just knew she had to share this joy with other people.
“It is my calling to help people heal joyfully,” she says.
It has changed her entire world, finding an exercise form that doesn’t feel like a schlep or an effort. She never dreads a NIA class or goes because she should, and nor do her dancers.
“We can’t wait to dance every week! I have made friends with whom I have so much in common.”
She has found a “tribe” that is welcoming and supportive and that bring much joy to her life.
“I dance, I laugh, I look and feel better than I have in years, because the joy radiates out of me. I am better equipped to cope with the challenges of life, as I have a safe outlet for everything.”
Not only does she feel amazing in herself, but she also gets to experience the joy it brings to her dancers, something she describes as incredibly humbling and exhilarating.
“Knowing I am helping people heal and become all that they can be, fully loving themselves, is an incredible feeling, and I am so grateful to NIA for this opportunity to touch people’s lives in the way that I can and do!”
• [email protected]
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