Kyalami/ Lonehill/Bryanston
“Nia is
an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice that uses
The Body's Way to achieve physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
fitness & well-being”
FIONA
FURNISS
My Nia Story
Finding myself over 40 and distinctly unfit was a
scary experience! Having danced most of my life I
had let things slide in my 30’s (letting children
and work get in the way) and couldn’t relate
to the rigidity of the gym. My body was crying out
to move again after years of inactivity - I was searching
for a way to move with enjoyment and was thrilled
to discover Nia. I started attending
classes with Brenda at the beginning of 2006 and felt
like I had come home. Finally I had found something
that allowed me to move freely without feeling like
I was being judged. I
have a background in many different dance forms
(Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Spanish) but Nia
is unlike any other form of movement in that it
allows you to “be” – to exist
in a harmonious relationship with your body –
to lose yourself in the movement and free yourself
from self consciousness and negative thoughts. It
is liberating and exhilarating and has totally changed
my perspective on life. It has inspired me to embrace
new challenges instead of fearing them. Nia
gives me a sense of wholeness – it radiates
positive energy and teaches me to live with joy.
I now teach Nia too.
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BRENDA
LOUKES
My Connection to Nia
Being a mom and working
long hours in television production, I had not sustained
any form of regular exercise for many years. As I reached
my mid-thirties, everything I read in magazines or newspapers
was saying to me that I needed to exercise if I was to
be healthy and strong in my old age….. I was getting
nervous. But the word “exercise” makes me
want to go back to bed and hibernate. I read about Nia
in a magazine in 2002 and realized that “movement
with purpose” was in fact what I was searching for.
Nia resonated with my soul. Nia was something
I could embrace and I knew it would keep me stimulated,
interested, fit and healthy physically, mentally and emotionally
– well into my old age.
Nia was so new in South
Africa, it took a while to find a Nia class, but when
I did it was like a breath of fresh air in the domain
of fitness and health. At last I had found exercise
with soul! I am not a gym person and although
I love nature and walking, it is hard to find a way to
do that in Johannesburg. I decided to become a Nia teacher,
in order to be able to do Nia when it suited me, to stay
committed to something, and to be able to offer Nia classes
to other people who want to move with purpose.
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Nia takes me to my soul. To
my true self. It allows me to express my creativity, my fears,
my joy, my pain. Nia gives me back the JOY. It reminds me
of who I am and what I can be. It places me in my life fully
and squarely, sometimes gently, sometimes with a shove. It
keeps me connected to myself – my body, my mind, my
emotions, my spirit. It reflects back to me what I need to
work on and where I need to just accept. Nia is a moving meditation,
a living art, a fluctuating, transformational, organic process,
just like life. It is an ongoing dance…. And it keeps
me FIT! (I am now forty two and feel fitter than I have ever
been in my life. ) ~ Brenda
I have completed two White Belt certifications, and did my
Blue Belt training in Feb 2009.
“In Nia, we use the body
to heal the mind and spirit by joining muscular movement with
introspection, intention, visualization, imagery, and expressiveness."
Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas “The Nia Technique”
(Broadway Books 2005)
Nia is like chocolate
– you have to taste it to know what it’s like.
Join us and discover the Joy of Movement:
NIA WITH BRENDA 2009 (in Kyalami,
Lonehill, Bryanston)
| MONDAYS |
08h30 (gym membership
required / R120 per day) |
Lonehill Virgin Active Gym
|
| TUESDAYS |
08h45 private
school term dates only
18h00* booking required
(Laura and Brenda alternate this class) |
CHA CHAS Dance Club
LIVING HARMONY – Dance Zone,
Bryanpark |
| WEDNESDAYS |
16h30 private school terms
only |
BEAULIEU PREP SCHOOL - Multipurpose Room |
| THURSDAYS |
09h00 payment for this class
is directly to Studio Kairos – see www.niagp.co.za
for info. |
STUDIO KAIROS –Dunkeld West. |
| FRIDAYS |
08h45 private school
term dates only |
CHA CHAS Dance Club |
| SATURDAYS |
11h00* booking
required (Laura and Brenda alternate this class) |
LIVING HARMONY – Dance Zone, Bryanpark |
*please book for these classes in advance as the
venue is small and space is limited – sms me on 083
226 1967
VENUE ADDRESSES:
-
CHA CHAS DANCE CLUB
- Bryanston - Main Rd - opp Bryanston post office, above
the Baron.
-
Living Harmony –
inside Dancezone, 2nd Floor Bryanpark Shopping Centre (above
Woolies)
-
Beaulieu Preparatory
School – Percheron Rd, Beaulieu (near Kyalami)
-
STUDIO KAIROS
– Rosebank Bowling Club – 15 Hume Rd, Dunkeld
West
| NIA CLASS TERMS for 2009: |
These dates apply to morning classes at
Cha Cha’s and evening classes at Living Harmony only.
TERM 1: SUMMER TERM
Monday 12 January - Thursday 9 April (12 weeks)
TERM 2: WINTER TERM
Monday 4 May - Friday 31 July (excluding week 29 June –
3 July midterm break) (12 weeks)
TERM 3: SPRING TERM
Tuesday 1 September - Friday 20 November (13 weeks) |
To join contact Brenda
: 083 226 1967 or email: nia@telkomsa.net
I look forward to dancing
with you.
If you cannot attend
regular Nia classes, we also offer NIA workshops, retreat days
and other Nia events including parties (Nia Jams), Nia demo’s
at Corporate Wellness Days and Nia private parties (bridal showers,
baby showers, birthdays etc). Please email me for further information.
Brenda also teaches
classes at Studio Kairos – 15 Hume Rd, Dunkeld West –
on Thursday mornings at 09h00.
~ t h r
o u g h - m o v e m e n t - w e - f i n d - h e a l t h ~
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MOVEMENT
SIGNATURES
BY
B r e n d a L o u k e s
PAINTINGS
OF BODIES IN MOTION…. Inspired by Nia
COMMISSION
YOUR OWN SIGNATURE…. CONTACT BRENDA
nia@telkomsa.net
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