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...transformational exercise…
…moving meditation…
“Nia is an expressive movement form & lifestyle practice
that uses The Body's Way to achieve
physical, mental, emotional & 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 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 love to share the joy of this
Nia movement with others and so decided
to teach with Brenda who has taught me so much. I
qualified as a white belt in August 2006 and am looking
forward to dancing through life in 2007!
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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 –
not only in my body, but in my mind, emotions and spirit
as well.
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.
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!
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“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:
* Bryanston : TUESDAY
and FRIDAY mornings : 08h15 - 09h15
(At Cha Cha’s Dance Club, the PostHouse/Link centre, cnr
Main Road and Postoffice St, Bryanston – just near intersection
of Main and William Nicol – opp Bryanston Post Office, and
above The Baron Restaurant)
Please contact Brenda to
let her know when you would like to join in:
Brenda : 083 226 1967 or
email: brendaloukes@telkomsa.net
COST OF CLASSES (October 2007):
R60 per single class - paid per class
R220 per month for one class a week – paid monthly upfront
R320 per month for two classes a week – paid monthly upfront
We look forward to dancing
with you.
~through
movement we find health~
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f i o n a .
f u r n i s s
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b r e n d a .
l o u k e s
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If you cannot attend regular Nia
classes, we also offer NIA playshops, 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 Brenda (brendaloukes@telkomsa.net)
for further information.
Brenda also teaches classes at
Studio Kairos – 15 Hume Rd, Dunkeld West – on Thursday
mornings at 09h00.
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