continuing education - portland community...

| 1© 2010 Nia Technique, Inc. | NiaNow.com

12Principle

Continuing EducationSharing the Joy

Principle 12 - Continuing Education | 2© 2010 Nia Technique, Inc. | NiaNow.com

IntroductionNia and Continuing Education

Principle 12, Continuing Education, is about making a

personal and professional commitment to your ongoing

growth and education with Nia. This principle is more than

a concept and a practice; it is a way of living. It is a choice

to stay connected to the Nia body of work and continue

exploring new ways to live into your full potential. Whether

you are a Nia professional or a personal practitioner, it is

this commitment that gives you the experience, education

and confidence to say, “I represent Nia.”

We recommend all Nia teachers and graduates work

with Nia routines regularly, by following the process

illustrated in the Continuing Education triad of Principle

12. Each of the three stages develops valuable skills for

all practitioners, often revealing untapped capabilities

and talents. Through this process, it is not uncommon

for people to surprise themselves by discovering a knack

for leading and teaching—along with a desire to do so.

Whatever your goals, practice first and foremost with the

intent to develop greater body literacy and self-knowing,

for this is where every Nia practice begins and ends.

The Principle 12 Continuing Education triad includes

three stages of working with Nia routines: Embody, Learn

and Share.


Stage 1: Embody

This stage is about approaching the routine as a beginner.

It is important to practice this stage as a student—

especially if you are a Nia teacher—rather than focusing

on trying to learn the choreography. No matter how long

you have been practicing Nia, returning to this stage

recharges your inspiration and helps you discover new

things about the moves, the choreography and your

personal development.

Take the class

Begin by playing the Move the Move chapter in your

routine DVD and “take the class” as a student. Just

relax and have fun. Do this five to seven times before

moving onto the next stage. “Taking the class” gives you

the opportunity to reconnect to the joy and personal

experience with the routine. The repetition also helps

you physically embody the choreography, so you are not

dependant on your brain to remember the moves when it

comes time to teach.

Listen to the music

As you are in the process of “taking the class,” play the

music of the routine throughout your day. Just listen

for your own enjoyment as you are cleaning, driving,

cooking, etc. While you may not be consciously focusing

on the music, your body is always listening and recording

its patterns in your cells and on your brain, which helps

you embody the routine.

FreeDance

This stage also includes practicing FreeDance stages 1 - 6

with the routine music. FreeDance ignites your creativity

and emotional connection with the routine, which is

important for teaching and gaining the most from all your

Nia classes and trainings. (See White Belt Principle 4 to

review FreeDance.)

Do your bars

After completing the above three steps (taking the class,

listening to the music, and practicing FreeDance stages

1-6), it is time to decode the music by doing your bars.

Essentially, you are creating your personal “roadmap”

of the choreography. Using graph paper and your four-

colored pen, listen to the music and bar each song of

the routine using the Nia 8BC system. (See White Belt

Principle 3 to review Music and the 8BC System.)

Stage 2: Learn

Now that you have laid the foundation, you are ready to

move onto the second corner of the Continuing Education

triad: Learn. We refer to this as the stage of the “semi-pro,”

where, after having embodied the moves and the music,

you can begin to focus on the details of the routine.

Flower your bars

Begin by watching the choreography carefully and note

its details on your bars (we call this “flowering your

bars”). Begin with the base moves, using any code that

is easy for you to remember (i.e.: “XF” for Cross Front).

Symbols for the base moves are written underneath the

bars where they occur in the music, and are very yang:

direct and abbreviated. Add a notation only when a move

changes or a new move is introduced. (See White Belt

Principle 6 to review the base moves). Next, add the core

moves, using the Zorro technique from X-Ray Anatomy.

(See White Belt Principles 8 and 10 to review the core

moves and Zorro, respectively.) Finally, add notations for

the upper extremities moves with “pearls” that represent

what the arms, hands and fingers are doing (i.e.: Swirling

Clouds; Upward Block, etc.). Upper extremities notations

are placed above the bars where they occur in the

music. (See White Belt Principle 9 to review the upper

extremities moves.)


Practice with your bears

Once your bars are flowered, you can practice leading

the choreography for an audience, using your notes for

reference. Moving independantly from the DVD is an

important step in preparing to teach the routine on your

own. Schedule practice time into your week, and keep in

mind it is not necessary to practice the routine “full out”

each time; doing a small, intrinsic version of the routine

as you listen to the music is also extremely helpful in the

learning process. Mental practice enhances your ability

to recall and deliver the choreography in a relaxed and

confident way, while saving your body from overuse.

To prepare for teaching a Nia class, your practice must

include calling out the steps and guiding others with

imagery as you move. This teaches you to lead the routine

on your own, rather than relying on DVD cues. It is

important to create a practice audience to work with—

either your friends and family, other Nia students, or by

lining up your teddy bears to face you. (It really works!)

Keep practice-teaching the routine until you can dance and

deliver it in state of “tight but loose.” Tight refers to your

intimate understanding of the choreography and ability

deliver cues that prepare students for each change. Loose

refers to your ability to adapt to the unexpected and deliver

the routine in a state of joy. Once you can deliver the

routine “tight but loose,” you’re ready for the final stage!

Stage 3: Share

Now you have learned the routine and are able to deliver

it in a state of “tight but loose,” it’s time to relax, celebrate

and create magic! To teach the routine as a professional,

you should be able to cue each step of the routine with

dynamic ease—in a relaxed while energized way. Don’t

expect to be perfect the first time; trust in your body and

in all the work you have done to this point. The more you

practice, the more joyful your delivery will be!

Be Prepared to Suck

The key to building up the courage to teach for the first

time is to be prepared to suck. Perfectionism and an

unwillingness to make mistakes can hold you in a place of

fear, which inhibits joy and can keep you from trying again.

Willingness to deal with mistakes is an important hurdle for

Nia teachers to overcome—and the strengths you develop

in doing so benefit every aspect of your life. When you

begin teaching a routine, keep breathing, stay connected to

joy and remember: regardless of the amount of preparation

we do, there is always the potential for mistakes when it

is time to teach. And this is perfectly fine. In fact, this is

important to your ability to grow.

It’s all part of process!

As a new Nia teacher, you might experience something

like this: You show up to teach your first class, full of

excitement and enthusiasm. As the music begins, your

students begin to respond in unanticipated ways. Instead

of joyfully stepping in, they may roll their eyes or even

refuse to move. As a result, you become confused and

distracted. Your brain freezes and you forget what step

comes next. Meanwhile of course, the music hasn’t

frozen—it continues on without you! Suddenly, you

realize you are standing in A-Stance when you are

supposed to be kicking; so you react by kicking, but now

the music has moved to a point where you should be

doing something else...and so on.

By the end of class, you feel this class really sucked.

Interestingly however, some students come up to you

afterward to say what a great class it was! In spite of your

mistakes, your enthusiasm and passion were transmitted

as you joyfully sucked your way through the hour. While

your “tight” rating was low, your “loose” rating was high.

You leave class with this in mind, determined to practice

and get it more “tight” the next time.


After studying the routine again, you return to teach the

class a second time. This time, you sense some anxiety

and are determined to “get it right.” Because of this, you

remain “in your head” as you deliver the routine and you

are more focused on the choreography than the overall

experience. By the end of class, you have delivered

the routine tightly, but your “loose” rating was low. You

weren’t as present for your students—and you didn’t have

as much fun. The class still sucked, just in a different

way! Remember, “tight but loose” and learning to teach

are all about balance—and even more importantly,

about staying connected to joy. To move forward as a

professional, you must be able to answer one question:

Are you willing to suck at this? When you can say yes,

you are ready to experience the joy of sharing Nia.

A Note About “Desired Perfection”

“Desired perfection” is a term we use to describe the

ideal way to teach or perform a Nia routine. Desired

perfection does not mean “perfectionism” or “neurotic

perfection”; it refers to the ability to share a routine in a

state of “100% tight and 100% loose.” While impeccability

of craft is important, staying connected to the sensation of

joy—and cueing your students in a way that helps them do

the same—is the heart of every Nia experience. Stay loose

and allow each process to be what it is. Over time and with

practice, you will develop new skills and move closer to

the ideal state of “100% tight and 100% loose.”


Voice of

Body

To the physical part of you, I offer endless knowledge—new

roads to walk and worlds to explore. I am fuel for the body,

mind and spirit, limitless and unending. Those who desire

transformation and growth are those who hear my calling.

I honor what I have to share by making it available to all

people, from all walks of life. Information is my power. Use

me and unfold into your fullest potential.

Mind

To the mental part of you, I offer the fertilizer to expand

knowledge into more knowing. My spaces are filled with

questions and answers. Inquisitive in nature, I love nothing

more than to endlessly drift and float between words,

thoughts, images, languages, poetry and creative symbols. I

am your thinking sorcerer.

Emotions

To the emotional part of you, I offer expansion for your

many personalities and feelings. I satisfy your hunger to be

the warrior, the doctor, the lover, the traitor. I am designed

to help you laugh fully and cry fully; to feel safe and afraid;

to truly hear, see, smell, taste and touch all that is around

you. I open you to unlimited possibilities.

Spirit

To the spirit part of you, I offer potentiality for your unique

being and the world with which you share your gifts. I

count on you to say no to limitation and yes to living into

your full potential. I am evolution—and I am everywhere. If

you look, you may see me as a crumpled piece of paper on

the street, dreams scribbled down and tossed away. You will

find me in the dewdrops of rain sliding down a rose petal;

in a bird’s song at sunrise; in the wondering eyes of a child.

I am the very force of life, a wisdom that creates itself in

seeking itself, to raise the consciousness of all humanity.


ScienceFrom conscious actions such as speaking, to unconscious

functions such the pumping of your heart, your body lives

and breathes with a natural intelligence that is always

taking in information—always learning about itself so

it can make adjustments to support its highest state of

functioning. By merging the two intelligences of sensing

and thinking, you tap into an awareness we call the

“thinking body.” Here, your true capacity for perception

and self-knowing unfolds. To access the thinking body is

to develop body literacy—the ability to listen, understand

and consciously respond to the information your body

communicates to your mind via sensation. Once you

develop body literacy, every sensation becomes a

powerful form of education you can use to transform

your life.

To become body literate is to literally live in a state of

listening—first through sensation, and second through

thinking. Each time we listen to the voices of our

bodies—when we recognize sensation as a powerful

language with important messages—we are practicing

what Nia calls “sensation science.”

Recall

1. What is the triad for Principle 12?

2. What is the catch phrase for Principle 12?

3. What does “Tight But Loose” refer to?


CraftWhether or not you plan to professionally teach Nia, it is important to continue building your personal practice, staying

connected to the work so you can support your development and share your gifts with others. The Continuing Education

triad of Principle 12 illustrates the three-stage process for embodying, learning and sharing Nia routines, based in

sensation science.

Continuing Education Sharing the Joy


All Nia routines are structured with 7 cycles. To master Nia on any level, it is important to understand and activate each

of the 7 cycles on your own. As a Nia teacher, it is your responsibility to deliver all Nia classes with the full 7 cycles, from

beginning to end.

7 Cycles of a Nia Class: The Structure of a Nia Routine

Cycle 1: Focus and Intent

We begin each routine by setting the focus and sharing

the intent. The focus is where we place our attention as

we move—perhaps a part of the body such as the hands,

or a sensation, such as dynamic ease. The intent is your

desired outcome for the class after moving, dancing and

exploring with the focus in mind.

Cycle 2: Step In

We consciously “step in” to create the space for each Nia

experience. This stage is the initiation of action, designed

to activate body awareness and allow a moment for

participants to leave distractions behind.

Cycle 3: Warm Up

We warm up by moving slowly and at lower intensity

levels to prepare our hearts, lungs, muscles and joints for

more movement. In this cycle, we consciously activate

all 13 joints, moving them in various ranges of motion to

increase body temperature, respiration and blood flow.

Cycle 4: Get Moving

Now our bodies are warmed up, we get moving—

energizing the moves with higher speeds and intensity

levels to condition the whole body.

Cycle 5: Cool Down

Next, we cool down by slowing our movements,

re-centering and preparing to move on the floor. We

listen closely to our bodies, sensing for areas that need

attention and care in the next cycle.

Cycle 6: FloorPlay

FloorPlay connects you to art of healing and conditioning

through play. In this cycle, we play with gravity, space

and imagination to locate areas of our bodies that need

attention, while building flexibility, agility, mobility,

strength and stability. Keep your moves simple and allow

your body to organically direct itself.

Cycle 7: Step Out

To end each Nia class and transition to our next activity

for the day, we consciously step out. Here, teachers guide

students to scan their bodies, minds, emotions and spirits,

to acknowledge the changes and benefits they received

from their practice.


EmbodimentFor these exercises, refer to the book: The Nia Technique: The High-Powered Energizing Workout that Gives You a New

Body and a New Life.**

Exercise 1: Embody

• Take the class as a student five to seven times.

• Listen to the music throughout the day (while

driving, cooking, cleaning, etc.).

• Practice FreeDance Stages 1 - 6. (Refer to Principle 4)

Exercise 2: Do your bars

Create your personal “roadmap” of the routine by doing

your bars with Nia’s 8BC system. (Refer to Principle 3)

Exercise 3: Flower your bars

Watch the routine carefully and note the details of the

choreography on your bars.

• Begin with the base moves, marking your symbols

underneath the bars where the base moves change.

(Refer to Principle 6)

• Next, add the core moves using the Zorro technique.

(Refer to Principles 8 and 10)

• Finally, add “pearls” to indicate the movements of

the upper extremities. (Refer to Principle 9)

Exercise 4: Practice with your bears

Practice cueing the choreography of a routine as though

you were teaching a live Nia class. Teach to your friends,

family, fellow Nia students, or to your teddy bears lined

up to face you.

Exercise 5: (Nia Teachers) Share

When you feel ready and can deliver the routine “tight

but loose,” it is time to create Nia magic—time to teach

to a real class! “Tight” means you are familiar enough

with the music and movements to feel them “click” as

you dance. “Loose” means you are able to deliver the

class in a relaxed and joyful way. Trust your body and all

the preparation you have done to this point, and enjoy

the process of sharing what you have learned!

**Rosas, Debbie, and Carlos Rosas. The Nia Technique: the High-powered Energizing Workout That Gives You a New Body and a New Life. New York: Broadway, 2004. Print.


ArtDancing Through Life with Continuing Education

Each Nia routine you work with can bring great benefits

to every aspect of your life. As you learn a new routine,

think about the focus and intent, and reflect on how you

can apply these elsewhere in your life. For example, the

focus of the routine Sanjana is “dynamic ease.” The intent

is to cultivate the sensation of dynamic ease in every

movement. Try applying this focus and intent to your day

today. For example, as you discuss a project with your

co-workers, do you sense a quality of dynamic ease in

your communications? Do you sense dynamic ease in

your body as you work? How about when you are talking

to your family and friends? When you are walking to the

store, doing dishes and sitting at the computer—where in

your body and life do you sense dynamic ease? What can

you do to cultivate more of this sensation?

By making the committment to continually seek new

information and apply Nia techniques and practices to

every aspect of your life, you become a true sensation

scientist, on the path of body literacy and self-mastery.

My Story

As you read about, practice and embody Principle 12,

Continuing Education, take some time to describe your

personal story in your Nia journal. How has Principle 12

affected your body and life?

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