Are you seeking a class that provides healing to all aspects of your life, and leaves you feeling healthy and more mindful outside of class as well as inside? It’s likely if you’re looking for something along these lines, you’re wanting to participate in gentle and fun practices in a calm and supportive environment, rather than high-intensity routines in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
It can be hard to find practices or techniques that can provide gentle, low-impact movements but a high and large variety of benefits, but luckily, there are a few ideal exercises available.
Nia Dance and its Benefits
Although not widely heard of, Nia Dance is a highly effective holistic technique that is practiced worldwide by all kinds of people. While it can be considered fitness, Nia Dance is more than just exercise or a form of dance. All movements are specialised to focus on the complex network of the human body and provide a multitude of benefits to your mind, body, and soul.
Nia Dance not only provides a fun, effective, and relaxing workout, but it also teaches you the skills and provides you with the tools you need to create a healthier, more mindful lifestyle. The Nia Technique is unique compared to other similar practices, such as Qigong or Pilates, as it is a combination of techniques and movements that originate from different martial, dance, and healing arts.
This wide range of movements is then adapted to be able to target the entirety of your body’s complex network, which is what allows so many benefits to be offered within so many areas. Nia Dance is also about listening to your body and adjusting movements to what feels right for you, rather than forcing unnatural actions.
All 52 movements are highly adaptable to each person’s abilities and needs, and you can even add your own personal flair and style to the movements, whether it be more sensual, jazzy, or slow, so you can really feel like you’re moving how your body wants you to. The benefits of Nia Dance can cover areas like your mental health, physical health, emotional wellbeing, spiritual connection, and lifestyle.
Such benefits can include improvements to the body’s circulation, enhanced organ and cognitive function, weight loss, a calm and more pleasurable outlook on life, improved flexibility, and balance, decreases symptoms within depression and anxiety, reduces stress, promotes concentration and coordination, supports posture, builds endurance, and much more!
Dance NZ and You
Dance NZ is one of the few Nia Dance companies within New Zealand and is currently based in the Hamilton and Raglan area. Classes are accessible in-person in different locations within these areas but are also available online through live Zoom sessions or 24-hour purchasable class replays.
There are quite a few classes available at Dance NZ that target special areas of healing, whether for physical injuries or other ailments, or just general healing and mindfulness practices. Nia Dance Move to Heal is a class designed to produce soft movements with lower levels of mobility that help individuals with injuries or ailments in their recovery process by focusing on pain relief and healing in specific areas of the body. This class is also a certified Waikato Strength and Balance program.
Classic Nia and Gentle Nia are ideal for all, with Gentle Nia being more suited for beginners in dance or with less mobility, and Classic Nia being more suited towards skilled dancers or those with higher levels of confidence in their abilities.
Nia for Parkinson’s Freedom Dance is only open to those with Parkinson’s and their caregivers, and just like Nia Dance Move to Heal, is a certified Waikato Strength and Balance program and is a specialised Parkinson’s dance class.
Book Now
See and experience all the amazing benefits that Nia Dance has to offer by attending one of the amazing classes that Dance NZ has available. All classes have links attached that will take you to other Dance NZ blogs that go into more depth about each specific class so you can make the right decision of what feels best suited for you.
If you have any other concerns or want to get an opinion from your teacher at Dance NZ about the class best for you, you can submit any questions below in the submission box.
Weekly Dance classes to choose from , dancing Live Online or In person at our Dance Venues
• Nia Dance Move to Heal classes are at Saint Aidan’s Hall, Tuesday at 11:15 am (corner of Thames Street and Heaphy Terrace, Hamilton). Physical classes and Zoom sessions are open for booking here.
• Classic Nia classes are at Waikato Sports & Fishing Club, Tuesday at 5:30 pm (Grantham Street, Hamilton). Physical classes and Zoom sessions are open for booking here.
• Gentle Nia classes are at Raglan Town Hall, Wednesday at 9:30 am (located on 41 Bow Street, Raglan). Physical classes and Zoom sessions are open for booking here.
• Classic Nia classes are at Saint John’s Hall, Friday at 9:30 am (20 Wellington Street, Hamilton). Physical classes and Zoom sessions are open for booking here.
• Nia for Parkinson’s Freedom Dance classes occur at Saint John’s Hall, Friday at 12:00 pm (20 Wellington Street, Hamilton). Physical classes and Zoom sessions are open for booking here.
More information about the Nia Technique can be located at nianow.com.
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