Welcome

Hi. I'm Tina.
Thanks for stopping by. One of my many interests and passions in life is in helping others find their way on their adventure to self discovery. For me, Nia is one of the many ways that I have found to nourish the mind, body and soul. My goal with this blog is to share information about Nia as well as, the wealth of information I have gathered from teachers on my own journey to living a healthful life. I hope you find this blog informative and helpful in finding your own path to well being.

Autumn is Approaching

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my 50th birthday. Having never been this age before, at least in this lifetime, I looked to friends who have surpassed this milestone, for some guidance to what to expect from this point on. I received diverse tidbits of wisdom, some which were reassuring, and others which were downright ominous.

"People will be drawn to the beauty and wisdom of your inner being, not just your outer physical form." OK, I can live with that.

"The shift of hormones in your body will cause you to come into your power and not take any c**p from anyone anymore." Gee, I thought that was called PMS.

"If you don't want to traumatize your children for life, you realize that you will never again be able to wear a swimsuit that shows more than your upper arms and lower legs." My mind flashed back to a time when visiting the beach with my parents and siblings. We found a picturesque plot of sand looking out over the sun-kissed water, to settle. It was perfect. Perfect until a middle-aged, pasty-skinned, pot-bellied, hairy-backed fellow in a bikini Speedo parked himself right in front of our exquisite spot. He then proceeded to bend over; butt pointed towards our Xanadu, and rolled out his towel on the sand. I still have nightmares.

The comment that stuck me as most astute was offered by an old friend of mine who sensed my trepidation at reaching the big 5-0. "At least you got this far." Yes, yes I did. An accurate statement, but not the reassuring words of wisdom I had been hoping for. "You are now entering the Fall season of your life. Enjoy it. Celebrate the fact that you will not longer be a naive 20 year old groping for answers. Celebrate the fact that you will no longer give a hoot about what anyone else thinks, because now you have the confidence to know what is best for you." It made sense. Hmmm. Worth thinking about. The season of Fall, had always conjured up images of things shrivelling up, succumbing to gravity and becoming more frigid as time passed. However, looking at Autumn in a positive light, it is a time of plenty when we reap the benefits of what we planted in the Spring and we tended through the Summer.

There's a band I've wanted to see since the 80's. When they were scheduled to play a concert in Canada, I decided this was the way I wanted to commemorate my 50th - with my close friends on a relaxing weekend retreat, and go see the show. So, we made it happen. At the venue, I was surprised to see all ages attending. An elderly couple that was seated beside me, were in their chairs calmly taking in the surroundings and chatting softly. I noticed that some younger people left their seats to experience the show stagefront. I decided that I wanted to be there too. So I asked my friends if they wanted to join me. Wow! What a rush. What rebels we were, not sitting in our pre-assigned seats. Maybe it was true what my insightful friend had said. I never would have thought of doing that before, but now I did. We made our way up to the stage and squeezed ourselves in-between the attendees half our age. The music was infectious and when I looked behind me, back to our seats, I saw that couple on their feet groovin’ away to the music. At the end of the concert, we headed back to our chairs to collect our things and asked if the couple enjoyed the concert. The lady gave an answer that spoke volumes to me. "At first I thought that I might look foolish if I stood up and danced, but then I just said s***w it! I don't care what I look like; I'm having a great time." Yes, age is just a state of mind, isn't it? We still can (and should) be playful at any age. Playfulness keeps us in a state of discovery.

And as the season of Fall approaches us, let’s try to remember it’s ok not to always worry about what others will think of us if we engage in some mirthful activites. We do ourselves a great diservice when we judge ourselves much more harshly than others do. Young or old, it doesn’t matter; treating oursleves to bit of fun, and trying something new will keep our bodies active, our minds supple and our spirits soaring.

Join me this September for Nia classes – where it’s ok to discover, be light-hearted and still access your power. Find the class schedules on my blog site, website or at http://www.nianow.com/ & http://www.niac.ca/.
You can also keep up with my Nia activites and other local Nia participants on Nia Alive! on Facebook.

So, how about that weather we're having?

Alright already! I'll apologize, even though I will maintain that I am so totally not to blame for this past weekend's weather. I still hear the cacophony of "I told you so's" ringing in my ears. In referencing back to my last post.....yes, I did indeed put the winter gear away and yes, yes, yes, we did experience sub-zero temperatures (and snow, in some parts) and potentially Kansas twister-type strength winds. Next year I promise I'll wait until July to put away the cold weather clothing.
On a different note, if you have a chance check out Best Health Magazine, May 2010 issue (page 36, to be exact). One of our Monday night participants, Yvonne Chypchar, wrote a wonderful little article of her experience with Nia and just happened to include Yours Truly in it. Now I realize that you will all want your magazine copies autographed by me as soon as possible, but I will undoubtedly have to organize some system to deal with the line-ups :^)  Until then, you can grab a peek via this link: Best Health Nia Article or at http://www.niac.ca/ under Press & Media.
I'd also like to say sorry for bailing out on class Monday. A wild and crazy weekend at a dance competition in the US of A, left me with a frozen neck and shoulder re-aggravated from a previous injury. I'm not sure what the trigger was. Perhaps it was the white-knuckle drive across a highway congested with huge 40 footers hurling waves of water onto the windshield as they sped by on one side of us while torrential rain and high winds pummeled the other side of the vehicle. Maybe it was the 2.5 hour wait at the Queenston Bridge, hoping the car didn't get picked up off the structure and hurled like a pebble being thrown across a wind-swept pond by a carefree child, all the while anticipating an unpleasant cavity search from a disgruntled and bored Border Guard that thought my passport photo was unappealing. Most likely, it was from the strain of being on constant vigilance for those autograph seekers :^)

Summer Classes are on the Way

Boy, time seems to have been fleeting by quicker than usual lately. It's hard to believe that 5 weeks have already passed in the Spring session of Nia! I don't know about you, but I find that when the weather is as terrific as it has been so early in the season, it's difficult to drag my sorry behind out of the outdoors and into the indoors. I also get really suspicious of what the weather may have in store for us for the rest of the season as the spring and summer wears on. I'm on the lookout for sub-zero temperatures, Kansas-style twisters, tennis ball sized hail stones pouring out of the sky in buckets....
Every spring, there is a gasp from my friends when I tell them I'm preparing to put the winter armour away. I'll always get an, "Are you sure you want to do that already?" Here's the story. Generally, once I have neatly packed the clothing away, our city will become the victim of some freakish Spring snowstorm. I have good news to report though. I put away the winter gear last week and there was no reports of snow....in Kitchener at least.
I did hear there was a hefty 3" snowfall up north though?
Just in case the weather is less than favourable this summer (and even if it's not) you may want to consider taking a Summer Nia session this year. I'll be holding a 6 week class (Jun-17-2010 - Jul-29-2010) at Rockway Centre, Thursdays @ 10am.
Please check out the "Calendar" tab on my blog to access the class and event calendar.

D & D for Haiti a Great Success!

 I have to apologize for not coming back to this blog to let everyone know how we did at the Dance and Donate Event for Haiti. So here, finally.....is a belated update.
We had a wonderful turnout...many more participants than I had expected. Thanks to all current students that convinced friends and family to come out and have a go and to those curious souls who came out to giver' a try. We received about $700 in cash donations and close to $400 in relief products!
Once again, thank-you everyone for your contributions of time, effort and materials.

SNAP Kitchener/Waterloo - KW Get Moving for Haiti - Nia Dance & Donate

Woo Hoo,
We got a mention in Snap Pictoral Magazine. Check it out.
SNAP Kitchener/Waterloo - KW Get Moving for Haiti - Nia Dance & Donate

Dance & Donate for Haiti - This Saturday

Well, here we are, smack dab in the middle of winter and the Groundhog has seen his shadow. I guess we’ll have six more weeks of winter to endure! I reacted to this information with a heavy sigh. The thought of mopping up boot puddles, wringing out soggy mittens and freezing draughts howling through my century old house, made me want to crawl back into bed, under my toasty warm sheets. My youngest, on the other hand, nearly jumped out of his underwear, ecstatic at the prospect of six more weeks of fort-building and ice-sliding mayhem.

In a contemplative frame of mind, I bundled up in my Snuggly (yes, I have one….but it was a gift), put on my gloves (did I mention that my house is draughty?) and put fingers to keyboard to reflect on my thoughts.

Fact is, things are good. Apart from all the day to day stressors that we all face, life as we know it, in the grand scheme of things, is really not all that bad. We have running water, food in abundance and shelter (albeit, breezy at times). We have all the basic needs we require. Others are not so fortunate. Foremost in our minds right now is the devastation in Haiti. However, the newness of the situation and the feelings of urgency to help will soon fade as other issues take the forefront in our lives and in the news. Fact is, Haiti has been a country that has a long history of poverty and violence. I know several people who have done relief work in Haiti over the years that relayed heart-wrenching stories about some of the over 300,00 orphans in the country before the quake. Even as the fervour of the moment diminishes, we must remember that there will be need in that country long after the news cameras have disappeared. On a positive note, the Haitians also have a history of resilience to their struggles that is awe-inspiring, something we can all learn from.

So, maybe we can help out, even in a small way. Here’s my little way of lending a hand.

I was thrilled when the City of Kitchener offered to work co-operatively with me on this event. We don’t have a fixed financial goal in mind, but any contribution, no matter how small will help. I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Nia Helps Out - KW Get Moving for Haiti Nia Dance & Donate

I like to think of Nia as fitness with a conscience. One of the most powerful aspects of Nia is that it consists of a community of people who care about the the planet and make a commitment to help making the world a better place. The Nia community has taken the opportunity to raisie relief funds whenever there is a need. Once again, there is a need, and we'd like to contribute in a small way.
I've been lucky enough to have the City of Kitchener generously supply a space for us to hold a Dance for Haiti Nia Jam Fundraiser. So let's band together and support our community in giving what we can to help out the citizens of Haiti. I invite you to come by the Breithaupt Centre in Kitchener on Saturday February 13th, to have fun and get moving with a great purpose in mind.
Even if you can't participate, drop by, sneak a peek and feel free to make a donation. For more details, click on the "Events" tab on this page, and click on the event listing on the Calendar on the SoulDancing page for February 13th.

The Nia Workout

There are several places to obtain more wild and wacky information about Nia.
Here are some some of them.....
http://www.nianow.com/
http://www.niac.ca/
http://www.youtube.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nia_(fitness)
and of course my blog and http://www.souldancing.ca/

Get to know other Nia-philes or watch for my events and classes by checking out Nia Alive! on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=410347055012    Stop by the page to see some local Nia pictures and video as well.

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