The Joy of Movement

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Welcome to Nia

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NIA is a holistic blend, a fitness fusion of Dance and Martial arts (Tai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido) and Healing Arts (Feldenkreis, Yoga, Alexander Technique)

CONTACT INFORMATION

	Contact Name	Carol Liknaitzky
	Address	Hawthorn Civic Youth Clubs Hall 241 Auburn Road Hawthorn Victoria 3122
	Mobile	0415 603 077
	Email	Make an Enquiry Request an Appointment

SERVICES

SPECIALS for February for those New to Nia - 3 sessions for $30

Nia blends dance, Tai Chi, Brain Gym and mindful movement. NIA is fun and relaxing, and increases your physical and mental fitness and wellbeing.
Easy to follow, NIA is soft on the joints while engaging the whole body in expressive movement.

Nia moves to an eclectic beat of World Music and combines physical activity with intention, visualisation and expressiveness. This helps to bring about integration between the body, mind, emotions and spirit.

Nia is fun and invites people to enjoy themselves, to laugh and rekindle their sense of play. When we experience pleasure in our movements we build our confidence, and foster personal growth, self-expression and well-being.

Nia’s simple choreography provides a sense of stability and safety to explore creative and intuitive free dance. Nia transforms fitness from just focusing on the physical body to the experience of dancing though life with heart and soul.

Nia encourages movement by using our whole bodies in changing shapes, directions and in a variety of intensity levels that echo our everyday life.Mostly done barefoot, Nia movements are organic and systemic, changing habits and patterns of movement and posture stimulates physical and neurological health, and gives us flexibility and resilience.

"STEP INTO YOUR OWN JOYFUL JOURNEY WITH NIA, AND POSITIVELY SHAPE THE WAY YOU THINK, FEEL, LOOK AND LIVE."

"We begin with gentle warm-up movements, swaying and shifting as one being, held together by the exotic rhythms and sure voice of our teacher.
As the class progresses I find myself moving instinctively, allowing my body to guide the process, letting go of my mind’s control. This is extremely liberating, as it assists in the release of many limiting thoughts and ideas about myself, and especially my body.
I see I am not the only one who seems to be experiencing this. One of the most striking things about attending a Nia class is the fact that there are so many of us there that do not fit the “body beautiful” mold forcibly imposed on us by society. Real people, in all our many faceted shapes and sizes, exercise with a joy and abandonment that I have never witnessed in any gym or similar event.

We are encouraged to work at our own individual energy and fitness levels, the whole class somehow staying on the same page as we dance like pros or mess-up the steps, depending on where your body and headspace happens to be that day
.
Each class has a focus and this helps with centering one’s mind as you go deeper into the connection with your body. By the time we wind down with some soft stretches, the whole room is full of smiles, and a sense of self-assured calm."
Mark Taljaard

More about Nia and why anyone can do it

Nia was founded by Debbie and Carlos Rosas, both key players in the fitness industry since the mid-seventies. Their personal and professional explorations into martial arts, dance therapy, music and healing energy have helped shape and refine this unique technique.

Nia, Neuromuscular Integrative Action, fully supports the Pleasure Principle – If it feels good, keep doing it. If it hurts, stop.

"At the core of everything we do in Nia is the sensation of pleasure. Pleasure was the path we took and the choice we made in 1983 when we set out to revolutionize fitness to make working out a body-mind-spirit experience." - Debbie Rosas, co-founder of Nia

By providing three separate levels of intensity within the choreographed movements, this body-friendly technique is perfectly adaptable to people performing on all fitness levels, and of all ages. You are encouraged to personalise the practice, adapting the movements to suit yourself.

The careful balancing of dynamic movement with a gentler, relaxing flow of energy allows for a whole-body workout that has amazing effect.

Nia provides a joyful journey in movement that strengthens and tones muscles, helps with weight loss and maintenance, and alleviates emotional tensions and stress.

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO START MOVING
AND EXPERIENCE THE DANCER WITHIN.

Nia and music
The music in NIA is eclectic and inspires a variety of movements and dance forms. We use the music to develop The Art of Listening, which helps us dance expres¬sively, and reduces anxiety, lowers blood pressure, balances our heart rate, and even increases the immune cell messengers that boost our body’s natural opiates.

Natural Time n Nia
Nia encourages us to each find our own Natural Time. One of the greatest benefits of Natural Time is the power it has to support individuality and autonomy.
We let go of follow-the-leader, mechanized, repeti¬tive movement and learn to follow and repeat by playing with the infinite movement and energy possibilities that exist within each of us.
We are encouraged to explore the sensation of pleasure in every joint and become familiar with every joint’s range of motion.

Find your style and discover your expressive self,
the choreography of your own dance.

The benefits of Nia

Improved self-esteem and confidence
Increased Vitality
Weight Management
Cardio-vascular conditioning
Increased mobility & flexibility
A range of motion and flexibility
Muscle strength, power and endurance
Skeletal strength and connective tissue development
Agility, balance and co-ordination
Sensory integration; vision, hearing, taste and smell, touch
Neurological vitality, concentration and memory,
Hormonal stabilisation
The sense of relaxation and well being
A sense of playfulness, creativity and joy
A greater sense of peace and well-being

My Qualifications
Member of Nia Australia, Founding member of Nia Melbourne Centre, Member of Nia International

My first Nia experience seven years ago, was like coming home – coming home to my body in celebration. The beautiful eclectic music, the invitation to dance in your own way at your own level and still have a wonderful framework of steps and movements to explore, gave me what I had been searching for over many years.

I am a licenced Nia Blue Belt trainer. I have a background in performance and many years of facilitating personal growth, team and community development supported by creative and artistic methodologies.
I also offer Nia in personal and team development processes in organisations or groups, and can combine Nia with painting, drawing or claywork, depending on the need.

Contact me to find out more.

Classes

COST: $18 casual, $150 for 10 sessions, Concessions available
Bring water, comfortable clothes and a playful attitude

SOUTH MELBOURNE

Saturdays 10.30 - 11.30a.m.
Nia Melbourne Centre (fb) at The Commons,
Corner Bank and Montague Streets

WARRANDYTE

Mondays: 9.30 – 10.30 a.m.
Warrandyte Mechanics Centre
Cnr Yarra St and Mitchell Ave

HAWTHORN

Wednesdays: 9.30 – 10.30 a.m.
Hawthorn Citizen’s Youth Club
241 Auburn Rd

To find out More please visit
www.niaaustralia.com.au | www.nianow.com

Testimonials

I am a woman of 60something who was looking for a dance class but they were all for the very young. Many years ago I found NIA and it fulfilled all of my wants and needs. Not only can I be expressive and do my own thing in the "free" times giving me great joy, but i'm able to keep a degree of fitness and keep in touch with what my slightly arthritic body is telling me. Added to all this is the pleasure in making lovely new friends and sharing when we have coffee together afterwards. Carol is very much in touch with us both physically and spiritually and so our Monday morning sessions are good fun. What a great way to start the week!

- Robyn Bonthorne - Warrandyte group

The most important & most positive thing I can say about NIA with Carol is that I look forward to coming!

I cannot say that about other exercise regimes I have taken part in.

NIA is pitched to all age groups & abilities. It is kind to older bodies with the onus being put back on the participants,as it should be, & the 3 levels of intensity clearly explained. Carol is mindful of our own individual physical quirks, however.I enjoy the mix of direction, discipline & free creative time. It is joyful & we have lots of laughs! I love the music too!

I've been doing NIA for a number of years now & have really noticed the difference in my flexibility & I never suffer the aches & pains often associated with other types of exercise.

Carol is a very sensitive & caring practitioner & she embodies all that NIA stands for. I highly recommend her classes.

- Cara Britton

A very good friend introduced me to Nia in mid 2010 for which I will be eternally grateful.
My fitness, overall health and joy of life have steadily increased in remarkable ways.
If you are reading this and are ready to smile more, do yourself a very big favour and attend your first 3 Nia classes.
Why 3 classes? So you get past the "it's new, I'm really too busy etc" and start to feel Nia's power!
Carol is a beautiful person and her classes are always fun.

- Peter (Mining Engineer)

I love EVERYTHING about my Nia sessions! Each class is different, although always fun, (the routines allow for the freedom to express my own personality and move to my own fitness level) and I come away invigorated but also calm and centred.

I also enjoy Carol’s always pertinent (and sometimes spiritual) focus at the start of each class, and find the wide mix of world music especially uplifting!
What more could I ask for?

- Annabelle C.

Service Categories

Tai Chi, Womens Health, Yoga