Looking for a different, but exhilarating workout experience in the Triangle area?  Come take a NIA class in Pittsboro, just east of Siler City and west of Carrboro in the beautiful sacred space that is the Joy of Movement Dance and Exercise Studio.  NIA is a fabulous experience that conditions and invigorates the body, mind, and spirit.  Meaning  Neuro-Muscular Integrative Action, NIA was developed by Debbie and Carlos Rosas in 1983 in a response to the main stream high impace aerobics.  Originally it stood for Non-Impact  Aerobics, but it is that and so much more.  The creators decided to ditch shoes for a barefoot fitness class, which is another way that makes NIA so unique.   

 

NIA reshapes bodies and minds by conditioning the body through the five sensations of flexibility, agility, mobility, strength, and stability.  With teachers encouraging people to follow their bodies way,  each class is a deeply personal experience.   In

 

NIA, the foundational concept is that “through movement we find health.”   NIA is safe and effective for people of all fitness levels.  Choreography can be performed at a level one for beginners or at a level three for a more athletic participant.

NIA is a dance class.  There are nine movement forms that contribute to this delicious movement soup that is NIA.  Here is the recipe and the unique taste that it offers to the dish.

 

1.  Tai Chi:   “The Slow Dance”
2.  Tae Kwon Do:   “The Dance of Precision”
3. Aikdido  :  “The Dance of Harmonious Spherical Motion”
4. Jazz Dance :  “The Dance of Fun, Showmanship, and Expression”
5. Duncan Dance :  “The Dance of Free Spirited, Honest Movement”
6. Modern Dance  :  “The Dance of Creating Shapes in Space”
7. Yoga :   “The Dance of Conscious Alignment of Bones and Joints”
8. Alexander Technique:  “The Dance of Movement from the Top”
9. Moshe Feldendkrais:  “Dance of Conscious Awareness of Sensation”

 

There are 16 health benefits of NIA:

 

The Joy of Movement offers multiple yoga classes including, but not limited to Hatha Yoga, Dharma Yoga, and Yin/Yang Balance:

 

Hatha yoga classes are for both beginners and more advanced students, as variations are provided for all levels of experience. Each class starts with a warm-up and then moves into a variety of yoga poses or asanas. There are sun salutations, and stretching, bending, balancing, and twisting poses.  This is traditional hatha yoga, following in the teachings of yoga master Dharma Mittra.  Dharma Yoga classes help students develop core strength, balance, flexibility, and confidence.  Deep relaxation (or savasana), meditation, and pranayama (or breathing practice) are part of every class, helping students come away with

a sense of renewed energy, well-being, and calm.

 

For newcomers and first-time students, these yoga classes are a safe introduction to hatha yoga. Clear, gentle instructions guide participants to proper alignment and breathing techniques.  For experienced students, yoga classes invite you to go deeper into the poses, incorporate breath work, and enjoy the meditative aspects of a more advanced yoga practice.  Yoga can become a lifelong practice for students of all physical abilities and all ages. Mats are provided, though students are welcome to bring their own yoga mats. 

Wear comfortable clothes and be prepared to come away refreshed and recharged.

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Yin/Yang Balance offers a unique opportunity to experience two very different styles of yoga within the same class. This combination forms a balanced practice which thoroughly addresses all aspects of the physical, energetic, emotional and mental being.

Many students report leaving class with a profound sense of relaxation and peace. 

• "Yang" hatha yoga combines active, dynamic poses with periods of deep relaxation. This practice stimulates the conscious mind and activates the energetic channels associated with muscles and fluids. It's primary physical influence is to tone the visceral organs, increase muscle strength and flexibility, and increase breathing capacity. 
• Yin yoga combines sustained, passive poses with mental concentration. This practice stimulates the subconscious mind and activates the energetic channels associated with the bones and connective tissues. It's primary physical influence is to tone the visceral organs, increase connective tissue flexibility and fluidity, and open the joints. 

 

****The Joy of Movement is now offering Childrens Yoga****

 

 

Interactive Taijiquan

For class information contact Dan Pasek
EntwinedDragons@gmail.com
919-545-9185 (Pittsboro, NC)

 

Taijiquan’s push-hands training (tui shou) was developed as a method for learning and improving ones understanding of the principles that underlie this art. It is not fighting, although it trains principles that may be applied to fighting. In solo form, many of these principles are taught, but without testing in an interactive environment it is sometimes difficult to know if one really understands and embodies the principles. While there is less of a martial emphasis today than in the past when Taijiquan was considered an advanced martial arts practice, interactive work still helps to improve a practitioner’s health, awareness, sensitivity and physical abilities

in a fun environment with much less risk of injury than with free fighting.

The goal of this class is to continually improve the participant’s abilities and to provide improving training partners for everyone involved. Sensitivity (especially through the sense of touch) is emphasized, and the class is suitable for all fitness levels without requiring any special equipment or clothing. Push-hands skills involve connecting with incoming energy or force, and understanding it and controlling it without directly opposing it. It is an alternative approach to the typical 'fight-or-flight' response to conflict, and this class teaches the skills of "don't resist and don't lose connection" ("bu diu bu ding"), "stick-adhere-connect-follow" ("zhan, nian, lian, sui") as well as other principles integral to this martial art. Taijiquan theory is based on the taiji diagram (taijitu), which illustrates the changing dynamics of the interactions of yin and yang energy. We will train to harmonize yin and yang energy during our interactions such that we do not overemphasize yang (e.g. fight, tense, push, expansion, advance) or yin (e.g. flight, limp, pull, contraction, retreat) but maintain a taiji balance. When in contact with a training partner, one should learn to recognize what is happening

in ones own body as well as what is happening with your partner’s body.

 

It is expected that students will continue their own solo work to improve their embodiment of the principles studied in this interactive class, and to work towards correcting flaws revealed in the partner work. While experience with Taijiquan solo forms will certainly help facilitate the learning in this interactive class, it is not a requirement, and other styles of martial arts practice

or other physical disciplines can be helpful, as can be energy work practices (e.g. Qigong),

meditation (to aid in focusing the mind to improve awareness), etc.

 

--- Taijiquan is the name of this martial art when Romanized using the modern (pinyin) transliteration system developed and used by the mainland Chinese beginning in 1958. It can also be Romanized from the Chinese as T’ai Chi Ch’üan when using the older Wade-Giles system, and is commonly abbreviated to T’ai Chi (or even, incorrectly, Tai Chi) in western countries. The Taiji (T’ai Chi) part of the name refers to the Yin/Yang double ‘fish’ emblem (the Taijitu) and includes the philosophies dealing with the interaction and transformation of these energies. The Quan (Ch’uan) part of the name refers to the fist and here is used to represent a martial art.

 

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Akidio

Aikido is taught (and practiced at Deep River Aikikai, located in the beautiful Joy of Movement Studio in Pittsboro N.C.)  under the direction of Chief Instructor Frank Apodaca, Jr.. Currently, classes are geared toward young adult and adults. The primary importance of each class is not the technique itself but rather the individual learning the technique and more importantly the individual feeling themselves, becoming aware of their bodies as they move through each aspect of training.

Aikido is a modern, non-violent, non-aggressive Japanese martial art, which was developed early in the twentieth century by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). “Aiki” means “blending body with mind to the movements of energy.” “Do” means “a way or path chosen towards self-realization.” As a system of self-defense it employs techniques based upon circular motions that blend with the attack and energy of your opponent.

Aikido’s movements are generally smooth and fluid; circles and spirals predominate in the techniques. In the rhythm of practice, partners change roles allowing each to feel both aspects (attack and defense) of the technique. The general atmosphere of training is one of mutual cooperation and respect. Aikido is a way of coordinating both body and mind through the training and discipline of learning technique, thereby energizing the body and increasing awareness.

The Joy of Movement offers multiple dance related classes including, but not limited to

Modern Dance, West African Dance, Five Stages, and Alexander Technique.

 

West African Dance

In this high-energy class with live drumming (featuring Senegalese griot Diali Cissokho (www.koraanddrums.com)),

you will learn traditional steps to rhythms from Senegal and Guinea.  Open to all levels.

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The Alexander Technique

 

The Alexander Technique opens many doors to freedom of movement through building sensitivity to the flow of the river that lies within. This workshop is an invitation to deepen your embodied knowledge of movement support and ease through exploring the principles of the Alexander Technique through movement.  Dancers can listen for the small streams and eddies of movement that surface from the spine and follow their flow into space.  Through gentle movement explorations, simple choreographies, and joyful partnering, the class will build a moving scaffold of support through letting go of habitual tensions that interfere with the freely moving you.

 

The Joy of Movement prides itself in providing space for classes that stimulate the mind, body and spirit.

 

Eden Energy Medicine is a method of working directly with the body’s energy systems to help create health and wellness. You will learn specific techniques that can be used to activate the body’s natural healing abilities that seek to restore vital energies that have become weak, disturbed, or out of balance.  These techniques are easy to learn and incorporate into your life.

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Reclaiming Radiance- Exploring the Creative Feminine Within Classes for cultivating the art

of seeing the beauty within - through meditation-visualizations, dancing and oil-pastel painting. 
Seeing colors within is an empowering and delightful experience, Seeing colors within is an inner tool used to gain deeper trust in your creativity, Color is the love inside the universe asking you to dance.