Can Movement Really Change My Life?

To move without conscious intention is just a workout. To move with conscious intention is another thing altogether. Every time you move with your consciousness fully engaged, you incrementally change your life by healing old pain and making fresh choices.

All the feelings you've ever had are inside your body somewhere - especially the ones that did not get fully expressed at the time. We have "issues in our tissues." When you express real feelings as you move, you are helping your issues get processed and healed.

Expressive movement can also shape your new self as you evolve. Every cell of your body is alive, awake and aware, taking in messages from your environment, including what you say to yourself. This happens at a cellular level. It's happening right now.

Your cells are listening…

When you "try on" new ways of being while you move, intentionally saying new things to yourself about yourself, your body hears you and it becomes more true. Positive affirmations like, "I can handle whatever happens," "It's okay for me to be imperfect," or "I deserve to thrive” take root in our bodies when we think them and say them while moving.

Doing choreography is especially powerful, because it asks you to move in ways you probably wouldn’t do on your own. Choreography is an invitation to literally reshape yourself - to make new shapes with your actual flesh and bones. These new shapes create space for a new you. The newness of the movements, when done with conscious intent, can break old patterns, change outdated beliefs, and expand your personality in new directions.

That is how conscious movement can change your life. Nia Technique is particularly good for this purpose. It’s a good physical workout, sure, but unlike other forms of dance fitness, Nia encourages emotional expression and cultivates conscious intent. In Nia class, we really do imprint new messages on our cells!