Today, at our "Play Shop" for the lastest Nia routine "Wild", I received so much joy, value and fun, I feel like I could run all the way to the bank of cosmic salary! What do I mean by this? It's a concept we introduce in the Nia White Belt, coined by fellow Nia Trainer Ann Christiansen. In life we may choose to do things for money and then there are things we may do for free that are still extremely rewarding, the latter is what we call cosmic salary!
Today 11 participants showed up to dance and play. There were 3 brand new people (a lady who's been on my email list for 14 years!) and a couple who were friends of fellow teacher Peggy Renfroe, looking for something new. Congrats and thanks to all the teachers who lead songs (JoAnn, Peggy, Kristi, Lola, Helen)
In a circle I lead a gentle warm up to the first song, then we played with introductions (Where are you from, where do you live, something quirky and why are you here). It was lovely to hear the stories and giggles, like learning someone, as a child, had a pet squirrel! Then we got into a lovely flow:
- take the class - EveryBody dance to a song with Debbie on the big screen
- review moves - Helen highlight some of Nia 52 moves
- play leading - teacher volunteer to lead the group
- brag - teacher share 3 things they did well
- boost - group share what they loved about the experience
The teaching was off the charts! Every very single teacher lead with joy, relaxation, fun, smiles, sticking with moves they'd picked up from the DVD, tweaking and creating moves on the fly as needed. This group of teachers were most "Loose but Tight". It's a concept we recommend in Nia teaching, meaning stay relaxed have a good time, don't get uptight about remembering the moves AND do your best to deliver the promise of Nia (technique, choreography, workout).
It was Kristi's birthday today and she choose to step in and teach Nia for the very first time! If this is what she's like having completed 75% of the white belt, look out world for when she's done a little practice LOL...
The group was super supportive and lots of fun. After going through the above 5 steps for the first 5 songs we took a break. I relished in the thought.. "where else on the planet can we break to sauna, hot tub, enjoy nature, chat, laugh, pet and feed donkeys!"
We learned a few more songs then finished with cool down, floor play and stepping out. It was a great day, moving forwards we'd like to offer this free community PLAYSHOP event one Sunday afternoon a month! the next one will be to learn the newest Nia routine RIDE!
Debbie Rosas, founder of Nia, will be at Soma Ranch January 27 & 28, sharing more about Wild and also providing a full day "Festival of Nia" event.