Dance to the Music: Flash Mob!
Yesterday in Nathan Phillips Square, dancers from the Joy of Dance (including moi) surprised those attending a Brain Injury Society of Toronto awareness event. Yup, we did a big ‘ole flash mob. Lemme tell ya’ it was steaming hot under the mid-day sun, but a ton of fun! (this video captures about half of our…
Read MoreAb Exercises: The Nia Way
My relationship with abdominal exercises has radically changed because of Nia. Sit-ups and Crunches: The Way to a Flat Stomach or “Six Pack” ? When I first started exercising in my late teens / early 20s, the emphasis was on getting a flat belly (if you were a woman) and on getting a 6…
Read MoreAdvanced Nia Performance – April 29, 2012
I had the privilege of working with 9 beautiful women in my Advanced Nia class from January – April. THIS is what we created. I’m so very proud of them!
Read MoreExploring the Impact of Artful Engagement with Older Adults
From March – December 2011, as an artist educator of the Living Through the Arts program (The Royal Conservatory), I was fortunate to be part of this amazing study examining the impact of arts programming on the health and well-being of older adults. Below is a video sharing that experience. Exploring the Impact of Artful…
Read MoreEvery Little Cell in My Body is Happy
Right now I am in Costa Rica, at Ama Tierra, a beautiful retreat centre an hour out of San Jose. I’m here with my dear friend Trixie Montanile of The Flying Yogi. We’re co-facilitating a Suspension Yoga and Nia retreat in this beautiful oasis. So is it any wonder that this sweetest song called “Every…
Read MoreLife as art: Scavenger Hunting Artists
The other day I went on a scavenger hunt with my 7 year old nephew. Together we explored viewing our surroundings with an artistic eye. In Nia, one of our 13 White Belt Principles teaches about the practice of viewing “Life as Art”. Put simply, this concept reminds us that art is everywhere that we…
Read MoreYou might enjoy Nia if you are…
Last summer, the lovely Jamie Ridler (of Jamie Ridler Studios) facilitated a focus group to help me better understand my Nia students, their needs and their experiences. I learned a lot! I’m understanding more and more about who can benefit from Nia and why that might be the case. It turns out that Nia enthusiasts…
Read MoreOn gratitude and sweet, sweet vaginas
(this post is SO not going where you might think it is from the title…) It is often that I say, “thank you, whomever is responsible, for the fact that I am living in this day and age“. When I think about my dad, living with (and succumbing to) mental health struggles back in the…
Read MoreYou Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!
On December 31, 2010, I cozied up in my hotel room in Tempe, Arizona, and wrote a year end blog post. In it, I summarized all that I felt proud of accomplishing in 2010. It was a good exercise that both motivated and inspired me to continue moving forward with my business. On December 27,…
Read MoreWhat people are saying about the NEW Advanced Nia class
I started something brand new this past fall. New and freaking scary. Something I’d never done before, something that doesn’t exist, to my knowledge, anywhere else. I created an Advanced Nia class. I had no template to follow, and had to dig deep to execute this. But I did it! While we still follow Nia’s…
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