FreeDance is Nia White Belt Principle 4, and a foundation of every Nia class.  This principle is designed to stimulate movement diversity, which The Body’s Way requires, as well as overall creativity.  It allows us to move in our own way and time, going within for guidance rather than seeking it externally.  That’s probably why some Nia students aren’t comfortable with it (in my experience.)

I have had some Nia students share with me that FreeDance is hard for them, that it makes them feel self-conscious because they fear they look silly.  I completely understand.  I had the same experience when I first began practicing Nia.  I thought everyone else looked weird doing it, and therefore I would too.  I was not comfortable looking weird, and felt very self-conscious moving without a lot of guidance. I couldn’t really see the benefits of doing so, either. It felt SO outside my comfort zone.

Slowly, however I began to realize 2 things: 1) that the people I was dancing with weren’t judging me, and 2) I felt really energized being able to move in my own way vs. with the structure I’d experienced in past fitness classes.  After time, I had similar realizations in my life as well – that I began to care less about what others thought, and that following my own path was very fulfilling to me.  I began to see a strong correlation between what I experienced in Nia classes and what I experienced in my life – the same fears held me back in both.  And I began to use my Nia practice as a place to push past my fears, as a laboratory to experiment with different behaviors and beliefs.