Mindful Movement

For most of my adult life I was spinning on the proverbial career hamster wheel with the syndrome many of us will be familiar with - never enough hours in the day, too many deadlines and unrealistic demands on my time, and definitely dodgy boundaries that were constantly being eroded by increasing work pressure.  Crunch time came when in one particular year I spent 40 weeks away from home on business – not only jeopardizing my own health and wellbeing, but also putting my marriage to an amazing husband perilously close to disaster.  By this time I had entered my 50’s and it was simply not possible to achieve life balance and sustain the same frantic pace.  

By then a friend had introduced me to Nia and I had already started attending the odd class whenever my schedule permitted.  Both the manner in which Nia has been crafted and the safety of the environment that Liz created resonated deeply from the beginning.   I recall the initial appeal of Nia was that it allowed me to move out of my head and to engage with and connect with my body.  It was entirely new to sense and appreciate how my body felt, and to experience mindfulness within the context of dance.  To have the time and space to consider how it felt when my body moved seemed an absolute luxury.  However cranky my brain was when I arrived at class, I always left feeling peaceful and refreshed – and that in turn encouraged me to start being more intentional about attending classes.  I learned to put firmer boundaries in place and started to diarise my classes as proper appointments and not something I compromised when the current day’s crisis encroached.  

I honestly don’t recall the moment of transition but there simply came a time when I realized that many of the challenges and bad life habits were simply no longer as much of an issue.  I had begun to learn an attitude of gratitude, to recognize and let go of toxic people and noise in my life that added no value.  I’d started to become grounded and to be fully present in situations without trying to control or judge.  Certainly a large part of this process has been the privilege of occupying the amazing space that the equally amazing Liz Cunningham created.  Her deep commitment to sharing her passion and encouraging us to develop our own physical and emotional wellbeing has led me on an incredible journey.  The ladies sharing this space with her are extraordinary women of beauty and grace, and their openness and acceptance is extremely special.

So … I can honestly say there’s an enormous difference in the before Nia and after Nia me.  Although the dynamics of my working life continue, the radical change has happened within me and how I respond in a more healthy manner to the external environment - and I make peace with what I can’t change.  It’s still a journey, and I’m still dancing my story ….