{"id":11205,"date":"2021-01-13T16:51:41","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T00:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11205"},"modified":"2021-01-13T16:51:41","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T00:51:41","slug":"dancing-with-myself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11205","title":{"rendered":"Dancing With Myself"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dancing<\/a>

Dancing with Myself, originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent Self-Care issue, January 7, 2021.<\/p><\/div>\n

A combination of yoga, martial arts, and dance, Nia<\/a> was introduced to me by my friend Meg Miller, who’s been an instructor at the Montecito YMCA<\/a> for more than a\u00a0decade. When the pandemic torpedoed indoor classes,
\nMiller started an online \u201cNia Together-Apart\u201d group, sending videos\u00a0for people to dance from home \u201cwith her\u201d every Saturday at 11:15 a.m.,\u00a0her normal class time.<\/p>\n

As Queen of the Procrastinators, I left the link in my inbox, red flagged\u00a0and scolding me for a week before I finally decided to try Nia.\u00a0I intended to do it at 11:15 a.m., but it was more like 5:15 p.m., when\u00a0rolled-back clocks made it too dark for my regular walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Nia everything is based on 52 moves,\u201d explained Miller. \u201cIn\u00a0addition to what is generally known \u2014 that moving to music is
\ngood for us \u2014 Nia\u00a0uses findings from\u00a0neuroscience to create\u00a0a holistic experience
\nthrough dance.\u00a0I know this sounds\u00a0a little woo-woo,\u00a0but plenty of people\u00a0do Nia purely as\u00a0a physical fitness\u00a0experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

I cranked up the video in the privacy of my bedroom, figuring I\u2019d\u00a0come for the cardio and slip in some metaphysics if the spirit moved
\nme. The last time I danced was in the early COVID days: a TikTok\u00a0challenge<\/a> from my son and his girlfriend.\u00a0After a bit, I started to let loose. Rather than following the leader,
\nthe idea is to listen to your body and enjoy every movement. So I\u00a0freestyled instead of doing the floor-play, which looked too much
\nlike pushups for my taste.<\/p>\n

Although Nia is meant to be danced communally, my freestyle was\u00a0definitely more \u201cfree\u201d in my bedroom than it would have been at the\u00a0YMCA. Even Miller, who loves the community aspect of Nia, said,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve found a lot more freedom and self-expression doing it without
\nan audience of any kind.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart rate was definitely elevated, and my spirit did get a little\u00a0lift. I\u2019ll try Nia again, maybe even next Saturday at 11:15 a.m.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit nianow.com<\/a>.
\n\"Santa<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a> on January 7, 2021. To see this story as it appeared in print, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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