Please join us at our beautiful new web site! Yoga-Nia Adventures is now www.NamaStay.net.
We offer Joy of Yoga® classes, workshops and trainings in yoga, movement
and personal transformation and we host week-long Yoga-Nia Adventures® worldwide.
We believe that deep down everybody is a yogi. You may not ever do
advanced yoga poses. But you know what it is to have something touch
your soul.
In our experience, soul connection makes a lasting impression when it happens
in the body. It might happen when you do your first handstand,
your tenth backbend or touch your toes. A lovely place for it to happen
is while watching a Carribbean sunset (though a blank wall works well
too). It often shows up when you dance your heart.
We believe there are many ways to open your heart and body. Therefore we have
always offered the integration of Yoga, Nia and Meditation.
We invite you to share what has worked for us and what has worked for us and our students
on a Yucatan adventure...on the California coast...or in your city or a town
close to you.
What type of yoga do we teach?
We have recently embraced the spirit and
teachings of John Friend and heart-oriented Anusara Yoga. Anusara Yoga
differentiates itself from other common styles of Hatha Yoga in that it
integrates the celebration of the heart, Universal Principles of
Alignment, and balanced energetic action in asanas. Individual
creativity and investigation are supported and encouraged within the
bounds of the basic principles and philosophy.
Most of our training has been Iyengar and we are grateful to the
background his teachings have given us in alignment, precision of
detail, building of proper foundation, therapeutic application, use of
props and the vast possibilities of exploring both the active and
passive or restorative ways of working. To enrich and expand our
understanding of yoga we have also studied Astanga yoga as taught by
Pattabhi Jois , Viniyoga as taught by Desikachar and teachers,
Integrative Yoga Therapy as created by
Joseph La Page, and most recently, John Friend's Anusara Yoga.
What is YogaPlay?
Over the past year we have been adding Yogaplay to some classes and
retreats. These are usually short segments in which we add the
dimensions of movement, music and self-exploration . During this time we
ask you to move out of the "margins" of the asanas. It's an
act of discovery asking and listening to what your body wants to say,
waiting and responding to your human nature guides. In the more
traditional segments of class you learn to trust your yoga teacher and
the ancient geometry of the classic poses. During Yogaplay you learn to
trust yourSelf to free the yogi within.
What is Nia?
Nia is freeing. Nia is fun. Nia is a
spiritual sweat to music. Nia is Neuro-Muscular Integrative
Action--the process of connecting body, mind and spirit through
movement. Bodies change when they do Nia--not just visually but
energetically from deep inside. Eastern forms such as yoga, tai chi,
aikido and tai kwan do, as well as more Western techniques such as jazz
and modern dance have been integrated to create mover-friendly movement
combined with sound, breath and an eclectic blend of world music. People
often say it is the most freeing, fun class they have ever taken.
One of our favorite
parts of Nia is there are no complicated steps of choreography. There is
no striving to be perfect or "keep up". Instead there is a rhythmic
mantra with your feet. You repeat moves enough so you find yourself in a
kind of hypnotic meditation in action. You often find yourself smiling
(sometimes even crying), as old holdings are released. You start with
feel good moves, playing and sensing your barefeet on the floor. You
often end with the floor becoming your "sandbox" of discovery as you do
yoga floor-play. You can also check out Nia's web site at
www.nia-nia.com.
" Jennifer, the words you use
to communicate your ideas are so effective in challenging us to look at
things differently. Paul, thank you for teaching us to shimmie...life will
always be more fun. The holistic approach you both share has been so refreshing.
Thank you. "
-Julie and Lorna
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