Jag's 13 Principles for Being a Nia Student

 Jag has been teaching and loving Nia for 25 years. In addition to having his own classes, he has taught for months in a country where he didn't speak the language and learned a great deal from that experience about how to communicate and deliver a rich rewarding experience to the student. He has also, on a number of occasions, taken a single routine on the road and taught it to a different unfamiliar group in a different unfamiliar space every day for months at a time. That also gave him a lot of unexpected insight into the student experience of a Nia class. Watching how students do or don't adjust and adapt, and seeing which ones seem to be having the best experiences, led to a deep understanding of what some of the best student techniques are.

Now Jag wants to share the wisdom from a quarter century of teaching in diverse situations. He has broken it down into what he likes to think of as the essentials. The 13 Principles of Being a Nia Student present 13 very important points about how each student can maximize the benefits they receive from every class. It addresses those times when a student's needs may not align with the presentation of the teacher on a particular day, and how to turn that situation around so that it does exactly meet the students needs. It presents some ideas that many students may not have thought about, but that can drastically improve the outcome of each and every class they attend; no matter what the teacher is doing. It highlights some things that are very important for the student to focus on and some things that are worth letting go of, so that each student gets exactly what they want, every time they return to class. Jag will create a scenario, where the student needs to rise above "sloppy" or "lazy" teaching habits, to take charge of their experience and turn every class into a perfectly personalized and empowering experience. 

Never again worry who's teaching when you go to take a Nia class.  When you practice the 13 Principles of Being a Nia Student, you can transform any class into one that is designed especially for you and your needs and preferences, no matter how much experience the teacher has. You, as a student become empowered to guarantee yourself a great class. 

The playshop is presented in three segments per principle. First, Jag will explain the principle and how it is applicable to the Nia class experience. Second, he will play some music so we can all FreeDance. FreeDancing is a great way to free up the mind and open it up to receive new ideas. It is also a great opportunity to allow questions to bubble up or to realize any places that we may have not fully grasped the concept of the principle. Thirdly, we will gather again to address any student comments or questions, get further clarity and solidify our understanding of the principle before we move onto the next principle and go through the three segments again. Typically, we will do five principles and then take a break, do four more, take a second break and then come back and address the final four principles. Ideally it is a four hour playshop but it can also be achieved in three hours. 

There is lots of dancing and lots of learning, so its a good idea to be well rested before we start and to bring plenty of water and a snack to keep your mental and physical energy up the whole time. You might also want to take notes as it will be a lot of information in a short amount of time. 

This playshop is perfect for anyone who loves Nia and is serious about getting as much out of their class time as possible. It has also been helpful to teachers who have attended who may have recognized some of their tendencies in Jag's fictional "sloppy" teacher, and been able to adjust their style to make it easier for their students to do what they need to do so that everyone has the best Nia class every time. 

Jag has a passion for empowering students with agency to positively affect their own outcomes and to be autonomous in any situation. Jag believes that when the student and the teacher work together to create a class experience, it can be truly sublime.

Contact Jag to arrange teaching this playshop in your community.