Jason Alan Griffin :: The Blog

-- a Nia Playshop February 25th, 2012 -- 4:00pm - 6:00pm at Waves Studio 232 Division Street NW Olympia, WA  Register with Julia Annis* to experience the world premiere of my newest Nia routine, ROCKIN'! This playshop will be instructional as well as practical. You may be leaving some power on the table. I'm going to teach some things you can do with your body to become instantly stronger.  Employing these little tricks can turn your human strength into Super Human strength. This isn't developing strength, although it will help with that, but this is accessing instantaneous strength that you haven't been using until now. In this playshop I will teach you how to do movements you never knew you were strong enough to do. Then, we will put what we learned into action in a Classic Rock Nia Class. The movements of the routine will be classic Nia and will focus on influences from the three Martial Arts; AiKiDo, Tai Chi and Tae Kwon Do. We'll sweat ...

I got this email from a Nia student who used to take my class in New York. He said I could post it on my blog so here it is.  Nia Class in Action "Taking Jason Griffin's Nia class has always been a positive experience.  For someone like me who is middle age and not in the best of shape Nia really improved my muscle term and flexibility within a relatively short time.  I've seen sharper mental focus in just a few weeks  and a difference in my energy levels and flexibility.  There are times when it was more challenging and Jason always guided me through it with ease and patience and determination which far exceded my expectations.  Plus it can be be much more fun then aerobics but just an effective.  It truly can improve endurance, strength and flexibility and you will feel so much better overall. Thanks, Jason, for helping me get back into fitness with Nia!"   Henri, Bronx, NY. Jason here:  Thanks Henri, for that lovely letter. I a...

I received the following email from a Nia student this morning. I thought I'd share it's wonderful message: Jason I feel tremendous joy and aliveness when moving in a Nia class. I tap into an inner strength & passion & fiery nature that lies dormant when I am not in class. Also my negative body image ( feeling overweight) seems to magically disappear when I feel the rush of energy go through all my body parts. Being an artist, and having had a dream of being a dancer since I was a child, the creative aspects of Nia are a powerful outlet for me, and I get to fulfill my dream of being a dancer. The excitement that my whole being feels is what keeps me coming back. Often dealing with art materials, the materials or th e fear of the materials become an obstacle. When the body is your instrument, there are no "materials" there, just your body as pure instrument where instinct can manifest itself.I might add that I also feel a sexual vitality through Nia- combining...

I just found out about a blog one of my Nia students wrote last year. Here is the link to her blog: http://fromhiptohousewife.com/2008/10/14/nia-for-me-a/

Any time you come to a Nia class, you have the opportunity to heal yourself. In Nia we are very aware of the power of Attention. So, we make a conscious choice to pay attention to our own self-healing, and that's what makes Nia such a profound form of therapy as well as fitness. By the way, when I say "healing" I'm referring to any act of consciously making yourself feel better. Healing could stimulate or relax you physically, mentally and/or energetically, strengthen your muscles, increase your flexibility, reduce or remove your aches and pains ...etc. As long you feel better after you do the movement, you have self-healed. Scratching an itch is a simple example of an act of self-healing. So is rubbing your cold hands together until they are warm. Some other examples could be squatting down deeply enough to stretch that tight hip muscle, or throwing your arms open, looking up to the sky and taking a big deep breath of fresh air. The carefully composed movements o...

Yay! Go Nia! " Last February, I just got off the couch and decided to come back to Nia after 3 years of not doing any exercise. I showed up to your Sunday class and instantly felt comfortable and accepted. I found myself coming back each Sunday really focused on your opening "intention" for the day and feeling better already. Once the music came on, I simply responded to the joy of movement to music. I didn't ask myself to do more than what I could and the atmosphere was welcoming and non-judgemental. Three months later, I had an "a ha" moment a block away from my apartment. It happened after work, right after I left Gourmet Garage carrying 2 packages and a shoulder bag; I wanted to get home and the Broadway light was already green. I just ran across the street and made the light! I didn't even think about it until I had crossed Broadway. The old, lethargic me would have stood at the corner to wait for the next light. The new me didn't ...