A few years ago I had the great opportunity to visit Copenhagen, Denmark and while there I went to the Eastern Bronx to dine with some friends in their cozy Danish apartment. It was right out of a magazine in classic European fashion, the apartment was small, stylish and colorful and the food was full of the loving warmth of a home made meal.  For months before the trip I was undergoing a personal transition of a fresh divorce and facing the reality of being single after an 11 year relationship.  I was in the beginning of a deep process of shedding my life as I knew it and like a snake that grows caps over their eyes to protect its sight as it sheds I was seeing everything through cloudy filters. These filters were there to protect me and yet they were blinding me from seeing my path and purpose. I was seeking guidance and truth and the knowing that I had made the right course correction in my life.  That day I was wrestling with a feeling that has been with me my entire life the feeling of a  heart expanding drive for freedom. It has taken me years to begin to understand what this dance with freedom is all about.

After dinner we sat in the tiny kitchen for dessert and like a supernatural sign I spotted a postcard that was displayed on the fridge. It was as if it was glowing and calling my attention to the powerful image of a tiger running in the white water of the ocean. I was captivated by the grace and fierce beauty in the tigers bright amber eyes and a sense of freedom took me over. The sensation of freedom wasn’t about being alone, for me it reminded me of how I feel when I dance, move my body and partner with my emotions to express my essence as authentically as I can. I remember feeling so grateful for my experiences with Nia and how I found freedom in the form.

On the postcard I saw that there was a caption below in danish. My friend translated the saying for me “You can not define Freedom~It can only be experienced!” to this day I continue to cherish this postcard from abroad as a reminder to experience life, to forgive myself and others, to love fearlessly and to dance and move from my heart. Nia is a place, a space and a movement practice that encourages this type of personal development and authentic joy. It really can not be defined~it can only be experienced!

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