Nia Saved My Life

I am so thankful for Nia in my life. When I began Nia I had no idea that it would become not only a source of personal development, but also one of the fundamental practices I would use to heal myself from a nearly fatal accident.
In 1994, while I working as an actress and musician in Los Angeles, CA, my sister called me and told me about a new dance practice she was doing. She said every time she danced this dance, she thought of me. When she said the dance was called Nia, I felt energy shoot through my body like a bolt of lightening. Something about what she was telling me made feel emotional, and pushed me to begin to assess what my perceptions were like at the time. Even though I was living a happy successful life, I energetically felt something was needed.
A month later my father developed cancer. I felt it was important be near to my ailing dad, so I moved back to my home town of Portland, OR for what was to be a short-term visit. I began taking Nia classes with Debbie and Carlos, and something just clicked for me — that energetic void was being filled. I stayed in Portland and never looked back.
In 1997 I took the White Belt Intensive. At one point during the training Carlos asked me why I had chosen to take my White Belt, and I said, “I want to be an ambassador for Nia.” I didn’t know what that meant at the time, yet I knew that I wanted to share the power of my Nia practice with others. Little did I know that my Nia practice would also be the foundation that would save my life.
I was cast in a Henry James film in Ireland one month after taking my White Belt, and I planned to become a Nia instructor when I finished the movie. During filming, I was involved in a nearly fatal equestrian accident where I was kicked in the head and suffered a depressed skull fracture with a tear in the dura and a compound fracture of the ulna. I was told I may never recover completely and was lucky to be alive. As a result of the accident, I could barely walk; I could not fly in an airplane due to a vestibular disorder; I could not drive; I was over stimulated easily which resulted in anxiety attacks; in general, I could not rely on who I was. My whole life was dramatically altered, and I had to reinvent myself — body, mind, emotions, and spirit. It was through Nia that I healed myself from the inside out.
The years that followed were very powerful as I worked with my body anew in the Nia way. I took classes, went slow, taught myself how to walk again, and became honored to be in my body in a new way. The Western trained doctors that I was seeing were amazed at my rapid improvements. They said they had never seen such success in such a short time. I know that my recovery came from my body-based Nia practice, my commitment to wisdom, and the blessing of Nia.
In the Fall of 2000 I became a Nia instructor. Soon, I was teaching 7 to 10 classes a week, and took my Blue Belt in 2001 and Brown Belt in 2003. From my experience as a teacher I found the courage to record the music inspired in my body and life. I now have recorded two CDs of original music, and four of my songs are on the new Nia routine CD “Opal”.
In 2006 I took the Black Belt, which is a true milestone for me. Out of that training something soulful has called forth the wisdom of living life as art, and I feel Nia flowing even more deeply through my life. I feel I have become a true ambassador for Nia as I work in Production, PR, and Product Development at Nia HQ. My dream now as an ambassador is to be a liaison between Nia Europe and Nia USA.
My dreams have come true in ways I would have never imagined. The thread through all of my experiences for the past 13 years has been Nia. From my greatest successes to my darkest hours, through Nia I see that my life truly has been art. I have received so many blessings and great teachings from Nia, through the deepening of my form and freedom.
My passion grows daily as I witness the power and joy of our Nia community and the healing power of love. I look toward the global expansion of Nia with much pleasure and vision for potential! May the journey continue as beautifully as it has unfolded thus far, and may we all be Stars in our own hearts.