Certified NiaBoston Teachers & Classes
Please contact instructors for details about their classes, and to confirm before coming to your first class. Listings are updated on a monthly basis. All listings are provided to NiaBoston by the individual teachers. Please, NO solicitiations to our listing teachers.
| Teacher | Info & Classes | Biography |
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NiaBoston is a community website for the NiaBoston community. If you are a Nia teacher or Nia Belt and would like to become a member, please email us at: nianews@niaboston.com for application form. If you are a student and would like to find a fabulous teacher, look no further. We have an amazing group of teachers. Enjoy! E-mail: membership@niaboston.com Classes: |
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Ana Ayvazian
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Telephone: 781-646-8268
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Ana has been teaching people aged five to seventy five for twenty years She has performed in both an Armenian Folkloric Ensemble and a Flamenco Student Repertory Company with Boston area Flamenca Omayra Amaya. Whether teaching or performing she always has a playful, imaginative approach that respects individual differences and encourages self-expression and creativity. Nia is a vital part of Ana's physical and emotional well-being, and she is passionate to share its healing potential with others. Ana brings joy and exuberance to her classes. She has been teaching the Nia Technique since 2002.
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Nicole Churchill |
Classes: at Samadhi in Newton
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Nicole's classes are energetic, creative and soulful ~ drawing off her background in contemplative/mindfulness practices. Nicole provides a container for Nia students to strengthen their connection between body, mind and spirit ~ and ultimately Self and Other. Her classes are suited for all levels ~ and are nurturing, dynamic, expressive and athletic. Nicole continually reminds her students to find their own expression, intensity and depth in their Nia practice. Nicole holds 2 degrees in music - and in turn her music choices are intoxicating ~ spiced with rhythms from the global palate of sound. She holds a Master's degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Music Therapy from Naropa University in Boulder, CO ~ the only Buddhist University in the U.S. Her undergraduate degree is from Berklee College of Music here in Boston. She and her husband John are the Founders of Samadhi ~ a Yoga, Holistic Health and Movement center dedicated to teaching an integral approach to full spectrum health. www.samadhiyogatribe.com |
Jane Clayton-Matthews |
E-mail: janebethclayton@yahoo.com Phone: 781-444-5209 Classes:
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Jane discovered her passion for "dancing through life" as a young child. Her ballet training and inspirational teacher taught Jane the joyfulness of moving through space with pleasure and ease. She believes that falling in love with ones body through movement has the power to bring about confidence and harmony in everyday life. For these reasons, Jane finds the practice of Nia exhilarating. She brings to her classes warmth, encouragement, spirituality and enthusiasm. Jane works as a middle school guidance counselor, eagerly teaching Nia to her colleagues in the school setting. She also teaches Nia movement principles to students with severe special needs, including autism.. |
Marcia Coakley
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Classes:
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Dancing since she was very small, Marcia loves guiding people to find, or rediscover the Joy (and power) of Movement. From her first Nia class she was hooked. THIS was what she was looking for...to move and be healthy for the rest of her life. She is passionate about sharing that too often distant-seeming possibility, the human potential to be mobile, even agile, throughout our whole lives. Exploring range of motion and deepening our experiences, we gain skills, increase strength and function…and confidence. We can feel more connected to ourselves, and beyond. What’s YOUR body’s way? Initially a college dance major, she has a BFA in Ceramics, and has been a studio potter for more than 25 years, and is guiding her children's' education at home. She is a certified Nia Blue Belt instructor, certified Brain Gym instructor for movement and Educational Kinesiology, long time yoga practitioner, and thrilled to bring Nia to you. |
Julianne Corey |
Classes:
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Julianne Corey holds a Nia Brown Belt, and is completing a 500hr mind-body training in Integrative Yoga Therapeutics. She has taught Nia in the Boston area for 6 years. Julianne feels the benefits of her Nia practice on a deeply cellular level, and teaches Nia to share the work with others who want to improve their quality of life through Joyful Movement. Through Moving Celebrations, she offers weekly classes, special events, workplace wellness, and private mind-body movement sessions. |
Suzanne Cohen
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Phone: 617-332-2937, 781-235-2260 x1 Classes:
Special Nia Class/workshop March & April:
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Suzanne says, "Since I was a little girl, I have always loved to dance-ballet, jazz, ballroom, and modern dance. When I took my first Nia classes in 1998 I rediscovered the joy of movement. I have been teaching since 1999 and continuing my Nia training, recieving my Black Belt in 2003. I also participated in the Evolution of Mastering Teaching in 2007. I love teaching Nia, giving workshops, and delving deep into Nia. Returning to my roots in the dance arts, I especially love to create new routines, freedancing and choreographing to music I have selected. In addition to the creativity that Nia offers me, she has healed me--body, mind, and spirit." Suzanne is also a psychologist and group therapist. She has been an innovator in the integration of Nia and Psychotherapy, teaches workshops to psychotherapists locally and nationally, and provides group and individual Nia Psychotherapy in her practice in Wellesley, MA. |
Diane Firtell |
E-mail: d.firtell@att.net Phone: to come Planning a trip to the beautiful Berkshires? Join Diane's Sunday class, in a spacious, renovated old mill, in the picturesque village of Housatonic, close to Tanglewood and Jacob’s Pillow. Email to let Diane know you are coming. Classes for Public & Guests of Canyon Ranch:
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Diane has been practicing Nia since 1995 and teaching Nia for over 10 years. She immediately fell in love with Nia….with the freedom of expression, the playfulness, the attention to detail and the possibility of growing stronger and more flexible. Finally, an end to exercise as punishment! She understood from the beginning that the movements practiced in Nia, along with it’s philosophy, were something she could practice for the rest of her life. Aside from her weekly class in Housatonic, she currently teaches hundreds of new students every month at the Canyon Ranch Spa as well as a group of inspiring seniors at a local retirement home and weary employees in a corporate setting. She is ever amazed at the universal appeal of Nia. When she is not practicing Nia, she spends much of her time making art….Inspired by nature, her work is taken directly from her photographs or done outdoors. She also practices Anasura and Kripali yoga on a regular basis. |
Lisa-Anne French |
E-mail: Lafdlm@comcast.net Phone: 434-409-3656 or 978-304-1483 Classes — Starts Feb. 24th:
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I am a Certified Nia Blue Belt and a certified Mat and Standing Pilates Instructor (private and group - certified through the PhysicalMind Institute). After 25+ years of studying and performing Jazz, Funk and Modern dance on 3 different continents, and participating in traditional exercise such as Racewalking and Step Aerobics, I feel that I have finally found the perfect home for my mind and body in teaching and practicing Pilates and Nia. I have found that helping people find the joy in their bodies as they heal, and to experience new muscles, movements, body changes and “mind” changes has given me a passion for this work. I feel that I can really help individuals, make a difference in their everyday lives by inviting them to experience a joy of movement and growth that they can take with them when they leave my classes. In my other life, I am a full-time mom in a family that loves to travel. When not traveling for fun we are often moving. My family and I have lived in Europe, Asia and the U.S., having moved 8 times in the last 12 years. |
Jennifer Harvey |
Telephone: 781-235-9642 Classes at Laughing Dog Yoga, 159 Linden Street, 2nd Flr, Wellesley, MA:
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I started teaching Nia in 1995 and taught for many years in and around Boston. In 2002 I reluctantly cut down on my classes to open Laughing Dog Yoga Studio in Wellesley. In September, 2007 I expanded the studio in order to offer more classes, including Nia. So, with gratitude and excitement I am now teaching on a weekly basis. For over 12 years I have seen how Nia brings people (both men and women) to an experience of profound freedom through deep embodiment that is both grounding and transcendent. It is a beautiful thing to facilitate and witness the spontaneous laughter, cleansing tears, powerful voices and authentic movement of a group of souls dancing their hearts out - together. I look forward to dancing with you. Jennifer is a Blue Belt and Registered Yoga Teacher. Her yoga training strongly influences her Nia classes. She is also a licensed psychotherapist with much training in Movement Therapy, another strong influence. |
Kira Hower |
E-mail: kirahower@gmail.com Phone: 617-877-8525 Classes at
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Kira Hower, M.Ed., is a licensed Nia white belt teacher who has been dancing passionately her whole life. She grew up as a gymnast and later found a love for ballroom dancing during her college years. From the first day she set foot in a Nia class she was knew she had found something special - a new and exciting way to move and challenge her body, mind, and spirit. She decided to teach in order to share her joy of Nia with others. Professionally, she is an Executive Coach, specializing in Women's Leadership and has worked extensively both nationally and internationally as an organizational consultant. She is also co-author of Enlightened Power: How Women Are Transforming the Practice of Leadership. Her goal with teaching Nia is to create transformational experiences for her students' minds, bodies, and spirits. And to have a lot of fun in the process! |
Cassandra Volpe Horii |
Classes:
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Cassandra considers our bodies as places of potential health, well-being, and joy. In her Nia classes, you'll be invited through music, dance, and awareness to inhabit you body--your home--more fully, while discovering your true potential. She empowers students to make safe and beneficial movement choices from the wisdom of their bodies' sensations. Cassandra is a certified Brown Belt (third level) Nia instructor who has offered classes and workshops in the Boston area since 1998; she is currently gaining certification as a Vinyassa Yoga teacher as well. She works broadly in both mind-body and academic education, the latter including a doctorate in environmental science, college teaching, and consulting on teaching and learning in higher education. |
Jessica Jackson
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Telephone: 508-771-4249
E-mail: jessjack29@msn.com CAPE COD Nia CLASSES:
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Jessica Jackson has been a Nia student since 2001, and a Nia teacher since 2003. She has taught all over Cape Cod, and continues to expand her practice. With her jazz dance background, Jessica brings fun, contagious energy to all of her Nia classes. She likes to incorporate classic broadway tunes into her routines as well as current pop and hip-hop. Though she aspires to be a full-time Nia practitioner some day, you will find her teaching high school science from September to June. Jessica received her BA in business from Boston College, and her MA in Teaching Biology from Bridgewater State College. |
Lisa Jones
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Telephone: 603-562-7525 New Hampshire Nia Classes:
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Lisa Jones has taught breath awareness classes since 1998 and has been a NIA instructor since 2004. She has always found satisfaction incorporating body, mind, and spirit into all aspects of life and since finding Nia, her fitness practice. Lisa’s goal is to help people heal the areas of their lives that prevent wholeness, inviting them to experience greater empowerment and joy.
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Janice Kahn
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E-mail: jske514@aol.com
Classes:
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Nia student for 10 years before taking the White Belt training in 2003, I came to Nia with experience in Yang style tai chi. The slow-flow movements in my first Nia class spoke to my body and Nia has been my teacher ever since, freeing my playful spirit to explore movement in energetic and healing ways. My classes bring grace, balance and a connection to one's inner warrior.
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Sue Landers
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E-mail: sulanders@aol.com Classes:
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Sue has lived in New England all her life, but she has been moving for as long as she can remember (smile). “Not that I can remember my experience in the womb, but I bet I was a kicker!”. Growing up, she played every kind of sport. She was a competitive swimmer and played tournament tennis and golf. She played varsity field hockey, basketball and lacrosse in school. As a young adult, she spent a winter as a ski instructor. She loves the music, the moves and the joy of Nia. “My body has found a home in Nia”, says Sue, who received her white belt in 2005 after being a student of Nia for years. A psychotherapist, Sue values the healing aspects of Nia—as a way into sensation, into the body, and into the mindful meditation of Now I Am.
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Lisa von Lichtenberg |
Classes:
@ "Weston Recreational Department" (email lisa for details or call: 781-529-0203): |
Lisa von Lichtenberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance and Dance Education from New York University (NYU), and a Masters of Arts (NYU). Her professional accreditatons include a (2 year) intensive certification program as a trainee for the Martha Graham Dance Company,choreography for musical theatre (over 200 shows), instructional, interactive design/CD-Rom and TV, and over 25 years of teaching experience in dance (jazz, modern, ballet). Lisa is a licensed nia White Belt '06. Lisa teaches basic nia in Wayland and Weston, MA '08 where she also instructs children in fairytale ballet, hip-hop dance, musical theatre-style choregraphy, and family nia programs. Contact Lisa at LisavL8888@aol.com. |
Georgia Lee London |
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Georgia’s greatest love in life is sharing the joy of movement with others. She was delighted to discover Nia, a fitness form that was truly holistic with attention to the Body, Mind, Emotions, and Spirit. She has practiced Nia for 11 years and taught since 2002. Georgia believes that Nia was a major healing contribution in her journey from Cancer to her present excellent health and wellness. She infuses her teaching with compassion, humor, understanding, and the wisdom of personal experience She has dedicated more then 25 years to the teaching, research, and practice of self-healing. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a professional Life Coach, a certified Holistic Health Counselor and a certified Nia teacher with a Blue Belt rating. Join me as we explore our dance through life! |
Samantha Lowe |
Classes:
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Samantha
was introduced to Nia three years ago, not knowing that this
relationship would send her on a journey to re-discover a lost passion
for dancing, define her own personal spirituality, and find a place of
healthfulness and greater appreciation for her mind and body. After
having been trained in ballet, jazz, lyric, and tap dancing, Samantha
has an awareness of the body and its movement that is evident in her
Nia practice. Samantha is an art teacher at Lexington High School where
she has developed her skills in teaching for the last eleven years.
Samantha intends for her students to experience a full hour of creative
expression, mindfulness, and an activation of self-acceptance and
awareness; her classes are a fusion of her visual art aesthetics and
her strong background in dance. She encourages her Nia students, as she
encourages her photography students, to play with the idea of
“exposing” themselves. By practicing Nia, Samantha desires her students
to capture and record moments within themselves that would have
otherwise gone unnoticed. Samantha holds gratitude for the beautiful
space the practice of Nia creates and is optimistic in her belief that
Nia allows for a community of kindred spirits moving together.
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Robyn Maltz |
Classes:
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Robyn
Maltz is a Black Belt Nia Instructor, a Certified Yoga Teacher and a
Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practise. The focus of her
practise in mind, body and spirit wellness. Robyn received her White
Belt in 1995 with Dani Riposo and immediately moved to Boston from
upstate New York to start a new life. This included becoming one of the
first Nia teachers in the Boston area. Many of the current teachers in
Boston began their Nia careers in Robyns' classes. She went on to do a
Blue Belt in 1996 with Dani and then in 1997 and 2002 to do the Brown
and Black Belts with Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas."Nia has completely
changed my body and my life. I love living in my body now and feel so
blessed to have this relationship which is filled with bliss rather
than self critcism. Nia was a spring board to incredible self awareness
and growth. Becoming a Nia teacher has filled my life with the most
wonderful relationships with students and other teachers. I feel
healthy body, mind and spirit. My intention is to help my students feel
this way too."
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Donna McGurk |
Telephone:508-641-7718
E-mail: dmcgurk@rcn.com Classes:
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Donna McGurk has been doing Nia since 1999 and teaching Nia since 2004. In 2007 she completed the 3rd level of Nia Intensive training – the Brown Belt. Donna’s early background is with ballet and modern dance. Donna says about her Nia experience, “When I took my first Nia class it was like being reintroduced to my true self. It reminded me that moving my body can be joyful, not simply a discipline. The forgotten dancer in me awoke.” |
Pamela McIntyre |
Telephone: please email for contact
E-mail: pamelamcintyre@comcast.net Classes:
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Pamela McIntyre has been creatively moving and teaching for over thirty years. She fell in love with NIA in 2000 and has been joyfully teaching since 2001. She also has training in Reiki, the Alexander technique, Modern Dance, Voice, and Acting. She brings an extensive background in music and acting to her NIA classes. As a NIA teacher, her approach is heart centered and her focus is primarily body awareness, the flow of energy through the body, and creative expression. She has trained actors and advised students at Wheaton College for 26 years and has a private practice in holistic life and career counseling. She is skilled in the language of astrology and uses it to help others identify life purpose and calling. As an artist and teacher, she has a commitment to the connection between creativity, spirituality, and healing. She has a Ph.D. in Theatre/Communications. |
Rosanne Russell |
Classes:
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Rosanne began her Nia training in 1999, and obtained her Nia Black Belt with Nia co-founders, Debbie Rosas & Carlos Rosas in July, 2006. Rosanne (also a graphic designer and latte lover) invites "your inner dancer" to every Nia class and shares her enthusiastic energy, innovative creativity and extreme Joy for the opportunity to share the work and practice of Nia. (That and a secret wish to be a "fly girl"... move over Paula...) Expect your body to sweat and your soul to soar in every class, as you celebrate your healthy body and life! Visit Rosanne at www.NiaJoy.com |
Kristi Scarpone |
Phone number: 207.439.2536 • Friday Night Nia at Yoga at Yoga on York, York, ME ($14 class fee, punch cards available): www.yogaonyork.com, 207.363.YOGA 2nd & 4th Fridays of the Month: June - August. |
Kristi Scarpone, M.Ed. is a licensed Nia white belt teacher who has been teaching fitness, dance and movement classes for 15 years. Her experience spans from Maine to Colorado with students ranging from pre-natal to pre-school to senior fitness. She teaches Nia classes in the seacoast areas of southern Maine and New Hampshire and has hosted seasonal Nia jams with live drumming in Amesbury, MA. Professionally, she is an organizational consultant who has raised more than $22 million in the non-profit sector to support missions including social justice, education, human services and international affairs. She is an avid runner and lives in Kittery, Maine with her husband and twin daughters. |
Annmarie Scully |
Phone number: 781-248-8789 • Thursday: 6:00 pm | July 10-31 & August 7-28:
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Annmarie Scully is an enthusiastic Nia White Belt instructor. With a lifelong passion for dance and music, she brings to Nia a background to include Jazz, Ballet Tap and competive Ballroom dancing. As a practicing Occupational Therapist, Annmarie embraces the mind, body, spirit philosophy of Nia as movement to promote the health and well being of every body. She is excited to be sharing Nia on the South Shore. Let's Dance! |
Patti Sheets |
Classes:
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Patti has a BS in Secondary Education with graduate studies from University of Massachusetts and University of Louisville, Ky. She has been in the Sales and Marketing field for over 20 years. She has also had a Psychic Entertainment business for the past 10 years, doing events for all the major financial institutions and for many large corporations. About 5 years ago she discovered that she had type II diabetes and had to drastically change her eating and exercise styles. She then discovered Nia and found that aerobic exercise could actually be fun as well as beneficial. She took classes on the North Shore for over 4 years and then moved to the South Shore. The move was wonderful but alas there were only Nia classes on Cape Cod, nothing locally. So she decided to take an intensive with the Nia founders and became a White Belt Certified Instructor in November of 2005. She is looking forward to teaching Nia on the South Shore for a long time to come. |
Maria Skinner
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Classes:
Call for Location in Groton:
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Maria
Skinner is a Black Belt Certified Nia Instructor and proprietress of
Yoga & Nia For Life in West Concord, MA. She has been practicing
and teaching in the Boston Area since 1997 and is devoted to the
practice of embodying the Body's Way and sharing the Nia Technique.
Prior to embarking on the path of Nia, Maria practiced contact
improvisation and danced with a Samba troupe in Berkeley, CA. Before
that, she danced the night away in New York City and San Francsico,
perfecting the form of dance as ecstatic celebration. For her, Nia has
became a way to blend the joyful party with deep awareness. Her classes
provide the Nia promises of great cardiovascular conditioning as well
as deep healing.
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Mary Stevenson |
phone: 617-277-4566 class: • Mondays 6.30 pm (alternating) |
Mary stumbled into a Nia class in 2003, when a shoulder injury made it impossible for her to continue working out with free weights. She was captivated by the music and the varied movement forms and never looked back, even after the shoulder healed. She has been enjoying Nia ever since. She traveled to Portland, Oregon in June 2007 to do her white belt training with Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas and began teaching Nia in 2008. In her other life, Mary is a Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Boston. |
Joan Turnberg |
Telephone: 781 223 8555
E-mail: joan@niaboston.com Classes:
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Joan
is an enthusiastic Nia Instructor and teaches Nia at a variety of
venues: Town Recreation Departments, Yoga Studio, Sports Clubs, and an
After School Program. "When I took my first Nia class, I resonated with
the movements immediately. I just knew that I would teach Nia in that
very first class. Less than a year later, I trained for my White Belt.
With previous experience in Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo, Nia embodies what I
love about martial arts (kicks, punches, blocks, sounding) and blends
it with music and dance (and I don't have to spar a 6 foot guy!) Nia is
the most fun exercising I've ever done. After a class, I feel energized
and relaxed at the same time."In addition to Nia, Joan is a Certified
Massage Therapist and a Wellness Consultant, educating clients on
ingredient labels and empowering them to make healthier food choices.
Check out her website www.live-life-well.com
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Allison Wright |
Telephone: 614-309-2906
E-mail: joyofmovement@gmail.com Classes:
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Allison Wright is a certified Brown Belt Nia instructor and has been teaching Nia since 2003. Her studies in music therapy, holistic psychology, and above all her insatiable love for movement are what brought her to Nia. She is devoted to delivering Nia's promise: Through movement we find health, and does so with steadfastness and lightheartedness. "Nothing brings me greater joy than sharing this technique! Nia has transformed my relationship with my body and with my life. It has helped me to heal several sports injuries, vastly improve my body image, and has served as a channel for reconnecting me with the joy of movement. In invite you to come an experience the power, pleasure and delicious sensations Nia has to offer!" |
Bonnie Wallace |
Telephone: 508-770-1015
Classes:
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Bonnie Wallace began taking Nia classes in 2000 and instantly fell in love with its free-flowing, powerful moves and invigorating music. As a board-certified music therapist, Bonnie connects with the healing elements of Nia, especially the Alexander Technique, which she studied privately in depth. Bonnie believes that each Nia class can provide a soulful journey of the spirit, based on her training in Guided Imagery in Music (GIM Level1). Her recent completion of the first degree in the Reiki method of natural healing brings an element of energy awareness to her classes. Bonnie enjoys the opportunity that Nia gives her to connect with her inner bliss. |
Elisa Yawnick |
Classes:
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Elisa brings her background in dance, yoga and martial arts to each of her unique Nia classes. She has been busy teaching Nia since 2001 and has a devoted following in and around Boston. Her passion for music and movement makes each class a special and powerful experience.
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Jan Yeh
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Telephone: 781-544-7399
E-mail: jan@niaboston.com Clases:
About the Duxbury Senior Center Classes: $6 drop-in. Contact Linda Hayes, Activity Coordinator (781) 934-5774. This class is for those 50-100 yrs. |
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