Expressive Arts

I was attending a week of the Expressive Arts Practitioner certificate course at Haliburton School of Arts and Design, where we were learning how making music, using our voices, and moving our bodies in certain ways, could heal ourselves and our prospective clients. During the movement section, our teacher was Martha Randall, a Black belt instructor in Nia. 

Nia is a form of exercise created by combining 3 martial arts + 3 dance arts + 3 healing arts.  As Martha led us through a one hour long Nia class, I fell in love with Nia instantly. I cried through most of the hour. It felt like honest, heartfelt movement, and I knew that I wanted to do more of it, and perhaps even take the training to become an instructor.

In July 2009, I attended a White Belt Intensive training taught by Martha Randall and during that week long training, I committed to becoming a teacher of Nia. In October 2009 I began to teach a weekly Nia class in my studio for my own patients and/or coaching clients.   In February 2011, I became a Nia Blue Belt teacher.  In April of 2012, I became a Nia 5 Stages Instructor. Over the past 14 years, my Nia students and I have discovered how much joy, pleasure, peace, freedom and increased flexibility, balance and strength are to be found through a regular practice of Nia. Not to mention all the laughter and all the fun we have enjoyed together!

In my life coaching work, I have found that art making, drumming, singing, sand tray, writing, dancing,  and walking the labyrinth can add so much to the coaching experience. Over the years I have developed a 'Magic Tool Kit' of the expressive arts tools I have found to be most helpful. I am currently working on editing this tool kit into something I can share with the young women physicians, life coaches, ministers and teachers I mentor. This has become my legacy project and I am feeling so excited about it!