Sexual Embodiment Practice: Nia

Rated G

What makes an activity a practice of sexual embodiment? Intent. Whether we garden, wash the dishes, run, attend a workshop, play with a sex toy, or have intercourse, if we have the intent to use that time as a way to nurture our sexual energy, then we are practicing sexual embodiment.

Every week, I will write about a practice that may support sexual embodiment. One week I may write about dancing, the next watching porn. One entry might be about tantra and another phone sex. Some of the practices I describe will be those activities I practice regularly to support my own embodied sexual energy; others will be things I try once or twice and think some of my readers might enjoy. Though I can not possibly write an exhaustive list, perhaps one or two of the practices I mention will be things that speak to you. There is no best practice, just as there is no right way to be a sexual being!

A few weeks ago, one of the fabulous women in my upcoming Women's Sexuality Group suggested to me that I just HAD to try Nia, a form of movement which she said encourages that juicy sexy energy that I love so much. With a recommendation like that, I knew I had to see what all the fuss was about. Last night, I made my way to my first Nia class with Kate Finlayson at the Balanced Movement Studio in Carrboro, NC. Nia is not specifically sexual in nature--but movement of any kind can be a fabulously sensual expression of energy, which is why dance and movement are my favorite kinds of sexual embodiment practices.

One of the first things Kate said to our group was that we were to do all the movements in a way that felt good to our own bodies--a concept that immediately resonated with me. Nia seems to be about joyful movement and self expression. This Nia class felt to me a bit like dancing in my living room with a group of good friends--except this was a room full of people I had never previously met. It was low-pressure and high fun, even sometimes silly, with a dash of imagination thrown in for good measure. There was plenty of hip swinging, which for me is the thing that always gets my sexy energy flowing most freely. We were invited to make sounds, express emotion, and to access our "warrior women" and our inner "children."

I would recommend Nia most highly for people who feel a bit of an internal dance bubbling beneath the surface but haven't yet found out how to express it, who might be a bit shy to get out on a dance floor and get their groove on without some direction. With this Nia class there was both choreography, somewhat like any aerobics class, but with space for freedom as well. Nia seems like it would be appropriate for any skill level, from beginner to professional dancer, and any fitness level, from couch potato to Iron Man triathlete.

The language Kate used was spiritual in nature--auras, internal healing, yin/yang. But whether or not you identify with the language seems largely irrelevant; you just need to have the desire to move to be able to enjoy.


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