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The Holistic Book®

I smile with limitless JOY and gratitude as I reflect back on the path I have walked as a fitness professional. After teaching in the fitness industry for over 10 years, I was attending an IDEA International Fitness Conference in July of 1991. I remember it well. I was experiencing burnout and frustration from reasons I simply did not recognize at that point in my journey. I had arthroscopic surgery on both my knees in 1984. I was also physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted and was ready to quit teaching altogether.

After attending several conference sessions, I returned to my hotel room in tears and exhaustion. My husband, my good friend and coach, happened to be in our room when I returned. I told him I was going to quit teaching and he put his hands on my shoulders turned me around and said “Go back to the conference. There’s something there for you.”

With my tail tucked between my legs, exhausted and quite grumpy, I returned to the conference hall and immediately saw a poster in the conference hallway that read “Body/Mind/Spirit Workout Session with Debbie Rosas & Carlos Rosas.” My heart spoke clearly to me to attend that session. As I watched Debbie & Carlos enter the room, I was immediately intrigued by their presence…the way they carried themselves and their radiating vitality.

Winalee Zeeb

After happily removing my confining shoes & socks upon their request, the music of “Enigma” began to play. As Debbie & Carlos eloquently guided us, I was breathing deeply and moving freely, expressively, and JOYfully with tears of heart-knowing pleasure. The answer to my search for another way to teach and share true fitness was clear to me – The Nia Technique. I literally ran to the speaker table to retrieve the Rosas training information and attended the next possible Nia White Belt Intensive.

NIA
( Neuromuscular Integrative Action)
Blends martial arts, dance and healing arts for an eclectic, joyful body/mind fitness experience

My joy and gratitude grew exponentially when I began facilitating Nia classes in October of 1991 and continued to spiral even more when I was honored to begin facilitating Nia White Belt Intensives in February of 1997. I am now teaching more classes than I ever did prior to Nia, and I can honestly say that I feel much healthier and abundantly happier. The Nia tools have blessed my life in infinite ways. Now my knees sing out with gratitude, as I move with awareness and attention to their needs. Now my energy is constantly renewed and restored as I teach others to be their own teacher and use the Nia tools of personal responsibility as I model and use them myself. Now every single Nia class I teach is new and exciting and always unique! And in my humanness, when I forget any of these tools I have been taught, I more easily and readily remember and make wiser choices as I dance through life.

Thank you Nia. Thank you Debbie & Carlos. Thank you to all of my students who are my teachers. Thank you life for such an amazingly spectacular healing dance – the body’s way!

Winalee Zeeb
First Degree Nia Black Belt
Nia White Belt Trainer
www.niamichigan.com
517.372.3039