Testimonial Ticker

Before starting Nia in 1994, I was chronically depressed and taking medication. A friend dragged me to a Nia class at the West Side YMCA in New York City. The class was co-taught by Caroline Kohles and Megan McArthur.

The very first time I danced Nia, I was filled with tears of joy and also tears of letting go of pain. What I experienced was so freeing, so in flow with my spirit and felt so good to my body that I knew I had found something more than an exercise program. I’d found something for my whole being.

My journey with Nia was sparked one day in 1986, when I received an enthusiastic phone call from my dear friend who said that she had discovered something that combined the things I loved – movement, spirit, and fitness — and was a perfect fit for me.

The Paris White Belt Intensive held in July was SENSA-TIONAL! The visual beauty of old buildings such as the dance studio we were in, inside a courtyard, the busy streets, everyone hustling and bustling, the scents, perfume, and the instant welcome we all felt from the group of 16 from all over the world—wow!

I was 58 years old and about 20 pounds overweight when I took my first Nia class in 1991. I was certain that I would be the oldest and fattest person in the class, and I wasn’t! The class was full of all ages and types of people – young, old, fit, becoming fit–and I was made to feel completely welcome, like I belonged there.