NIA and Recovery

I've been talking a lot lately about NIA - how much I enjoy it, how much it helps me in my own recovery, and the extent to which I think NIA can help many along the road to recovery. I'm not the first person to make this connection. I was introduced to NIA during my time at Harmony Grove, a residential treatment center in San Diego. I'm honestly not sure how many programs consider NIA a recovery activity, but I certainly do. Here's why.

NIA ("Neuromuscular Integrative Action") is, according to its founders, a way to "heal and express your self through movement and sensation." NIA classes combine emotive music and a climate of self-acceptance, expression, and freedom as they lead you through dynamic combinations of nine forms of movement, including Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jazz, Modern Dance, and Yoga. The experience is liberating and exhilarating.

A single NIA dance can evoke rare moments of total self-acceptance. Acceptance of my body - its amazing abilities along with its many limitations; , love of feelings - both uplifting and disheartening; love of thoughts - rational and irrational. Over time, NIA has helped me begin to love myself for the way that God created me.

For those who don't understand eating disorders, I'll go a step further. Eating disorders, at their very core, are rooted in inability to accept oneself. Some of us act on these deep-seeded feelings of incompetence and worthlessness by believing terrible lies: that eating and/or loosing weight will make us feel better about ourselves. Thus, body image struggles are hallmarks of eating disorders, but root cause isn't body image: it's self-acceptance. Many recovery activities focus on self-acceptance. Acceptance of one's body, one's feelings, and one's thoughts. And this is precisely what NIA helps one to experience.

As a strong Christian, I feel it is important for me to admit that some may be uncomfortable with NIA's references to one's inner being - or perhaps simply NIA's lack of reference to God. Without discounting such feelings, I'd offer this: each of us has free will to pray to whatever God we believe in. Whenever I am prompted to quiet my mind, or to focus on an eternal force, I simply choose to focus on God and praise Him for who He is and how He's working in my life. And I thank Him for this opportunity - in NIA class - to connect to the Holy Spirit that gives me life.

We would *love* to hear your comments on this topic! And stay tuned - we hope to start providing NIA classes to the DC eating disorder community in the very near future!