Nia, Pilates, Movement with MaryLee

 Movement Classes

 Movement Classes through Community Education continue through December 2024.

MaryLee teaches  Pilates for Everyone on Tuesdays  5:30 pm -6:15 pm

and Nia: Movement to Feel Better on Thursdays, 5:30 - 6:15 pm. Beginners to advance movers welcome.

All classes scheduled at WK Elementary Gym on  365 Mankato Ave in Winona, Minnesota. Parking is on Mankato Ave in front of the elementary school. Use the middle door and walk straight ahead.

Register at link: 

Pilates for Everyone

 

Pilates for Everyone, Section 2: October 22, 29, Nov 12 & 19, 2024 

More Classes Coming in 2025

 

Nia: Movement to Feel Better on Thursdays 

Nia: Movement to Feel Alive Section 3: November 14, 21, December 5 & 12

More Classes coming in 2025! 

Movement Classes throughout the Year

MaryLee reaching out

Moving of all sorts for MaryLee is dancing, walking, biking, gardening, strolling--I love it all.  And two of my favorite movement practices are Nia and Pilates. I teach throughout the Winona through Community Education and the Winona Friendship Center and Iron Bluff Fitness.  The photo above was taken at the Winona Friendship Center where I've been teaching Nia for over 11 years.  Currently the Friendship Center is upgrading its Heating and Air Conditioning Systems for the whole building and as a result, we are currently practicing Nia at the East End Recreation Center located at 210 Zumbro St in Winona, Minnesota.

Classic Nia

Nia is a class, practice and lifestyle that bring awareness to the body, mindfulness to the spirit, and connection to joy or adjusting to pain in the whole being to feel better.  Classes are 45 – 60 minutes and often done bare foot.  (If a person has foot tenderness, wearing soft indoor shoes works well.)  Nia is for everybody at any age, fitness level, size, shape and ability.   

In Nia class, we begin with warming up the body. All types of music are found in Nia from around the world.  There’s a get moving part of the class and a cooling down at the end where everyone goes down to the floor to move and stretch.  We move the whole body in Nia with 52 moves.  The three main parts of Nia are the dance arts, martial arts and healing arts.  The simple moves are repeated to engage the body and the mind in the movement.  One of the main principles in Nia is to feel good in our body's way. This may look and feel different for each person. One of my students, Barbi, who's been dancing with me for over 10 years says, "Nia is fun!"

Wear clothing that’s easy to move in with layers to add or subtract as you warm up and cool down.

Nia Moving to Heal

Moving to Heal Nia is a gentler version of classic Nia.  Similar principles of sensing the body and moving in each person’s individual way are taught with fun music from around the world.  We begin class with sensing how the body feels—checking in if there is sensation of pain in a part of the body and then giving it a number as we walk around the room in warming up.  We move either on our feet or sitting in a chair depending on each movers need. Nia is based on the design of the body and can be modified to accommodate physical disabilities and support self-healing for most injuries and illnesses. At the end of class, we assess again our sensation in the body and then stretch and move into the rest of the day.  Our intention is that everyone feels better after doing Nia. 

Many of my students have gone through their healing process with carpal tunnel in the wrist, shoulder injury, recovery from Lyme disease, or  COVID 19 and move through their lives with more ease due to moving in Nia.

"Through movement we find health." says Debbi Rosas is the Co-founder of the Nia Technique.

Nia classes in Winona with MaryLee

Classes are year round.

East End Recreational Center, 210 Zumbro St, Winona, Minnesota is the current location of MaryLee's class at Winona Friendship Center. 

507 454-5212

Mondays       Moving to Heal Nia 9:15 am – 9:55 am

                       Classic Nia        10:15 am – 11:15 am

Tuesdays       Classic Nia        11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Iron Bluff Fitness, Winona Mall, 1213 Gilmore Ave, Winona, MN 55987

 (507) 454-7500

Mondays Classic Nia or Pilates 8:00 am – 8: 45 am

This class alternates every other week; see schedule below:

11/25/2024 Pilates

12/2/2024 Nia

12/9/2024 Pilates

12/16/2024 Nia

12/23/2024 Pilates

12/30/2024 Nia

All abilities are welcome to join class. 

Call 507 429-8357 with Mary Lee to check the current class.  Drop-in fee $10.

Moving together to feel better!  See you soon!

 

Come Join us!  Your body will say, "Yes!"

 

 Mary Lee Eischen is a trained and licensed instructor

Black Belt Nia instructor

Nia Moving to Heal instructor

Pilates instructor

Body & Mind Growing

 

My body is moving through time in a faster motion than I can keep up with.  This 63 years is a strange sensation of new possibilities and also aches, pains, and a need to double down on my self-care.

I’ve been a person who has loved to be outside and active.  I’m a bike rider, a dancer, a walker and a hiker.  I like going to the gym to do fitness classes as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I got into going to the YMCA, I wanted to get my daughter involved in fun and active things. She had different ideas and that idea for her did not stick.  But it did for me.  I didn’t think that I could do Pilates—I didn’t have the core strength.  And then I tried it.  It was challenging, but my teacher encouraged me to do it in my own way and my abdomen, arms and legs grew stronger.  It is today one of my favorite exercises to build core strength, balance, and connect in with my body to feel what she needs.

Twelve years ago, I learned about Nia—a fusion movement/fitness practice that involves dance arts, martial arts and healing arts.  We move to fun music with the intention to feel better every time after we dance.  It is a somatic practice that involves the mind and the body to sense pleasure and pain in the body.  By adjusting the movement, we can bring more pleasure to how we move.  And with the pleasure, we desire to do it again and again.  Because Nia is designed for every Body, all the variations work well for a beginning person doing Nia to an advanced athlete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the friends who dance Nia at the Friendship Center: 

front row: Barbi, Kathleen, Anne; back-row, MaryLee, Diana, Mary, Leanne, Kathie

 

Twelve years ago, I was much more uptight about my body shape.  Lots of my body parts I did not like. My hips were too wide, my belly was too soft. My feet looked weird.  I liked my arms and back—they were thin and wiry like I wanted my whole body.  I wanted the look of a boy; though I would not have admitted that then. I am a woman and those curves and softness will always be with me.  Lots of voices in my head were shaming to me.  As I change that internal narrative and grow to accept my body just as she is, I grow to enjoy who I am in the world and what I do in the world.  I grow to have appreciation for all the things my body could do instead of looking so critically at just how one part looks to the outside world.

Coming to the present moment, I am still growing in love and appreciation for my body and her changing ways.  I am growing my strength to counter osteoporosis with weight training through Barre classes.  This is new to me.  I am hiking more to be out in the beauty of nature and found a friend who loves this as much as I.  We spur each other on to keep going and we have a great time together.  I’m making new friends at the YMCA.

I teach Nia and Pilates classes for me and to pass to others this love of growing a strong body.  When I look in the mirror and instead of criticizing the wrinkles on my face and neck—I choose to say thank you face and neck for your abilities to sense—see, hear, smell, taste and speak your truth. Most of the time--I can still be very judgemental of myself. Here's what Diana shared with her friends about Nia:

"I’m not an expert, I’m clumsy on my feet, But I feel like a “butterfly” lots of times and it relaxes me so much."

It is a dramatic shift in connection with me and the world.  It is an ever changing landscape in the aging process.  I extend my hand to you.  Let’s walk together in this time on the Earth.  Join me in this conversation or moving more in your own life for health and wellness.

You’re invited to join me for Nia classes currently on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Iron Bluff Fitness and the Winona Friendship Center:

Tuesdays, Iron Bluff Fitness: 8am – 8:45am Classic Nia through May 24, 2022

Iron Bluff Fitness is located in the Winona Mall. Check their website for all they have to offer along a variety of fitness classes.

Tuesdays, Winona Friendship Center: 11am - Noon Classic Nia

Thursdays, Winona Friendship Center: 3:00pm -3:45pm Moving to Heal Nia,a gentler form of Nia

                                                                       4:00pm – 5:00pm Classic Nia

The Winona Friendship Center is located in downtown Winona at 251 Main St. Classes cost $3.00 for members and $5.25 for non-members. 

Call about membership or with any questions: 507 454-5212. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another invitation: 

Pilates classes on Wednesday evening:

Wednesdays, WK Gym: 6:15pm – 7:00pm Mat Pilates

WK Gymnasium, 365 Mankato Ave, Winona, MN 55987

Drop in classes are available for the current session for $10.00 per class.  Next 5 week session starts early May through Community Education, Pilates for Everyone, Section 4 to register and find out more.