There's no beauty without grace

In which class do you have the option to create, to adapt, to adjust, to modify, to experiment and explore the move that the instructor is showing you and make it become your own creation?

This is a crucial aspect of Nia that deeply transformed the idea I had of my body.

I was conditioned to associate a fit body as a gym body, thinking that the workout from the gym was much more valuable than a dance class. Also I didn't believe that a non fit body could be healthy and beautiful. 

But then my idea of body's beauty went beyond today's beauty  standards. I asked myself "what if my idea of beauty is not limited to what I see from the show business and the magazines choices?"

I find beauty in a way of smiling, in the tone of a voice, in a gentle touch, in a kind gesture, in a loving word.

Thinking about beauty in the past, what do Cleopatra, the Renaissance women,  and Degas dancers have in common? Beauty standards changed along time and cultures but their common denominator regarding beauty is one thing: the grace. Michelangelo used to say that there is no beauty without grace.

Have you ever focused your attention on your grace? Well, if I use and move my body according to its design and function, letting the energy flowing in me, following the path of pleasure, I find the state of grace. It is a state of vitality, sense of aliveness that enlighten my face and spirit, I connect with my inner child, I feel healthy, capable and energetic, I feel connected to my authentic being. In that state I feel I am Cleopatra, the woman with the ermine and a Degas dancer.