What is Nia?:

+ Nia www.nianow.com blends dance, martial arts, and yoga, choreographed to music, to create an aerobic workout that leaves you smiling and sweating. It's easy to learn, easy to follow, a great way to have fun and be fit.

What will Nia do for me?

+ Nia pumps your heart, tones your muscles, lubricates your joints, releases tension, enhances balance, and improves agility, mobility, and flexibility. Nia students are men and women of all ages and fitness levels; teens too. Nia concepts can be adapted for younger children to introduce them to movement and greater body awareness.

What music do you use for Nia classes?

+ Music for Nia classes is incredibly eclectic to match the variety of Nia's movement forms and styles. You name the genre and we use it: music to make you want to move, flow, breathe, pulse, gyrate, rock out, stomp, whirl, explode, express yourself, or be still. The 3000 songs on my iPod include R&B, soul, pop, house, hip hop, trip hop, trance, dance, jazz, rock, European classical, new wave, reggae, dub, world, new age, meditation, relaxation, ambient, lounge, funk, folk, electronic, Celtic, Asia, Native American, Indian classical, Latin, Middle Eastern, and African music, among others.

What is fusion fitness?

+ Nia choreography www.nianow.com/thetechnique.php is a fusion of nine distinct movement forms:

• Three dance arts: jazz dance, modern dance, and Duncan dance
• Three martial arts: tai chi, tae kwon do, and aikido
• Three healing arts: yoga, Feldenkrais Technique, and Alexander Technique

Yet you will find that a Nia class is not like a dance class, a martial arts class, or a yoga class. Nia draws on the concepts and essence of each discipline, e.g., the flow, pulse, and expressiveness of dance, the precision of the martial arts, the mindfulness of yoga, to heal the body, condition the body to higher levels of fitness, and challenge the body to move beyond its customary movements.

Where did Nia come from?

+ Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas developed Nia in 1983 in northern California. www.nianow.com/intensivetraining/faculty.php
They noticed that they and the more than fifty teachers in Debbie's aerobics studio, The Bod Squad, were constantly injured. They began to seek for a way to exercise based on comfort, passion, and pleasure. As they learned more about the martial arts, they took off their shoes. Their discoveries revolutionized fitness styles and is now recognized as one of the most innovative and safe cardiovascular programs to date. Portland , Oregon , is now home for Nia International Headquarters.

What does Nia stand for?

At the beginning, Nia stood for “Non-Impact Aerobics.” Nia later became “neuromuscular integrative action,” a term that can describe any mindful waking action. In the Swahili language, Nia means “with purpose.” Others refer to Nia as “Now I am…balanced, strong, calm, graceful….” To me, Nia means movement, music, and magic.