Nia is a cardio workout.
Nia is a dance workout that is done to a variety of music*. Nia is fun like Zumba. It sometimes has kicks, punches, and jabs like Turbo Jam or Turbo kick. And like Jazzercise it has been around a long time. As with most well rounded exercise classes Nia has cycles, there is a warm up portion, an aerobic portion, and a cool down portion.
One of the ideas utilized to create Nia** was what we call "the Body's Way". By that, Nia means that the moves done in a Nia routine are moves that the body was designed to do. In addition to moves that are natural to your body's design the Nia teacher encourages you to move in you own body's way.
Nia is non-impact cardio, but don't let that fool you. Intensity is not necessarily set by impact so you can get a very high intensity workout if that is what you desire. It is up to you. You are to be your own conscious personal trainer----you decide what you need for that moment.
Nia is has a lot of variety, it includes nine basic movement forms. From the martial arts; T’ai chi, Tae kwon do, and Aikido. From the dance arts; Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, and Duncan Dance, and from the healing arts; teachings from Feldinkrais, the Alexander Technique, and Yoga. So in one workout you can experience all those things. Yet no formal training or previous experience with any of those things is required.
Comments about Nia:
Trust me with your wellness needs.
A lot of workouts make you feel good after you do them. I believe that people should get moving and if they find something that they love that gets them moving, that is what they should do. Nia is for everyBODY.
Some additional things about:
• A Nia workout is about pleasure. If you are doing a move that causes pain, stop. Seek pleasure.
Discomfort is understandable if you are moving in a new way, but not pain.
• Nia helps joints loosen and muscles tighten.
• Nia assists in promoting a sensation of relaxation, yet leaves you feeling energized.
• They say, “Nia is like chocolate. You can’t describe it---you have to taste it.”• Nia wants you to learn to pay attention to the sensations of your body.
• Nia has a lot of ideas behind it. One of them is “fitness must address the human being, not just the body.”
*There is also Nia 5 Stages, which is another type of Nia Movement Practice.
**Nia Technique was created by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas. All information relating to Nia on this site is based on their creation.



