"Nia is movement-medicine for the body and soul." 
Nia class addresses your mind, body, emotions, and spirit and uses music, movement and your personal expression to integrate your inner and outer body. Nia uses a comprehensive, holistic exercise approach designed with a combination of nine classic movement forms.
Nia: A Fusion of 9 Movement Forms
Martial Arts: T'ai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido
Dance Arts: Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, Duncan Dance
Healing Arts: Yoga, Alexander Technique, The Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais
Nia teaches you how to listen to the voice of your body and allow your body to be your guide. Practiced barefoot to music, Nia is adaptable and safe for any fitness level, pre/post natal, from stiff beginners to highly fit athletes. Delivering cardiovascular, whole-body conditioning, Nia is based on creating a loving relationship with your body and following The Body's Way - the innate intelligence of your body.
In a typical Nia class at Time Out Studio you'll move slow, quick, smooth, choppy, big movements and small movements. You'll reach high, low, you'll rotate, turn, twist, bend, flex, shake, rattle, stretch, lean, look up, look down, look back and around. Nia stimulates your senses and nervous system and you feel alive. Every bone and muscle gets a chance to move.
Nia teaches you how to move with pleasure, not pain.
Stacey's story: I was kicked out of dance class at the age of three. The teacher said that I would never be graceful enough to dance based on my performance of "I'm a little teacup.” So, it was tremendously rewarding to learn that the Nia demonstration and workshop I facilitated was one of the top ten highest rated workshops of the hundreds presented at the Prevent Child Abuse National Conference this past May of 2008.
I owe this success and ability to facilitate this workshop to the very first Nia principle I learned 11 years ago. My relationship with Nia began in Houston, Texas. I was 40 years old. I had asthma symptoms as soon as I started to move. I could only move to the first two songs of the routine before the shin splints in my legs were so painful that I could barely hobble over to the wall where I sat for the rest of the routine.
At the end of my third class, I decided Nia was not for me. On my way out the door, I thanked Helen (my teacher) and explained why I would not be back. Having heard me share about the pains in my left leg, Helen replied by asking me "How does your right leg feel?" I was taken aback by the question, and my first (unspoken) reply was to say "What difference does that make? My left leg hurts. Didn't you hear me?" Instead, doing my best to be polite, I said instead "It feels just fine, thank you." To which Helen replied,
"Then, why not dance with just your right leg?"
That comment stopped me in my tracks. I thought it was either the dumbest or the smartest question I had ever heard. I decided it was the smartest, so, I asked, "Do you mean, just move to the right? What do I do when the class moves to the left?" And, Helen said,
"Just stop and wait. In Nia, we don't go for the pain, only for pleasure. So, if your left leg gives you pain, wait to dance with the right leg and feel the pleasure. At least you will be able to dance through the whole class rather than just two songs."
I decided to play with her suggestion. During the next class, I did exactly what she recommended. I moved on my right leg and stopped when the class moved to the left. I made it through the entire routine standing up.
At the end of the third class, I was stunned to realize that I had actually moved both right and left without pain through the entire class and without any asthma symptoms!
That was the day I experienced Nia's first principle, The Joy of Movement, by retraining myself to concentrate on pleasure rather than pain. I started to apply this awareness to other aspects of my life and I have kept this focus as a daily practice in all my activities.
Today, 11 years later, when something feels uncomfortable or uneasy, I stop and wait for the pleasure to return, and often, I realize the pleasure lies in stopping that activity completely. Stacey Hall, Nia Brown Belt Teacher | Nevada
Read other stories about how Nia has changed peoples lives.
Nia Promotional Video 2005 from Nia Technique on Vimeo.