What is Nia?

More than just a workout, Nia is a non-impact, holistic, cardio-dance fitness class. It not only provides the body with a workout and tones muscles, but it also transforms the mind, while increasing energy and emotional balance.

Nia was originally created in the 1980s by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas with the aim to revolutionise the way individuals get fit and look after their mind, body and soul. They wanted to create a low-impact movement suitable for everybody that encompassed the mind, body, spirit and emotions. So, Nia, and a new genre of fitness called body-mind fitness, was born.

A Nia class involves beautiful, soul-stirring music and its simple moves are rooted in a balance combination of dance, martial arts and mind-body practices, including yoga. Nia combines 52 basic moves, or variations of these moves, with expressive free-dance. Its choreographed routines are set to diverse music, and the 52 moves have been distilled with more than 35 years of research to offer the best holistic mind, emotion and spiritual conditioning. Each Nia class will help you feel energised, mentally clear and emotionally balanced.

Today, Nia is taught by around 2,200 licenced teachers across 45 countries worldwide. It is suitable for everyone at any fitness level. It supports weight management, increases energy, flexibility, mobility and strength, developes muscle tone, offers relaxation and much more. It’s a great option for a holistic workout.

The information and images in this article were provided by Soul Shine Wellbeing Studio in Oxford. The Soul Shine Wellbeing team will be at FitFest Oxford in June!