Introduction to NIA
If you are interested in discovering more about you, about fitness, healing and movement, we offer you the experience of NIA. Used as a tool, NIA will help you to explore life, to grow, expand, learn, and to transform yourself and your professional work. Approached as a living system, the work and world of NIA is open-ended. Everyone who touches NIA brings their own unique style and approach, making NIA completely adaptable to almost all forms of fitness and healing models. NIA is unique, helping the human spirit, soul, body, mind, and emotions evolve into higher levels of consciousness.
What is NIA?
NIA is an expressive movement practice that uses The Body's Way to achieve physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual fitness and well-being.
We say that NIA is a lot like the Tao. It cannot be defined by any one word or by a single phrase. It cannot be limited to a single way of thinking or perception because it is always evolving and changing, uniquely touching each and every person who experiences it.
NIA is personal. It is a sensation that can only be felt. It's like Chocolate. You have to taste it!
- NIA is the first, and the most advanced, form of fusion fitness - the combining of two or more classic movement forms. It encompasses the martial arts, the healing arts, and dance arts. This combination creates a synergy that no isolated technique can match.
- NIA is revolutionary, replacing the idea of punishment with pleasure. NIA advocates doing things the easy way instead of the hard way.
- NIA is to exercise what holistic medicine is to health care. NIA is movement as medicine.
- NIA is a cardiovascular program that uses whole-body, expressive, grounded movement, rather than repetitive jogging or lifting.
- NIA is adaptable to every level of fitness, every age and type of body, even those with special limitations.
- NIA is effective and fun!
The Benefits of NIA Practice
Why practice NIA?
Because it will change your body and life!
NIA has spent the last twenty-two years developing a safe holistic fitness program that addresses more than the body. Practicing NIA is a way for you to learn about yourself. You will learn how to integrate your body, mind, emotions, and spirit into everything you do to become more expressive, dynamic, interesting, creative, and somatically-educated. Practicing NIA means you will learn to attract pleasure, become more multidimensional, and move safely and efficiently.
Doing NIA ...
- Increases the pleasure of living in your body.
- Creates weight loss and proper weight maintenance.
- Strengthens muscles, improves muscle tone, and increases muscle definition.
- Calms the mind and relieves stress.
- Improves endurance.
- Increases grace and flexibility.
- Balances the autonomic nervous system.
- Improves posture and can even increase height.
- It improves organ function -- particularly that of the heart and lungs.
- Enhances sensory awareness.
- Heightens sexual function.
- Builds reservoirs of chi.
- Alleviates emotional problems including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and anger-management problems.
- Improves circulation of blood and improves lymphatic drainage.
- Strengthens immunity.
- Improves concentration and cognitive function.
Testimonials from Current Students
“NIA has been the most powerful transformative tool I’ve been blessed with to encourage personal peace, balance and intimacy. It’s also been one hell of a lot of fun.”
Ventura Nia dancer since 2001
" NIA is the best kept secret to health in the world! I lost 25 lbs by a change in diet and doing The Nia Technique. Thanks to Carlos and Debbie ( The Nia Technique co-creators ) and especially to Kate - my instructor, my friend."
Marla Paz
"Kate Nash and the Ventura Nia Center - the best workout! To be Joyful, Playful, Physical, Sensual, Spiritual, Strong! I am so thankful for the experience!"
Bev Smyth
"Nia, shows me freedom to know my body and it's abilities. I didn't know that I could move that way. I came to Nia thinking that I was in shape, and now I am! Nia has no goal for me, just the journey."
Gary