What is Nia?

Created by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas 25 years ago, The Nia Technique combines movements and concepts from Martial arts, Dance arts and Healing arts, blending music, vocal sounding and self-expression into dynamic, hour-long routines. While most often practiced in hour-long classes, the true depth of the work lies in a rich body of education that develops into a powerful life practice. With a philosophy rooted in “The Joy of Movement,” Nia teaches people of all lifestyles to choose Pleasure as the path toward physical, mental and emotional health.

Revolutionizing the world of fitness and wellbeing, Nia is today taught to nearly 100,000 students by over 2,000 Certified Teachers in 37 countries. With a “More-Gain, No-Pain” philosophy, Nia bursts boundaries of age, gender and fitness levels, delivering a fun, effective and life changing practice for all walks of life.

From Nia’s creators and founders — Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas

For the past twenty-five years, we have devoted our personal and professional lives towards the dream of transforming fitness to include healing and lifestyle changes. Our approach to movement involves mindful integration of what we believe to be the four main parts of creating wholeness: the body, mind, emotions and spirit. Our initial vision in 1983 surprised even us. In taking off shoes, eliminating repetitive jogging and adding vocal sound and emotional expression, we found ourselves creating a new model for the traditional fitness industry and expanding the choices available to all populations for getting healthy and fit. Fluid and interactive, Nia’s balance of form and freedom provides an integrated, balanced workout, turning ‘working out’ into "bodywork." Nia offers a new perspective on how, where and what you can do to improve your wellbeing, fitness and health. Nia has now been time-tested across the globe and we will continue to explore and develop The Joy of Movement for future generations. We look forward to sharing the Joy of Nia with you.

About Nia’s Creators…

Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas met in 1981. Fired with inspiration to develop a truly effective movement and lifestyle practice, the choice to continue their personal paths together was inevitable. Debbie and Carlos began to voraciously study a vast range of Eastern and Western movement forms including solo and group exercise, martial arts, dance techniques, body integration therapies and music. In 1983, they integrated this study into a body of work that is today practiced in 37 countries and growing: Nia. Ever evolving, exploring and developing this practice, Debbie and Carlos continue to teach, train and devote their lives to developing the Nia promise, Through Movement We Find Health.

What To Expect

The first thing you’ll notice about a Nia class is the smiles and sense of pleasure – in addition to the sweat. You’ll see bodies of all ages, shapes, and sizes, people from all movement backgrounds and professions. Physically, mentally and emotionally, Nia provides a platform for exploring and aligning all aspects of the human experience. The practice is structured and free form, soft and powerful, sharp and fluid, linear and spiraling. ‘Sounding’ and vocalizations are used to release tension and engage imagination and emotion - and in effect, the body. While Nia’s 52 Moves provide a foundation for each class, each individual’s movement is guided in the voice of their own body.

What Nia Offers

For many people, results in a personal and/or professional life makeover. Powerfully effective for all levels of health and fitness, Nia is a barefoot, cardiovascular workout of the body, mind and spirit. A lifestyle practice, the foundation of The Nia Technique lies in what Nia calls The Body's Way, the science of observing the physical design of the body to dictate function and use, using the sensation of pleasure as a guide. Teaching people to move with Dynamic Ease, Nia integrates core techniques from nine branches of martial arts, dance arts and healing arts into a single motivating and sustainable practice.

Nia is:

• Barefoot cardiovascular fitness
• Safe, exhilarating, multidimensional and effective
• Fitness developed through joyful pleasure rather than effort and pain
• Celebration of the body, inquiry of the mind, expression of spirit and emotion
• A body•mind fitness and lifestyle practice developed through playful, conscious movement

Nia results in:

• Increased strength and flexibility
• Increased range of motion
• Increased power, balance and comfort in the body
• Improvement in breathing and vocalization from vocal sounding techniques
• A deeper connection to and awareness of self

Nia is for:

• Athletes, dancers, yoga, martial artists, fitness and health instructors, therapists, students, children, the elderly and couch potatoes alike.

To learn more about the Nia Technique, visit:

For more information contact Nicci Gates 082 462 4844 or e-mail:

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