The Nia Technique: The High-Powered Energizing Workout that Gives You a New Body and a New Life

by Debbie Rosas, Carlos Rosas

the strength of Pilates, the flexibility of yoga, the muscle tone of strength training, and top-notch aerobic fitness—all through the revolutionary pleasure-based fitness program that gets you in shape from the inside out!

The hottest new trend in mind-body wellness, Nia—which stands for Neuromuscular Integrative Action—is the most advanced form of fusion fitness, blending martial arts, healing arts, dance, and spiritual self-healing to create a high-powered, synergistic workout that no isolated exercise technique can match. Created by fitness pioneers Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas, Nia presents an entirely new philosophy of exercise—one that will not only keep you in fantastic shape, but will also help you rediscover the joy of movement and being at home in your body.

The Nia Technique is the first and only book to share the workouts so popular at gyms and spas across the country, outlining the basic Nia moves—or katas —that can be performed easily at home and adapted to your own level of fitness. With moves drawn from nine fitness disciplines, including tae kwan do, tai chi, yoga, Feldenkrais™, jazz dance, and modern dance, Nia promotes strength and muscle definition without the use of weights, and its freeing, dance-like regimen provides a medium for self-healing. You’ll tighten, tone, lengthen, strengthen, and lose pounds and inches—and have fun doing it! You’ll learn to follow “the body’s way”—a breakthrough fitness concept that teaches you to move in the way that most benefits your individual body; and you’ll learn to use visualizations and vocalizations that enhance the benefits of each workout. The overall regimen is phenomenally effective because its holistic approach unites the body and the mind, and creates an exhilarating path that anyone can follow toward a healthy, fit physique, lasting weight loss, and an unlimited sense of your fitness potential.

With simple, step-by-step instructions, The Nia Technique also shares the inspiring stories of people whose lives have been transformed by the practice of Nia. With Nia, a new body is just the beginning—the ultimate goal is a new life!

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 213

Reviews

[Jessica Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE Nia. Didn't love the book in the same way.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are my notes:

extreme workout
NIA
video resources
agility
mobility
strength
stability
flexibility

stages: embryonic, creeping, crawling, standing, walking

martial arts: tai chi - weight shift
taekwondo- kicks
aikido- precision
Dance arts
jazz - shimmy
modern- shapes, push& pull
Duncan - free spirit solar plexus up
Health
yoga
Feldenkrais
Alexander technique
JOY - learn, move, energize
basic moves:
jazz square
the body's way
conscious not habitual
range, speed, varying level of intensity,
low medium high
range low medium high
stances, steps, blocks, kiks

conditioning sensation
check internal
dynamic ways
strength
mobility
agility
flexiblilty
stability
be seduced
progressive
empowerment
sensational
5 senses
aware comfort in body

acai juice

Train (coach) yourself
start easy, and small
build muscle memory consciously
aware of foot pick up and place deliberately
sit back
dress to move
barefoot
express yourself
belly breathe
use whole body
balance fitness program

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

One would think that I would have read this sooner than this since becoming a White Belt Nia teacher last May. It's preparing for the next belt, Green, that has sparked me to really complete this book which I had been reading in fits and starts, probably because it's much more fun to dance Nia than to read about it. I'm not sure reading this without the class experience of Nia would prompt anyone to take up the practice, but it does give you an appreciation for the genius of the co-creators of Nia, Debbie Rosas and Carlos AyaRosas, who figured out how to create a fitness technique that is much more complete, rounded, balanced, fun, and creative than any other technique out there. Combining martial arts, dance arts and healing arts really works! Let's hear it for body, mind and spirit!

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very engagingly written with lots of little personal stories. I'd recommend this to wannabe Nia teachers. I was a little turned off by how this was promised as the solution to every problem. Also, the book might better be called "Nia Theory" rather than "Nia Technique."

[Paula Hagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the last 2 years I've become a NIA fanatic. This book gave me a much deeper understanding of how much thought and detail has been put into this movement form that I love.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have gotten more out of an in-depth prose investigation of Nia and what makes it special versus a PR-style guidebook/picture book.

[Shanaynay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really love Nia but the book just wasn't for me