West Linn, OR January 16, 2010—Join Nia teachers from Lake Oswego and West Linn on January 23, 2010 for an afternoon event that will introduce area residents to the dance and exercise technique that is changing people’s lives worldwide. Created by Debbie Rosas and CarlosAyaRosas, it brings the benefits and joy of moving joyfully to music to everyone from complete beginners to accomplished athletes.
Founded in Portland, Oregon in the 1980s, there are now Nia teachers and studios across the globe, including Lake Oswego and West Linn. A Nia Dance Jam, designed to introduce the exercise program to people looking for a new way to stay fit, will take place on Saturday, January 23 at Sunset Fire Hall at 2215 Long Street in West Linn from 3:30 to 5:00 pm with a social hour to follow from 5-6 pm. Everyone is welcome. Attendees are invited to explore methods for becoming body-centered, aware, and fit.
A $10 suggested donation will benefit the West Linn Parks and Recreation Scholarship Fund and P:EAR, an organization that mentors homeless and parentless youth in innovative ways.
Nia is a unique blend of martial arts, dance, and healing techniques that creates a holistic practice to integrate the mind, body, and spirit. The Nia philosophy of fitness training replaces the idea of punishment with pleasure. According to Nia’s creators Debbie and Carlos, “Nia brings spirituality, personal growth, and physical conditioning to the 21st century playing field.”
The technique emphasizes conditioning the mind as well as the body, and it has taken years to train instructors on the exercises' subtleties. ''It's a blend of the best components that came before,'' says Ralph La Forge, an exercise physiologist at Duke University Medical Center. La Forge recommends the technique for heart patients and people who want to lower their cholesterol.
The overriding NIA principle is pleasure. Do what feels good and invigorating;
Nia is also effective as a weight loss program. Even without “jumping around,” the NIA technique burns calories. NIA gets the pulse rate up, but it does so without risking the injuries common in aerobics and other high-impact forms of exercise. Dr. James Garrick, director of the Center for Sports Medicine at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco, says he sends recovering orthopedic patients to NIA classes. ''It's a great way for them to get fit without re-injuring themselves,'' he says.
In NIA classes, everybody does their own thing, but in an orchestrated way--as if they were all singing the same song, but at different octaves. Whether your pitch is high or low, the result is improved tone.
For more information, call Carol Kaplan at 503.697.7207 or email her at CDK60@aol.com.
