Have you ever wondered what it might feel like to BE the warm melted chocolate into which you just dipped that strawberry? Or to possess the effervescent energy of the bubbles dancing across the ice cubes in your seltzer? To be both calmed and energized, to dance, to play, to express and feel joy - all of this wonderment can be achieved through the creative movement of Nia.

       Nia, a unique personalized approach to body, mind, and spirit fitness, takes America's science, sports medicine and technology, and blends it with the art and craft of Eastern disciplines. Bridging the gap between fitness and wellness, Nia is an effective alternative to high - impact aerobics.

      Developed by fitness instructors Debbie and Carlos Rosas in 1983, Nia is an acronym for Neuromuscular Integrative Action and in Swahili translates to "with purpose." This technique blends elements of martial arts, dance, yoga and meditation to help participants approach not only fitness, but also everything in their lives with added purpose.

      Unlike traditional aerobics, the pleasure principle replaces the "no pain, no gain" theory. Nia guides the mind and body to seek out sensations of comfort, harmony, balance, joy and excitation. It requires no jumping, jogging, hopping or leaping. It is non - impact, medically approved, safe and a complete cardiovascular workout that provides the basic elements of any fitness program: strength, flexibility, balance, relaxation and endurance. In fact, the program is designed for participants to do in their bare feet.

     Additionally, Nia addresses far more than solely the physical health of its participants. Nia addresses the intelligence and the imagination by helping students re - format and re - program old and inadequate response patterns and actions, as well as addressing the emotions by guiding participants to fully express themselves through movement. Nia creates healthy minds, bodies and spirits.

      Additionally, Nia addresses far more than solely the physical health of its participants. Nia addresses the intelligence and the imagination by helping students re - format and re - program old and inadequate response patterns and actions, as well as addressing the emotions by guiding participants to fully express themselves through movement. Nia creates healthy minds, bodies and spirits.

      It was while visiting a friend in Boulder, Colorado, in May of 1997 that I made the incredible NIA discovery. In an effort to overcome the jet lag and altitude differential between Atlanta and the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains, I knew I needed a good endorphin rush - the gallons of water I was drinking just weren't doing the trick.

      Stumbling into a local health club, this forty - something tourist approached the glowing, fresh - faced twenty-something behind the counter. The weariness and pallor upon my face must have been all too evident as she granted my wish for a guest pass and ushered me into the next available class. I asked, "Well, what is this N - I - A stuff?" She replied, "It's hard to explain, but ya just gotta try it - it's a lot of fun."

      Entering the warmly lit room of teeming bodies, the energy enveloped me, sending the hairs on my arms to immediate attention. Men and women from all walks of life, dressed in an array of attire from t - shirts and shorts to flowing gauze skirts and bejeweled ankles greeted one another with hugs and smiles. I wondered where I had landed, but it felt like home - like a gathering of family.

      The music began to permeate the room - deep bass and African drum beats crept under my skin immediately causing my body to move. Though I didn't see a teacher leading the movement, the room was undulating.

      Ahhh... there she was, appearing from nowhere and introducing herself as Kathy. A hush fell as the music shifted, moving from the primal beat of the drums into slow, lyrical, airy rhythms. In unison, we began to move with ease into the slow dance of tai - chi, working with breath and visualizations releasing tension and the hassles of the day. Scooping energy from the earth beneath our feet and revitalizing breath from the air around us, the tempo began to build.

      Kathy was saying, "Imagine the floor is a sea of electrical sockets and every time you take a step, you're plugging your foot in and out of the sockets and drawing in energy." WOW - was that ever powerful! This was definitely more than I had bargained for, but I found myself falling in love.

      For the next hour, we danced, kicked, yelled and laughed our way through this amazing class as time passed far too quickly. Moving from jazz dance to tae - kwon - do to aikido, our movements matched the eclectic variety of music and we created magic.

       Thus began my journey. Without this empowering creative movement in my life, I knew I would not feel whole, so upon returning to Atlanta, I contacted Nia headquarters to learn more about the program. Two years later I became certified to teach The Nia Technique, incorporating it into my life and vowing to introduce as many people as possible to this art of living well in a fun, uplifting, and imaginative way.

      As Nia creator Debbie Rosas says, "Nia is like chocolate - You can't explain it - You just gotta taste it." Nia is currently offered in a variety of locations including Body, Mind & Spirit in Dunwoody, and beginning in June it will be offered at Health Balance in Lawrenceville and in July at The Atlanta Center for Zen and the Arts in Roswell.