If you can get past the initial awkwardness and embarrassment, NIA might just be the best thing for the mind, body and soul since crystals and incense. This metaphysical workout mixes yoga, tai chi, martial arts, meditation, jazz and modern dance as well as African rhythms and freestyle steps for an exercise program like no other.
At first glance, it seems like you went back in time and landed at a ’60s love-in, but for many, this natural-high happening is a welcome change.
“I feel relaxed and energized at the same time,” says a serene looking Dr. Jessie Hanley. “I love everything about it. It’s the perfect workout.”
NIA stands for “neuromuscular integrative action” and offers an alternative to the bump-and-grind gym routine.
“In the ’80s, it was a high-impact, go for the burn, hurt yourself kind of thing,” says Pacific Athletic Club instructor Sarah Lampro. “Now we have a chance to heal and enjoy our bodies.”
The classes are, to be sure, a bit out of the ordinary. Amid a sea of flailing limbs, you are told to “reach for the sky,” “go low to the earth” and “smile with your whole body.” Although you loosely follow an instructor, participants are encouraged to do their own thing and let it flow. How does one do this? Think Woodstock. “Some people say it’s like being at a Grateful Dead concert. It’s this crazy hippie sense of letting go,” says Lampro.
Everyone from physicians to grandmas to office workers are getting into letting go.
“It’s fabulous,” says psychologist Cye Hoffman. “It lets you move and the motions tune out everything else. It’s very calming psychologically.” NIAphiles also get a chance to practice their pipes. In unison, they shout “Yes, yes, nooooo … yes, yes, nooooo!” The room is filled with periodic sighs and aaahhs as they vibrate, jiggle and sway to the beat of their own drum.
NIA newbies have an understandable hesitation their first time around. Compared to the run-of-the-mill Tai Bo or spinning class, it strikes one as a little, well, weird, but once the NIA bug has bitten, it seems they just can’t wait to shake that thang.
“Even I was afraid at first,” says Lampro. “It felt goofy. But as I got more and more comfortable, I found it to be a great way to release, to leave your body, to free your thoughts and get in touch with a lot of emotions.”
A saving grace may be safety in numbers. Thankfully, there’s no one here to judge you–after all, they look silly too. But the silliness is seen as a way to “dance through life.” And dance they do. Maybe it’s all a craze, maybe a return to the Age of Aquarius, but while hard-core gym rats huff and puff, tie-dyed NIA fans are fine tuning their Chi, getting in touch with their total being and letting it all hang out. What can you say but , “Good Morning Stratton!”