This month Seattle Woman magazine features how dance puts the fun back in exercise.  Among other forms of dance, Nia is highlighted as "dance that incorporates a range of movements that blend power and grace... and focuses on helping participants find health through movement." Our own NiaDiva, or shall we call her...Cover Girl... Jill Pagano, smiles brightly during a photoshoot at our Youngstown location.

Interested in learning more about how you can begin smiling while conditioning your body?

 Sign up for our Free Welcome to Nia Class, Saturday, June 14 at 9am. Click here for more information/registration (signup required).

Wanna try a class with NiaDivas? We have classes Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur, Sat and Sundays! Click here for times and locations (as they vary!)

Click here to view the entire article.

May 10th - Free "Welcome to Nia Class" - 2nd Saturday of each month

We love Nia! And we're so sure that you will, too, that we offer free "Welcome to Nia Workshops" each month that provide a cost-free opportunity to join us and experience the Nia Difference for yourself.

Click the video above for more information about the Nia Technique and what makes it such a unique and enjoyable path to fitness, conditioning and health (additional videos are available here and audio here).

Then click on over and reserve your spot for our May 10th Welcome to Nia Class while there's still room. We'll be waiting for you!

=> pdf transcript of the video

Welcome to NiaDivas! We have The Place, The Practice and The Inspiration to Help You Get Fit, Feel Good and Have Fun.

"Nia is a fitness odyssey..." The New York Times

"Taking Nia helps me get in touch with all that is good about my body. I feel like everything is new again." Cherie, Nia Lover

"Nia Rules! I use to be stuck and unmotivated. Now I think, move and act more confidently---with purpose!" Darlean, West Seattle Devotee

"It's so much more fun than any other exercise class EVER!! It makes sweating FUN." Terri, West Seattle Diva

Maybe it's the inspiring, danceable music. Maybe it's the shimmy, shake, let-your-hair down movement. One thing we're certain-- the secret ingredient to Nia's Feel Good Fitness is YOU... You moving your way, the teachers' moving their way, and all of us being who we are--and enjoying the dickens' out of it.

So What are You Waiting For? Come on in, Join the Fun and Experience Nia for Yourself!

Want more out of your workout?  Smile! 

The act of smiling releases tension in the jaw and neck, two of the greatest tension holders in the body.  Not only do the jaw and neck hold tension, they stimulate tension throughout the entire body.  In small doses, there is nothing wrong with tension, in fact small doses of tension are healthy.  But, in this day and age, tension has become our normal way of being -- so much so that we often do not realize it!  Take a quick check -- how is your jaw? Tight or loose?  How is your breathing?  Shallow or full?  Tight jaw and shallow breathing are signs of chronic tension.

By releasing tension, we enter into relaxation, the place from where a good workout starts.  The pulsing between muscular relaxation and contraction stimulates blood flow, which brings oxygen and nutrients to our muscle cells and takes CO2 and waste products away.  We get more out of our workout and we can work out longer. 

The word, Smile, starts with the letter "S," which depicts what in our body’s chemistry is called an allosteric or sigmoidal or S curve.  At the bottom of the "S" we are in relaxation.  At the top of the "S" we are in tension.  In the swiggle between the bottom and top of the "S" we are in dynamic ease, that magic place of flow between relaxation and tension where our bodies work most efficiently and derive the greatest benefits.

Watch and listen to Nia co-founders Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas discuss relaxation on their NiaNow website video by clicking here.