Ceiling fans push the smell of sweat around a fourth-level studio in downtown Portland’s Pythian building. Below the fans, members of a primarily female class place their “tails” on the floor.
About 50 students move around the hardwood floor on bare feet. The music is soft keyboard sounds with chimes easing in and out of the melody. Some follow Debbie Rosas’ movements, and others move as they feel fit.
This is a Nia class taught by Rosas, one of its two founders. Nia is a mix of dance, martial arts and yoga. It aims to activate the mind, body and spirit for a holistic workout. The principles of Nia, short for Neuromuscular Integrative Action, have become fitness buzzwords, but the Portland-based Nia has been growing since 1983 and now has about 20,000 students worldwide.

Rosas tells this class, “There is a soft wall behind you; keep moving till you connect,” and most of the class members slowly follow, stretching their backs toward an imaginary wall.
There is an overwhelming sense of calm and comfort in the room, enhanced by large indoor plants near tall windows. Class members often close their eyes and focus deeply on what they are doing and what their bodies tell them to do next. Some lie still on the floor, taking part in the moment by listening.
One male participant lies on his back and rotates his legs as though riding an imaginary bicycle while the rest of the class leans into Rosas’ next suggestion.
On any given Saturday morning, the mood in this room and music will be different. One of Nia’s mantras is variety. In Swahili, the word Nia means “with purpose.” Whether the movement is a high energy kick or low gravity yoga move, students concentrate inward so the movements mean something unique to them.
Rosas brings this particular class to a close with some vocal exercises and stretching; participants even yawn with their tongues hanging out. Imagination, playfulness and silliness all have a place in the Nia technique.
When the class ends, Rosas glides to the corner of the room and retrieves her CDs; she accepts a few compliments about the class then puts on a black leather coat and leather cowboy-like hat over her fuzz of blonde hair. Members of the class disperse with an unmistakable perk to their gait. They are sweaty, and they feel good.
In an age of exercise gimmicks that promise quick results, Nia is process oriented. It focuses on the momentary experience; it encourages participants to seek pleasure in movement, but mostly just to move.
Its more than 400 instructors worldwide teach people to do what feels good and augment movements to fit comfort levels. There’s no such thing as doing it wrong.
And the results follow. From fat-person-turns-thin to lethargic-person-finds-energy, Nia stories are growing as the number of certified instructors rises and classes become more commonplace. Because many of the people attracted to Nia have fitness backgrounds or an interest in the mind and body connection, the transformations that take place are on the inside.
As Rosas says, “You can’t just address only the body or only the mind to get to wholeness.”
The levels of Nia are measured in belts, as with martial arts. Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas teach intensive week-long sessions throughout the year to certify students to the next belt level.
In Eugene, there is currently only one certified instructor, but another is taking her intensive training March 10-17 and will subsequently begin teaching classes.

Janet Hollander has been teaching Nia in Eugene for about six years. She is now a black belt and teaches a general class at Four Winds at 1840 Willamette and a closed class for seniors at Willamette Oaks Retirement Living Community.
Though Hollander, 53, now receives comments about how strong she looks, she says when she started, she was not in peak physical condition.
“You don’t have to be in shape to start,” Hollander said. “I’m always growing with it. It’s changed my life in terms of what I can do physically.”
Another Nia enthusiast, Deborah Power, will begin her intensive training Saturday and begin teaching classes at the Downtown Athletic Club on March 23 and the Eugene Swim and Tennis Club on April 3.
Power has a strong fitness background, with professional body building experience, and has taught yoga and aerobics in Eugene for six years.
“Nia’s like yoga, only with rhythm and expression,” Power, 41, says. “The music helps you express yourself so you become uninhibited.”
All the free-flowing, tai chi, yoga and modern dance moves of Nia are not for everyone. Some prefer being told what to do by a teacher, and though Rosas believes in her program and likes to see it grow, she is happy to refer these people to another class or suggest a student try a Nia video.
Rosas emphasizes the same message she did when she and Carlos Rosas developed the program: “It’s ideal when it’s personal.”
So different people get different things out of it.
Debbie Rosas is still learning with Nia too. She says now, after 18 years of spreading Nia, she is learning that what she is doing is helping people and that it works.
“When it comes to the body, there’s always something to explore,” Rosas says. “That’s what’s so exciting.”