The atmosphere of Katherine deWet’s Nia Fusion fitness class at Moorpark College is one of high energy where students kick off their shoes, get up and move to their own beat of the music.
Students with stressful lives can soon learn that Nia is more than a simple exercise class.
“Nia is a great way to increase fitness for both body and mind, build self-esteem and reduce stress,” said deWet, instructor of Nia. “Nia teaches you to become more sensory aware, and to move your body in a way that is pleasurable.”
Nia combines movement from the healing arts or yoga, martial arts and dancing. Music is played during to get the body up and moving.
“In Nia, the music is raw or unchanged, so there is a direct relationship of movement in music,” said deWet.
A student of deWet’s, Heather Duvan, 22 likes the selections of music, “The song she picks make you want to move.”
Nia is a newly created class on campus that a select few have stumbled across but many still don’t know that it is being offered. “The course was assigned a number in the catalog that placed it in the incorrect area,” said deWet. “It is difficult for prospective student’s to learn about this course.”
Nia offers support and something for everyone who want to enjoy exercising. “This supportive environment allows more effective conditioning for the whole person, not just the physical body, and adds to the pleasure of the experience,” said deWet.
Nia has a low impact on the body and joints, and has three levels of intensity so one doesn’t push oneself over the limit. “Maybe today my knees don’t feel like doing it, so I don’t have to go to the last level,” said Donna Cramer, 60. This allows all to move at their own pace and time, but people still find that the class moves in unison.
Nia began in the 1990s by Debbie and Carlos Rosas, and since then the classes have become extremely popular. Both avid exercisers, they understood the pain and burnout of exercising. According to “The Nia Technique,” “traditional aerobics had an injury rate that hit 76 percent of teachers and 44 percent among students.” So they came up techniques to get people moving.
Because of the word “exercise,” many are put off and have become inactive.
“About 80 percent are not getting enough moderate to vigorous activity,” said deWet.
Though many don’t know about this class until they happen to stumble across it, deWet wants students to know how wonderful it can be for them. “All of this is good news if you are a student at Moorpark College, as you have several on-campus fitness classes including Nia Fusion Fitness to help you condition both your body and mind.”
Nia will be offered summer 09 M-Th, 8:30-9:50 and this fall semester. For more information regarding Nia visit, http://home.earthlink.net/~niakreative or contact Katherine deWet at [email protected].
