“Easy” exercise, body and soul – NIA comes to Gilpin

Lynn Volkens

1/12/2006 - Some folks are into extremes – extreme skiing, extreme snow/skate boarding, extreme biking. There are exercise addicts who train and cross-train to the extreme. But most of us aren’t into those extremes. Most of us are more into moderation, doing the things we enjoy but not obsessively. Most of us don’t get enough physical exercise. It was just that realization that sparked the beginning of an exercise technique that is becoming so popular, it’s quickly spreading around the world. You’ll find NIA (Neuromuscular Integrative Action) practitioners offering classes in every state of the Union, most Western European countries, the Near and Mid-East, South America, down under and--in Gilpin County.

  The NIA Technique, described as “easy,” “joyful,” “moving to heal,” is now offered through Gilpin’s Parks and Recreation Department at rates that are approximately half those of NIA classes elsewhere. The class is taught by local resident, Sandy Enke. She’d been practicing NIA, a form of exercise that incorporates martial arts, yoga, and dance movements, for nearly five years, she said, when she decided to go into teaching it. She began directing classes more than a year ago, beginning in Boulder County, then adding Gilpin.

  The NIA technique is all about movement, some structured, some free-flowing, but all easily doable by everyone. A Friday morning class, at Gilpin County’s Recreation Center, included young and older students. Eastern music started the class off with slower stretching movements, then moved into more than an hour’s worth of faster “exercises” set to music that varied from jazz to tribal beats. At times the class felt more like a group of friends at a street dance – except that Enke was guiding certain movements to make sure participants worked all parts of their bodies. Guided imagery helped clarify movements. Syncopated music and moving off beat worked the brain. Using a theme of “it’s a new year,” Enke directed students to “throw out all that stuff you don’t want anymore,” accompanied by exercises approximating pushing stuff out the door or tossing it up in the air and away. Martial arts movements (strikes, blocks, stance, kicks and voice), done with Tae Kwon Do precision, came into play later. Country (and other style) dancers will immediately recognize “quick quick” and grapevine steps. In this class, Enke incorporated yoga exercises, particularly in the floor work. NIA is a form of fusion fitness – a technique that combines one or more classic exercise/dance forms. By using the various forms, plus the mood-setting music, participants not only get a workout physically, but achieve an emotional high that ranges from meditative to unabashed inherent freedom.

  Rena Derezin, a former dancer, likened it to “flying.” She said she had tried other exercise programs but didn’t like the rigidity. NIA, she said, “is kind to the body.” As a member of Gilpin School’s Wellness Committee, Derezin said she’d like to see the program offered in physical education classes there. She’s just recently completed her Masters Degree in Psychology and thinks NIA would help kids with impulsivity control, relaxation, self-soothing and dealing with problems like substance abuse and eating disorders. Joella Newberry offered that she is 57 years old, a retired teacher who agrees with Derezin in the benefits NIA could offer to kids, and everyone for that matter. She does other exercise programs (yoga and aerobics), but likes the playfulness, meditation and abandonment (she says she feels that she just “loses her body”) when practicing NIA.

Another class member, Maggie Schwab, is an energy therapist, a grandmother who says she used to do martial arts and ballet, but likes the emotional connection she finds with NIA. “It’s joyful,” she said. That’s exactly the effect that NIA founders and Enke are striving to achieve – a joy in movement.

  NIA was created by a couple of fitness experts, Debbie and Carlos Rosas, based in California. The technique is accredited by the American Council on Exercise and lauded for its heart/lung and strength/flexibility benefits. People who regularly practice NIA report better balance, weight loss, increased endurance and improved concentration and cognitive abilities. Doctors have recommended the technique as treatment for patients with cancer, fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, addictions, stress, depression, eating disorders and mental illnesses. It is used in cardiac rehabilitation and wellness centers, prisons, school physical education classes, drama and dance classes, martial arts centers and fitness/health clubs and spas. Teachers are trained and certified much as in martial arts. They earn white, blue, brown and black belts in different degrees. (Enke has completed all degrees of the white belt and will test for her blue belt in June.) They are trained to view the body divided into upper, middle and lower planes and work each section with exercises ranging from Level 1 (easiest) to Level 3 difficulty. Teachers stress fluidity and expressiveness in each movement. Movements vary from wide expansive motions to small controlled “close to the bone” gestures.

  Like all fitness teachers, Enke repeatedly reminded her students to “hydrate” (drink water) and “don’t forget to breathe.” Based on the huff and puff factor, NIA wasn’t an easy workout for the participants. However, no one was gasping or really struggling through any part of the workout. No one ever said, “I can’t do that,” with any of the movements. After the workout, all reported feeling “alive," satisfied with the intensity of the workout and deriving a feeling of pleasure (vs. punishment) from doing it. And, they all agreed it was "just fun." Consult the Gilpin Recreation catalog for class times and fees (there are several options for both) or call the Center at 303-582-1453 for more information.