By Lee Sivitz
Enquirer contributor

Martial arts, modern dance, yoga, Pilates, aerobics, strength training, stretching, stress reduction. According to those who have tried it, a form of exercise called Nia (Neuromuscular Integrative Action) has it all.

Nia is not new, but it's new to the Tristate. Created in 1983 as an alternative to high-impact aerobics, Nia gained popularity on both coasts then moved into the Midwest.

NIA CLASSES

• Wednesday: 5:45-6:30 p.m., Carew Tower Health & Fitness Club, 441 Vine St., downtown.   • Thursday: 7-8:30 p.m., starting Nov. 7, Matri Center, 4120 Hamilton Ave., Northside.   • Saturday: 10-11:15 a.m., Elements Yoga Studio, 110 E. Eighth St., Newport.   • Sunday: 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Better Bodies Fitness Center, 2230 Grandview Avenue, Fort Mitchell.   •Nia students should wear stretchy apparel suitable for doing yoga.   • Fees range $5-$8; first class free.   • Information: 541-0500; www.nia-nia.com.

Mary Singler is one of two certified instructors in Greater Cincinnati who have been teaching Nia classes for about a year.

"Nia is a fun way to move without pain,'' Ms. Singler says. " It's very gratifying, no matter what type of body you're in."

Self expression is encouraged with Nia.

"We repeat the same routine over eight classes, so the more you do it, the more you stop looking at the instructor and internalize the movement," Ms. Singler says. "It's less about the person up front and more about what is your body doing."

In a Sunday class at Better Bodies Fitness Center in Fort Mitchell, students learn a Nia routine called "Global Unity." Fifteen barefoot dancers slowly gather their "chee," or energy, and begin to bend and stretch as if each is moving within an invisible bubble.

The accompanying music has a multicultural sound. The rhythm soon intensifies and participants take cues from the instructor as to what imagery comes next. Flowing movements are punctuated by martial arts postures (with appropriate vocalizing), Pilates stretches melt into free-form dancing and meditative poses are broken by purposeful flailing and stomping.

Nia reminds actress Susan Loveridge of Cresent Springs of being a kid.

"At 52, my body is too old to bounce through aerobic classes or run around the block," she says. "I love the free-spirited movement of the class. I work up a sweat, it's easy on my body and I feel good afterward."

Nabila Jawadi, 37, a Fort Mitchell administrative assistant, agrees.

"I love it. It's relaxing. It's strengthening without running," she says. "I definitely feel it. I have done belly dancing before and it reminds me of that."

Each Nia routine contains three components. One is the martial art of aikido, tai quan do or tai chi; second is the healing art of yoga, the Feldenkrais method (used in drama) or Pilates, and third is the dance form of jazz, modern or the Dunken method (free dance).

Fort Thomas' Colleen McDonald Reid, 43, a social case manager, remembers her first time doing Nia.

"I couldn't do any of the yoga moves and some of the balance moves were very hard for me," she says. "Nia is very free form, so it lets me work up to it in stages ... I do Nia at home, and do some of these moves at work. My favorite thing about it, it makes me feel light-hearted ... I'm allowed to be barefoot and dance."

The music and movements of each Nia routine are cross-pollinated with influences of Africa, the Middle East and American jazz.

For computer consultant Lee Rafales, 53, of Clifton, Nia has a little bit of everything:

"It gives you a cardio respiratory workout and it's got yoga, so you get the stretches ... It has aikido and it also reminds me of modern dance. My favorite thing is the music, a rhythm you can easily put your body to. It meets the need I've felt with other forms of exercise. It's whole body, a lot of movement."

After nearly an hour of non-stop motion, the Fort Mitchell students, their hair and faces wet with sweat, begin to slowly return to the quietude and imaginary space of their bubbles. The instructor invites them to stretch out on floor mats, close their eyes and finish the class in meditative repose.

Ms. Singler believes the popularity of Nia is increasing in the Tristate.

"People's bodies are wearing out from repetitive movement," she says. " In Nia, you always move in different ways, so you stretch different ligaments and muscles. Also, people don't have a lot of time. They want something that (addresses) flexibility, strengthening and aerobics all at once."

She also thinks Nia's music is a factor in its success

"My personal feeling is that people are sick of `aerobics' music. If you like doing fitness in a class, that eight-count beat (of aerobics music) can drive you absolutely crazy."