A handful of women, some standing and some sitting in chairs, raise their arms in the air and move to the music as they follow an instructor in a beaded black belt.

"We all do the same movements, but we all do it differently," said Dottie Hall, a regular participant in the new Nia class offered at Carol Woods Retirement Community.

Nia is a form of exercise that was first conceived in the early 1980s by fitness instructors Carlos and Debbie Rosas. They sought to incorporate mind, body and spirit into fitness through creative movement and individual interpretation. In recent years, Nia has gained popularity as a way to maintain cardiovascular health and as an exercise form that can be practiced by people of all ages and fitness levels.

"In classical Nia, you have three levels of activity in any one class depending on the individual preferences of the participants," said Nancy Martin, the Carol Woods resident who organized the new class. "The instructor said she could do a Gentle Nia class for us, which she estimated covers level 0.5 to level 2."

Nia combines nine classic movement forms: three martial arts (t'ai chi, tai kwon do and aikido), three types of dance (jazz, modern and Duncan) and three healing arts (the teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais, Alexander technique and yoga).

"You can follow the instructor, but if anything doesn't feel right to you, you can do something else," Martin said, stressing that the flexibility of interpretation keeps the same classes interesting for people in their 20s and 90s alike.

Carol Woods' philosophy stresses the concept of well-being, focusing on keeping the mind, body and spirit well, rather than "wellness," which tends to have only a physical component. The residents who are participating in the new Nia class say they are drawn to Nia because it exercises more than their bodies.

"It is challenging the mind as well as the body," Martin said. "You learn to do a step mastering the feet first. Then, you add the arms. You keep doing the same step for a whole piece, but you change your arms. You have to concentrate on what you are doing."

Martin practiced Nia at a local spa for six years. After the class she attended was canceled, she decided to see whether an instructor would be willing to teach the class at Carol Woods. Local Nia instructor Marty Broda agreed, and Martin worked to generate interest among residents.

"I'm a long-time friend of Nancy Martin's, and when she was starting it I thought it sounded good," Hall said. "I got in the group, and I thought, 'Oh! This is a fun group!'"

Many of the people in the class agree that the music and variety of movements make the class more interesting than other types of exercises they had tried.

"The thing that keeps it interesting to me is that you're always doing something different. There's always a new routine," Martin said. "Even if the instructor uses the same music twice, she doesn't do exactly the same routine."

"The music is so good, and the person who leads the class has a new program every week," said Carol Woods resident Nell Waltner. "It's just a beautiful kind of way to exercise. It's very satisfying."

In addition to enjoying the class, Waltner says she has gained very noticeable physical benefits from participating in it.

"I've tried nearly every exercise thing we've got around here and massage and all that," Waltner said. Many of the classes left her feeling drained, she said. "I tried Gentle Nia, and when the class was finished, I felt exhilarated instead of tired."

"One thing I've always had trouble with is a nerve in my neck," Waltner continued. "That's gone away [since starting Gentle Nia]."

Martin agrees that the health benefits of Nia are very noticeable.

"The thing that appeals to me is that it is a conscious effort to move all the joints in the body," said Martin, who attributes her speedy recovery from a recent surgery to the strength and flexibility she has gained from practicing Nia.

In addition to the weekly Gentle Nia class led by Broda on Fridays, Martin facilitates a Nia class on Mondays for anyone who wants to check it out.

"We call it Ersatz Nia when I lead it because it isn't genuine Nia unless you have an instructor," Martin said.

Rather than employing an activities director, Carol Woods encourages residents to initiate activities that reflect their interests, just as Martin did with the Nia class. There are more than 50 resident committees and interest groups at Carol Woods, many of which plan fitness activities such as aerobics, weight training, yoga, tai chi, water aerobics, bocce, croquet, folk dancing and tap dancing.

There is also a fitness committee of residents and staff that oversees the fitness center and makes sure opportunities are offered that appeal to residents. The fitness committee tries to help residents incorporate exercise into their everyday lives.

Walking is one of the most popular forms of exercise at Carol Woods, particularly since the 120-acre campus has many outdoor trails and enclosed walkways. The fitness committee lists the distances of these paths so that walkers can know exactly how far they have gone.

For Hall and others, the new Nia class is just one more way to pursue the goal of full well-being.

"We exercise all different parts of our bodies and we get spiritual health," she said. "Namaste."