You put your right foot in; you take your right foot out. You sing in Aramaic and boogie mystically about. That's (not quite) what the Dances of Universal Peace are all about, but the joy-filled events that take place under that moniker do involve getting together in a circle, dancing, singing, and following a leader. Only in this case, the leader is hoping to bring about world peace and inner bliss, not teach the hokey-pokey to 5-year-olds.

Take tai-chi, yoga, and dance. Stir. And you have Nia, one of a spate of newish fusion-fitness methods. It’s an acronym for “Neuromuscular Integrative Action,” though the method’s founders point out that in Swahili Nia also happens to mean “with purpose” and “a small tiny movement” in Hebrew.

Regardless, Nia reaches for a body-mind “fusion fitness” with classes that are like a slow-motion aerobics session. It’s cardiovascular, caters to all fitness levels, and encourages relaxation, even when you’re drenched and panting. Among other jargony tenets (“intrinsic and extrinsic muscular movement that is multi-dynamic and multi-directional”), Nia is based on the “Pleasure Principle,” the idea that exercise should be fun and joyful, not painful or hard. Its founders claim that all this leads to enhanced chi, better immunity, flexibility, clear thinking, strength, and weight loss.