FAMSS
Posted by terrepruitt on April 13, 2010
In Nia we refer to FAMSS. We practice FAMSS. We can use it for all types of things. It stands for:
Flexibility
Agility
Mobility
Strength
Stability
And by “use” it I mean, it is often incorporated into each kata of a routine. Or a kata might concentrate on just flexibility, the next one agility, the next one mobility, and so on. Or we could use FAMSS as a focus OR an intention of a Nia class. Either all of them (Flexibility AND Agility AND Mobility AND Strength AND Stability) or just one (Flexibility OR Agility OR Mobility OR Strength OR Stability).
But whatever we do with it or them, they are highly regarded as abilities needed to ensure one’s (high) quality of life. So in Nia we honor them all. In a Nia class we weave them into the workout. In this post I am just referring to FAMSS in the physical. They can certainly be applied to more than just our physical bodies, but that can be another post just by itself.
For now, I am just talking about our physical bodies needing to be flexible, agile, mobile, strong, and stable. Just to move around in daily life these five things are very important. In Nia we can bend down in a forward fold as in the familiar pose one might do in a yoga class, allowing our flexibility to be enhanced. The music might encourage us to run, stop, run, stop, run, stop or move us to play the drums calling upon our bodies to display agility in legs, in arms, in our bodies as a whole. We can move our bodies as if they are grass in a field or seaweed in the ocean, moving each part, each section, each muscle, and all major joints to help ensure their mobility. We could crouch in a bow stance moving up and down exercising the strength in our legs. Then we can we stretch, reaching to the sky as we look up, this can be stability practice, either on flat foot, on the ball of our feet, or in releve. This could be one song in which all of this FAMSS is going on or it could be spread out over the entire routine.
Just tonight in my San Carlos class a woman told me that after her first class last week her hip felt better. She said that after her hip felt better on that first night it encouraged her to do a few of the moves at home that we had done in class. So she started working on her FAMSS in the first class, she was encouraged that movement was working to increase her FAMSS so she moved more. With movement she felt more comfort and less pain. FAMSS is necessary for a high quality of life. Her ever day movements were better not because she did it once, but because she kept doing it. Nia honors Flexibility and Agility and Mobility and Strength and Stability, so in Nia we practice it.
I hope one day you will attend one of my classes (I have two in San Jose and one in San Carlos*) to see how we can improve your FAMSS.
*Please see my website for my CURRENT class schedule. Thank you!
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
suzicate said
Wish they had Nia in my area. As I feel more in shape and hopefully more coordinated I might try yoga or something. I have done Pilates before and loved it (except when sometimes when I felt like I got runover by a truck!)
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terrepruitt said
Where are you? They have Nia all over. Have you looked? I forget where you are, I often get you and your sister mixed up. I feel as if I “met” you both on the same day but through different channels and didn’t know you were sisters at first.
If there is a Nia class that is within an hour’s drive . . . . I know that is far, but I think that if you went to just one it could assist you in learning that you are more coordinated than you know. Bodies know what to do, it is usually our brains that keep them from sensing the moves and actually “cause” us to be “uncoordinated”. Maybe you could just go once to see. I wouldn’t expect you to drive that far all the time.
Also, if there is a Nia class showing on the website (nianow.com) anywhere in your state, there MIGHT be one in your area, but it is just not listed. You could contact the teacher that is listed and s/he might know of a place. If I knew where you were I would do all that for you. 🙂
ALSO . . . .there are DVDs you can buy. If you feel you need to be more in shape and more coordinated before you go to yoga or something, you might consider buying a DVD and doing it in your home. That will assist you in getting to where you want to be. Nia on DVD is fun . . . . but it is not AS fun as a class with the movement and energy of the other participants, but it would get you moving.
I love, love, love, love, love Pilates too. When I had a corporate job (read $$) I used to take private lessons and I LOVED that I could finish a session and go skipping out of the office feeling TOTALLY awesome, then when I went to walk down the stairs (the office was on the 3rd floor), I would have jello legs and arms, because the workout was so awesome!
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I really appreciate it! (WordPress was not working for me yesterday evening, so that is why I am so late in getting back to you!)
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Inspiration « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
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Workout Check-in « Terre Pruitt's Blog said
[…] more you can play with it. You can use flexibility, mobility, agility, strength, or stability (FMASS) to infuse the workout and make it different every […]
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