Posted by terrepruitt on December 13, 2013
The number of Goodie Jar check ins will not match the number of weeks in this year because I missed a few. I cannot believe there are only two more check ins left. Wow! I am excited. My good things are overflowing. I am excited to read them.
I taught for the first time at the YMCA this week. I was subbing a class. There is a Nia class already and I was subbing for the teacher. Today I sub again! Yay!
So how about you? What good thing is going in your jar this week? Care to share?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: good things jar, Goodie Jar, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, YMCA | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 12, 2013
I was talking to a friend after Nia class recently and I don’t even know how we got to this but she said the main difference between Up Dog and Cobra was the feet. I just looked at her a smiled. Since I didn’t reply she went on to explain how the feet are this way in that pose and that way in this pose and still I just smiled. If you research any pose in a book, on the internet, in a class, with a teacher, with another yogi you are probably going to get a different answer on how to do it. I am finding that just like with so many things you are going to find a lot of different – and often conflicting information. I am thinking that as yoga has become more “main stream” and available to more people it has morphed — a lot. So while I was not familiar with the feet being different in Up Dog and Corbra I didn’t want to tell her that what she was saying was incorrect because she could have learned it differently or be doing a different version or modification than what I do or what I am familiar with. As we talked she concluded for herself that she thinks she was thinking the feet positions were different because of the pose before or the one after. So she could just be thinking of her feet in terms of another pose. Seems as if the Upward Facing Dog or Up Dog and the Cobra are sometimes called the same thing or thought of as interchangeable. I view them and I do them as two different poses. This post is focusing on Cobra.
With both poses you start on your belly. With Up Dog your hands are below your body, in line with your shoulders. With Corbra, when your body is extended, your hands are forward of your body.
Cobra / Bhujangasana, you lie on your stomach. Your legs are stretched out behind you. The tops of your feet are on the earth. Place your palms on the earth a bit forward of your shoulders. The starting position of the hands are the staying position. The hands do not move. So they start a little forward of the shoulders. When you are ready you push gently down with your pelvis and pushup with your arms. Think of a cobra. Think of how they raise themselves off of the ground, they don’t have any arms. So let the power come from your back. Your arms are holding and supporting.
As with so many poses continue to keep your shoulders down, the blades back. The neck is lengthening. Keep the space open between your shoulders and your ears. No scrunching or hunching. The arms do not necessarily straighten in Cobra. They are not bent and with elbows resting on the ground as with Sphinx, but they are bent. For a bigger stretch in the back you can straighten your arms, but since the power and energy are coming primarily from the back, straight arms are not necessary.
Your legs remain together. With firm thighs and glutes. Toes are pointed away from you.
(11/17/21: Click Picturing Cobra And Updog for a picture.)
Hold this pose until your body says stop and repeat. Remember to breathe, allow your breath to flow easily. This pose strengthens the back and arms. It opens the front of the body. It is a great stress reliever.
This pose is similar to Updog, but it is different. It is primarily the placement of the arms and where the energy comes from. Corbra has arms forward and power comes from the back.
Are you a fan of the Cobra pose?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: cobra, Nia class, prone poses, stress relievers, Up Doc, yoga poses | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 10, 2013
I read a blog written by a man in France. He writes his posts in French and English. He owns and runs a Bed and Breakfast in France. He takes fabulous pictures and posts a lot of yummy and interesting recipes. One recipe he posted I couldn’t wait to try, but I had to. When I read the post it was the week of Thanksgiving and I was going out of town so I couldn’t make the recipe. When I got back I had forgotten about it, but he replied to my comment which notifies me so I was reminded. I went to the store the next day to get the ingredients. There are only two or three in his recipe (I added a couple more)! It is so easy. It is one of those dishes that tastes rich and fancy but it super simple. The link to his post is here. Do go to his blog and check it out. As I was making this I realized his recipes are like mine or mine are like his — a guide. Here is how I made his mushroom soup recipe.
I only bought two pounds of mushrooms because 1) I thought that would be enough for my husband and I and 2) Mushrooms are $4.49 a pound and I didn’t want to spend $20.00 on mushrooms. 🙂 I also only purchased two shallots. I thought I had one in my refrigerator but I didn’t so I only ended up using two. Which was fine. I also didn’t use any cream. With his recipe he put a drizzle of cream on top or instructed how to blend it in. I didn’t bother with the cream. I am so glad I didn’t because the mushrooms and shallots are rich enough. It was so yummy. I am going to make it again this week.
I wash my mushrooms. I know many chefs say to just dust them off, but . . . . I prefer to wash mine.
________________________________________
Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
(makes 4 servings)
2 large shallots, roughly chopped
3 tbsp butter
2 lbs mushrooms, quartered
1-2 cups white wine
1-2 cups water
2 tbsp chopped onion
2-4 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
Heat a tablespoon of butter. Once melted add the chopped shallots and a tablespoon of butter. Cook the shallots, when they start to become translucent add the mushroom and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Cook/brown the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add enough white wine and water in combination (whatever combination YOU desire) to cover the mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to a simmer. Simmer for 30 – 40 minutes.
Blend in a blender or with a stick blender.
Once blended, spoon/pour into bowls. Top each bowl with chopped onions and Parmesan cheese.
________________________________________
Be certain that you blend the soup according to your blenders specifications — most instructions on blenders say to cool before blending. I barely let mine cool because I wanted hot soup. I have a Blendtec which heats the soup up while it blends. So, blend and heat as is necessary according to your blender. Stéphane’s recipe recommends garnishing the soup with mushrooms. I know that presentation is a big part of serving dinner and he is really good at that. For me, I am just happy to get a meal on the table and I rarely think of presentation. You may be better at that than me so please — have at it. I am convinced that the presentation — no matter what it is will be long forgotten once they taste this soup. It is so yummy, they won’t care how it is served!
I am grateful to Stephane for posting such a simple recipe that is so yummy! My husband really loved this so we will be eating it often.
Do you like mushrooms? Can you believe how simple this soup is? What are you going to add to this recipe to make it perfect for you?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: Bed and Breakfast in France, blender soup, Blendtec, butter, easy dinner, France, gluten free, Mushroom Soup, My French Heaven, shallots, super easy recipe, white wine | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 7, 2013
So, as a group exercise instructor one usually has a few jobs or venues to teach at. I have Nia classes at a studio where I rent the space, at a community center for the City of San Jose, and soon at some local YMCAs. In order to teach for the City of San Jose I had to go through the hiring process. Same with the YMCA. Today I spent a good portion of the day at a YMCA orientation. While a lot of the information they cover is common sense and a lot of it is information I have received at almost every job I have worked at some of it was unique to the YMCA. Such as the history of the YMCA. I admit I learned a lot. I knew what Y.M.C.A stood for (Young Men’s Christian Association), but that is about it. It helped that the trainer was clearly very enthusiastic about the history of the Y. As always when I learn something I think is interesting I like to share with you. Plus, when I document it via my blog, I have the information where I can always find it! So here are some facts I thought were cool about the history of the YMCA.
—-The YMCA was founded in 1844 in London, England
—-In 1859 a sea captain led the formation of the YMCA in Boston
—-In 1856 German immigrants participated in the first-known English as a Second Language class
—-Andy Rooney, Dan Rather, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jack Kerouac, and Andrew Young (U.S. Ambassador), have all stayed at the YMCA
—-In 1869 the first YMCA buildings constructed with gyms were opened
—-In 1875 in San Francisco, to serve the Chinese population, YMCAs serving Asians were established
—-In 1879 Thomas Wakeman founded a YMCA for U.S. Native Americans
—-In 1917 a Japanese YMCA was founded
—-In 1891 James Naismith, a physical education teacher at the International YMCA Training School, invented basketball
—-In the 1890s William Morgan, a YMCA instructor thought basketball was too strenuous for businessmen so he invented volleyball
—-By 1950 YMCAs operated 20 colleges in cities across the country
—-During World War II, the YMCA staff organized clubs and activities for children in the Japanese Interment camps — all in secret
—-In 1950 Joe Sobek, a YMCA volunteer, invented raquetball
—-In 1967 racial discrimination was banned in all YMCAs
—-In the mid 1970’s the Youth Basketball Association (YBA) was created by the YMCA and the NBA Players Association. The YBA promotes skills and teamwork over winning at any cost
—-In 2008 the YMCA and the Department of Defense and the YMCA partnered to fund memberships and child care services for families facing the hardship of military deployment
—-In 1891 a triangle was used a the logo, the equal sides representing “man’s essential unity, body, mind and
spirit, each being a necessary and eternal part of man, he being neither one alone . . . ”
I especially loved the last one as Nia has many triads and is greatly focus on Body, Mind, and Spirit. We add Emotion so we have BMES, but it is very much the same thing. Anyway . . . these are some of the main things I thought were interesting. Since the YMCA has been around so long it really has a long history.
Which YMCA history fact(s) is new to you? Which ones did you know? What do you know about the Y that I have shared?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Basketball, BMES, City of San Jose, group exercise class, group exercise instructor, local YMCAs, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia Teacher, Nia trainer, Nia triad, raquetball, vollyball, YMCA, YMCA history, Young Men's Christian Association | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 6, 2013
We are into December. And there are only three more chances for Goodie Jar Check Ins. WOW! I think that we should get the lawmakers to pass a law that makes Thanksgiving either in October like they do in Canada or at least the second to the last Thursday in November so that we can have more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I really like more time from Thanksgiving to December. I am feeling the rush. Part of it has to do with the fact that I am in the process of getting hired on at the YMCA as a Nia teacher. There are a lot of things to do to get hired on at the YMCA as there is with many companies.
So I am feeling the rush. But I still have time to put things in my Goodie Jar. One of them, of course, is having an additional place to teach Nia!
How about you? Are you making time to make notes of the good things? Are you stopping and “smelling the roses”?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: Canadian Thanksgiving, Christmas, December 2013, good things, Goodie Jar – Check In #40, Nia Teacher, stop and smell the roses, teaching Nia at the YMCA, Thanksgiving, YMCA | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 5, 2013
In the Nia 52 Moves there are moves clumped into groups. There are moves of the base, which involve the feet, such as Heel Lead, Releve, Closed Stance, Bow Stance, Slow Clock, Fast Clock, front kicks, side kicks, etc. There are upper extremities which include moves such as blocks, punches, sticks, chops, finger flicks, Creepy Crawlers and Catching flies. Then there is a group called the core which involves Pelvis, Chest, and Head. Two of the moves that are pelvic moves are Pelvic Circles and Hip Bumps. Two relatively easy moves, I am confident most people have done them in their life time. As I said easy, but they pack a wallop!
The Pelvic circle begins in A Stance (feet a little wider than shoulder width apart) and you move the hips in a continuous circle as if you are using a hula hoop. Just around and around. Circling the hips. Don’t forget to circle the hips in the opposite direction. With this move the arms are free to move in any direction and any way they want. This particular show belongs to the hips.
Hip circles are a common move both in dance and other exercises. It is good for the waist and hips.
The other pelvic move is the hip bump. In Nia we bump our hips in all directions not just to the side. So for the hip bump stand in the A stance and move your hip to the side, then the other side, and the front and back. A quick bump. This is an agility move with the quick start and stop. The arms involved in this are also freedance . . . they can do what they want.
Again, this move is not unique to Nia at all.
As with all the 52 moves there are ways to do them correctly while in practice. Practicing them and getting them in the body’s muscle memory help when we incorporate them into a routine. While doing both the Pelvic Circle and the Hip Bumps the arms are free to move, but it could be the arms have specific choreography tied to the moves in a routine. Also the hip bump is in general done in all directions, but in a routine it could be part of the choreography that the hip just goes to one side then the other.
I am pretty confident that many, many, many people have done the hip bump. It is a familiar move.
In the routine I am doing right now there is a hip bump or two. My favorite is to assign a feeling to them. Sometimes we do sexy hip bumps . . .kinda goes without saying. But we also do angry hip bumps, silly hip bumps, and dramatic hip bumps. Each of those hip bumps brings out a different movement and with each individual it is different. It is so fun to see people interpret the feelings and emotions in a common move like the hip bump.
So these are two moves that are grouped into the Core moves in Nia’s 52 moves. I think that you should get up right now and do some pelvic circles and hip bumps. Your hips will thank you.
So are either of these moves movements you have done before? When is the last time you bumped your hip? How about a pelvic circle? What would your angry hip bump look like?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: Bow Stance, Catching flies, closed stance, core, Creepy Crawlers, fast clock, finger flicks, Heel lead, Hip bump, hip circles, Nia, Nia class, Nia Practice, Nia routines, Nia's 52 Moves, Pelvic, pelvic circles, slow clock, upper extremities | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 3, 2013
I have students who come to Nia that amaze and inspire me. After Nia class recently I saw someone walk out of class I wish I had talked to before they left. But they left before I could make it over to them. But then when I left they were still outside. It was a new student so I was so happy to be able to say hello and get their name. I realized later that I didn’t introduce myself, but at least I got their name. Anyway, we were talking about their participation in Nia and they shared one of the reasons why. It reminded me that exercise is a great way to help against depression. There are studies and research that go a long way in proving that exercise does the body good when combating depression. This is the Holiday season and some people get depressed. So getting up and moving is a great way to keep the blues at bay. I was so happy to hear this student being proactive and not letting the circumstances that have been presented get them down.
Exercise increases the production of endorphins, it also DECREASES stress hormones. So TWO things working at once. The decrease in stress hormones AND the increase in endorphins. Endorphins are the chemicals that make you feel good. So exercise makes you feel good. Endorphins also act as natural pain killers working to mask pain. Sometimes pain is a symptom of depression so in addition to just feeling good you are not in pain — two ways you are feeling good.
According to WebMD, one study — way back in 2005 — revealed that “30 minutes of moderately intense exercise five days a week reduced symptoms of depression by nearly half after 12 weeks”. This study was done at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Science Daily has a little article about how it is now believed that not only is exercise an effective way to treat depression it is also being considered as a way to prevent depression. Seems to me like that would be a given considering all the benefits one can receive from exercise. I mean, in addition to all the chemical reactions in the body you just have better stamina and/or mobility and/or strength and/or stability.
There is debate about what type of exercise, but what I am seeing is that it needs to affect the body . . . either get your heart pumping or your muscles changing. Both is fine too. It does not have to be extremely strenuous, but there should be a level of intensity that is not attained during your regular activities.
I would go out on a limb and say that most of us know exercise makes us feel better. I don’t think we need to read the studies that the researchers are writing. We have done it ourselves and KNOW without a doubt that working out makes us happy. I think that it helps even more if the workout is something you enjoy. But even if you are “doing time” on a treadmill it is better than sitting around.
So, again, I am so happily amazed by my students.
Often times the first thing that gets cut from a schedule when it starts to get busy is exercise. Don’t let that fall off your calendar.
What about you? Are you getting some exercise in? What type of exercise makes you happy?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: depression, endorphins, Holiday season, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercise, Nia participants, Nia students, Nia workout, Science Daily, stress hormones, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 30, 2013
I am certain that I have mentioned the fact that Nia changes. Like many things it grows, it morphs, it improves, it changes, yet it remains the same. The basics stay the same. The core of it stays the same, but as time goes on it morphs. Sometimes it is the verbiage and the names of things, but it basically stays the same. It has been a year since I have taken the Nia Blue Belt Intensive. In that intensive we were given a Manual from August 2006 and while we were being trained we were told that a new manual was soon to be released along with some new ways of explaining, talking, and learning things. So part of what I quote here might be a little different from what is being taught now, but the idea and the process is the same. The process is Creating Space.
In an intensive, before every session we gather and create the space. This practice was discovered as something done in martial arts. Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas, the creators of Nia, recognized its value and brought it into Nia. It is the responsibility of the participants to create the space. It is the responsibility of trainers to hold the space.
The Blue Belt Manual states: “Creating space is the conscious act of preparing the environment, which includes your body.”
It is an incredibly powerful act that enables an individual and a group to become prepared for receiving. It is — at its core — coming into stillness. In preparation for creating the space we use a prescribed process. There is a schedule that is kept. A bell is rung seven to ten minutes before we are to start creating the space. This allows for people to wrap up any conversations they might be involved in and to do any last minute things that need to be done. Then there is a five minute bell and another one at one minute. Then, the students create a circle in which we sit quietly while we create the space. The things we do is quiet the mind, stop the inner dialog and just let the mind rest and become open to hearing and receiving the teaching that is about to happen. The body is also stilled. The emotions are balanced and not taking over. We are connected to our higher self . . . the manual says, “open, but you are not seeking at the moment”.
A main point is to not allow for distractions of any kind. No physical distractions . . . that is one reason why we sit still. No mental distractions . . .that is one reason why we stop the inner dialog and the thinking. All four bodies, Body-Mind-Emotion-Spirit (BMES), are stilled.
The space we create is “a way to set up an energy environment that supports your practice and learning.” It really is a very helpful and powerful tool to help with the learning process. We continue to sit in the space until the trainer interrupts us by thanking us.
I believe that many things could benefit from the creation of space; a meeting, family dinner time, Nia classes, a yoga practice, any exercise, and many more. I think it is a good idea sometimes to clear your head and body of distractions in order to concentrate fully on the “task” at hand. I know that for me this practice really works well in the intensives.
Is this something that you think you could benefit from? What types of tasks or activities do you think you could create space for?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: BMES, Body-Mind-Emotion-Spirit, Carlos Rosas, creating space, Debbie Rosas, inner dialog, martial arts, Nia, Nia Blue Belt, Nia class, Nia creators, Nia Intensives, Nia manual, Nia participants, Nia Practice, Nia sessions, Nia students, Nia trainers | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 29, 2013
I don’t know about you but here it is another week with A LOT of good things to put in my Good Things Jar. Well, that is kind of the point, really. To always find something good to put it the Goodie Jar. Sometimes you might find it easy than others. But hopefully you are always able to find something. With this week being Thanksgiving week in the U.S. and Hanukkah I am thinking there are a lot of people with good things to put in the jar. I am seeing a lot of posts on Facebook. So, I hope you are filling that jar up!
How is your jar doing? Getting full?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: Facebook, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Goodie Jar – Check In #39, Hanukkah, something, Thanksgiving | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 28, 2013
Today is Thursday, a day a regularly post on my blog. You know I mainly post about the cardio dance I teach called Nia or food. I am either sharing something about Nia or a recipe. But today is Thanksgiving and as I sit here trying to think of something to write before the day ends, I am coming up with nothing. Nothing, but the usually post of gratitude and thankfulness. I didn’t want to do that again this year, but it really is so appropriate. You know I am doing a Goodie Jar where I put good things in a jar. Well, a lot of that is stuff I am thankful for, but a post about being thankful is a bit different. I won’t go on and on about it. I will just say that I am very grateful.
We had a very nice dinner at my husband’s sister’s house. I brought my camera and didn’t even think about it until we were walking out the door to go home. I did not take one photo. Her table was set as lovely as ever. It was the first time we all were able to fit at one table as not all of the kids made it to dinner. She made a lovely meal. We had a nice dinner and a great time. I am grateful.
I am also thankful for the usual stuff. And I am thankful for you. Thanks for reading. I hope you had a nice day — a Happy Thanksgiving, if that is what you celebrate. A Happy Hanukkah, if that is your Holiday. And/or a nice Thursday, if that is what today was for you. Either way, thanks for being here.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: cardio dance, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Hanukkah, Holiday, Nia, Nia Dance, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving 2013, Thanksgiving dinner | 8 Comments »
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