Posted by terrepruitt on August 9, 2011
I have potholders and oven mitts that I don’t really want to use as potholders. Ya know, they could be those ones that you received as a gift and they are pretty, but when you use them and realize that they aren’t really as useful as they are pretty because you can still feel the heat/burn through it. Or you bought them as part of a set of hand towels, so they really are just for show because they are too thin to use. Why yes, you COULD get rid of them. But I would NEVER think to do that. (See my last post where I state I have a house full of stuff.) There are other uses for potholders. If they are really pretty but too thin to use to keep the heat away from your hand you can use them for other things. Or if you accidentally touched the oven element and just one little corner is singed you could use it for something else. Some times the pretty ones work very well as trivets. You might want to use them when company is over. You just set them out and then place the hot dish on them. Perfect. The slightly singed one can be used as a trivit too. It is really the surface that you are setting something hot (or even cold) on that you are trying to protect. It doesn’t have to be pretty.
What they can also be used for is separating your pots and pans. There are protectors specifically made for that. I have some of those too (that is what the blue one is on the bottom), but I have a lot of potholders that have come with towel sets that aren’t that great as potholders. I also have a few that I have connected with the oven element with. In fact right after I took this picture one of the cat ones suffered that fate. So I use them to separate my pots and pans. I have found that along with the dishwasher the pots and pans scratch each other up a bit. So I put the potholders in between. I believe this annoys my hubby and I am sorry for that, because it really does help protect the pots and pans. I think having a glass top stove has made me a little more aware of what is on the bottom of my pans. A glass top is much easier to clean – to me – than a spiral element stove, but it helps if you start of with a pot/pan with a clean bottom. Also it shouldn’t have any rough edges or gouges in it that can scratch the glass. So I just like to use layer of protection between my pots and pans.
With the pots I try to get the pot holder to protect both the bottom of the pot and the handle. We have some pots with handles coated in a thin layer of plastic and the pot edges scratch it off. So I try to put the pots in with the potholder sticking over the edge. Works with big potholders, but not really the small ones.
So if you are like me and you wanna try to keep you pots looking nice and keep them smooth for the stove, you don’t like to throw “perfectly good things away”, and you like to find new/other uses for things this might be one of those things that helps you.
What about you? Any of you really crafty people have another way potholders can be put to use?
Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: glass top stove, new uses for old things, oven mitts, pan protectors, Pot holders, pot protectors, potholders, pots and pans | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 6, 2011
Not too long ago another Nia Teacher and I were practicing Nia in a local park. She had brought her laptop so that we could look at the DVD and practice the routine. As you might realize it is very difficult to see a laptop screen outside when you are not right in front of it. We were dancing to the DVD, so we were not right in front of it. She also brought a long a little round speaker. She hooked it up to her laptop to help boost the sound. When we finally gave up on the laptop she plugged the speaker into my iPhone. Cool. It was round and had pretty good sound. It had a little leather looking case and was it just so cute. Of course, I wanted one. It is perfect to carry around “just in case”. I pretty much always have my iPhone because I have my music on it, but not everyplace I have taught has a sound system so a little round speaker would be GREAT! It could fit in my purse.
So to Amazon I went. I am the type that looks at something online for a little while before I decide to buy it. I have a house FULL of stuff. I do not need anymore stuff. I am a stuff collector. So I tend to hesitate before I buy more stuff. When I looked online I was seeing a little round speaker for more money than I need to spend on stuff I don’t need. 😉 Right? I mean, when I am buying something I can live without I tend to have a limit as to how much I will spend. So I looked around on the website. I was finding some nice speakers. I read some reviews. I looked here and there.
I spotted a BLUE one (uh-oh, BLUE?). It was round and cute and it was blue! It was rechargeable so it doesn’t take batteries. I really like that. It also expanded to give you “larger” sound. But since it was blue, cute, expandable and rechargeable I thought it would be more than the other speakers I was looking at, but lo and behold it was LESS. And totally in my self-alloted price range. But I still hesitated because I really don’t need it and even though I thought it was completely affordable I could always use that money for something else. So, in my normal style I didn’t buy it right then. I like to “sit on it”. But then you know what happens? I think about it all the time. I end up in situations where, “Oh it would be perfect if I had that (fill in the blank) that I wanted.”
When I always find myself thinking about the item for a while, I usually give in. And I am so glad I did. It is so cute. And the sound is pretty good for the price and what it is. The sound is WAY better than the sound that comes out of the iPhone. A mini-speaker. Yay! Does it give GREAT sound? No. Is it stereo? No. But it give really good sound and I can hear the music much better than on my iPhone.
The description on Amazon says: “Speaker works with any 3.5 mm headphone jack, perfect for laptops, cell phones, portable game devices, MP3 players, etc.” So you can use it on all of your devices.
It doesn’t come with a nice leather case like my friend’s but it does have its own little bag. That is good enough for me. I just like something that fits the device AND its cord. Something some people might like is that its audio cord does not come apart from its charging cord. I know we end up having so many cords that it is easy to misplace (or as my friend says, “Put away so well.”) some of the cords. When you have a cord to charge the device and a separate one to use it sometimes the power cord can get lost because you don’t use it as often. Well, these two cords do not come apart. There is a little plastic separator that hold them together, it is the little square below the USB connector and the audio plug, and they are connected near the end too and become one cord. The cords also have a build in “clip” to keep them neat and tidy. In this picture it is to the left of the bag, the black plastic square. Cool. All built-in!
Blue things make me happy. Blue things that are cute make me happy. Blue things that are cute that allow me to hear my Nia music and all music better make me really happy. And that it was less than $20 makes me so happy I want share!
Posted in Misc | Tagged: affordable speakers for iPad, Amazon, cord clip, iHome, iPad, iPad speakers, iphone, iPod, iTouch, laptop speakers, mini-speaker, mini-speaker for MP3 player, Nia DVD, Nia in the park, Nia Music, Nia routine, Nia Teacher, stereo speakers, USB, USB recharge | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 4, 2011
Often I hear people say they would like to cook eggplant but they don’t know how. I also hear a lot of people say you have to get the water out of eggplant before you cook it. Well, I would like to try cooking it another way because the only way I know how is to roast it, of course. Recently I bought some eggplant specifically to cube it and sautee it to see how that would be. But when I started thinking about how yummy it is roasted, I opted for roasting it. I have used Japanese eggplant, which it nice because it has less seeds. It is also nice because it is more evenly shaped so all the slices come out basically the same size so they cook at a more even rate. I typically use the large pear-ish shaped eggplant. The last time I bought it, the store clerk said she had always wanted to try it but didn’t know how to cook it (see, I told you people tell me that). So I decided to share my way of cooking it. You know I love to roast veggies. Roasting veggies is so easy because you can put them on and work on cooking the rest of dinner. I was so busy cooking the rest of dinner I forgot to take pictures of the roasted eggplant. I remembered to take pictures of it as I sliced it, but I forgot to do it after it was cooked.
I slice at about 3/8 of an inch. I put olive oil on the pan (I use a cookie sheet), then place the slices on the pan in rows, then I drizzle a little olive oil on the slices. I sprinkle garlic powder on each slice. Then I sprinkle salt on each slice. The salt will help release the water. Pretty much the same way as sweating the vegetables, but the water will evaporate in the oven. I usually cook them for about 15 or twenty minutes at 400 degrees. Then I flip them over. I usually add more seasoning. It depend on how much salt I put on before. I might add more or not. I put them back in the oven. How long depends on how they look. Often times they don’t cook evenly so some will be done where others will not. So I take the done ones off the pan, then I set the timer for the time I guess that the next ones will be done. When that time is up I take the done ones off the cookie sheet and put the pan back in the oven. Depending on how they are cooking, I might flip them. It is a process. You have to watch them a bit. That is why it is good to have other stuff to be cooking in the kitchen. You also have to decide HOW cooked you like them. You can cook them just a little until they are still really soft and doughy or you can cook them until they are crispy–almost like potato chips. I like mine crispy.
A friend on FB said she puts cheese on the slices. That would be excellent. I haven’t tried that. I am sure it is really good.
I don’t squeeze out the water before cooking and I don’t take out the seeds. I also do not cook it for a set amount of time. I start with 15 minutes and go from there. It is best to decide as you go along.
I did not realize that eggplant is a fruit, a berry in fact. I don’t think in terms of botany. I just think in terms of eating and cooking. The information I saw said eggplant is a fruit that is used in cooking like a vegetable. So yeah, I think of it as a vegetable.
So that is how I cook eggplant 🙂 pretty much how I cook all my vegetables. What about you? Do you cook eggplant? How? I really would like to try it other ways, but I don’t know how to cook it aside from roasting it. Did you know it is a fruit? Did you know it is a berry?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: aubergine, cheesy vegetables, easy veggie, eggplant, Facebook, olive oil, oven roasted, potato chips, roasted eggplant, roasted vegetables | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 2, 2011
I think you have probably heard that before. You might have even said it. I know that I have. It doesn’t make sense. One pound of muscle CANNOT weigh more than one pound of fat, that is impossible. A pound of something does not weigh more than a pound of something else. Nope, just not possible. Doesn’t matter if one pound is feathers and another pound is rocks. As you probably know, it is really about volume or the SPACE that one takes up over the other. A POUND of fat actually takes up more space than a POUND of muscle, but they still WEIGH the same. There is really no getting around that weight thing.
Sometimes a scale that measures weight might be a little deceiving in terms of size and health. It all depends upon your goal. Right? I always say that, but it is true. If your mainly concerned with how much you weigh then that is what you should focus on. If you want to be smaller then maybe a scale is not the best way to measure that. If you want to build muscle or be stronger then you might not want to be concerned with the weight because it is difficult to get weight to go down and muscle to go up. Of course, this is all very general, I am not saying one is good or one is bad, I am really just trying explain the point a bit.
I find, on occasion, one of the best ways to explain something is to use a visual aide. Here is a picture.
What you see is three pounds of butter with a three pound weight. What is butter? Fat. I am using the weight as a rough sample of muscle. This is three pounds of fat compared to three pounds of muscle. Yeah, yeah, I know it is not exact, but it gives us a rough idea right? You can clearly see that three pounds of fat take up much more room than three pounds of “muscle”.
If you are working out and exercising to “lose weight” your scale might not always tell you the accurate truth. Because first of all usually we are working out and exercising to lose fat and one of the best ways to do that is with strength training. A muscled body burns more calories than a fatty body, no matter what the body is doing. So one way to help lose the fat is to gain muscle. But if you gain muscle the number on your scale might not go down as much as you think it should. Second, if you are not doing some type of resistance training you would be losing muscle.
If you are doing something in your fitness routine that builds muscle and the scale is not moving down or it is not going down fast enough for you, don’t get discouraged. Maybe it is time to take out the measure tape. It could be that you are going down in size but staying the same or even gaining pounds.
Also remember that in order for you to actually build bigger muscles you have to follow a specific training plan so chances are you are not going to get bigger. Women – in general – don’t need to be concerned with that. That is another great reason to measure because the body will change so it might look different or seem bigger to you, but with a measure of it, you will know.
Not too long before I hurt my foot I thought my scale was broken. It kept showing me the same weight but my clothes weren’t fitting the same. I threw my scale away. Turns out it really wasn’t broken, I was NOT gaining weight, I was just losing muscle mass. So now that my foot is better (better, not the same, but better) I want to get back to having more muscle. I thought this would be a great way to remind me. Sometimes I know things, I just need a reminder, what about you? Do you sometimes need a reminder? I am sure that you know that muscles DOES NOT weigh more than fat — not possible, but I thought I’d give us a visual to keep in our heads.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: butter, exercise goals, fitness goals, gain muscle, lose fat, lose weight, measuring tape, muscle, muscle mass, Muscle Weighs More Than Fat, pound of fat, pound of muscle, resistance training, strength training, training plan, weight loss goals, weight training | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 30, 2011
YAY! So happy I did it again. I had henna tattoos done in time for the Nia Jam. It had been way too long since my first henna tattoos. I have wanted to do it again since then. It just so happened that we were going to a party on Saturday night and the Nia Jam was on Sunday so it was the perfect time to get my feet done. It has been suggested that I need to love my healing foot more. Sometimes I don’t love it since it doesn’t work properly. I thought if I had henna done it would at least make me think it was pretty. I was right. Henna and Beyond does beautiful work so I think my feet look very pretty.
I had the henna done on Thursday afternoon. The henna can come off as soon as it is dried but the longer you leave it on the better the stain. The henna is squeezed onto your skin via a cone, like a small icing bag. As I mentioned in my post when I had henna done before, henna is applied and it rests on the skin like puffy paint would. It is best to leave it on your skin until dried. The longer you leave it on the darker the tattoo will be.
Rachna has printed information, but I didn’t want to take it and waste the paper because I pretty much knew what to expect. I read the information to be sure, then asked if it was on her site because I knew I wouldn’t be able to remember it exaclty. The lengths of time were a little different on the paper than that which are on the site, but they are just guidelines so you’ll have an idea of what to do. Both the paper and the website state that it is best to leave the puffy-like henna on for at least 2 hours. The paper said up to 12 hours. I am not sure why not past 12 hours, but it worked out that it was exactly 12 hours after having it done that I was ready to take it off. I slept with socks on so I wouldn’t get henna all over the bed. While not a lot of henna dropped off in the socks, I can’t say that it would not have in the bed. It could be that the socks kept it secure.
When I got up I was able to brush most of it off with just my hand. The rest I just scratched off with my nails, although she recommends using the smooth side of a butter knife. The information says that 24 hours after it is applied it will be darkest. Hmmm? Here is a picture of mine about 26 hours after. The information also said to apply oil because it will make it darker. Really? Ok. It said any cooking oil would do, but I have some moisturizing olive oil, plus some Arnica Allay. I used both. I put the Arnica Ally on my toes and the olive oil on the rest of the art. I have applied it a couple of times. And here is what it looks like exactly a week later.
I am happy. I think Rachna does a beautiful job. After looking at her books of samples I told her the designs I liked and the ones I didn’t and this is what she came up with. Brilliant! She free-handed all this and designed it as she went along.
I have also included a picture of what it looks like today. Which is a week and two days after having it done. You might notice that this time it is much darker than last time I had the henna tattoos. There are several things that could be the reason for that. One, I let it completely dry this time. Last time I did something very silly (so silly I will not even mention it here) thinking it would help keep the flaking henna from getting all over the place. What actually helps it from flaking all over is to let it dry and to not bump it off. It stays on pretty secure. Also, Rachna said that she now mixes the lemon and sugar* into the henna and so that could be another reason. And the oil, I really think applying the olive oil helped make it darker. In the pictures today I actually have a “coat” of olive oil them so they might even look shiny.
Yay! I am so happy. One of the reasons I had hesitated in doing henna tattoos again is I remember the henna flaking off and getting everywhere, but this time it didn’t. I am sure that has to do with me following her tips. I kept telling myself, “She’s been doing this for almost 30 years. I really need to trust she knows what she is talking about with all of her little tricks and tips.” And I did, and it is awesome!
*According to her website this is a mixture you make and apply that acts as a sealant.
Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: apply oil to henna stain, dark henna stain, flaking henna, Henna, Henna and Beyond, henna feet, henna skin, henna stain, henna tattoo tips, Henna Tattoos, Nia, Nia Jam, puff paint, Rachna, tattoo | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 28, 2011
This past Sunday we had a Nia Jam in Palo Alto. The San Francisco Bay Area Nia Association tries to have four Jams a year. The peninsula one is in Palo Alto, but it is usually at Stanford, this time it was at a gym. It was a nice day so it was great that people came inside to support the local Nia association. As with a music jam session there are switches and changes that occur. A Nia Jam is where teachers gather and switch off leading songs so there is a mix of music and styles. The routine is created to be about 90 minutes. Normally we have a lot of teachers teaching so we only get to do one or two songs. This time the group of teachers was much smaller and we were able to do three to four songs each. The energy is always very high and exciting at a Jam because the teachers are from all over the Bay Area and beyond, so the students come from near and far. It is also a GREAT way to experience Nia for the first time because you get a taste of all the different approaches to teaching. Nia is specific in the way that we teach, yet at the same time it allows for the personality of the individual teacher to shine through. So a Nia Jam is great fun.
The theme for this Nia Jam was Summertime. The focus was moving with lightness with the intent of bringing in lightness and a sense of “summertime”, effortlessness and joy. It allowed for a lot of play, like kids playing during summer vacation. Not only were we able to bring in the lightness in our minds, our physical bodies, and our spirits, but we had the extra special treat of a skylight. The room we were dancing in has a huge skylight in the middle of the ceiling and a few glass doors to the outside so we were able to share in the beauty of the sun light and move with it. Along with the skylight and doors and windows to the outside, the room has a huge wood floor and a mirror on one wall. A small portion of the back wall is made of glass “windows” that looks into the workout room. I saw many people stop their workout to peek in at the Joy that was whooshing around the room in spirals, releves, kicks, and punches.
Nia Jams are no different than Nia Workout Classes in regards to what to wear. As you can see everyone wears what they are comfortable in. Whatever allows you to move freely and makes you feel good is perfect. But you also have to be ok with getting on the floor in your dance outfit. Like most Nia classes there is almost always Floorplay — even at a Nia Jam!
There is a wonderful sense of community at a Nia Jam. Teachers gathered to share the Joy of Nia. Participants gathered to experience a Jam. All of us gathered to do our favorite exercise. All of us ready to workout. All of us ready to dance. All of us there to do Nia. It is really fun stuff. I hope that you will be able to join us for our next Jam.
You can visit my website to see all the pictures from the Nia Jam in July. (The link MIGHT change in the future.)
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, Bay Area Nia classes, floorplay, fun workout, lightness in workout, Nia Classes, Nia Dance, Nia energy, Nia exercise, Nia experience, Nia focus, Nia intent, Nia Jam, Nia joy, Nia routine, Nia teachers, Nia workout, Palo Alto Nia, releves, San Francisco Bay Area Nia Association | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 26, 2011
You might have read that I was asked to do a Nia demo at a somewhat local Fitbloggin‘ MeetUp on Fitbloggin’ World Meetup Day. I had stated that there was a lunch. The lunch was a wonderful potluck lunch. There was a lot of yummy food on the table. One thing that was on the table that Foodie was sharing was containers of Chobani Yogurt. I had never tried that, but I had wanted to because I remember seeing it on her blog. At the end of the meeting they were all still in the bowl she had them in. At first I grabbed one, one I knew I would like. Honey. But there was more left and she was generously pushing all the leftovers off on people, so I grabbed another one. One I probably wouldn’t buy because I wouldn’t think I would like it. I am not a fruity yogurt person. It was mango. Ok, guess what? I am now a fruity yogurt person.
When I first opened it I thought, “Yuck! Fruit on the bottom.” Not only do I not like the fruity yogurt flavors, I do not like the fruit on the bottom. But I wanted to try it. So I stirred. It was really good. Mango can be a mushy fruit when it is really ripe, or after I am done cutting it. But typically it is not a mushy fruit to begin with so it held up well in the yogurt. That is one reason I don’t like fruit in yogurt is gets mushy. I am not a fan of super mushy fruit. Another reason I am not a fruity yogurt person is that it is usually too sweet. This was not too sweet. It was really good. I had a little tartness to it, I think. The combination of the crunch of the fruit and the not-too-sweet made it really good.
After my first bite I thought, “This is why they give this stuff away.” Because once people try it they will more than likely buy it. I know that I have purchased a large variety of products that I normally would not have had I not been able to try them in the past few years. For some products a free sample is awesome.
This morning I tried the honey, which turned out not to be honey. It is vanilla. Honey or vanilla is usually the flavor I buy or lemon. But I have not seen a lemon flavor in the Greek yogurt. And the yogurt I used to buy has HFCS in it. Not something I want to eat. Besides I love the protein in Greek yogurt. There is such a great amount, it is awesome. In addition to be so much thicker and creamier. Yum.
Well my verdict on the vanilla is, no thanks. At least not to eat plain. Maybe if you at it as a dip or put honey in it, it would be ok. But I would not grab a container of that to eat just by itself. It tasted like the PLAIN non-fat yogurt of the brand I used to buy, except with a bitter kick to it. I only ate a portion of it. I will stick to the mango flavor.
Posted in Food | Tagged: Chobani Yogurt, Fitbloggin' World Meetup Day, Foodie McBody, free sample, Fruit on the bottom, HFCS, High Fructose Corn Syrup, local Fitbloggin‘ MeetUp, Nia, Nia class, Nia demo | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 23, 2011
July 9, 2011 was Fitbloggin’ World Meetup Day. I had heard of Fitbloggin’ when I was asked if Nia could be there next year. I hadn’t heard of it before or that I could remember. When I was looking for Nia people online (a few years) I found Foodie McBody on Twitter, I think. She posted a blog post about Nia. I was so excited that she had posted about Nia that I commented on her post and we starting talking a bit. I hadn’t realized when I first read her post that she is not too far from me. I think that is how it happened. I am not sure anymore, all the social media sites get blurred as I connect with more people on more than one site. But I did actually meet her briefly at a Nia Jam. And now we keep in contact via Twitter, Blogs, and FaceBook. So she was the one who asked me if Nia would be represented at the next Fitbloggin’ Conference. I will have to look into that. In the meantime the Fitbloggin’ community decided to have a World Meetup Day where Fitbloggin’ bloggers would meet in different locations all over the world. I think that is cool. Foodie volunteered to do it at her residence and she asked if I would attend and do a Nia demo.
Of course I wanted to learn more about Fitbloggin’ and, of course I wanted to introduce Nia to a group of Fitness people. So I went. There was a walk, a lunch, a talk, and a Nia demo. When I got in my car to go there I was confident I could get there just fine. Well, I didn’t get there just fine. I was later than I wanted to be. I made it for the end of lunch and the talk. The talk was awesome. Danica of Danica’s Daily shared information about how to monetize your blog. She talked about some fabulous tricks and tips. It was awesome.
She talked about tags, SEO, advertisements that you place on your site to get paid on, placement of things, colors, text, hosting, non-hosting, names, logos, content, and a lot more. Believe it or not she covered all that in an hour. It was very interesting.
A handful of people actually stayed for the Nia demo. We were not planning on doing an entire Nia Routine, we did a few songs. As often is the case with Nia the participants were surprised they worked up — or almost worked up a sweat. When you do an entire routine there is definitely a chance to work up a sweat. It all depends on what you put into it. Just like your blog. There are so many things that you can do with a blog it really depends on what you put into it. We received a lot of great information that day so we can take it from there.
I am thankful to Foodie for inviting me and letting me share Nia with the Fitbloggers. Originally the group was going to be much bigger, but things came up. It still was a great turn out and I was happy to meet all that attending. Thank you, Foodie, I appreciate it! I was happy to have a glimpse into the Fitbloggin’ community.
Two more timely posts about the Nor Cal Fitbloggin’ MeetUp:
Fitbloggin’ Local Comes to NorCal!
The First Annual Nor-Cal Fit Bloggin’
Posted in Misc | Tagged: 2011 was Fitbloggin' World Meetup Day, Danica, Danica's Daily, Facebook, Fitbloggers, Fitbloggin, Fitbloggin' Conference, Fitbloggin' World Meetup Day, Foodie McBody, July 9, Nia, Nia demo, Nia Jam, Nia participants, Nia routine, Nor Cal Fitbloggin', Search engine optimization, SEO, Twitter | 9 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 21, 2011
When we possess a better understanding of things it allows us to work better with them. By “work” I mean anything from enhancing, to changing, to bettering, to “dealing with”, to molding, to melding, whatever. It just is that the better we understand something the better “it” can be. There are personality types, as an example Type A and Type B. When there is an idea of how a specific personality acts, sometimes there can be ways of interacting with that personality to allow for harmony. With any “typing” there is variation, so nothing is exact, it just can give us an idea. In Nia, we have a little bit more in-depth approach to “types”. It is energy type. Now no energy is necessarily better than the other. What is better or “best” is to have BALANCE of all the types. So this form of “typing” can be utilized to allow you to learn what type you tend towards and give you a chance to work at balancing your types. The system of energy typing Nia uses is connected with the nine basic Nia movement forms; T’ai chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, Duncan Dance, Feldenkrais, the Alexander Technique, and Yoga.
In The Nia Technique, a book written by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas, there are questionnaires that can guide you to understanding what your particular energy type might lean towards. They are “True/False” questions. Here are some examples from each energy type:
(T’ai Chi) “I am often, soft, relaxed, and internally calm” and “I breathe with great ease”
(Tae Kwon Do) “I love speed and power” and “I am physical, conscious, precise, focused, and directed in my life, getting what I want through hard work and precision”
(Aikido) “In life, I am all about win-win” and “I move with grace and seamless dynamics, turning lines into circles”
(Jazz Dance) “I am impulsive, lusty, sassy, demonstrative, showy, alive, fun, and electrifying to my friends” and “I love to shimmy, get dressed for the party, and be uninhibited”
(Modern Dance) “I love playing with extremes and contrasts” and “I love contrasts, gravity, surprise, and the start and stop of life, as well as moments of continuity”
(Duncan Dance) “I am all about the soul, and in life I move in childlike ways” and “I flow spontaneously through my life”
(Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais) “I am all about sensation” and “I am healthy and love anything that is healing”
(Alexander Technique) “I explore life with ease and flexibility” and “I seek the simple, useful, authentic, and organic ways”
(Yoga) “I can be gentle, powerful, focused, conscious, and receptive” and “I love lying down, sitting, being prone, and playing with back bend motions.”
There are nine questionnaires with nine statements you mark as true or false. After answering each one there is information for those with “mostly true” answers and “mostly false”. The idea is to be able to identify which energy is stronger and which one is weaker. Then you can work on strengthening the weaker energy during your Nia workout and in your life. It is interesting to find out where your tendencies lie. If you are interested in finding out what your Energy Type done the Nia way is, get a copy of The Nia Technique. It is a great way to get to know Nia and you’ll probably learn a lot about yourself on the way.
Posted in Movement Forms of Nia, Nia | Tagged: Aikido, Carlos Rosas, Debbie Rosas, Duncan Dance, Energy types, Feldenkrais, Jazz Dance, modern dance, Nia, Nia energy, Nia Energy Type, Nia flow, Nia workout, nine basic Nia movement forms, personality questionnaires, personality types, Tae kwon do, Tai Chi, the Alexander Technique, The Nia Technique, Type A personality, Type B personality, win-win, Yoga | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 19, 2011
Wow. I was practicing a new-to-me Nia routine this morning. I had taught it Monday but to me there is always room for improvement. I can always know my music more intimately. I can always cue better. I can always do a move differently. That is the thing about Nia. There is always so many ways to do the move. I find that it is best to keep it simple when first introducing a new routine. It is best to just do the basics and let the class get it down a bit before showing them any alternatives. The Nia students that get the basics down quickly can easily pick up on alternative ways to do the move themselves. Because they are already at the point of expanding. But I try to remember to keep it simple so I like to practice and learn it better. It is not always easy when the music just “makes” you move. It is easy to get carried away in the music and just start dancing. That is what Nia allows you to do, stick to the routine or dance your own dance. Well, this morning I kind of had a “routine”. Well, at least I had a plan. Ok, maybe more accurately I had a list. But sometimes even though you start out doing the first thing on the list and even the second thing, you get off the path.
It doesn’t even have to be a big thing that gets you off track. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Sometimes it could be a little thing or a good thing that derails you. But either way, you are off track. You find yourself at 11:00 pm with nothing to post about. I thought I had all afternoon to think of something, research it if necessary, write it up, then post, but I got off track.
THEN . . . I typed up this entire post. I was just about to add a link and save it and the laptop I was working on shut down. And I was writing in Notepad because I don’t like writing in the little box that WordPress gives me nor do I like the “full page version”. I write in Notepad, the laptop doesn’t have MS Word so it doesn’t automatically save. So this is my SECOND attempt at this post. And I am sorry to say, but the first one was much better. I had deposited all my thoughts onto the screen so I forgot them.
I am that way. I write something down so I don’t have to remember it and believe me, I don’t. I type up a thought, an idea, a post, I don’t remember it. It as if putting it in type takes it out of my head and leaves a blank spot. Which I guess can lead me right back to my post. I had a blank spot for it.
I even found myself click on “random articles” on Wiki. I figured I was safe clicking on “random” on wiki it is not like video roulette where I don’t know what I’ll get. I got a few about people I had never heard of. One person had been in “Charles in Charge” so I have been signing that for an hour. But another was about “Feather Bowling”. Made me laugh. Apparently:
Feather Bowling is a game played with wooden balls shaped like wheels of cheese. The balls are rolled down a dirt or synthetic alley towards a feather sticking out of the dirt at the other end. The object of the game is to get the ball as close to the feather as possible.
The only place to play the game in the United States is the Cadieux Cafe in Detroit, Michigan.
Who knew? Well now we do. And some of us might even have the theme song from Charles in Charge in our head. Either way, I posted and I shared and that is where I am right now. How about you? Signing? Dancing? Writing down thoughts and forgetting them? Feather bowling? Staying on track? Talk to me . . . .
Posted in Misc | Tagged: dance routine, derailed, Feather Bowling, Nia basics, Nia class, Nia Music, Nia routine, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Notepad, off track | 4 Comments »
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