Posted by terrepruitt on October 22, 2009
Do you take advantage of the free song that they offer on iTunes. It is a weekly song, but I am not sure when they post it, if it is Monday or Sunday. I don’t always remember to get it, do you? I just now set my calendar to remind me.
I actually haven’t remember that often, I have less than 40 songs, but of those 40 I have six that I absolutely love and listen to over and over. There are more out of the 40 that I like but there are 6 that I think are worth mentioning. And they range across the board and I like them for various reasons. Here they are in no particular order:
Song: Artist:
Neo Violence The Tough Alliance
Mr. Hurricane Beast
Already Home Ha-Ash
Cheater, Cheater Joey & Rory
The Stoop Little Jackie
Wonderful Gary Go
I actually bought the entire Beast CD. It is very moving, I mean, for me, it makes me get up and dance. But not like bounce on your toes disco dance, more like pound-the-ground-get-up-get-down tribal dance or something.
I throw Neo Violence into my Nia routines because it has a very dicernible beat. Very catchy tune. Easy to dance, exercise, and workout too. (So is music from the Beast, but . . . the words might be a bit distracting in a Nia class.)
And the latest is Wonderful by Gary Go, kind of sounds like a lot artists out there now, but I love the words. “Say: ‘I am wonderful.’ You are a miracle.” “Don’t Stop to let it pass you by you gotta look yourself in the eye and say, I am wonderful!” “We are all miracles . . . .we are incredible.” Oh, I just love that!
So, what great find have you downloaded for free off of iTunes? Any you love? Any you would like to tell us about?
Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: Already Home, Beast, Cheater, dance, Free download, Free iTunes, free iTunes download, free song, Gary Go, Ha-Ash, I am wonderful, iTunes, Joey & Rory, Little Jackie, miracle, Mr. Hurricane, Neo Violence, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercise, Nia exercise class, Nia routine, Nia workout, The Stoop, Wonderful | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 14, 2009
In Nia (TM) we have FreeDance. It is not easy for most people to do. It is not easy for me to do. I am still learning. With Nia the purpose of FreeDance is “to stimulate movement creativity”. Whoa. Stimulate movement creativity.
Per an online dictionary:
Stimulate: to excite to activity or growth or to greater activity
Movement: the act or process of moving; especially: change of place or position or posture from the same source as above
And creativity: the quality of being creative or the ability to create
So we FreeDance to excite growth or greater activity in changing our place, position, or postures into new places, positions or postures. Hmmmm.
I will take this time to remind you that our bodies are built to move. And they are built to move a certain way. Our joints allow for certain types and amounts of movement. Now barring any ailment or disease our bodies should move like they are built. But we often don’t move that way. Our way of life keeps us from moving as our bodies were built. Sometimes social stigma keeps us from moving the way our joints would like. So in FreeDance you are invited and encouraged to break habits and to move like your body was built.
I have experienced that for some, moving their head is a new thing. Think of the old way models were trained with a book on the head, some of us were taught to walk and be in that position. Can’t move your head with a book balanced on it. So moving your head could be something new in FreeDance you could do and be amazed at the result. Something as simple as moving your head, breaking that straight neck habit could release oodles of tension.
Same with rigidly straight spines or tight backs. When you Free Dance you are not dancing like you would in a club, you are pushing the limits, you are moving your body to experiment with it. You are Stimulated Movement Creativity.
There is so much more to say on this. This is Nia White Belt Principal number 4. This principal has 8 stages, so that alone is a lot to talk about, but for now, I will leave it at FreeDance – To Stimulate Movement Creativity. See if you can add a little FreeDance into your day. It doesn’t have to be wild, it could be done where no one even notices, just move one move a little different than you normally do, and you will be on your way to FreeDance!
Posted in FreeDance, Nia, Nia White Belt Principles | Tagged: dance, Free, Free Dance, Nia, Nia Dance, Nia Free Dance, Nia White Belt, stimulate, White Belt | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 7, 2009
I want to talk to you about Nia™. I was looking for a different form of exercise when somehow (in the vastness that is the internet) I came across Nia. I had never heard of it. It has been around for 25 years. At one point it was known as Non-Impact Aerobics, then it was called Neuromuscular Integrative Action, then at one point it was the Nia Technique, now it is just Nia.
Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas created it in the early 1980s from a need and a desire to help people exercise. When I read the book and listen to Carlos, I believe that they wanted more than just traditional exercise because they really wanted to help people feel good. They were being drawn towards something that addresses the whole body.
Nia is a teacher led dance workout that allows you the freedom to get exactly the workout that your body needs. Nia is really awesome because it is done in bare feet to all kinds of music. With the absences of shoes, we are reminded that we do not have to have harsh impact to get a great work out. With Nia, the level of intensity is regulated by the participant. A workout includes movements of all of the 13 major joints and I believe that this is one of the key factors that make people feel so good after they do a Nia workout. Throughout our day we don’t always move each joint as it was built to move, so sometimes they can become stiff. In a Nia class you move them throughout the routine and it helps the balance in the body’s systems.
Nia is similar to Jazzercise in the sense that there are segments or cycles to the routine: warm-up, cardio, strength, floor, and a cool down.
A lot of people just want to go to a workout class and be told what to do, I am going to be honest with you because I want you to enjoy your experience, you need to concentrate a little. What you are concentrating on is not so much what the teacher is doing, but more what you are sensing. You are encouraged to listen to your own body and do what it is telling you it needs. It might not need what the teacher is doing. And with Nia, that is fine.
In a Nia class there is no judgment if you cannot bend, stretch, jump, kick, shout, shimmy, shake, punch, chop, cha-cha-cha, hula, jazz square, modern dance, or anything like your teacher or neighboring participant, because it is all about YOU and whatever you can do. You must seek your own Body’s Way and what gives it pleasure. With Nia you can get a great workout at the same time.
Does your present workout invite you to seek pleasure during your workout?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: bend, body's way, cardio, Carlos Rosas, cha-cha-cha, chop, cool down, cycles, dance, Debbie Rosas, encouraged, exercise, hula, impact, intensity, jazz square, Jazzercise, Jazzercise San Jose, joints, jump, kick, levels, modern dance, Nia, Nia class, Nia Technique, Non-Impact Aerobics, pleasure, punch, segments, shake, shimmy, shout, stiff, stretch, warm-up, workout | 2 Comments »
Terre Pruitt's Blog 