Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘meditation’

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Walking The Labyrinth

Posted by terrepruitt on August 17, 2013

In Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoGreek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure so cunningly designed and built that he who did so barely escaped it after he built it . . . .so sayeth Wiki. If that were the case, to me it sounds more like it was a maze then what I know to be a labyrinth. Seems as if there are some typical patterns of labyrinths. There are Medieval labyrinth patterns, Classical Labyrinth patterns, Christian Labyrinth patterns, etc. Seems like they are found in many cultures and places. As I mention in my post about my first Sound Healing and Labyrinth Walk, the walk you take on a labyrinth is your own. It is your own quiet time. The time could be a meditation, could be a prayer, a time for you to give gratitude, a time for reflection, a time for planning, a time for a good ol’ heart to heart with yourself. You could be reciting a poem or signing a song . . . . whatever it is it is what you want to do. Walking the labyrinth is what you make it.

The walk could be a mental journey, an emotional journey, or a spiritual journey. While I am walking I like to add in a bit of physicality. Of course, I am walking the pattern, but as I go in addition to whatever it is I am doing either mentally, emotionally, or spiritually I like to move in different ways. At times I might concentrate on my feet, careful to roll through my ENTIRE foot. Mindful of the outer edges of my feet. I like to walk on my toes. I like to take a few feet side-stepping. I shuffle, I walk backwards. I face outward and inward. I take huge steps. And there are some moments when I take teeny tiny steps. I crouch low and stand tall. I also stop. The walks I have been on include Crystal Singing Bowls, so there are times when I stop to sense the songs. When I am not moving I can better feel the vibration of the bowls. Whatever I am thinking about and reflecting on and however I am moving I do it in silence. If you know me, I am not often quite. I did not speak for almost two hours today. Normally I am bursting with words, but today, I realized I was fine being silent.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoThe labyrinth we walk for these events has a placard that says the labyrinth is an ancient symbol for the spiritual journey. It also explains that some think labyrinths were used to teach stone masonry and mathematics, while others say it was used in place of people actually having to travel to Jerusalem for a Pilgrimage. It further explains that the one we walk is based on the medieval labyrinth that is in the floor of the Chartres Cathedral outside of Paris, France.

The speed in which you walk is your own. Of course, it is best to be respectful of the others walking it too. No tailgating or rudely passing. I had thought this labyrinth had an in and an out, but the path out is the same as the path in.

I had a great walk. It was nice to stroll the pattern and contemplate things.

It was also so, so, so great to witness the singing bowls again. After the walk Cecilia let me hold every single one of her bowls and I sensed the different vibrations. It is amazing the different energy and power that comes from each different bowl. Just amazing. I am so very grateful that she and Jessica share their beautiful bowls and energy with us.

While I don’t know when the next Sound Healing and Labyrinth Walk will be, one of the women who shares her bowl’s singing with us is planning to start a once-monthly Sound Healing/Meditation gathering on the fourth Sunday of each month. As soon as I get details I will share. While it will not include a labyrinth walk I am certain it will be fun.

If you every have the opportunity to walk a labyrinth I strongly encourage you to do so. Before you begin pick something to focus then open your heart and take that first step. I have faith that you will not regret it and you will find it to be time well spent.

Have you ever walked a labyrinth? Where? What was it made of?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Blood Pressure Monitors – It’s All In the Wrist

Posted by terrepruitt on February 25, 2012

Are wrist blood pressure monitors accurate?  I was wondering because my blood pressure seems low when I use my wrist blood pressure monitor.  I know meditative body mind practices like Nia can help keep blood pressure down, but it seems really low.  The first thing I looked at on the internet made me laugh.  The question was, “How accurate are wrist blood pressure monitors? Mine consistently shows a lower blood pressure reading than that taken by my doctor.” And a portion of the answer said, “blood pressure measurements taken at the wrist are usually higher and less accurate than those taken at your upper arm.” 

I often think that blood pressure taken at the doctor’s office is higher just due to the stress of being at the doctor’s office.  Even if you don’t have what they call “white coat syndrome” sometimes the stress of getting to the doctor’s office (maybe there is traffic, or you have had to interrupt your busy life to take time to go to the doctor), the stress of WHY you are at the doctor’s (most of us don’t go to the doctor when we are healthy and feeling fine, so the fact that we are there could be stressful), or the stress of having to wait (often times we don’t get called in by our appointment time, or we do and we are stuck sitting on the table) can be causes for higher blood pressure readings than normal.  I think that a blood pressure reading at home is more accurate because you are IN your life.  You are IN your normal stresses.  That is why I was wondering about the wrist cuffs because I think the situation (home monitor) is more ideal then doctor office monitoring.  But with mine showing lower than I would expect I was wondering.  It isn’t actually LOW, it is just lower than I expect.  Because what I usually do is think, “Oh, I should check my blood pressure.” as I am downstairs so I run upstairs and try to sit and wait before taking it, but I end up pressing the button and just seems lower than I would guess because I was just moving around.

The American Heart Association states:

Blood Pressure
Category

 		 Systolic mm Hg (upper #)  
   Diastolic mm Hg
(lower #)
Normal     less than 120 

and

 less than 80
Prehypertension      120 – 139

or

 80 – 89
High Blood Pressure 
(Hypertension) Stage 1 		  
140 – 159

 
or

  
90 – 99
High Blood Pressure
(Hypertension) Stage 2 		  
160 or higher 

 
or

  
100 or higher

Just like with all information I found conflicting information.  I found information stating that wrist monitors were good and I found information stating they were not accurate.  The main concern regarding accuracy was arm position.  The common statement was that the readings accuracy is affected by the arm position so if the arm was not properly placed the reading could be wrong.  Makes sense, but I was not truly understand why resting one’s left elbow on a table so that the right and monitor were at heart height would be such a challenge to people using a wrist monitor.  I also found information stating that wrist monitors were more expensive than arm cuffs, but then the monitors that I saw being advertised on the internet were less than the cuff ones.  So, again, a lot of conflicting information.  I did see information stating that wrist monitor quality (meaning reading accuracy) had improved a lot  I personally think that cuff blood pressure monitor, the kind where you put your arm in the cuff and secure it around your upper arm, is more accurate.  However, I also believe they are more expensive, so I bought a wrist monitor.

If you are interesting in having a blood pressure monitor at home, I suggest you buy one from a place that allows you to return it.  Then when you go to the doctor take your monitor and take your blood pressure with it to compare to the doctor’s blood pressure monitor.  If it is not accurate then you can return it to where you bought it. 

There is a technique for ensure your arm is in the correct position when using a wrist monitor that could be easier than the elbow-table method.  Cross you arm over your heart, as if you are holding your right shoulder in your left hand.  This ensures no movement and that the monitor is above the heart/level with the heart.  Don’t hold your shoulder just let your fingers rest on the front of your shoulder.  I thought this was an excellent method.

Are you thinking about owning a blood pressure monitor?  Wrist or arm cuff?  Do you already have a blood pressure monitor at home? Wrist or arm cuff?  Do you get a little “white coat syndrome” at the doctor’s office?

Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments »

Let Love Be Your Ears

Posted by terrepruitt on November 17, 2011

Dance Exercise, Nia teacher, Nia student, Student of Life, Nia classes, San Jose NiaA Nia student of mine reminded me of something after a Nia Class the other day. She said her daily meditation said to speak with love AND to listen with love. I have heard that before I believe, either someone posted it on Facebook or a friend posted about it on her blog. I can’t remember. The speaking with love is not always easy, but I think of it as a more common thought, a more common instruction. It can be compared to the old adage  “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” A well-remembered saying. Somewhat similar. Speaking with love would be saying nice things.  But the listening with love or the hearing with love, that is a little less common of an instruction. I have not heard that one for as long as I can remember as I have heard the other one. I also think it is more difficult to do than to speak with love. I mean, like the old saying says, don’t say anything if you can’t be nice. But it is difficult not to hear someone. If someone is talking you general listen and hear them, but it could be a challenge to do it with love.

We all take our experiences into situations. Our thoughts and actions are based upon our past and what we know. So I believe that we hear and listen the same way. If someone has been in relationships where their partner has lied to them, then they might hear a lie in everything. They might be listening with distrust and anger, not love. If someone is having a bad day and someone says, “Have a nice day.” they might hear it as sarcasm. Whatever it is that we are feeling, thinking, and experiencing at the moment it can definitely “cloud” how we hear things. If we are not conscious of how we are listening we can make something out of nothing. If we hear and listen in anger, we could respond accordingly and cause a fight or hurt feelings. It is not easy to always listen with love. We all have “stuff” going on in our lives. Some of this “stuff” can make us sensitive and this sensitivity can possible make us read into things.  Listen with love is a practice.

I can’t remember if what I am talking about was the focus of my friend’s blog post, but I do remember my comment including the association between what she was saying and the four agreements.  Listening/hearing with love reminds me of “not taking things personal”. “Things” as I mentioned.  If there is something going on in my life that is making me upset, I might listen and hear things in a negative way. Or if someone else is having a bad day and I am not listening with love, I might not stop to think, “Hey, maybe this person is having a bad day and instead of snapping meanly back at them, I should remember that we all have bad days.”

Clearly there are different ways we can take “listen with love”. When I hear that, these are two ways that occur to me.  What do you think of when you hear, “listen with love”?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

It Is Good To Find A Way To Relax and De-stress

Posted by terrepruitt on October 27, 2011

How do you relax?  Or de-stress?  There are a lot of different things to do.  There is probably almost as many things to do as there are people who can do them.  There is eating.  Some people use food to release stress and tension.  They might eat comfort foods or just eat to eat.   There is drinking.  Some people drink to “calm their nerves” and relax.  Both eating and drinking can be abused and used in this way to excess.  There is also meditation.  Some people might find some sort of relief in a form of meditation.  There are many different ways to meditate.  At a basic level it is just a silencing of the mind to help calm the mind.  In many practices the person meditating can consciously affect the body after much practice, but others just affect the body through the act of slowing down and being calm.  Meditation can take the form of drumming, chanting, sitting, moving in a particular pattern . . . there are many forms.  There is also exercise to release stress and relax, either resistance training or aerobic exercise.

Exercise is a great way to relieve stress.  Exercise has physical effects that in turn help the body clam down.  Aerobic exercise produces endorphins.  Endorphins help to relieve pain.  Endorphins are also contributed with bringing on a state of euphoria.  The state produced by aerobic exercise can help relieve depression.  These little protein molecules release stress.  Exercise can relieve muscle tension through the simple act of contraction and release.

In addition to releasing endorphins exercise helps slow the production of stress hormones, like corticotrophin, cortisol, and catecholamines.  Stress hormones a can raise blood pressure and increase both heart rate and respiratory rate.

By the simple act of doing the exercise you are freeing up the brain from any problem you might have been concentrating on.  Having to think about the exercise you are doing is a great way to help get your mind off of anything that might be causing you stress.  So in that way alone exercise is a great way to relieve stress.  In addition to allowing you to get your mind off any issues that might be bothering you, exercise can also help you work off any frustration.  Negative emotions and frustrations can begin to melt away.

Blood pressure is lowered through exercise.  This has a very large effect on stress in the body.  If the body is functioning better the stress on the body itself is less.   Some people get headaches when they blood pressure is high.  It is difficult to relax when you have a headache.  Lower blood pressure can help in keeping the body calm.

Stress reduction is very important in this busy life that we lead.  There is so much to do and so much going on people need something to allow for just being.  They need time and space to allow for relaxing and de-stressing.

Nia is one of the unique exercises (like Yoga) because it is an aerobic exercise and it can be a bit of a meditation.  It is a great way to relieve stress and relax.  I couldn’t post about relaxing and aerobic exercise without mentioning Nia.  🙂

How do you relax?  Do you light candles and devour a cheesecake?  Do you fill the tub and drink a glass of wine?  Do you sit out in nature and enjoy the view?  Do you meditate?  Do you put on your exercise clothes and workout or go running?   I am curious to learn of what you do.  There are so many things and ways to relax and reduce stress, I would like to know what you do.

Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

It’s Out There

Posted by terrepruitt on February 5, 2011

I teach Nia.  I found Nia while looking on the internet for a workout that was exercise as well as dance.  Dance is exercise and with so many people enjoying dancing I was hoping to find a combination of both that I could teach.   Nia is a non-impact cardio dance.  The “non-impact” often causes people to think that it is low intensity, but with Nia you regulate your own intensity.  Nia was created using The Body’s Way, and designed so that you can practice is in Your Body’s Way.  So participants receive the workout their body needs at that moment.

I believe that is one of the great things about Nia, but it is also one of the things that greatly challenge people.  Some people do not know how to listen to their own bodies and give them what they need.  They are accustomed to being told what they need and what to do.  So Nia might not be for everyone.  But there is something out there that is.

In the Fall 2010 issue of Conscious Dancer, they shared 100 modes of movement.  They highlighted movements from A-Z.  They pointed out AcroYoga, AlivEmotion, BeachDance, Bellyfit, Biodanza, Chakradance, Dancing with Pain, DolphinDance, 5Rhythms, Gyrotonic Expansion System, Hoop Dance, InterPlay, Jazzercise, Laughter Yoga, Nia, Pilates, Shake Your Soul, Soul Motion, SpritisDancing, Trance Dance, Wowzacise, Yoga Booty Ballet, YogaFit, Zumba, and more.

From yoga to yoga dancing, spiritual exercise, water workouts, healing, structured, non-structured, standing, sitting, rolling, running, jumping, bouncing, everything from here to there and anything you can thing of and more.  So what is your excuse?  Maybe there isn’t a Nia class in your area or that is convenient to you or your schedule.  What about a Zumba class?  Get some of your Latin on.  Zumba not your thing?  What about BellyFit?  Maybe there is a class near you and a form of fitness that has a bit of yoga, meditation, and Pilates in it is something you would like?  Laughter Yoga (who doesn’t like to laugh?) is in 60 countries.  Maybe you would like the group type of moving mediation that is 5Rhytms.  Or you wanna take it back to your childhood circling your hips and other body parts in a Hoop Dance.  Have you tried Jazzercise lately?  Even though it has been around since the 60’s it has kept up with the times.  Like Nia, you learn that the joy of dance that is Shake Your Soul can be a healing experience.  What about Wowzacise?  Created by Wowza it is a form of fitness done on different size stability balls. Yoga Booty Ballet is a set of workouts that is yoga, cardio, and ballet and there are DVDs so you don’t even have to go out to do that one.

See?  So as I am often saying there is soooooo much out there.  If you don’t like one thing try another.  Take into consideration your goals and what you really like to do, then go out there and find it.  It has to be there.  Even though Nia is for everyBODY, it really is not for everyone, but please find something that is for you and do it and stick to it!

Posted in Exercise and Working Out, Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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