Posts Tagged ‘Nia class’
Posted by terrepruitt on November 13, 2014
Ok, not really, but Salsa is a dance. In my post where I had asked what to make with all the winter fruits and veggies I said I had about seven persimmons and I did. I didn’t know what to do with them and I know we are going to be get more in the next delivery. I know I can always make Fancy Toast, but I wanted something else to do with them. All I found when doing a quick search on the internet were cookies and cakes. I wanted a savory persimmon recipe. So I searched for “savory persimmon recipes” and I found one on the ad infested Organic Authority. It is a persimmon salsa. I thought, “Why not?” So below is my version of Persimmon Salsa, which is not too much different from theirs. I just cut up the persimmon smaller, used tablespoons instead of teaspoons, and used a different, milder, pepper.
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Persimmon Salsa
5 small Fuyu persimmons
2 tbsp minced shallots
1 tbsp PLUS 1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp minced fresh basil
2 tbsp minced fresh mint
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced Anaheim pepper
salt
pepper
Peel the persimmons and cut into tiny chunks. Mix the shallots, lemon juice, basil, mint, ginger, and pepper in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let the flavors meld together for at least two hours. Then serve however you would like.
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My idea was to let my hubby munch on it as an appetizer. I wanted to serve it on crackers. That is why I cut up the persimmons really small. If I were just going to plop in on some meat, I might not finely “chop” the persimmons. Even though I thought I would have leftovers and would end up putting some of it on chicken (or perhaps pork), I thought I’d start small since its original purpose is to pile it onto crackers.
Next time I make it, I will pair it with some meat. Instead of using it to flavor the meat during cooking, like I do with marinades, I will just use it raw as a topping.
I also think the next time I make it, I might use a little more pepper since he couldn’t taste the pepper at all. Before the flavors all settled it wasn’t too hot. I was careful to avoid the peppers though when I tasted it. We will see. My husband really liked it even though he didn’t experience any heat.
Anaheim peppers are supposedly less hot than the jalapenos that the original recipe called for. I was going for “less hot.”
So now I have another type of relish, salsa to use during the holidays. It can be used as an appetizer with crackers or used to add flavor to meat, just like the cranberry relish recipe I just posted. (click here to go to: A Quick And Yummy Way To Use Cranberries). I normally try not to post recipes so close together, but I had Nia class this morning and have to rush off to yoga tonight. I don’t know where the day went. I had this post all typed up and ready to go. . . . so two recipe post close together!
I won’t be eating this salsa by the spoonful because of the peppers, but the cranberry relish . . . . no telling.
What are you doing with all of your persimmons? Do you just eat them as you would an apple? Do you have a favorite recipe?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: cranberry relish, Dancing, Fancy toast, Nia, Nia class, Nia on Thursdays, Organic Authority, Persimmon salsa, Salsa, savory persimmon recipe, shallots, winter vegetables, Yoga class | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 11, 2014
It is Veterans Day today. A day where we stop and thank our Veterans. Many thank our Veterans all year round, but this is the day that the government and some stores are closed, other stores have sales, cities have parades, and Facebook feeds are full of black and white pictures in a proud display. I am grateful for the freedom that has cost so many so much. Thank you, Veterans, for your sacrifices and service. Since it is a city Holiday the community centers where I teach my Nia class and yoga class on Tuesdays were closed. So I decided to take advantage of my morning off and attend a class. I went to Tai Chi at the YMCA. The schedule indicates 30 minutes “Intro to Tai Chi” followed by 45 minutes of “Tai Chi”. My plan was to attend the first one then I would just hang around for the second one to see if I could do it without disturbing the class too much. Well, at one point several people exited the class. But the other woman who was new to the class stayed . . . so I thought, “Ok, I’ll stay too.” We didn’t really follow the clock. The first portion of the class seemed as if it was Tai Chi exercises, then the second portion was the actual Tai Chi moves. I learned that there are different styles of Tai Chi.
The instructor went through the beginning slowly as we all followed along, a couple of times. Then he told us to do it on our own a couple of times. I couldn’t remember the moves so I was following my neighbors. Then the instructor did it again with us, then he said to do it on our own without watching our neighbors. Well, that kind of worked. Then he asked another woman in the class to take the intermediate people and he would take the beginners. I felt bad because if there had been a cut and dry end and start I would have left so as not to disturb the intermediate people. But at the end of class, as I was leaving I thanked the woman who took over the intermediate students and she said that it was ok that is how they do it. So I felt better.
Right before we broke into the two groups the instructor asked us if we had any questions. I was going to ask how many moves he had just shown us, but I let it go thinking it was about five. Then the instructor said to us (me and the other newbie), “So those first two moves are called . . . “. And I laughed, because what I thought was about five moves was actually only two. He also explained that he practiced and taught the Chen style.
Just like yoga there is more than just one type of Tai Chi. In looking for the names of the first two moves (I forgot what he called them. “Pestle Warrior” did not bring up the move.) I came across this explanation on WikiHow:
#5 of part 1 of 4
“Experiment with different styles. Because all Tai Chi is good, it’s more important that you do any rather than worry about which style is right for you. But once you get immersed in the world, you may want to experiment. Here’s a brief rundown:
—-The Chen style mixes up the tempo, going very slow and then being explosive. It can be difficult for beginners.
—-The Yang style is the most popular. It has a steady tempo and, as discussed above, uses large frame movements. It’s probably what you think of when you think of tai chi.
—-In Wu, the movements are almost microscopic. This makes it easy to do, but difficult to master — there’s a lot of focus on powerful flows of energy and inner, pressured movements. The movements are very slow and deliberate.
—-The Hao style isn’t very widely spread. You probably won’t find a teacher that practices it.”
So as this says I DO think of the Yang style when I think of Tai Chi. However, I think the Chen style with mixing up of the tempo is good. It really aligns with the “balance” of it all. Fast – slow. Hard – soft. Steady – explosive. Reminds me of the song in the Nia Routine, Zensation, where the focus of the Kata is Tai Chi and we move fast and slow. We change the tempo. That is the Chen style of Tai Chi.
I was very happy I was able to take Tai Chi class. I even came home and practiced. I don’t know when I will be able to get back to the class, but I want to try to remember the first two moves. I am not certain I am doing them exactly right, but I will practice what he said was the most important part and then if I need to be corrected at least I will have a solid base.
And thank you again to ALL the Veterans!
Did you know there are different styles of Tai Chi? Do you think that you think of the Yang style (as the article states)? Have you ever taken a Tai Chi class?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Chen style Tai Chi, city Holiday, community centers, Facebook, Hao style Tai Chi, Nia, Nia at the YMCA, Nia class, Nia for the City, Nia routines, Tai Chi, Veterans Day, WikiHow, Wu Tai Chi, Yang style Tai Chi, YMCA, Yoga, Yoga class, Zensataion | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 28, 2014
Whew! I am so relieved. Yesterday while I was thinking about starting to write my post for today, my computer froze. Well, it was doing the “not responding” thing. I had been in the process of shutting all my program so that I could start over, when one of them did that thing. Usually it doesn’t respond for a few minutes then the program closes but this was taking longer. I was impatient and I used my master switch to shut my computer down. Well, it wouldn’t turn back on. I don’t mean it started to boot up and then when wanky, I mean there was nothing. Usually when I press on button the fans start working then the computer slowly turns on. There was nothing. My first thought was “OH NO!” and “Well, at least I know what to ask for as a Christmas present.” I sent out a warning to my hubby. I was warning him that he needed to be available as my “fix-it” guy. Then I started to think about it. The way it didn’t turn on. The way there was NOTHING. I was hoping it was an easy fix. I couldn’t remember exactly what it was but there is a part that is the first place you start when the computer goes wanky. Sometimes, as was the case with me the computer just won’t turn on, other times when the part is going bad it affects other things. Anyway . . . I was hoping it was an easy fix. I talked to my hubby and he reminded me of the part – power supply – and I told him that that was it. The way it was not turning on was definitely power. He agreed after he came home and looked at it. So he grab me one during his day, came home and installed it and I am up and running again. But I didn’t use the day without a computer to think of something to post.
I have a lot of things to post about and whatnot on my computer so when I don’t have something jumping out at me then I scrounge around my computer and find something. Not having a computer would be the same problem I had on Saturday when I didn’t know what to post about. I didn’t have access to my computer then either so I was floundering.
So, I am going to tell you what we did in Nia class today. You know — if you’ve read a few of my post about my Nia classes — I am always wanting the participants in my Nia classes to sound. I want them to make noise. You may also know that many of the Nia students are getting much better. You may also imagine that for people to make noise in a class while they are exercising it helps if they are all making the same noise. People feel more comfortable. One thing you probably don’t know is that I have one student who loves when we have “information” posted on the mirrors or in the class. So I thought I would combine my desire to help people sound with her love of “post-ups”.
I have posted about Healing Sounds that I came across and I have posted about the sounds associated with the Chakras. Well, I decided to use a combination of them. I have a routine I put together of Nia songs. I went through each one and thought of the prevailing sound in the song or a sound that would fit with a move in the song. I made signs and taped them to the mirror.
In the first song the vocals are “AH” so we used AH as associated with helping to balance the Heart Chakra. The next song, I don’t think are actual words, but to me it sounds as if the singer is saying, “Geee” so we had EEE (associated with the Crown Chakra). We did some kicking in the third song so we sounded HAA, which is a healing sounds attributed to calming the heart and alleviating anger. We used SHEE in our next song, the healing sound to relieve stress, tension, and anxiety. Our fourth song had us dancing on one leg a lot so I thought the healing sound to help with balance would be good, SSS. In one song we did something I call the Yo-Yo because I thought Carlos has called it that. When we make that sound we say, “yo-yo”, so I thought the sound associated with the Solar Plexas Chakra – OH, as in “go” – would be good with that song. In one song we danced stances and used our hips so I thought the OOO sound that helps with the Pelvic Chakra would be good to make while we danced. The second to the last song, I picked SHOO, just because I like it and I think the situations associated with that healing sound is something to clear out. That sound is for alleviating problems associated with depression. The last song I decided that we could make the sounds associated with body temperature. The Nia students could pick the one they felt they needed at the moment. There is HOO for warming the body and FOO for cooling the body.
The idea was for them to have sounds in each song that we all would be making. Although it was a set sound or even time. We all made the sound as we wanted. Sometimes someone would make it and we thought that sounded good so we would join in. Sometimes I would lead, like for our kicks we said, “HAA!” and with our “yo-yo” move we said “OH, OH!” But they were free to do what the were moved to do. Also . . . we did not stick to the specifics of the sounds. We were just saying them. Sometimes we said it with our exhale in one long sound, sometimes we made it a chant . . . it was all up to the individual. And, as I said, sometimes we would follow someone’s lead and do what they were doing.
It was great. It was nice to have so much noise going on. It was nice to have people making it their own. It is always great when the Nia students sound.
Don’t you wanna join a Nia Class? Don’t you wanna make some noise?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: alleviate stress, Carlos Aya Rosas, Chakra Vowels, computer fixes, computer problems, crown chakra, Healing Sounds, heart chakra, Nia, Nia class, Nia participants, Nia Sounds, Nia students, power supply, sounding | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 25, 2014
You might know from reading my posts that 1) I teach Nia in the morning and yoga in the evening on Thursdays 2) On Thursdays I like to have dinner at the point of readiness at which it will only take a 20 minutes tops for me to have dinner on the table 3) I cook a lot of ground turkey and use the same flavors/spices. So, I was so excited that on Sunday I thought ahead to what I would cook on Thursday. I found a recipe in my “Recipes I really want to try” folder. Artichoke hearts are not something I think of using because I didn’t always like them. The recipe I decided to try had them in it. I was very focused on the artichoke hearts. My plan kind of consisted of the fact that by the time I went shopping on Thursday we would need A LOT of things. The weekend before we had been out of town so I let the fridge get rather empty. So this trip I was going to be grabbing some staples. I had added a few things to my list as I thought of them. I was focused on the artichoke hearts, that DIFFERENT flavor. The recipe I chose was a chicken recipe and when I glanced at it when scribbling out my list I thought the chicken was shredded. My idea was to check the recipe again before I shopped on Thursday to see if it was or not. If it was I could have used chicken I had, if not, I needed to buy some. I got busy and didn’t check the recipe again and I just decided I could buy the chicken and use it if I needed it or save it if I didn’t. Something came up Thursday morning after my Nia class so I arrived home after shopping later than I planned. After putting away the groceries and having some food, I looked at the recipe – the SPINACH and Artichoke Chicken recipe. I hadn’t bought spinach. I hadn’t even put it on the list. (EYE ROLL!)
So click here for the recipe I was going to make. The recipe I ended up making is below. Just some slight adjustments. (Be sure to visit Dinner of Herbs for more yummy recipes!)
When I was putting away the groceries I noticed I had a container of “fresh” baby spinach that needed to be used. There was about a handful of nice looking leaves. I had also noticed we had our leftover Rainbow Chard. I had cooked the Rainbow Chard as I usually do with onions and garlic and salt in some olive oil. I had even added a bit of Worcestershire sauce to help over power the “green” taste. So the chard was tasty. I was just concerned that it would get too cooked after baking for 25 minutes. But . . . I didn’t have the time nor the desire to go out to get spinach. I needed to use up the chard anyway so . . . why not?
Also, the store I was at did not have the usual brand of chicken breast so I bought some that I have never seen. They were quite large.
So below is what I ended up making. I thought to take a few pictures while I was making it, but after I got home from class and was in get-it-on-the-table mode I forgot to take pictures of it cooked. It was good. I will be making it again . . . . next time with spinach and then who knows. It seems any green you would cook would work.
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Chicken With Spinach, Rainbow Chard, and Artichoke Hearts
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
garlic salt
handful of baby spinach, chopped
1.5 cups of cooked Rainbow Chard
2 6.5 oz jars of artichoke hearts, drained (save a little for the pan)*, and chopped
1/8 C sliced almonds**
2 oz Neufchâtel cheese
2-3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Preheat oven to 375° F. Sprinkle garlic salt on both sides of each chicken breast. In a large bowl mix the spinach, chard, artichoke hearts, almonds, Parmesan cheese, and powders. Use two utensils to cut the Neufchatel cheese into the mixture. Put the chicken in a 9X13 glass casserole dish. Spoon the filling onto one side of each of the butterflied chicken breasts, then fold over. Spoon any remaining filling onto each folded chicken breast, if you have enough put it all around. Bake for at least 20 minutes . . . until chicken is cooked to your liking.
*I poured a little bit of the artichoke marinade on the chicken.
**Next time I am going to add more AND sprinkle some on top!
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The chicken breast I used were so huge, I actually had to cook them for 40 minutes. PLUS, I left them in the oven with it turned off for an additional 10 minutes while I prepared our plates with the rice I served. I don’t think that the chicken I normally buy would require 40 minutes.
Neufchâtel is like cream cheese in that it has the same consistency, so it just didn’t stir into the other ingredients. I had to “cut it in” with two utensils. Basically you want to make sure there are no clumps of cheese.
The store I was at had only ONE brand of Neufchâtel cheese and I don’t know how authentic it is because it tastes just like cream cheese to me. Perhaps on my next go at this recipe I will find a brand that I feel is more authentic. I will do some research.
Sounds yummy, huh? Don’t you think any green that you would cook would work? If you make it with another green (kale, collard greens, etc) let me know. Go wild!
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: almonds, artichoke hearts, baked chicken, boneless chicken breats, chard, Collard Greens, cream cheese, Dinner of Herbs, Kale, Nia, Nia class, nuefchatel cheese, spinach, Yoga, Yoga class, yummy dinner | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 14, 2014
You may be familiar with cycles of a cardio class. Most modalities or classes have a warm-up, a “moving portion”, and a cool down. Not every form of cardio class includes a “flexibility” portion. As I mentioned in my last post, I was in a training recently and they include flexibility in their class structure. That is awesome. Their required class structure is: warm-up, endurance phase (cardio), cool down, then flexibility. I love that they are including flexibility. It is great to see. That is four portions. As you may be aware, Nia has seven. We call our sections of class cycles. The cycles are:
1. Setting your focus and intent
2. Stepping In
3. Warm up
4. Get Moving
5. Cool Down
6. Floorplay
7. Stepping out
Nia’s cycle #4, the “Get Moving” is comparable to the endurance phase or the cardio phase. That is where we really move. We can use big movements and move through the planes to get the heart rate up, so our cardio does not consist of running and jumping. In order to get the heart pumping we move our body up and down, using the muscles. We also move our arms and hands — a lot. Could be we are punching or it could be we are just moving them in a way consistent with the body’s way but that helps get the blood moving.
Nia’s cycle #6, Floorplay, is multiple types of movement. It is stretching and/or strengthening. It could be rolling on the floor or even crawling. With floorplay we do exactly that . . . . we play on the floor. There is definitely “flexibility” going on.
I was happy to see the flexibility component added. In fact, it might be so new that it wasn’t even included in the copy of the slides that we received for hand outs.
Flexibility is important. We there is tightness in the muscles sometimes they do not move properly. Where there is tightness in the joints they do not move properly. We our body does not move properly it tries to compensate and often ends up creating more issues. Or the tightness does not allow us to fully straighten so it might feel as if it can’t move at all so then people stop moving. It is somewhat a cycle. Perhaps you would like to read Simple Stretches Could Bring Relief.
Working on flexibility is just as important as working on cardio and resistance training. Flexibility is great to include in your workout routine. It should be scheduled into your workout time. Just like a savasana is done at the end of a yoga routine, stretching should be part of any workout routine you do.
It would be best if you stretched the muscles that you just worked in your workout. Being specific would be good. But in general it seems a safe bet would be to start at the top and work your way down. Stretching each muscles/muscle group. As I mentioned it would be best to stretch what you just worked so if you know how to do that, spend an extra minute or two on those muscles/muscle groups. I know it might feel like you don’t have time for it, but it will actually prove to save you time in the long run.
Do you have stretching as part of your workout? Do you work on your flexibility?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: 7 cycles of Nia, cardio, cool down, cycles of a cardio class, dance classes, dance exercise, exercise classes, flexibility, floorplay, Nia, Nia class, resistance training, tight muscles, warm-up, workout classes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 11, 2014
In Nia there is something called “the beginner’s mind”. Since learning about it associated with Nia, I have heard about it in association with other things. It might not always be called “beginner’s mind”, but it is the same concept, the same idea. It is the idea of stepping into something – anything, even if is something you are well familiar with – with a mind as if you are a beginner. Step into it as if you are hearing it, doing it, seeing it, or learning it for the first time. Step in as if you are a beginner.
This is a wonderful tool. When you walk into a situation with an empty cup, when it is not full of knowledge on the subject, it is able to be filled with all the information, new stuff is easy to learn, stuff you already “know” can be learned in a new way, and your cup gets filled again.
There are many reasons why you might want to practice the “beginner’s mind”. It could be because you are required – perhaps through your company, your certifying board, or any number of things – to take a particular class. It could be because – even though you know you don’t know everything there is to know . . . the timing of the class has you thinking it will be a waste of time. It could be — as just mentioned — you know you don’t know everything, but the length of the class has you thinking you will only get two hours worth of information out of the twelve hours you are being required to attend.
When I take a Nia class I always step in with a beginner’s mind. I know that no matter what routine is going to be taught it is going to be different. Which is not to say that the teacher will not do it correctly or will not do it the way it was taught on the DVD, but it does allow me to easily accept. I accept the way the teacher is teaching it. It flows so much better if I am just receiving as opposed to trying to inject my knowledge and the way the routine is supposed to be done. I accept that the teacher might not teach it exactly as I teach it. The teacher might use different pearls. The teacher use different cues. She might have found that a slight change in the choreography works better for her students or even something for her. And . . . with the idea that I am doing it as a beginner . . . instead of an expert who knows the routine . . . I can learn something. If I just do as I am being instructed I might sense that the move she does is actually good for a particular audience. Or the pearls that the teacher uses really matches well with the movements. Instead of my inner dialog being the moves or worse something like, “Well, here I say, ‘XXX'” or here we move like XXX, with my beginner’s mind I am listening instead of “talking” over what is happening. All of this could lead to discover of a new movement pattern.
In regards to a training where you are required to be, it could just make it be less dreadful than you thought it would. If you accept the fact that it is a requirement and decide to walk in with a beginner’s mind being told stuff you already know is not such a waster of time. Keeping the beginner’s mind and not telling your entire story to prove what you know gives you time to listen to what others know and learn about them. And — as stated before — possibly hear the same information but in a new way. Allowing yourself to let go and not be the expert is freeing and lets you relax into the learning process.
I was grumpy this past week because I knew I had to spend my Friday night (FRIDAY NIGHT) and all day Saturday in a training. I was afraid that my grumpiness would keep me from learning and be recognized by others. So I asked for help and was reminded of the beginner’s mind. I was able to step into the class not as grumpy. Of course, I did mention the fact to the trainer that it was a long training and the trainer – being an EXPERT trainer and pretty awesome – agreed, gave me the sympathy I wanted and boom! I got over it. 🙂 With my “cup” empty . . . I learned some cool things!
Do you every have the opportunity to practice the “beginner’s mind”? Have you every practice the “beginner’s mind”? How did practicing the “beginner’s mind” work for you?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: begiiner's mind, Expert trainer, movement pattern, Nia, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia DVD, Nia pearls, Nia routine, Nia student, Nia Teacher, required training, training | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 9, 2014
This week I met with a friend and she asked me, “So how do you come up with things to post on your blog?” It was very funny that she asked me that on that day because that day I was struggling to come up with something. It is funny how some days it is as if something to write about is RIGHT there and other days I can think about it from the moment I get up until the last minute and still be struggling. I am very particular about my posting schedule. There are blogs that I like to read and I will go to them and there is nothing. I will continue to go and there is nothing and after a week or two I forget to keep checking. I like to post on a schedule so if you come to my blog you know something will be here. But that is not always easy. Especially since my idea was to post something about health and fitness. There are so many blogs and websites about that. The magazines all have both and you know how many magazines there are so the market is inundated with the same stuff. And it is like the cooking shows. If one is cooking with eggplant that week, they all are. They are all talking about the latest fad, the latest exercise, the latest study. Sugar is bad, eggs are bad — eggs are good, sugar is the devil — eggs might be ok, sugar is crack. Just as examples. And, for me, sometimes there is so much going on that I don’t have time to do the research and check the latest facts. Life is busy. Sometimes I have to concentrate on teaching. Sometimes I have so much other stuff going on (you know in the last year I’ve had a lot of “stuff). Sometimes I feel my blog suffers. But I also think that when I just sit down and write . . . tell you what is going on (ya know when I don’t have time to research and fact check) . . . you guys seem to like that. How about a nice share today? You know I love to share.
I am lucky enough to be a part of a teacher rotation for a Nia class on Sunday. So this past Sunday I taught at they YMCA. It was the largest class I have taught there. It was really nice. The students were really into it. It is always such a moving experience to have twelve bodies enjoying the dance. Monday I am subbing for someone the month of October. That class was a joy.
My Tuesday/Thursday class is making me so proud and happy. Most of the people who attend Tuesday also attend Thursday. This group is really beginning to “get their Nia on”. They are actually sounding. It used to be that I could tell the area of the room where the “whoo” (or whatever) was coming from . . . but this week, I didn’t know. There were so many “whoos” and things I didn’t know who was making the noise. There were doing so well, that I said I was going to listen. So I was silent and they “ooed”! It was magical! I was so happy. I was silent a bit more just to hear them. And they kept going! It used to be they would stop after the first check. I would say, “I’m gonna do a sound check.” And the whole room would make noise, then the next time . . . . crickets! But not this week . . . they kept right on making noise!
One thing that happened, I already shared on Facebook, but I am going to share it here too, is the collective expression of dismay at our music being interrupted by lobby noise! There are a lot of lovely songs in our Nia music. We had just begun to get into the movement of the dance. And the majesty of the song was settling in over the room when there was this LOUD noise from the lobby. And the whole class went, “Awww!” Even though the noise would not have ruined the song or the dance, it just BURST into the sacredness of it. Two people went to shut the dance studio doors and I turned up the music and we danced on, but it was nice to see that other people appreciate the music and sacredness of it as well. We like to experience without BIG LOUD noise.
My Wednesday class was full of new students. And by full I mean, my “regulars” we not in attendance so it was just new students. Fun stuff!
Also, thanks to one of my Nia students I had the opportunity to share information about Nia to a club in the area. While it was understood prior to the meeting that nothing may become of it — as in, Nia may not be taught at the club — it was nice to be able to introduce people to Nia that had never heard of it before. I love to talk Nia so to be able to explain to people who might host it was awesome.
My yoga class turned into a private session of sorts. I was able to give one of my students some information that will assist her with something that she would like to improve upon specifically. It is one thing for me to do asanas that can help, but we were able to target some movement habits that she will be able to pay attention to. We both left feeling accomplished!
Then at the last minute when an instructor who became ill asked me to teach Nia for her students tomorrow, I said yes. So instead of teaching one Nia class, I am doing two . . which I have done before but at different facilities. Not two . . . back to back at the same place where I have already taught twice this week. So what that means is . . . I need to get my post up and get going on deciding on something to teach. So like I said in the beginning, sometimes I have to concentrate on teaching Nia!
So thank you for listening. It was a nice week. How was your week? Do share?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: dance exercise, dance studio, eggplant, Facebook, fitness blogs, fitness magazines, fitness websites, Nia, Nia class, Nia Music, Nia students, Nia Teacher, personal training, private Nia session, private yoga session, San Jose Fitness Club, sounding, YMCA, Yoga | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 7, 2014
I often tell my students at the end of class that making them get up is the worst part of my job. I have posted blog posts about savasana. The restful period of time at the end of a yoga class where you take time to relax letting the body and mind absorb the benefits to be had from the asanas that were just practiced. Let the body remember the stability and strength. Give the body time to become accustom the space that was created. Allow the mind to reflect on the stillness. Well, in Nia we often end the routine in Floorplay. Floorplay is either playing with gravity to experience the muscles or stretching or . . . it can be a combination of both. There are a lot of ways to play on the floor. There are a lot of ways to end the class. Our Nia training DVDs have floorplay and ending movements, but they are not choreographed. So there is a lot of freedom in the last songs. Nia teachers can either duplicate what the trainer does on the DVD or they can create their own movements to the songs and end the class in their own way. I know I sometimes do what I sense the class needs so sometimes I lead the class through movements and sometimes I instruct them to do their own free dance. Often times we end by lying on the floor in a restful pose. Just like in my yoga classes I don’t like to have to make my students get up.
In the studio I rent, I think that I should rent an extra 30 minutes so we can just lie there. Sometimes I sense the class could easily just stay there for an extra 30 minutes beyond the one hour Nia class. In the classes I teach for the San Jose Park and Recs Department, I sense they could do that too, but we need to end on time. Sometimes there is a class right after us so our restful period is interrupted. But when it is not, it is a challenge to know when to interrupt the peace.
Recently I taught a class and I really didn’t want to tell them to get up. The clock in the room was not working so I snuck up to check my phone and as I was returning to the circle I saw such peace and relaxation I didn’t want to bother them. I toyed with the idea of just letting them stay an extra 5 or 10 minutes. But without having planned that in advance, I didn’t want someone lying there past the hour and not knowing it. Many people workout on their breaks so they need to get back to work. Or they just need to get on with their day. So as much as I don’t like interrupting their peace and as much as I would like to just let them relax, I need to keep to our schedule. But it really is the worst part of my job when I feel they would love to just stay.
But, on the other hand, it really is a great part of my job when I can be in the presence of those that can just relax and let go. After dancing and getting all sweaty it is so nice that they can just take a deep breath and melt into the earth and relax. I get a huge sense of peace when I am in the presence of their stillness . . . . that is why it is so hard to disturb them.
Do you take moments out of your day to just relax and experience peace?
Posted in Nia, Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asanas, body weight exercises, Body-mind, dance exercise, gravity exercises, Nia class, Nia DVDs, Nia flooplay, Nia Free Dance, Nia Practice, Nia routine, Nia routines, Nia songs, Nia students, Nia training, Nia workout, restful period, San Jose City Nia classes, San Jose Park and Recs Department, savasana, shavasana, Yoga class, Yoga Practice | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 27, 2014
I teach a cardio dance exercise called Nia. But it is more than that. At one point in its history Nia was NIA and stood for Neuromuscular Integrative Action. I have mentioned this before. I have also mentioned that I am not sure why the name has gone through many changes. I personally think that Nia has changed its name trying to find a wide audience. Trying to become more popular. It is sometimes the way with things that there has to be a catchy name or something in order to get people’s attention. Sometimes the name that best describes something is not catchy or marketable enough to attract people. Neuromuscular Integrative Action is really a great name. It describes Nia very well. But I don’t think it is very catching. It is difficult for some to remember, perhaps, and it might not come easy to understand to many people. But it really is a perfect name for Nia.
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary states:
Full Definition of NEUROMUSCULAR:
of or relating to nerves and muscles; especially : jointly involving or affecting nervous and muscular elements
A Google search shows the following:
integrative:
serving or intending to unify separate things.
[In] • Medicine — combining allopathic and complementary therapies.
So the actions during the workout will have to do with nerves and muscles. The movements, in addition to moving the entire body, also bring together the Body, Mind, Emotions, and Spirit (BMES). So it truly is Neuromuscular Integrative Action. But that truly is a mouthful. Even though it is a great, descriptive name, I think it might have been decided it was too difficult. I don’t know. I am just speculating.
I mentioned in my post about Knee Sweeps how it is beneficial to the brain for our limbs to cross over the midline of the body. I want to write a little more on that . . . . imagine you have a string that starts at the top of your forehead and it fall down the middle of your forehead, down the middle of your nose, in between your breast down the middle of your chest, over your belly button, continuing down in between your legs. That is the MIDLINE of your body. So when your cross your left hand/arm or foot/leg over to the right side of that line you are crossing the midline. And vice-versa. This type of action is good for your brain. This type of action is good for your nervous system. It is action relating to nerves and muscles. You use your muscles in action and this stimulates your nervous system.
I often remind my class how we are “working” the brain when we cross the midline of the body, when it really is so much more than that. Because, as you know, each side of the body is controlled by opposite sides of the brain so when you cross the midline both sides of the brain are forced into working. Both sides must communicate with each other. This communication with the nerve-cell pathways linking both sides, but strengthening them.
Many exercise classes do this. That is because it is important (I believe I have said this before.) Even yoga does it in some of its asanas. So the crossing does not have to happen in a cardio class or during a cardio exercise. Crossing the midline in stretches also helps “stretch” the brain. So even if you don’t participate in Nia, you can do things to help your brain. But I just wanted to share again – I know I’ve mentioned some of this a few times – how Nia is a lot more than a dance exercise, it really is neuromuscular integrative action.
So, with the reminder that it is good for your brain and nervous system, are you gonna cross that line?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: BMES, Body Mind Emotions Spirit, cardio, cardio class, cardio dance exercise, cross the midline, dance, dance exercise class, exercise, exercise the brain, exercise the nervous system, exercises, Knee Sweeps, marketable, midline, Neuromuscular Integrative Action, Nia, Nia class | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 18, 2014
Ahh, I really wanted to have my blog post for today written yesterday. I wanted to “take the day off” today. Well, I taught a Nia Class this morning. And I have a Gentle Yoga Class to teach tonight, so I am not really taking the day off. I just didn’t want to have to think about a blog post or clean any part of the house today. I was going to take the day off from cleaning and doing chores. Ha. Well, it didn’t work out that way. But it is still a good day. We had a bit of rain. But that just made the traffic this morning very bad. My hubby was very thoughtful and called me to alert me to the chaos on the freeways this morning. So I left early than I normally do to get to class. I started to get on the freeway and got right back off. Since the traffic was not normal Thursday morning traffic I didn’t know if there were accidents that were blocking the roads so I decided to chance it and take the inner city streets. I actually made it to class RIGHT ON TIME! Which to me is not “on time” because I need to do a little set up before we start. But we still started only about five minutes late. Most of the Nia students didn’t even know we started late. So it worked out. The rain was only a very small amount, but it was moisture. That is a good thing. So there are a lot of things that can go into my Goodie Jar just today. So I am making this a check in day.
I haven’t checked in on you and your Goodie Jar for four months. I am still putting things in mine. I ALWAYS have something to put in mine. Regardless of what is going on I consider myself blessed. I hope you have at least one thing you can put into your jar.
I am doing a check in as a sort of “day off” from writing a blog post. Since I didn’t get the day off from chores and cleaning. I really don’t need a day off from teaching. Teaching is fun and I get so much good energy from my Nia and yoga students it doesn’t count as work. I can do without the extra travel time and traffic, but . . . we need the rain. Don’t know why it practically shuts our freeways down . . . but whatever.
Rain. To class on time. Birthday love. Hubby cooking dinner. These are the things that make me smile that I put in my Good Things Jar.
I have seen some people post on Facebook and others on their blog that some of you have gotten new family members . . . whether human or animal, that is a thing for the Goodie Jar. I always put notes about my family in my Goodie Jar.
So . . . what about you? Are you still putting things in your Good Things Jar? What have you added recently?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar, Misc | Tagged: birthday, blog post, California Rain, Facebook, freeway chaos, gentle yoga, good things jar, Goodie Jar, Nia class, Nia students, rain shuts down freeways, teaching Nia, Yoga class | Leave a Comment »
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