Posts Tagged ‘Nia class’
Posted by terrepruitt on September 25, 2012
This year my husband was really on the ball. In July he started asking me what I wanted for my birthday. Since going out of town isn’t something we have in our budget, I thought about it for a bit, then decided that is what I wanted to do for my birthday. I wanted to go to a bed a breakfast place on the coast that we both love. So I got my heart set on a weekend at THAT particular bed and breakfast. When I looked it up on the internet I was happy to see it is still there, however, it is no longer a bed and breakfast establishment. The house is for rent as a vacation rental, but it is no longer a place to rent a room for the weekend. I was sad. I was so bummed that one of our places is gone. Plus I was bummed because I had to come up with something else for my birthday. He asked me every month. I thought I had found something, but then circumstances changed and so that didn’t work out. Then I remembered there was a time when I entertained the thought of one of those super blenders. But really, to me that is an outrageous purchase unless you are really going to use it. Having it sit in my cupboard would be a waste. In my opinion there are a lot of things that are outrageous if they just sit and not get used, but when I use things often I feel I get my money’s worth. I would like to include more vegetables in my diet. I like to serve a green salad every night and a vegetable, so I was thinking another way to add fruits and vegetables would be to make green smoothies. I don’t drink fruit smoothies so I really wanted to TRY a green one before I had my hubby make the investment. I hear that green smoothies are an acquired taste and I don’t just want to blend fruit. I want more veggies than fruit. But then I started looking at some recipes online of other things I could make in a “super blender”. I think I have posted about how my hummus is not smooth. I made a joke about being the inventor of “whole bean” hummus — which is basically just chickpeas. So I thought I could use the power of a super blender to make hummus. So I decided to ask for a blender for my birthday.
When I received my blender I didn’t have any greens, but I was going to get some delivered the very next day. In my box I received a new-to-me veggie. The box contained Rainbow Chard and so I thought I could put that in my first smoothie. I think of it as a fruit smoothie with some green since it really didn’t have that much green. I am breaking myself in slowly — as has been suggested.
Another suggestion that I have seen on various website is that if it is an “ugly” green smoothie put it in a mug and if it is a “pretty” green smoothie use a pretty glass. I think that is just the type of silly suggestion I can follow. It makes an odd kind of sense.
Well so far I have used my blender four times. I am sure you are going to hear about each time in future posts. Well, perhaps not all four times . . . but maybe, we will see.
So my first fruit/”green” smoothie was:
1 Cup water
1/2 of apple chopped
1 banana (sliced)
1 leaf of rainbow chard (cut up)
My blender has a smoothie button so I just used that and it worked great. There were NO chunks at all. What I really love and was somewhat surprised to see is, it comes out frothy!
I think my first “green” smoothie was pretty good. Although, I think that one leaf of green and 1.5 “fruits” is a larger fruit ratio than I want to stick with. I am going to work my way up to more greens and less fruit. My idea is to like and drink the more-veggie-than-fruit smoothies, but also enjoy the more-fruit-than-veggie smoothies when I feel the desire.
I am thinking I might have a smoothie before Nia, but I am not sure. I usually try not to drink so much liquid before class. 🙂
Have you heard of these blenders that blend SMOOTH smoothies?
Posted in "Recipes", Food, Smoothies, Vegetables | Tagged: birthday present, Blendtec, chickpeas, fruit smoothie, green smoothie, hummus, Nia, Nia class, rainbow chard, vegetable smoothie | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 11, 2012
I might have mentioned this about Nia before, but it came up again today so I am posting about it. If I posted about it before, I can’t find it. Nia is unique in many ways. One way that Nia is unique is that we don’t shy away from issues or situations. I have been instructed in other types of trainings to “always remain positive”. As an instructor “to leave your problems at the door”. I’ve been told it is the instructor’s job to create a positive atmosphere. And while, I understand that, and I believe it to a certain extent, there are times when other feelings and life situations can be acknowledged. Today is September 11th. It is the anniversary of a very horrific attack that has affected the entire world. 
Everyone has their own opinions and feelings about the attack, the results, the anniversaries, and all, but for many it can be a time of sorrow. Whether you knew someone who died in the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers or you just know that many things were taken away when those planes crashed into the towers, it is sad day to remember. With many exercise classes it would not be in keeping with the training to bring that memory into the class. I was teaching a new class today. It was only my second time at this new location and with these new students. I thought that maybe bringing something so “heavy” into the class (the second class!!) might not be the right thing to do. But it crossed my mind that this is Nia, and in keeping with what Nia is, I could do that, because dancing and moving to issues and life events is something that we do in Nia. We can dance our emotions, whether they are happy or sad. We can dance our sorrow or our joy. We can dance for people who have died or are in need of positive thoughts. We can dance for beloved pets that are no longer here. We can dance whatever we want. We can dance our hearts. We are not confined to being the “happy-up-beat-don’t-let-any-emotions-but-happy-show” type of exercise. And my heart, my heart really, really, really, wanted to remember. I wanted to remember all the lives that were lost in connection with the event. I wanted to remember what we all lost on that day. I wanted to remember what we still have. I wanted to remember, to honor, to grieve, to rejoice, to share, to sense, to feel . . . . . I wanted to do Nia.
So I took my concerns to my class and I asked them if it was ok with them that we dance a dance of remembrance. I explained to them how this is something unique to Nia, that we can dance anything. I suggested a focus of remembering with an intent of doing so in our own way with our own feelings, I suggested feelings of both sorrow and joy. Because as we all know it was tragic to have lost so many lives and so much freedom, but many did survive and many freedoms are still ours to enjoy. The students were free to dance their own version of remembering.
As I said, this is a new class with mostly new-to-Nia students, having such a vague and “non-physical” type of focus is something I usually do with people who are not new to Nia. I have found that many participants especially people new to Nia, appreciate having a physical or body related type of focus. By physical or body related type of focus I mean a body part/area (“Let’s focus on our feet with the intent of sensing our whole foot.”). But I also believe that people can do what they can do. So if a non-physical focus and intent works for the participant then they will be able to incorporate it into their workout. With a focus on something that affected everyone, even though it was non-physical, I sensed the participants could tap into the remembering that was significant to each as an individual.
I love that Nia allows for us to not only dance what we SENSE, but also what we feel when we feel the need to do so. Today, I felt the need to dance what I feel. I feel the need to honor the victims of September 11, 2001 — ALL of them, even the ones that are alive — because everyone was affected in some way and for some of us dancing is a great way to express it. Nia classes don’t always have to be about the “happy” we can dance what we need to dance at that moment.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: exercise class instructor, freedance, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia exercise, Nia feelings, Nia focus and intent, Nia joy, Nia participants, Nia students, Nia workout | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 6, 2012
Another one of the 52 Moves of Nia is the “A” Stance. This is the stance where the position of the legs allows the body to look somewhat like the capital letter A. The legs are placed wider than hip distance apart, even wider than shoulder width. The legs are far enough apart and wide enough for them to appear to be as the bottom “legs” on a capital letter A. The feet are parallel, the upper body is relaxed. The Nia Technique Book states the benefits as: “Practicing “A” Stance improves hip flexibility and leg strength, which improves agility and mobility.”
I would like to add that it improves or at least allows the practice of balance. Not balancing on one leg which we do a lot in Nia, but balance between the body and the legs, balance between both legs, and balance between the legs and feet. Also balance of weight between the two feet. This is a stable and balanced stance. The weight is not on one foot more than the other. The weight is not on the front or the balls of the feet more than on the heels. This is a great stance to practice balance in. To allow the body to rest onto the whole foot.
Not only having the feet be parallel but even. If you were to stand at a line would your toes be even, both up to the line? I had noticed with myself for a while now that when I step into an “A” stance my right foot is ALWAYS slightly back from where my left foot is. I have been noticing this since I injured my foot in November of 2010. Just last week as I was teaching my regular Nia Class in Willow Glen, I noticed I stepped into “A” stance and my left foot was the tiniest bit back from the line on which my right foot landed (had there been a line). I thought that was funny. I giggled, but I hadn’t thought of it again until now. I don’t always think about my uneven landings until I have the opportunity to land in a stance where I see my feet several times in a routine. Then during the routine I focus on having my feet land even. There are times, of course in a dance where they don’t need to be or aren’t supposed to be even, but when doing a regular closed, open, A, or sumo stance I think the feet should be even. The “A” stance is a great stance to practice that because you can clearly see your feet and the pose is relaxed enough that there are not other things you might be thinking about. I feel the “A” Stance is a great way to practice balance.
As with all stances one way to practice the “A” stance is to simple stand in one place and move through the stances. Another way to practice is to walk and then stop in the “A” stance. Walking and stopping into an “A” Stance would be a great way to work on landing “even” — as I mentioned before. Walk, then stop, then look at your feet, notice the sensation in your hips, if your feet are even then that is the sensation you want to replicate, if not, then adjust your feet, notice the sensation in your hips and try to replicate it again as you step into “A” Stance.
The “A” Stance is just one of the six stances in the Nia 52 Moves.
What do you sense when standing in the “A” Stance? When you step into the “A” Stance do your feet land “even”?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: 52 Moves of Nia, A Stance, balance of weight, closed stance, Nia 52 moves, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia in Willow Glen, Nia Practice, Nia Stances, open stance, Riding Stance, Sumo Stance, The Nia Technique book, Willow Glen Nia | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 25, 2012
I cannot believe it has been over a month since I was driving around to the Community Centers of San Jose that offer Group Ex classes checking out their floors! Since we do Nia bare footed I wanted to see what community centers have dance studios. While I was looking for the community centers is when I first noticed the painted utility boxes around. I can’t believe it has been over a month since I was driving from my Nia class in Willow Glen and I noticed someone painting the utility box that I pass all the time. Over a month ago! Wow. Time goes so fast. I was hoping to have more pictures of more boxes, but I haven’t seen any since then. I must not be in the areas where there are boxes — could also be that I am a little distracted and not noticing the boxes. Sigh. Anyway . . . I think the artist might have completed painting these boxes in one day. I am not certain because I didn’t drive by again until the following Monday and I didn’t stop to take pictures until a week after I first stopped. I was just waiting to post because I didn’t want to have the utility box posts right in a row. I don’t mind having Nia posts, or exercise posts, or food posts consecutively, I just didn’t want to have utility box posts one after the other. Before I knew it, it has been a month. Wow.
The first picture is a shot of the front of the boxes together straight on. The next “picture” is a collage (obviously) of pictures of different angles so you can somewhat see the side of the boxes. The second collage is pictures of the back of the boxes and the little label disclosing the artist and the sponsor.
Looks as if the birds are driving around in San Jose. These boxes are on Bird Avenue so I think it makes total sense that birds are driving cars, vans, motorcycles, sports cars, and delivery trucks.
You might have noticed that the artist incorporated the vent on the back of the box painting it as if it is the back of a truck. Cute. You may also have noticed that one truck seems to be carrying eggs. I think Mr. Willis is showing his sense of humor by having a bird drive around as either an egg delivery service or perhaps a pickup service.
It is quite a cheery little mural. Also very responsible. You might not be able to see, but all of the birds on scooters or motorcycles have on helmets. It is a law in California that you have to wear a helmet, so it is good of the artist to have legally correct drivers. I am not sure that any birds have been ticketed for not doing so, but it is still a good idea!
So what do you think? Cute, huh? Have you seen any painted utility boxes in your area? If you have I would love to see. Send me a picture with some information and I can post it.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: art box sponsor, City of San Jose, City of San Jose Group Ex, community center classes, Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio, dance classes, dance floors, dance studio, Group Ex Classes, Group Ex teacher, helmet law, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia exercise, Nia San Jose, San Jose Art Project, Scott Willis, Utility Box Art, Willow Glen, Willow Glen Nia | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 23, 2012
S
o tomorrow marks our fourth box of produce delivered. Since I have been subbing Nia for a lot of other classes this month, I really appreciate not having to go to the store every other day. But it seems like two of the boxes I was too busy to cook/eat/deal with right away. But for the most part we go through the veggies and fruit rather quickly. I haven’t really received too much that is new to me. We received some tomatoes that were an odd color to me. They were red, but they were a very deep red. Except for the one that had a big moldy hole in it, they were very good. I realized a while ago when I started trying to eat tomatoes that I don’t like the jelly part with the seeds. I like the firm fleshy part. These tomatoes had more fleshy parts then “jelly” part. They were very good. So far, despite some quality that I would not have picked from the grocery store or a farmers market, I am really happy with the Farm Fresh To You deliver.
The two things I had a problem with was the moldy hole in the tomato and the lettuce that was already wilted and was so “on the verge” that it left a green ugly smudge of itself on the box that the produce comes in. Any fruit delivered is always finished first – YUM! I love the plums I get from my in-laws, I don’t know what kind they are, but they are dark and sweet. But I loved the ones I got in the second box too. They had a flavor that brought back childhood memories of summer fruit. The nectarines were good too. Aside from the wilted lettuce I love their lettuce. It is soft and not bitter. But I could use a lettuce delivery more than once a week, so once every other week is really not enough. I believe one week the list said we would get a lemon cucumber. I was looking forward to that, but I didn’t get it. I did get the broccoli rabe which I had never had before, but it didn’t any different that brocoli. A little more tender, I suppose.
The third box had pluots in it. They were good too. I even shared one with my husband. The pear you see was a substitute. We were supposed to get a lemon delivered and we did not because I asked not to received any lemons. We have a lemon tree and while the one they were going to send was a different kind I don’t use lemons as it is so I didn’t need another one. My husband likes pears so that works. The cucumbers were awesome. So crisp and flavorful. I really like their cucumbers. Unfortunately I forgot about the eggplants, so while we ate them we did not eat them at their peak and I did a little disguise technique on them, just in case. Now those peppers, Shishito peppers . I don’t even know what those are. I looked them up online to verify that they were not hot before I tried one. They information said “sweet” so I tasted one. That has got to be one of the most bitter things I have ever tasted. So they are still sitting on my counter. They will probably sit there until I have to throw them away because I don’t know what to do with them. I will keep an eye out for those on the list and if they pop up again say, “NO THANK YOU!!!!”
So that is my produce delivery update. I am a little bummed that I have not received anything out of the ordinary. I guess I could just got BUY something myself at a Farmer’s Market that is out of the ordinary, but I am really not included to do that. So I was hoping to get if “forced” on my. Anyway, every time I cook or make something and my husband says, “This is REALLY good.” I point out that it is most likely because of our yummy organic produce that we are having delivered. He had even suggested we get it delivered more often. I have been entertaining that idea. But there are a lot of options so I have to think about it. Could be awhile before I decide. I mean it took me years to get this far, but now that I did it I am glad I did.
How about you? Any exciting summer fruit or veggie make it to your table this season?
Posted in Food | Tagged: Farm Fresh to You, Farmers Market, lemon cucumer eggplant, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, organic fruit, Organic produce delivery, organic vegetables, pluots, Shishito peppers, substitute Nia | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 18, 2012
I’ve written a few posts having to do a bit with chakras. I’m still not all that familiar with chakras. I believe them to be energy points in the body. Points from which energy flows, both into/out of, to/from. I read a site that said “the area of interconnection between the body and the spirit”. I find that to be an interesting idea. There is a lot of information out there about chakras —- a lot of information! Not all of it matches up or is in agreement so I tend to look at a bunch of information and different sources and go with what I see the majority of and disregard the rest if I can’t find another source to corroborate the information. Some information claims there are seven chakras, other information claims there are more. I can see there maybe being more, but I am just focusing on learning about just seven since there is so much information out there. Most information is in agreement with a few facets of chakras. Most agree that there is a color associated with each chakra. Most information agrees that there are other things associated with each chakra; a sound, a tone, a stone, and a symbol. Some say a flower and/or a plant. Most even agree with the idea that the chakras are associated with parts of the body and/or functions of the body. But even though the information might all concur that there are all of these things associated with specific chakras, the information does not always agree with the details of the association.
I’ve seen that there is usually one color associated with a chakra. But I have seen that there are many gemstones associated with each chakra. Sometimes the gemstone will be the same as the color, but sometimes not. It could be that the stone is associated with the chakra but the different color is thought to do different things. I posted about my pendant I purchased that is made up of the different chakra healing stones. Those are not the only stones associated with the chakras.
A chakra is thought to be balanced or unbalanced. An unbalanced chakra could be either open or closed. With an unbalanced chakra the energy does not flow properly. The energy being out of whack could cause physical ailments, symptoms, or actions. In my post about the heart chakra I touched upon information that the heart chakra is associated with “the heart, the circulatory system, the entire chest area, lungs, breasts, the diaphragm, the thymus gland, the immune system, and some say the endocrine system.” The chakras are often associated with feelings and emotions. When I wrote that post I was sensing my lungs, they seemed to tickle and itch. I believe since the heart chakra is affected by grief my lungs were being affected because that was shortly after my mother-in-law died. It is even more significant that the heart chakra is located behind the sternum.
I think it is interesting to entertain the idea that there are chakras and these energy points are associated with body parts and body functions. And if you have an unbalance in a specific chakra you could have physical issues. As I was saying for me, I believe grief equaled itchy/cough lungs. One of the challenges with chakras is, as I said, there is a lot of information out there and sometimes there is such a large association it is difficult to even really believe that it is the chakra that is unbalanced and that is why there is an issue. Sometimes the list of things a chakra is associated with is just too lengthy to comprehend or the information contradicts itself. Never the less I think it is interesting and for me it is something I think about when I am having a physical symptom. I think is this a chakra imbalance manifesting itself as a physical issue. While I don’t think chakra balancing is a substitute for medical attention when needed, sometimes it is still nice to know.
With all these thoughts about chakras it reminds me that I love to use chakras as the focus in my Nia classes. I think I will us one as the focus in my next Nia class!
How do you feel about the whole chakra thing? Are you a believer? Do you know much about them?
Posted in Chakras | Tagged: balanced chakra, Chakra, chakra colors, chakra sounds, chakra stones, chakra tones, energy points, gemstone, Healing stones, heart chakra, Nia, Nia class, unbalanced chakra | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 16, 2012
Recently 30 seconds into the second song in my Nia Class, one of my students stopped dancing and started to limp away. I asked her what was up and she replied that she got a bee sting on her foot. I asked if it just happened now (during the class) because she had appeared to be moving fine during the first song — but then again, the first song in the Nia routine we were doing is basically whole foot stances. She had said it had happened over the weekend. She said that she was hoping she could dance, but the sting got too aggravated. After class one of my other students inquired as to why the student left. She had not heard the exchange between me and bee-stung person. I told her that her fellow student had been stung by a bee over the weekend but had hoped to be able to dance but could not. The inquiring student said, “Oh I wish I would have heard because she might want to try meat tenderizer.” Huh? So that started a whole conversation about her having been told to use meat tenderizer on a bee sting.
My student related the story where she and her son had been walking down the street in Palo Alto (a city in near San Fransisco) and she had been stung by a bee. She said since it happened right there on the street others had observed the incident. She said one woman offered the suggestion of putting meat tenderizertenderizer on the sting. She said the woman was a nurse. I asked my student if the meat tenderizer worked. She said it did, she said she didn’t know why, but it did.
Times like that is when I truly LOVE wireless devices that can instantly connect me to the answers to “Why?/How?” I had to look it up. WHY would MEAT TENDERIZER work on a bee sting?
The first site that came up stated that bee stings are acidic and the meat tenderizer is alkaline so it works to counteract the acidity of the sting. At the time that is all that I read. Good enough for me. Just a quick answer as to why. In researching it for this post it appears that this treatment of the symptoms of a sting is an old home remedy.
The information on the internet states to mix the meat tenderizer with water to form a paste, apply it to the stung area so that it covers the entire area, and leave it on for 10 to 20 minutes. Then wash it off and apply ice.
Some information stated that mixing the meat tenderizer with vinegar is another option.
Several sites state it is the papain in the meat tenderizer. Papain is a natural enzyme that works to break down the protein in the venom. It is suggested that a meat tenderizer without this enzyme would not work.
Some sites indicated that this remedy used to relieve the symptoms of a bee sting will work for other stings (wasp, jelly fish) and bites as well. Of course — as stated this remedy would just relieve minor symptoms of a sting. If there is a chance of an allergic reaction medical attention should be obtained.
Also . . . more stuff I learned while researching the meat tenderizer for a bee sting is that the stinger should not be removed with tweezers. I saw many instructions stating to SCRAP it out. The suggestion is to use a credit card or a metal blade. The idea is that pulling the stinger out might just cause MORE venom to be pushed into the victim and the scraping will get it all out. I would have just pulled it out with my finger nails or tweezers.
I found all of this very interesting. I know many people who have been stung by bees and they might know this information. I know many people who have not been stung by bees and they might want to know this information. I don’t actually have meat tenderizer in my pantry. I am not one that cooks meat without it having been marinated and I believe the marinades work to tenderize the meat. But if you do happen to get stung by a bee and have meat tenderizer in your pantry maybe you would like to give it a try.
Have you ever been stung by a bee? What did you do? If you get stung might you try meat tenderizer on the sting?
Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: acidic, alkaline, bee sting, bee sting symptoms, meat tenderizer, Nia class, Nia routing, Nia Song, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area Nia, stances | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 14, 2012
I had to cancel a Nia class recently. Not permanently cancel, just one Saturday class. If you know me, you know it had to be serious. While I was away I wrote the “More Foam Roller Coolness” post. A couple of days later a few things occurred to me. The first thing that occurred to me was that the progression of exercise difficulty could be totally different for everyone — depending upon where they were physically. Of course you know that but I always feel it is important to state it. I was thinking that horizontal to vertical was the more difficult progression because it was difficult for me at that time (my ankle has been getting my attention recently). But for others, maybe even most others, it would be the other way, from vertical to horizontal. Another thing I thought about that made me chuckle was the term horizontal and vertical. I didn’t describe that at all. I guess that is what I get when I am out of town because of some medical situation for my mom. I had other things on my mind and wasn’t thinking too clearly and so I didn’t think to clarify. And it did not help that my dad kept popping in the room telling me about more information he found on the internet about some of the medical procedures. Sometimes having the internet at your disposal to see medical procedures is not really all that great! So this post is to correct or remind readers that the horizontal to vertical progression, might actually be vertical to horizontal – depending upon the situation – and to explain what “horizontal” and “vertical” is.
If you were to stand with both of your feet facing front and you placed the roller on the ground so that each end was on the opposite side of your feet that is an example of the “horizontal” position. To clarify when using the roller in the horizontal position you could place it wherever it is required to be for what you are doing as long as the roller is more or less positioned with the length going from left to right (or right to left).
If you were to stand with both of your feet facing front and you placed the roller on the ground so that the length of it went along the side of your foot, that would be the “vertical” position of the foam roller. For a moment I had pictured people imagining setting the roller on its end and trying to figure out how to do exercises from there. That is what had me chuckling. So no, in this case, “vertical” does not mean stand it on its end!
Again, where you place the roller as you are going to use it depends on what exercise or stretch you are going to do, but the “horizontal” means from left to right (or right to left) and “vertical” means if you were to stand near it is would be parallel to your foot. It would also be called “vertical” when you place the foam roller on the ground and are going to lie on it with one end at your head and the other end at your tail.
Does it all make better sense now? Do you understand you don’t have to be a Cirque du Soleil acrobat to do stretches or exercise with the foam roller in a “vertical” position?
Posted in Foam Rollers | Tagged: Cirque du Soleil, Cirque du Soleil acrobat, exercise progression, Foam Roller, foam roller exercise, foam roller stretches, medical procdures, Nia, Nia class | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 7, 2012
Well, Palo Alto seems to be as close to as to what I consider the South Bay as we have gotten since I have been attending Nia. I really want to have a Nia Jam in San Jose. I am going to work on that for 2013. The Nia Jam for San Francisco Bay Area Nia Association in the South Bay in 2012 was at a Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. As I have described before, a Nia Jam is a Nia class only longer with multiple teachers. It is like a Nia class on steroids. A typical Nia class is 60 minutes, a Nia Jam is usually 90 minutes. In a Nia Jam there is a group of teachers who take turns teaching. As with all Nia classes the Nia Jam had a focus and an intent. The focus of this Nia Jam was Yin & Ying of Creative Play, with the intent of providing both a high energy experience and a quieter, more reflective experience as Nia can support either or both. I have to be honest, I didn’t get a quiet, reflective experience out of this jam. We were on fire! The energy was so high it was tangible. It was amazing!
I am so glad that the energy is always so high because I had taught my Saturday morning class in San Jose. Then I stayed at the studio and took a class, then I raced over to Palo Alto to teach at the Jam. The energy energized me!
There were six teachers who taught. It is so fun to dance and be led by a variety of teachers. It is a wonderful thing to be able to experience a song, a kata, that you know, in a different way. While usually the basics are there, there is often a little nuance that the teacher adds to the song. It could be just a sound that is not normally made, a word not usually spoken, or it could be the addition of a different step or the removal of a step, it could just be their way of cueing that makes it different. Whatever the difference it is so invigorating to do what you know a little differently. I also love doing the unknown. I don’t know all of the Nia routines and I love to get to dance katas I don’t know.
At the same time a Nia Jam is perfect for someone new to Nia because they get to dance with many different teachers and experience different styles. They also can witness the warmth of the Nia community. New participants can also enjoy the astronomical energy that is present at Nia Jams. They can also confirm that Nia students and Nia teachers do sweat as Nia is a moving grooving cardio dance exercise. They can corroborate what I have been sharing — a great workout does not have to be done extremely fast and hard it can be done with movements of the whole body.
Monday in class my students were still talking about the Nia Jam. It was THAT fun! It was THAT energizing. It was great! I know Nia is a great workout. I invite you to go to a class, one of mine (click for schedule) or one you find near you (click for worldwide listings), but I implore you to go to a Nia Jam. If there is one not far from you, go. You will enjoy it for all the reasons I mentioned above, for reasons I have not mentioned, and for reasons of your own. Nia Jams are always fun and the Nia Jam for the South Bay on the Peninsula did not disappoint!
For more pictures go to: http://www.helpyouwell.com/nia-jams.html
Posted in Nia | Tagged: cardio dance class, cardio exercise, Jewish Community Center, Nia, Nia class, Nia community, Nia experience, Nia focus, Nia in San Jose, Nia kata, Nia participants, Nia routine, Nia Song, Nia students, Nia teachers, Palo Alto Nia, pictures of Nia Jam, San Francisco Bay Area Nia Association, San Jose dance exercise, Saturday morning class, SF Bay Nia, South Bay Dance exercise, South Bay Nia Jam, who does Nia, www.HelpYouWell.com, Yin & Ying | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 2, 2012
I learn A LOT when I teach Nia. I learn a lot when I teach anything, but since my focus now is teaching Nia, I say I learn a lot when I teach Nia. One thing I learn or I am reminded of is not everyone has taken a class that has taught them basic steps. It is like when I take a Zumba class and the teach calls out a basic Latin dance and I have no idea what she is talking about. I always laugh to myself and say, “I don’t know what the steps are to that basic Latin dance!” But then I remember my Nia training and my Nia practice and while I try to do whatever dance it is she says we are doing, I remain in Joy and just allow myself to move my body in a way that is dance to me. But not everyone has had Nia training and not everyone practices Nia so it is not as easy for them to just allow their bodies to move and not think so much. One of the tools that Nia uses to help teachers instruct the dance and to just help one dance in general is the clock. I posted about how we look at the clock in a Nia class — ok that is just me because I need the actual reference. I have posted about our step called the “Slow Clock” . This post is about the movement called the Fast Clock. The Fast Clock is one of Nia’s 52 Moves
The Fast Clock is similar to the Slow Clock in that we are stepping on the “hours” of a clock (oh, imagine that!), but with the fast clock we don’t return to center before stepping on another number/hour. So if you stand with your feet together imaging you are in the center of the clock, then step your right foot to 12 o’clock, then back to 6 o’clock (without stopping in the center) that is the fast clock. There are a lot of combinations that can be done when doing a fast clock. You could step to 12 o’clock, then 3 o’clock, then 6 o’clock, then return to center. Then your other foot could step to 12 o’clock, then 9 o’clock, then 6 o’clock, then return to center.
POP QUIZ: Which foot would step to 12 o’clock, then 3 o’clock, then 6 o’clock, then return to center? 🙂
Just the same as the Slow Clock you can actually take a step where you place the weight on the foot that is on the number/hour or you can touch or make it a tap. Sometimes you might even get fancy or really dancy and just do it in the air. But all that fancy stuff is obviously added after you learn the basic Fast Clock. As with many things, Nia does have basic steps and proper ways to execute them, then as we dance we add on to them to make them a more animated part of the dance.
As with many of the moves in Nia the participant is responsible for providing their own desired intensity. You can easily work up a sweat in Nia if you make your movements bigger or louder. We sometimes refer to it as turning up the volume. But again, that is up to you and how you are feeling during that class. A “louder” fast clock could have lengthier steps making the imaginary clock face you are dancing on very large. Or your “bigger” could be going deeper into the steps, bringing your body closer to the earth. Having tools like the face of the clock to assist in knowing where to step, allows the Nia student to focus on their body and what it needs and not be so caught up in whether they are “doing it right”. With the clock it makes it easy to teach and easy to follow!
Ok, now get up and practice your clocks! Which foot goes to 12 o’clock? Which foot goes to 9 o’clock?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: fast clock, Latin Dance, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia focus, Nia Move, Nia participant, Nia Practice, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia training, Nia's 52 Moves, slow clock, Zumba, Zumba class, Zumba dance, Zumba moves, Zumba teachers | Leave a Comment »
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