Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

  • I teach yoga, Nia, and stretch online!

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Posts Tagged ‘Nia class’

Sound – In Nia: Sounding

Posted by terrepruitt on July 2, 2009

So, I could just fill my blog with Nia, but I want to post other stuff too because I am interested in other workouts and exercises and I like to share other stuff.  Today is supposed to be my “fun” post or “whatever” post, not necessary related to health, wellness, or Nia.  I thought that I would find some inspiration before the day was out, but . . . nothing.

So . . . here I am, back at Nia and the wonders of it.  I left an article from Nia Education in the studio where I teach (in Willow Glen) and it is about sounding.  This evening (when does “evening” start?  Anyway . . .) when I was explaining to my class in Los Gatos that Nia uses a focus it dawned on me that I didn’t have a focus for class.  Then it came to me in a flash “Sounding”.  Nia calls it sounding, I’ve heard some classes call it vocalization.  Whatever  . . .

We had a few songs that were great for sounding and that are normally done with us making noise, but tonight I added noise (sounding) into all of the songs.

I am going to be honest, when I am TAKING a Nia class I am not a big “sounder”, I am getting better, but I don’t always do it.  So I know how intimidating it can be.  And it frustrates me (that I don’t do it) because I know—-I have FELT the benefits.  When I first started doing Nia I didn’t make any sound.  Then I was in a class and I realized that I was the only one NOT making sound so I joined in—-HOLY MOLY!  What a difference that makes.  It is amazing and I can’t really describe it.  But because I have felt the benefits, I am getting better at doing it in other’s classes, and I do it when I am leading my class.

Tonight I was so loud I couldn’t hear if others were doing it.  I had to tone it down to make sure they were doing it.  The women who showed up first, the ones I had explained it to were participating, but the others weren’t.  But that is ok, they will come around in their own time, in natural time.  After class I felt awesome.  Sounding is amazing.  It is like a release and an energizer all at once.

Have you ever been frustrated and just shouted, yelled, or screamed, you know how you feel after that?  That sense of release, that feeling of “aaaaah, now I feel better.”  Well, just think of an entire workout like that?  It is exhilarating.

A Nia Education article says, “every cell in your body is a sound resonator that responds to sounds coming from the outside and the inside of your body, and that all of the systems in your body – your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual states of consciousness – respond to sound?”**   Yeah, I knew that . . . .

If you are interested in the article, let me know.  It is very short and I can send it to you.  I have posted the tips for helping you begin sounding on my site, in case you are interested.  So, can you do it?  Are you ready to make some noise?

 

**Nia Education ©2006 Nia Technique, Inc.

Posted in Nia, Sounding | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Loving More Than One

Posted by terrepruitt on June 9, 2009

I think that it is perfectly fine for people to like (or love) more than one thing. Right? Do you agree? I teach Nia, I practice Nia, I preach Nia, I love Nia, but . . . .I also love Pilates. I am somewhat hesitant to admit that I have never taken a mat Pilates class. I do plan on taking one because the club in Los Gatos where I teach offers it so I will get in there soon, but lately I have been practicing Pilates at home with DVDs.

I believe that Pilates was designed to be done on apparatuses. They have several that they utilize. It is my opinion that in order to really experience Pilates you do need to go to a qualified instructor and work with him/her on the apparatuses. I have experience with one wonderful Pilates instructor. Originally I found her because she was near downtown Milpitas, now she is in Milpitas, but closer to Fremont. My DVDs are not the same, but for now, it is what my schedule allows and I enjoy it. I have a few Pilates DVDs.

I enjoy the 10 minutes ones because I can focus on a section of the body for 10 minutes then move on. I can get a whole body work out in 30 to 40 minutes. They say you can do Pilates every day, but just like anything you want to listen to your own body and see what it says.

So , as I am always saying: find something you enjoy. You can enjoy several things Yoga, Pilates, Dancing, Nia, Walking, whatever. You can enjoy them several ways; in a class, outside, with a DVD, whatever. Find a couple of things and do it, enjoy doing it.

Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Naughty Biscotti

Posted by terrepruitt on April 9, 2009

Ok, now say it out loud.  Say it again, but this time listen.  Ahhh.  Funny, huh?  Well not too long ago I was at my first Tweetup—oh yeah, when Twitterers meet in person— at the Red Rock Café in Mountain View and I was hungry.  It was after my Wednesday morning Nia class and I hadn’t had my coffee and I needed my lunch.  So in addition to my latte and sandwich I got a biscotti.  Ya know, you’ve seen them in those huge glass canister.  This one was called Chocolate Maniac which I thought was odd because it was blonde and sitting right next to ones that were clearly ALL chocolate.  I had too much to carry so I stuck it in my pocket and forgot about it.

Later, near the end of the Tweetup I put my hand in my pocket and was shocked by the feel of plastic, then I remembered it was biscotti.  I decided to eat it on the way home.  Not the best choice, I’ll tell ya.  I should have waited, it so deserved to be savored and not gobbled up between stop lights.  It was what I think of as a “normal” flavored biscotti, but had a layer of chocolate on it.  But it wasn’t “normal” it was REALLY good.  A LIGHT crispy nutty cookie with a thick layer of gooey—but not so gooey as to interfere with my driving—yummy chocolate.  After it was gone I was sad because it was gone.   I looked at the ingredients and I realized why it was so good.  There was nothing in it I could not pronounce.  It just had good old fashioned baking ingredients it in.  I read the company name and then proceeded through the intersection because the light had just turned green.  As I was driving it dawned on me–Naughty Biscotti.  How funny.  How cute.  How silly.  How yummy.  AND they are local.  In Santa Clara.  How nice.  I like to support local business, so when they are as good as Naughty Biscotti—I am there.  I hope you will try some.

http://www.naughtybiscotti.com/ *

Remember, my blog, my rules, this isn’t related to Nia, working out, personal training, health, wellness , or fitness, but, I said that I was the one that would decide upon what fell into that realm.  And this could be stretched into an eating-a-treat-with-all-natural-ingredients-is-more-healthful-than-chemicals kind of thing, yes?   Get Naughty.  Tee hee!

*As of 06.06.20 – this site appears to not exist.  Sorry.

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

A Brief Look At Nia

Posted by terrepruitt on March 7, 2009

I want to talk to you about Nia.  I was looking for a different form of exercise when somehow (in the vastness that is the internet) I came across Nia.  I had never heard of it.  It has been around for 25 years.  At one point it was known as Non-Impact Aerobics, then it was called Neuromuscular Integrative Action, then at one point it was the Nia Technique, now it is just Nia.

Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas created it in the early 1980s from a need and a desire to help people exercise.  When I read the book and listen to Carlos, I believe that they wanted more than just traditional exercise because they really wanted to help people feel good.  They were being drawn towards something that addresses the whole body.

Nia is a teacher led dance workout that allows you the freedom to get exactly the workout that your body needs.  Nia is really awesome because it is done in bare feet to all kinds of music.  With the absences of shoes, we are reminded that we do not have to have harsh impact to get a great work out.  With Nia, the level of intensity is regulated by the participant.  A workout includes movements of all of the 13 major joints and I believe that this is one of the key factors that make people feel so good after they do a Nia workout.  Throughout our day we don’t always move each joint as it was built to move, so sometimes they can become stiff.  In a Nia class you move them throughout the routine and it helps the balance in the body’s systems.

Nia is similar to Jazzercise in the sense that there are segments or cycles to the routine:  warm-up, cardio, strength, floor, and a cool down.

A lot of people just want to go to a workout class and be told what to do, I am going to be honest with you because I want you to enjoy your experience, you need to concentrate a little.  What you are concentrating on is not so much what the teacher is doing, but more what you are sensing.  You are encouraged to listen to your own body and do what it is telling you it needs.  It might not need what the teacher is doing.  And with Nia, that is fine.

In a Nia class there is no judgment if you cannot bend, stretch, jump, kick, shout, shimmy, shake, punch, chop, cha-cha-cha, hula, jazz square, modern dance, or anything like your teacher or neighboring participant, because it is all about YOU and whatever you can do.  You must seek your own Body’s Way and what gives it pleasure.  With Nia you can get a great workout at the same time.

Does your present workout invite you to seek pleasure during your workout?

Posted in Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »