Posts Tagged ‘Nia Classes’
Posted by terrepruitt on June 14, 2014
Everyone is so different. We all have different ways of doing a lot of things. Sometimes we can see things the same way in order to function. We can get along or just go along with ideas and customs to just have peace. Or we can do it for a loved one. But it seems like when it comes to death and our beliefs around it there is sometimes a huge separation. You can be going along in life completely meshing up with everyone around you and then someone dies and BAM! You suddenly don’t agree on anything. The way we all handle death is so different. I understand the five stages of grief*, “popularly known by the acronym DABDA”, (although, I have never heard it called that). I am not saying that I understand each stage in the sense that I have experienced them, I am saying I understand that someone has identified these as stages people grieving might go through. But what people do during these stages and after is still very individualized. Everyone deals with grief differently, I understand that, although I do not agree with how everyone deals with it as you might have guessed if you read Grief Is a Very Personal Thing, where I say people grieve differently and as long as they aren’t mean or causing harm I don’t like to label their behavior unacceptable. This post is not so much about behavior, I don’t think. I know that many people want their loved ones near or they want to be able to visit their loved ones, but I am not one of those people. I think of my loved ones as being gone . . . so having their remains near by is just odd to me.
Today I was trying to concentrate on learning a Nia routine and it is one that has the Nia participant turning to face all four walls. So that means I turn to each four walls in the room. I found myself facing the ashes of loved ones at two of the walls. The first and second wall, so by the time I got to the third and fourth wall I was lost in other thoughts. I had been avoiding the room upon my travels through the house. Normally I walk into this room to get to the back rooms because it is the softer path, but I had been avoiding it. But this is the best, the largest room to practice in so I was doing my Nia practice in it. But it just happens to have three of my relatives in it. I don’t care for that.
As I type all three of them are at my back. I bet I would not be as conscious of it had I not seen a post on Facebook from a friend who is pretty confident she did not receive the correct ashes of her pet. She posted a picture of the paw print of what she received compared to the pet she had. She has similarly sized pets still so she compared paws. The mold she received was at LEAST four times larger. And she went onto say that she has about three cups of ash. She said she thought her pet would be about one. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
It got me thinking. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! How many cups of people are in this house. WHAT???????????? Sigh. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Whew. People are so different. Many people have loved one’s ashes. In fact, they sell beautiful urns to contain these ashes. We’ve (probably) all seen those horrendous comedy TV shows where someone has accidentally spilled the ashes all over. Breathe.
I just don’t know what to think about that. I am working on letting people do what they need to do. But, I personally don’t need to do it. I think that tomorrow I will workout in another room — and probably from here on out. I — don’t care to have THAT kind of reminder of my loved ones around. To each their own. And let everyone be . . .
Donna, thanks for always making me laugh, even if it is particularly in horror.
Thoughts? What are your thoughts about this? Are you an ashes and urn type of person? Please feel free to share your feelings. I’ve shared mine.
*The five stages of grief (according to Wiki):
- Denial — As the reality of loss is hard to face, one of the first reactions to follow the loss is Denial.
- Anger — “Why me? It’s not fair!”; “How can this happen to me?”; ‘”Who is to blame?”; “Why would God let this happen?”
- Bargaining — “I’ll do anything for a few more years.”; “I will give my life savings if…”
- Depression — “I’m so sad, why bother with anything?”; “I’m going to die soon so what’s the point?”; “I miss my loved one, why go on?”
- Acceptance — “It’s going to be okay.”; “I can’t fight it, I may as well prepare for it.”
Posted in Diane Bacho | Tagged: ashes, DABA, DABDA, death, Facebook, five stages of grief, four wall dance, how many cups of ashes is a person, how many cups of ashes is a pet, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia participant, Nia Practice, Nia routine, paw print, pet ashes, urns | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 27, 2014
I teach Nia which is a cardio dance available to any age. At both the low end of the age spectrum and the high end of the age spectrum, if you can safely move about the floor and follow basic movements you can do Nia. So there are young and old Nia dancers. I teach at facilities that have age restrictions, but that is only the facilities, not Nia. Then I also teach gentle yoga to older adults. The classes are held at the “Senior Centers” so while some of the classes are open to those 18 years and older the population in class tends to be older. As I am sure many of you that teach at a facility with older people will attest, it is amazing to work with these people. They come week after week and keep trying. In my class I have a wide variety of experience levels. They come back every week and do the poses to the best of their ability. I am inspired by their drive to keep doing.
I check in with them to confirm that they are seeing and feeling some benefit to the class. With many I can see it, but I want to confirm that they recognize it. Recently one of my students was sharing some things he learned and he said, “I learned that I need to learn how to relax.” I laughed and agreed. It is not easy to do for some. It is not always second nature to breathe and “rest” into a pose. The corpse pose at the end of the class is one of those poses. In fact one class asked if we “had to” do it. I said yes. To me that is part of yoga. That is part of my class. I believe that quieting the mind and relaxing for 5 to 10 minutes after a class is necessary. For many it is a Challenging Easy Pose, it is difficult to be still. Just now as I am typing I remember this person not being able to be still at all when we first started doing yoga. Now there is stillness. I believe every one can benefit from this moment of restfulness. I love that even those who think it is unnecessary, keep trying.
A bit ago we did a pose that several students said is “hard”. I agreed with them. It is hard . . . that is why we are doing it. We are doing a very modified version, but it is one of those poses that works many if not all the muscles in your body, so yes, it is “hard”. And we do it so that they can benefit from it. In working on so many muscles it is a balance pose, that requires flexibility and strength. One of those awesome poses that does so much . . . so we do it. And what spurred me to write this post is that while they were saying it was hard they were not saying, “It’s hard, I don’t want to do it.” They were just saying, “Wow, this is hard.” And then they moved into position to do it again. Love it. Love those inspiring active people in my classes!
I just wanted to share with you that I have some amazing inspirations in my life.
What about you? Do you know any older adults that cause you to think, “I wanna be like that when I am their age”? Some of those people that just keep trying? They might not be doing it in a clearly recognizable way but they are still trying?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: active adults, cardio dance, City of San Jose, corpse pose, dance floor, easy pose, flexibility, learning to relax, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia dancers, Nia teachers, older adults, Senior Centers, seniors, YMCA, yoga classes, yoga teachers | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 1, 2014
This class was held in San Ramon on April 30, 2014!
As you probably know I teach a dance exercise called Nia. It is a cardio workout. If you have read any of my information on Nia you will also be aware that many of the people who practice Nia consider it to be more than JUST a cardio dance exercise. But . . . on the surface that is what I call it, in brief, to let people know what it is. If they are interested then we can discuss some of the other facets of it. Like many exercise disciplines there are star teachers or celebrities. I’ve talked about that before. There is always some people who were there from the beginning and so they have the most experience and often times get categorized into star or celebrity “status”. Yesterday we had a long-time Nia Practitioner and Teacher do a 007 Nia class.
Jason Alan Griffin is one of the first First Degree Black Belts. Nia has created an additional training intensive, they have added a “degree” to the black belt. It is so new that not a lot of information is out regarding that, and I didn’t even think to ask Jason about it. I am Facebook friends with Jason and yesterday was the first time we met in person. Jason likes to travel, so he drives around with his dog River bringing Nia to cities around the United States. He created a routine he called Bond Girls, but recently re-named it to Goldfinger and that is what he is delivering on his current trip. He was in the East Bay last year (I believe) but he packs his travel schedule so tight he doesn’t stay long and so I missed the classes he had. Maybe he was in the North Bay too. I don’t remember. I couldn’t make it. So this trip I was very excited to get to take his class, meet him, and his dog.
Jason is one of those dog daddies that takes his pet parenting seriously and he posts a lot about his dog. So through his Facebook and blog I feel I know both of them a bit so I was happy to finally get to meet him.
Not to use the current happenings in my life as an excuse, but I found myself leaving for the class much later than I intended and also the directions I looked up gave me a different travel time than the day before. I ended up being late for class. And while I felt very bad about that . . . I decided to forgive myself which enabled me to jump right in to his already-started-class. It was so fun.
While the invitation to dress up in something shimmery was there, I completely forgot, but Jason did not disappoint. He had on some shiny silver pants. He led us through many of the 52 Nia moves while we focused on pelvis, chest, head. We used our spear fingers in true James Bond fashion. We danced in our own body’s way and laughed and sang while doing so.
Every time I take a Nia class I realize I am not a Nia student often enough. I love being able to laugh at myself because I don’t get the moves on the first (or how many ever it takes) go around. I love being able to just follow as someone else’s lead. I love being able to learn new pearls and moves. It is so fun. I am so glad that I was able to join the East Bay Nia community while they hosted Jason’s class. It was super fun. I want Jason to come to San Jose to deliver his FreeDance Playshop. 🙂
I hope you jump at the chance to dance with Jason when he is in a city near you. He is really fun to dance with. And if you are lucky, River will sneeze on you!
Thanks, Jason and River. I look forward to your next visit!
Jason leading the class in his silver pants!
Janet and I doing our Bond Girl impressions – with spear finger
Jason and River. River was more interested in the grass than posing!
Posted in Nia | Tagged: 52 Nia Moves, Black Belt Nia Teacher, Bond Girls, cardio dance exercise, cardio workout, dance practice, East Bay Nia, exercise disciplines, Facebook, First Degree Black Belt, Free Dance workshop, Goldfinger, James Bond, Jason Alan Griffin, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia dance exercise, Nia information, Nia Practice, Nia student, Nia Teacher, North Bay Nia, pelvis chest head, pet parent, Spear Finger, star Nia teachers | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 13, 2014
There is a move I do often at the end of my Nia Classes. I learned it as the Ragdoll Pose in yoga. Some say it is just a variation on the Uttanasana or the Forward Fold. Since it is a standing pose where you bend over I can see that. But the Forward Fold is a very active pose. You are using other muscles, you are actively lengthening your spine. Whereas in my classes, the move we do as the Ragdoll pose is just a hang. The idea is to hang, ya know, like a rag doll.
After all the movement we do in a cardio dance exercise class where moving your entire body is the key, it is nice to just hang around for a bit. This pose made my list of favorite yoga poses but is not one of my sixteen favorites. Kinda surprised me.
With the Ragdoll, as I said the idea is to hang like a rag doll folded over at the hips. Your body goes limp. Your arms can hang. Your shoulders and hang. Everything just hangs. Legs can be straight or bent at the knee. It is a relaxation pose so doing it to your optimum comfort is advised. Let the weight of your head help lengthen and stretch your back and spine. So you are not actively lengthening or straightening, it all comes from the weight of the head. Even if you are resting you forearms on your thighs you are hanging.
One way that people do this pose is with the arms hanging overhead, but bent at the elbows. The forearms are folded together allowing the hands to hold the opposite elbow. This variation is just like the bent knees and/or the arms — or even hands — on the thighs, it is up to the individual at the time of the pose.
Bending over or doing an inverted pose is good for the systems in your body. Such as the circulatory system, turning upside down helps blood flow which helps the respiratory system. The lymphatic system is assisted by inversions which stimulates the body’s immune system.
It seems as if the body enjoys the break from the normal pull of gravity and it likes to be upside down every once in a while. Calms the nerves, heightens the sense, and brings a little peace. Only when done reasonably comfortable. Poses should not be held if they cause pain or dizziness. So when you are in any pose especially and inversion stay only as long as it is comfortable.
To me, the Ragdoll is one of those comfortable poses. Usually just fold over and hanging. But I do remember at least once when my neck was not aligned properly so the full on hang did not feel good, but bending my knees and resting on my thighs was the ticket. Always remember that you do a pose for the moment you are in at the moment you are doing it. So yesterday all the way down might have been the way, but maybe today it is not. Do what your body wants in the moment.
Enjoy the weight of the head and the arms. Let it stretch your spine and bring space into your back. Hang as a rag doll would.
Do you like the Ragdoll pose? Do you like inversions? Which ones are your favorite?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: active pose, cardio dance, circulatory system, dance class, dance exercise, Forward Fold, hanging pose, inversion poses, lymphatic system, Nia, Nia Classes, Ragdoll pose, relaxed pose, standing pose, Uttanasana, yoga poses | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 25, 2014
I love my students. They are a great source to me; they teach me and they make me laugh. Recently one of my students happen to mention a policy that was told to her – a facility stated she could try the class for 10 minutes without charge, but would have to sign up for the class to stay longer. The comments from those that she was sharing this with was that 10 minutes was not really long enough to get a sense of the class and if they would like it. She said, “I know, if I would have only stayed 10 minutes I would have missed the nap time at the end!” That was the best. She, of course, was kidding . . . sort of. She was talking about Shavasana. A very important part, yet for many, one of the most difficult times in yoga.
She was kidding in the sense that we all know it is not nap time, but not having been familiar with yoga she would have missed seeing that part of the class if she had only been allowed to stay for 10 minutes. Shavasana is a pose of total relaxation. It is where you allow your body to rest and relax from the workout it just participated in. In some classes this is a necessary time for recuperation of the body, but in others it might not be so much about the body. In a Gentle Yoga class it could be more about the mind. In Nia we have BMES – Body, Mind, Emotion, and Spirit. We could say that shavasana is a time for those four things. So after a nice gentle class it could be more a time more for the mind, emotion, and spirit to relax. While the inner dialog should be kept to a minimum while practicing the asanas it is even more important to do so during shavasana. This is the time when the body absorbs all the goodness from the poses it just performed.
I had once thought that you DID shavasana IN the corpse pose, but the name comes from the Sanskrit words Shava meaning “corpse” or dead body and Asana meaning “posture”.*
One of the reasons shavasana is so difficult is because there is not supposed to be any inner dialog going on (as I just mentioned). This is not the time where you begin making your shopping list for your trip to the store after class, or where you decide what you are going to say to your boss/friend/spouse. This is a time of quiet, a time of reflection, a time where you do a “body check”. Check in with each body part or area of your body to see if it needs any attention, see if it needs to be relaxed and focus on allowing it to relax. Sometimes because of this relaxation one might fall asleep. When I first started every time I did shavasana I fell asleep. Now I don’t, I am better at being mindfully relaxed. It is a practice though. This might not be something that comes easy to you, it might be a challenge, but it is something worth practicing.
I’ve heard different ideas on how to hold shavasana in a class. Some say that a guided meditation is the way it should be done. Some say that total silence is the only right way. Some say some music or nature sounds should accompany this pose. In my classes I usually softly lead the participants into a relaxed state. Then I allow them quiet time with this pose — I do have sounds playing during class and I don’t turn that off, but sometimes I turn it down. Then after the time allowed I talk them back to awakening their bodies and moving again.
If this pose and time is not something that you include in your yoga practice, I encourage you to give it a go. Try it. If you fall asleep that is ok. But keep doing it and when you are able to achieve that relaxed state while staying awake you will see how powerful this simple pose is.
Do you practice shavasana? Have you ever fallen asleep during shavasana? How long do you stay in this pose?
*Wiki and Jaisiyaram
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asana, BMES, body check, corpse pose, inner dialog, Jaisiyaram, naptime, nature sounds, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia Practice, relaxation pose, sanskrit, savasana, shavasana, Yoga, yoga poses, Yoga Practice, yoga students | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 13, 2014
Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. So today in the San Jose Nia Class we danced to a playlist of songs with Love in them. Our focus was Love. Self-love. Love with respect and non-judgment. We just moved and had fun. Also, since it is Valentine’s Day tomorrow I thought I would honor my valentine by sharing with you a story of his gallantry and bravery. This happened a very long time ago. Before Twitter and Facebook. It is kind of nice to have stories to be able to tell, huh? Now-a-days things are shared pretty-much instantly so it cuts down on the story telling. This is one of my favorites. If we have ever met in person, you probably have already heard this. And I really thought that I had posted it, but I cannot find it. If this happened now there would be pictures because it really could have gone in the The Guinness Book of World Records. My hubby is my hero, even before he was my hubby. He saved me from the biggest spider I have never seen!
When my husband and I were dating I lived in a small apartment. The kitchen was tiny. It was a galley style kitchen, ya know, like a narrow hallway, but it was not a hallway, there was only one in and one out. If someone was at the stove cooking, someone else could not be at the counter preparing unless both persons stood off center. The fridge was super small. The stove was a four burner, but all four burners practically touched each other. Here is where I practiced deep squats because you could not bend over and look in the lower cupboards. There was not enough room to fold OVER, you HAD to squat.
One day . . . I don’t even know what I was looking for, I reached into one of the under the counter cupboards and I felt something odd. Something hairy. I drew my hand out with it in my hand. Now here is where it gets kind of fuzzy. I am not sure what I did with it. But I do know, I stood up, I shut the cupboard and I thought that it was the biggest spider leg I had ever seen. I decided to leave it for my boyfriend to take care of for me. Now . . . as I mentioned . . . it was a very small kitchen. From that cupboard in the corner to the end of the counter was probably two steps. I can say that by the time I took the third step out of the kitchen I had forgotten about the fist sized spider in my cupboard.
Did I see it? No. How did I know it was fist sized? Well, from the size of its leg . . . it was AT LEAST the size of my fist. How did I live in my apartment knowing it was there? Well, like I said, on my third step, I forgot about it. I chalk that up to my survival skills because seriously, if I’d have thought of the fact that there was a HUGE spider in my cupboard, I would have not been able to live there. My boyfriend was not coming over for a couple of days. I HAD to forget about it and move on!
Now at the time I didn’t know my boyfriend was afraid of spiders. I mean, really though, unless you LIKE spiders, there is going to be some wanting-to-avoid-them . . . especially if the leg is 3 inches long. I believe it was a long time after (probably a hundred spiders later) when my husband admitted to being “icked out” by spiders.
I don’t remember if I asked him on the phone if he would help me or if he was there. I kinda think I completely forgot until he was actually THERE. I think we were talking and it dawned on me that there was a spider in my cupboard. I do remember he put on a brave face. Now remember, my kitchen was SMALL. There was no way and no WHERE to run or move. To get the spider he had to get down on all fours — or at least a squat — and put his head practically IN the cupboard.
Being the supportive girlfriend I was, I left the room. (Don’t judge! It was the biggest spider leg EVER!!!!!!!!)
Now again, I am not sure exactly what happened next. If he reads this he might pipe in. All I know is that he got down on the kitchen floor and attempted to rescue his absent damsel in distress. I think he might have screamed. Then it was followed by laughter. Ok, I don’t remember except there eventually WAS laughter. He was so brave and kind and gallant. He rescued me from a petrified potato! We were both very relieved. And . . . he was the hero even though it was just a vegetable he saved me from.
He is still my hero.
(Happy Valentine’s Day, Love!)
What stories do you have to share? Any about your Valentine? Any that make you laugh?
Posted in Entertainment, Misc | Tagged: biggest spider EVER, brave boyfriend, damsel in distress, Facebook, hero, HUGE spider, Nia Classes, Nia playlist, Nia San Jose, rescue, San Jose Nia, small apartment, The Guinness Book of World Records, Twitter, Valentine, Valentine's Day | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 25, 2014
Nia is a body/mind type of practice. Or mind/body . . . however you want to say it. I tend to say body/mind because the first step is to get into the body. But it is different from a lot of other exercises. It is much more like yoga and Pilates then say . . . weight lifting or running. I recently taught a class where a woman told me afterwards that she really loves it because she is very athletic, she runs, she plays other sports, but she wanted something that was more freeing and more connected so she decided try Nia and now she is hooked. She still does all of the other stuff and continues to love it, she is just rounding out her workouts and exercise with Nia as a body/mind addition. Nia is really great to add to any type of workout regime you have.
Since Nia focuses on allowing the participant to participate at their own level it can easily fit into your workout schedule. I have had many people who love more traditional sports tell me that Nia is a great addition for them. They all love that body/mind connection and the way it allows them to feel like a kid. They love the play of it.
I have had people come up to me before class and say, “I can’t dance are you sure I can do this?” The answer in The Nia Technique is “if you can walk you can do Nia.” And that is true. In a Nia class you might even fine tune your walking a bit. We might train you to do that Heel Lead that often gets lost in a high heeled or runner’s gait. Get that flex and extend back in the ankle. But really anyone can do Nia.
I would bet that you have noticed the increase in the popularity of yoga . . . well, it is that mind/body connection that draws people to it. Many people are understanding that even a regularly scheduled exerciser benefits from having that mind/body connection. With Nia there is also the Emotions and Spirit. The whole enchilada. BMES. Body, Mind, Emotions, and Spirit.
I’ve posted about Spirit before. It is one of the things that many people really enjoy about Nia. It can be compared to the “feeling like a kid” again. The play in the exercise or workout. The “Wooohooo!”
So the intention of this post is just to remind people – because I am sure I have said it before – that Nia is for everyBODY. To remind you that people who like the more traditional exercise and workouts, the more athletic type of stuff, as in running and weight lifting, find they really like to add in Nia to the mix. It actually helps them in their other type of workouts. They claim — the ones that talk to me — they are more focused when they do run and/or lift weights. So if you are one of those people who prefer the more traditional exercise, maybe break out of that for a Nia class and see how it works for you.
Check out my schedule on my website Nia Class Schedule or if San Jose is too far for you look at the Nia Classes on the main website.
Do you ever find yourself wanting to try something different for a workout? Do you want to add something new to your exercise regime?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: and Spirit", athletic, BMES, body, body-mind practice, emotions, Heel lead, Lifting Weights, mind, Mind-body practice, mind/body connection, Nia, Nia class, Nia Classes, Nia exercise, Nia San Jose, Nia schedule, Nia workout, NiaNow.com, Pilates, running, San Jose Nia, The Nia Technique, weight lifting, workout regime, www.HelpYouWell.com, Yoga | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 21, 2013
So earlier this week when I was driving home from one of my Nia classes I heard one of the DJs on the radio say that if every family in the United States wrapped one gift this season with stuff from around the house the paper saved would cover 45,000 football fields. I thought that was pretty amazing. I also thought that it would be a great thing to share on my blog. Before I post anything I do some searches on the internet for more information. With some things I have additional sources, but some things are just internet researched and as I have stated time and time again, often times there is conflicting information. This time I found slightly different information OR I heard it incorrectly in the first place. Either way I think it is pretty amazing and I would hope that many families would like to participate in saving a bit of paper. You might know I pretty much try to re-use wrapping paper and tissue paper as much as I can. I don’t necessarily use stuff around the house to wrap, but after reading this fact I might. According to the Stanford University’s Site: “If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.”
So, it is THREE presents. Still do-able, I think. For people who like to use reusable bags instead of paper or plastic when they shop, I think putting their gift in one of those bags is a great idea. I think it is so great (of an idea) that I am sure I have said it before (please note I am not claiming to have come up with that idea, just to have said it before). Since I see more and more people saying they shop online what about just using the box the items come in? I know they are not that attractive but you can make them so.
If you have kids you can set them about drawing on the boxes. That would make for a very unique wrapping. (Ha, I said that before, too!) Or you could use other things from around the house and attach them to the boxes. Maybe magazine pages cut up in Holiday shapes and stuck to the box. Or perhaps stickers or just some glitter and glue? I am sure if you have kids THEY can come up with many ways to decorate those plain brown boxes.
Or what about using Christmas cards. Ooooh! You know how I love to save them and hang them on my wall as decorations (I didn’t do that this year – first time in many years!). But the fronts could be cut off and saved, then glued to that brown boxes next year. (Oh, I have to remember that for this year’s cards!)
I know you can come up with ways to reuse and recycle. And I have posted some ideas before. I was just amazed when I heard the comparison of covering football fields. Here is more info from the site:
“If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet. . . . . . . The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. If we each sent one card less, we’d save 50,000 cubic yards of paper.”
So using the front of the cards to make the brown shipping boxes pretty would be great!
And . . . . what else? How can we make our presents pretty and save paper at the same time? Please share your ideas.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: 45000 football fields, Christmas, Christmas cards, green, Nia, Nia Classes, radio DJs, recycle, Stanford University, wrapping paper | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 7, 2013
So, as a group exercise instructor one usually has a few jobs or venues to teach at. I have Nia classes at a studio where I rent the space, at a community center for the City of San Jose, and soon at some local YMCAs. In order to teach for the City of San Jose I had to go through the hiring process. Same with the YMCA. Today I spent a good portion of the day at a YMCA orientation. While a lot of the information they cover is common sense and a lot of it is information I have received at almost every job I have worked at some of it was unique to the YMCA. Such as the history of the YMCA. I admit I learned a lot. I knew what Y.M.C.A stood for (Young Men’s Christian Association), but that is about it. It helped that the trainer was clearly very enthusiastic about the history of the Y. As always when I learn something I think is interesting I like to share with you. Plus, when I document it via my blog, I have the information where I can always find it! So here are some facts I thought were cool about the history of the YMCA.
—-The YMCA was founded in 1844 in London, England
—-In 1859 a sea captain led the formation of the YMCA in Boston
—-In 1856 German immigrants participated in the first-known English as a Second Language class
—-Andy Rooney, Dan Rather, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jack Kerouac, and Andrew Young (U.S. Ambassador), have all stayed at the YMCA
—-In 1869 the first YMCA buildings constructed with gyms were opened
—-In 1875 in San Francisco, to serve the Chinese population, YMCAs serving Asians were established
—-In 1879 Thomas Wakeman founded a YMCA for U.S. Native Americans
—-In 1917 a Japanese YMCA was founded
—-In 1891 James Naismith, a physical education teacher at the International YMCA Training School, invented basketball
—-In the 1890s William Morgan, a YMCA instructor thought basketball was too strenuous for businessmen so he invented volleyball
—-By 1950 YMCAs operated 20 colleges in cities across the country
—-During World War II, the YMCA staff organized clubs and activities for children in the Japanese Interment camps — all in secret
—-In 1950 Joe Sobek, a YMCA volunteer, invented raquetball
—-In 1967 racial discrimination was banned in all YMCAs
—-In the mid 1970’s the Youth Basketball Association (YBA) was created by the YMCA and the NBA Players Association. The YBA promotes skills and teamwork over winning at any cost
—-In 2008 the YMCA and the Department of Defense and the YMCA partnered to fund memberships and child care services for families facing the hardship of military deployment
—-In 1891 a triangle was used a the logo, the equal sides representing “man’s essential unity, body, mind and
spirit, each being a necessary and eternal part of man, he being neither one alone . . . ”
I especially loved the last one as Nia has many triads and is greatly focus on Body, Mind, and Spirit. We add Emotion so we have BMES, but it is very much the same thing. Anyway . . . these are some of the main things I thought were interesting. Since the YMCA has been around so long it really has a long history.
Which YMCA history fact(s) is new to you? Which ones did you know? What do you know about the Y that I have shared?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Basketball, BMES, City of San Jose, group exercise class, group exercise instructor, local YMCAs, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia Teacher, Nia trainer, Nia triad, raquetball, vollyball, YMCA, YMCA history, Young Men's Christian Association | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 28, 2013
We dance Palm Directions all the time in my Nia classes. It is an easy thing to do. Palm Directions is a great move to incorporate into freedance. It is also often one of the moves choreographed into a Nia routine. Palm Directions is one of Nia’s 52 Move.
It might not be something you think about, but the direction the palm is facing affects the shoulder joint. When the palm is facing down (or towards the body) the shoulder joint is closed and when the palm is facing up (or away from the body) the shoulder joint is open. When your arm is straight that is when the shoulder joint gets the open and closed action. Along with the shoulder joint, the entire arm is affected. The arm bones are twisted with the movement of the palm.
It really is as simple as facing your palms in one direction then another. Unlike Webbed Spaces – another move in Nia’s 52 Moves (you can read about it by clicking here) – in Palm Directions the fingers are kept together. If practicing to affect the shoulder joint, lengthen the arm straight out in front of your body or straight down next to your body, then turn the palms up/face them out away from the body to open the shoulder, then turn the palms down/turn them towards your body to close the shoulder joint. You can observe the radius untwisting as it switches places with the ulna. You can sense the movement of your humerus, the upper arm bone.
In addition to opening the shoulder joint, the Nia Technique book reminds us that, “Palm Directions also express emotion. Palms up, for example, is a universal body language indicator of openness.” So it can open things other than the shoulder joint. Changing palm directions also moves the energy around. In Nia classes we move the arms all around the space around us, changing the palm directions, pushing and pulling and mixing up the energy. Also, while we are dancing and our arms are moving around us with the palms facing different directions we vary the speed of our movement. When Varying the speed that are arms are moving and our palms are changing direction allows us to play with agility – one of Nia’s five sensations (click here for more information on that).
This type of movement helps us connect with the space around us. Palm Directions, the Nia Move, also helps with keep the shoulder joint mobile.
This move is also a great move with which Nia participant’s can practice their own body’s way. The body was designed so the humerus rotates in the glenoid fossa or shoulder socket. But life sometimes affects the body so that it cannot move the way it was designed, so all of us have different levels of how much we can move the arm. So while playing with Palm Directions and dancing the arm around the space each individual can do it in their own body’s way. This will allow them to get the work that their body is capable of and needs.
Ready? Straighten your arms then change the direction of the palms. Are you able to sense your arm bones twisting/untwisting? Are you able to sense the action in the shoulder joints? What do you sense when you move your arms around while playing with Palm Directions?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: choreographed dance, freedance, mobility in the shoulder joint, moving energy, Nia, Nia book, Nia Classes, Nia Dance, Nia routines, Nia Technique, Nia's 52 Moves, Nia's Five Sensations, Palm Directions, shoulder joint, the body's way, The Nia Technique book, ulna, Webbed Spaces | 6 Comments »
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