Posts Tagged ‘Nia Classes’
Posted by terrepruitt on September 10, 2013
I know this is very far from health and fitness. I know this is not even in the realm . . . . but it is in my head. It is stuck. I get songs stuck in my brain and they just play over and over. Does that ever happen to you? Do you get that ear worm? Right now I have two songs stuck in my head this one (The Fox) and one that is in the Nia Routine I am current learning/”teaching” in my Monday and Wednesday morning Nia classes. The song is Sexy from the Nia Routine Oshun. It has no words, as this group/woman often “sings”, no words. But the woman makes noises. She hums, moans, groans, hisses, and vocalizes. It is a hauntingly addicting tune and you I find myself moaning and vocalizing along with the song or just singing it out of the blue. But I always find it odd to “sing” the non-words. I had, at one time, a link to a video of it, but I can no longer find that. But the The Fox is all over the internet, including in my last post. In regards to lyrics, “The Fox” also has a lot of “non-words” but I guess that is because that is what the fox says. Because really that is what foxes says, according to recordings made by researchers. The recordings can be found on The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library website.
The the information regarding the one recording states it is a recording of Red Foxes in Ontario, Canada. It can be found here:
http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/55363/vulpes-vulpes-red-fox-canada-ontario-william-w-h-gunn
I think the voice on the recording says, “Young cross fox or black fox still in the puppy stage.” The recording is labeled red fox, but I it really sounds like he say black fox. I think the sound the foxes make is more comparable to the “Joff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff! Tchoff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff! Joff-tchoff-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff!” Although the Wired blog post titled “What Does the Fox Say? The Viral Music Video Isn’t Totally Wrong” states it is “clearly . . . . a low-key version of Chacha-chacha-chacha-chow”.
The recording of a female and male arctic fox sound to me like a mixture of Ylvis’ Chacha-chacha-chacha-chow and Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow! On this recording the fox noises stop at 1:18 then the researching talks about the foxes and the conditions of recording.
http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/138274
Whereas I think the common gray fox recorded in Sierra County, California is saying “A-hee-ahee ha-hee! A-hee-ahee ha-hee!” That recording can be heard here:
http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/60087
Devon Maloney, the author of the Wired Post I mentioned above, and I don’t exactly agree on what the foxes on the recordings say in connection with what Ylvis says, but I do believe we do both agree that Ylvis was onto something. They did get “What the Fox Say” pretty darn accurate. Hopefully my obsession with this song will be done by week’s end. But I won’t be surprised if it resurfaces. It is just so very funny. Very entertaining. I think the two that make up Ylvis are really interested in knowing what their guardian angels are saying. They asks “what is your sound”, but I actually think they have the sounds down pretty well. I am happy that their longing to know what the fox say has led to such hilarious entertainment.
So have you seen the video yet? What do you think?
Posted in Entertainment, Misc | Tagged: artic fox, Cornell Lab, ear worm, fitness, Fox song, gray fox, guardian angel, health, Macaulay Library, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia routine, Oshun, recordings of foxes, red fox, researchers, Sexy, song stuck in your head, The Fox, Wired, Ylvis | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 2, 2013
I am so grateful that all of the Nia classes I teach are in air conditioning because it is has been really hot the last few days and the weather predictions for the next few days are just as hot if not hotter. I know that a lot of areas get hotter than us, but we usually don’t have such hot weather. Since the San Francisco Bay Area doesn’t always get into the triple digits it is not uncommon for people to NOT have air conditioning. We don’t have air conditioning. Usually with the few days of heat that we do get it is ok. Our traditional — and wonderful, I might add — weather patterns consist of cooled off nights even when the days are blistering. But sometimes or when the days of heat drag onto six or seven days in a row, it just doesn’t seem to cool off and it makes sleeping difficult. I often see posts on Facebook and tweets on Twitter about how people can’t sleep because it is too hot. When it has been too hot for me to sleep it is usually immediately. As in when I go to bed it is too hot for me to fall asleep. I have a little method of cooling down that at least allows me to sleep. I wanted to share it in hopes that it might allow you, if you are too hot, a few hours of sleep.
Even if this is not new to you or sounds elementary, it might help someone. I know when I mentioned it to someone once they said, “Oh, I never thought of that.” So — hey, it might help.
So what you do before you go to bed is take a cold shower. As cold as you can stand. Now I don’t know what it is about showers, but the other day I got into take a shower and even though the weather was really hot I started taking a warm shower, then I realized that it was really hot and I should try a cool shower at least. So when I say take a cold shower, I really mean COLD. As in jump-in-the-pool-stop-your-breathe type of cold. Now if you are actually taking a shower than I supposed that would be long enough, but if you are just in there to cool down stay as long as you can to actually get cool maybe even chilled. Once you are done don’t dry off all the way. Yeah, that is the big part of this. First cool your body down. Drop your temperature as low as you can in cool/cold water then don’t dry off. Then set a fan up to blow on you while you are in bed. Then go to bed, wet hair, damp body, and all.
Part of the sleep process is lowering your body temperature so when it is hot outside and your body can’t cool down it makes it difficult to sleep. But if you HELP your body’s natural sleep process by cooling your body down you are a step closer to sleep. The fan is an added bonus to help keep you cool. Of course have the air blowing on you however you prefer. I don’t like it on my face and I don’t care for it on my back so often I just have it on my feet, either in a constant rush or the breezy kind.
So this is a simple procedure that might assist you in getting to sleep. For many people once they are asleep they can stay asleep, but if you wake up because it is too hot at least you got a few hours (hopefully) in. You could always repeat the process if you’d like. Usually it helps me get through the night.
What do you think?
Sweet dreams.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: air conditioning, Bay Area, Bay Area Nia, can't sleep, cool down for sleep, Facebook, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia Teacher, San Francisco Bay Area, sleep relief, too hot to sleep, tweets, Twitter | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 13, 2013
I have been teaching Nia in San Jose for four and a half years. I have been teaching Nia in the same studio in Willow Glen. I drive down Lincoln about twice a week. There are many stores and businesses on the street. There are also many pedestrians. For those of you that don’t know, Lincoln Avenue is very pretty. They have trees and bushes and flowers . . . very nice landscaping, however, the lovely foliage HIDES the pedestrians and those flashing lights (the ones that flash to call attention to pedestrians crossing the street). So you have to really pay attention. Sometimes people just dart out from the bushes. I am always concentrating on the pedestrians so I don’t notice all the stores that come and go. When I do walk down the street I am always amazed at a new shop that has popped up or one that has closed. One of the new ones is Glow. It is a build-a-candle candle shop. When I first saw it I was so excited. I kept squealing with each new thing I saw as I walked through. There are colors and fragrances and little trinkets you can add to the candle. I couldn’t wait to go!
This week I have my niece visiting and I thought it would be fun for us to go make a candle. It is something we can do and visit at the same time. Plus it is creative and then we will have a candle to show for it. First you choose your mold. What size and shape you want. Then you choose your colors, any pips, and if you want any trinkets. Then you choose the scent you want to have. Then you set about putting it all together.
The pips are plastic pieces that you stick to the side of the mold. They have all different kinds of pips: butterflies, birds, flowers, stars, guitars, martini glasses, crosses, letters, lipstick, dresses, shoes, you name it, they probably have it. After you stick the pips to the side, then you break up the sheets of wax. You get to choose from a variety of colors. Once the candle is poured and set, the pips show through on the sides of the candle.
When you are done filling the mold with the pieces the shop keep pours hot melted wax into the mold over the broken pieces. Then it sets. The store keep puts a wick in it and polishes it and you have a cool candle that you made.
There is “studio fee” of $9.95 and then the cost of the candle which is determined by the size and shape you choose. All pips are included as well as the poured wax and fragrance. The little charms and other things are priced per piece and the costs vary from less than a dollar all the way to at least $4.00. I believe there might be ones that cost more than $4.00 but that was the one I saw.
The day we went back to pick up our candle we were being helped by the assistant manager, Laura, and she was a wealth of information. She shared some tips and tricks that my niece and I wished we had been privy to the day before when we were making our candles. But now we know and we are anxious to go back again to make more candles.
The experience is not an inexpensive one, but as I said, it is an EXPERIENCE. It is an activity. It is a fun thing to do with people who you want to be with. Once you pay the studio fee you can buy as many candles as you want to make. So it could be a great way to kick out some gifts for Christmas. Pay the studio fee then make a few candles. Do it with friends and you have a great time. I think an activity that results in a wonderful smelling candle makes for a great day. My niece and I had a great time.
I thought it was great fun to build a candle. I also thought is was pretty exciting to wait for the candle to be ready for pick up the next day. I really love this activity and can’t wait to go back. The candles we made, while not perfect, look pretty nice, smell great, and burn well. This was definitely a fun time with wax.
Do you like candles? What color candle would you make?
.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: candle shop, candles, do-it-yourself candles, fun activity, fun thing to do in San Jose, fun with wax, Glow, Lincoln Avenue Business, Nia Classes, Nia San Jose, Nia Teacher, pips, San Jose Nia, teaching Nia, Willow Glen Business, Willow Glen Workout | 7 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 1, 2013
Nia Technique’s Outstanding Routine DVDs (Part 3)
Nia Classes are led by Nia teachers who learn routines. It is kind that we are only obligated by license to learn four Nia routines a year, because if we dive into the depths of a Nia routine it could easily take three months. The training information they provide is incredible. It is multi-faceted and multidimensional. Three years ago I mentioned in a post that I would specify what came in Nia’s Routine for Teachers DVDs. Well, in the three years there has actually been changes in how the information is presented. I am using three posts to explain what I have in the routine packages that I have purchased and I am also sharing to the best of my knowledge what is in the newer ones. At the basic level you receive a CD and a DVD and a pamphlet is available online.
This is the third post in this series. In the first post I talked about everything that you get in the package and the sections on the DVD. I made it through two of the sections: the Focus and Move the Move. The second post took us through: Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the Music. Here in this post I am taking a quick look at the pamphlet.
In addition to the wonderful Nia Class and explanations on the DVD there is a pamphlet. As I said in post one of this series, the pamphlet used to be included in the routine package. But now I believe you have to download it yourself. I am not certain if the older ones still come with the pamphlet or not. But if you look at the pamphlets online (must be a member) you can see how the material has changed. I am certain that along with the morphing of the DVDs there has been a greater change over the years than I have even seen. The routines that I own with pamphlets that came in the package have the focus and intent stated along with the “Routine Description”. It also contains “Suggested Alternative Foci”. It lists the 7 Cycles. Under each cycle is gives a little information. The cycles in which there is music it lists the song that is in that cycle and information on what it teaches you. As an example the routine I am looking at states:
“Track 1: Sexy Teaches You To —
Move through the stances of Closed, Open, A, and Riding to ground, warm up the back and core and move from the inside out”
That is one bullet, as you can see each track has more than three bullets with information regarding what the choreography teaches you. A lot of information!
The next section in the pamphlet gives you the 8BC’s. Just the bars of the 8BC’s. There is indicators as to what the sections are in the song, but no flowering, no dressing, no choreography. Just the bars. There is a lot left to still do with the bars.
With the new routines, the pamphlet is a bit different. In addition to what I’ve previously mentioned and a lot of information reminding us of what we learn in the Nia White Belt Intensive there is new information. Such as “Working With the Focus” and that the 7 cycles remain the same, but there is differences within each cycle depending upon different things, say the focus for example. There is also a section with the shorthand for Nia’s 52 moves because now the bars come with choreography notes.
Now the bars are in color which is used to show the different sections. The same colors taught in the Nia White Belt Intensive. And as I mentioned, they have choreography notes.
The pamphlet also states that as of 2012, “videos include on-screen 52 moves choreography text. You will see this appear at the beginning of each new choreography sequence, and repeat throughout the routine.” Which is great and news to me. At the time of this writing I have obviously not learned a routine that was created and filmed in 2012 because I have not seen the text on the videos. Cool.
The last thing that one of the “old” versions of the pamphlet had that I am not seeing on the new ones is the Music Credits. The ones I have list the name of the number of the track, the name, the artist, and information about each song. I find some of that information kind of interesting. For instance the track 1 on Oshun is Sexy, by Illumine which was actually recorded Live at Studio Nia.
So maybe now you can see why the description of a Nia Routine Teacher Training DVD needed to be three posts. There is a lot of training in each package. There is a lot of information to absorb in learning a routine. I will confess that I have not done all of this on all of the routines I lead. My intent is as I go back and complete more of these steps as I revisit the routines. Now that I basically know the music and the moves, I can watch the other portions of the DVD and I can read the pamphlet information. With each section of time I lead the routine I can add something new to my learning. Nia routines are very multidimensional. The training has many aspects. There is so much to learn and so many different ways to do it. Just like Nia.
I hope this gave you some information you might need or like to know in regards to Nia Routine DVDs for Teachers.
Do you have any questions? Is there any additional information you would like?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: 52 moves, 8 BC, A Stance, closed stance, Illumine, Nia CD, Nia choreography, Nia Classes, Nia DVD, Nia Intensive, Nia Routine DVDs, Nia routines, Nia teachers, Nia White Belt, Nia's 7 cycles, Nia's Routine Pamphlets, Studio Nia | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 18, 2013
The other day we were out of vegetables. OH MY! On my way home from Nia in Willow Glen I was going to go to the store to get some. For some reason there’s a street in Willow Glen that has been closed for quite some time now so I was unable to take that street home. So the detour had me going past a different store than I was planning on going to. It is a produce store. Maybe kind of more like a small market because they have dry goods also. The produce there is not that great so I decided not to get lettuce and salad fixings. I thought I could just grab a veggie for that night’s dinner since I was going to be going to the store the very next day after my Nia class at the community center. All I bought was broccoli. When I got home I decided to have a sandwich. I like lettuce on my sandwiches or cucumbers or bell peppers something like that. I usually put at least one of those vegetables, sometimes all three, or a combination on my sandwich. But I didn’t have any because I didn’t buy any salad ingredients. Argh! I had only the broccoli I had bought. I started thinking. I’ve had shaved broccoli on pizza before and it was good but I didn’t think the shaved broccoli would go that well on my sandwich. I remember having posted something about broccoli before and people saying that you could use the stocks or stems so I thought, “Can I do that?” So I peeled a stock of broccoli and sliced it thinly and put on the sandwich was pretty good. I was happy I had a vegetable on my sandwich.
I guess I could do that all the time. In the comments of the post where I spoke about broccoli the one in which people told me to use the stems I said I would start and I haven’t. I have left more of the stem on when using broccoli but haven’t necessarily used the stocks. I suppose I could begin making my sandwiches with broccoli stocks in them. It is a good way to get additional vegetables and use broccoli stocks.
We used to have a dog that ate broccoli stocks. She loved them. She loved salad too!
Speaking of salads . . . . I didn’t use all the stocks in my sandwich. So the next night when I did get around to making a salad I decided to add some of the stocks to our salads. To me the stocks are a bit fibrous and stringy so I chopped them up pretty small. I tossed it on the salads as an added veggie. I think that worked out well. My hubby didn’t say, “Ewww. What is this? A broccoli stock on my salad???” So it must have been ok. I liked it.
At first I was not happy that I didn’t buy any produce that I would normally put on my sandwich. But now I am glad that I didn’t. I caused me to think of using the stems. And since my friend had shared that she eats the stems it encouraged me to try something new. Lovely. It has only taken me three years from when I originally posted! 🙂
What about you? Do you like produce on your sandwich? What do you prefer? Do you make use of broccoli stocks?
Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: broccoli, broccoli stocks, Community Center Nia classes, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia in Willow Glen, salad fixings, sandwich fixings, sandwich produce, Vegetables, veggieless, Willow Glen Nia | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 4, 2013
The Sun Salutation is a sequence of asanas. I have not yet included it in any of my Nia classes, but I am thinking about doing so. In general modern day usage “asana” is what people call a yoga pose. So the Sun Salutation is a sequence of yoga poses. Now, if you look up Sun Salutation on the internet you will find a lot of variations. There are certain asanas that you will consistently find in all of them, but then not all of the Sun Salutations will include the same EXACT ones. I’ve seen anywhere from 9 to 13 poses in a single salutation. Since yoga is considered a practice associated with religion, a meditation, a prayer, a movement form, and/or a straight out exercise it makes sense that there are so many difference ways to do the Sun Salutation. If you are chosing to do the movement as a form of worship it might have different movements than if you are doing it to get a specific physical benefit. Most of the instructions on how to do it agree that the movements are based on breath. Inhale here, exhale there. I have decided on a combination of what I have been trained with, what I have practiced in classes, what I practice at home, several applications, and things I have learned along the way. I have decided on thirteen movements. I move using the right leg through 11 asanas, then through them again using the left leg. Two of the poses making the sequence 13 are only used only in very beginning and the end.
I start in Anjali mudra then go to the
Mountain Pose, then arms move out and up into an
Upward Salute, then I swan dive into a
Forward Bend, up into a
Standing Half Forward Bend, then I place the left leg back into a
lunge then the right leg back into a
plank then I move down onto knees into
knees, chest, chin/Ashtanga Namaskara or chaturanga up into
cobra, then I push back into
downward dog, I stay here longer than any other pose. I breath. Then I bring my right leg forward, so I am in a
lunge, then I bring my left leg forward then I
forward bend, then I come up a little into
Standing Half Forward Bend then lift my arms out and up as I rise into an
Upward Salute which I consider the start of the right sun salutation. I go through the sequences again this time place my right leg back into the lunge. When it is time to lunge again, I bring my left leg forward.
I find that as I move through the salutation, I like to change my Upward Salutes into more of a little back bend. Only bending back as I warm up and it feels good.
Since this is my Sun Salutation, and I am not worshiping the sun . . . in fact I don’t even think of the sun at all, I just do it my way. I do it in the way I feel like doing it that day. Sometimes I time it with my breath inhaling on this move and exhaling on that move, sometimes I stay in each pose longer and while I am aware of my breath my movements are not dictated by it. I do somewhat feel that is WAAAAAY contrary to the way it is “supposed” to be done, but then again it is MY movement. It is MY practice. It is MY meditation. So I do it the way MY body feels like doing it that day. I don’t usually decide how I am going to do it when I begin, I just begin and however I seem to move is how I do it that day at that time. Sometimes I even time it to the music I am listening too. Sometimes, unfortunately, I am in a hurry and I just want to get a few in so I do them. It all depends. That is why I think it is nice because YOU can do it how you want to do it to match the reason you are doing it. After doing at least six, I end with the Mountain Post and the Anjali mudra.
Do you do a version of the Sun Salutation? What asanas do you include in your salute?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asanas, chaturanga, chest, chin, cobra, downward dog, Forward bend, knees, lunge, Mountain pose, Nia, Nia Classes, plank, sequence of yoga pose, Standing half foward bend, Sun Salutation, Upward Salute, Yoga, Yoga Pose | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 25, 2013
Every year the studio in San Jose where I teach Nia Class on Monday mornings and Wednesday mornings participates in the celebration of National Dance week. This year the “week” is actually ten days, from Friday, April 26, 2013 through Sunday, May 5, 2013. This is the 15th year of Bay Area Dance Week, and the 32nd year in which there has been a National Dance Week coalition. BayAreaDance.org states:
“National Dance Week was founded in 1981 to increase awareness of dance and its contributions to our national culture. The first Bay Area Dance Week (BADW) festival grew out of a public dialogue in 1998, when dance artists, administrators, and organizations came together to explore how best to spotlight Bay Area dance during National Dance Week.”
The studio I rent from rents to different instructors who teach a variety of fitness classes and dances. Each instructor can choose to participate in Bay Area Dance Week, by offering free classes.
Bay Area Dance Week at the studio in San Jose starts Saturday, April 27th.
Saturday, April 27, 2013:
12:00 noon – 1:15 pm: Bellydance Essentials – Courtney
Sunday, April 28, 2013:
9:00 am – 10:15 am: Morning Flow Yoga – Eme
Monday, April 29, 2013:
9:00 am – 10:00 am: Nia – Terre (free to NEW Students)
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Zumba – Lili
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm: Egyptian Bellydance. All Levels – Hala
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Egyptian Bellydance Technique. Int/Adv – Hala
Tuesday, April 30, 2013:
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Drills & Performance Skills – Michelle
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Bellydance Level 1 (4.27.13 changed) Fan Veil Choreography – Natika
7:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Tribal Fusion Technique & Choreography – Natika
8:30 pm – 9:30 pm: Turkish Bellydance – Natika
Wednesday, May 1, 2013:
9:00 am – 10:00 am: Nia – Terre (free to NEW Students)
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Bellydance – Setareh
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Hala Dance Company Rehearsal – Hala
Friday, May 3, 2013:
8:00 pm – 9:15 pm: Bellydance Cardio and Combos – Jill
Saturday, May 4, 2013:
9:30 am – 10:30 am: Bellydance Basics – Amanda
10:30 am – 12 noon: Bellydance and Beyond – Amanda
12 noon – 1:15 pm: Bellydance Essentials – Courtney
Sunday, May 5, 2013:
10:30 am – 11:30 am: The Art of Bellydance – Jizan
In regards to classes at the studio, classes not listed are not open to free drop-ins.
This is the schedule at the time of the writing. Sometimes things change so it is always good to check with the studio and/or instructor to verify class times and participation.
Remember it is National Dance Week so there are free classes all over the United States. I bet there is a class that you have always wanted to take, but have not yet got around to it. So check with the instructor of that class or call the venue to see if they are offering free classes.
The San Francisco Bay Area is beginning the week with a celebration dance on Friday in Union Square Park in San Francisco at noon. The closing event is a Planetary Dance led by Anna Halprin on Sunday, May 5th at 2:00 in Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. You can check for free classes in the Bay Area at BayAreaDance.org. But even if it is not listed on the site check in with the person teaching it or the place it is being taught. They might be participating but maybe didn’t get on the site. So don’t be shy get out and dance.
What classes, in ADDITION to Nia, are you going to take?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Anna Halprin, BADW, Bay Area Dance Week, BayAreaDance.org, Belly Dance, Bellydance, dance classes, Egyptian Bellydance, Fan Veil Choreography, fitness classes, Free classes, Free San Jose Classes, Hala Dance Company, National Dance Week, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia San Jose, Planetary Dance, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay Area Nia, San Jose Nia, San Jose Zumba, SF Bay Nia, Studio in San Jose, Tribal Fusion, Turkish Bellydance, Yoga, Zumba | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 26, 2013
Have you seen this stuff before? Doesn’t this look as if it is a vegetable from another planet? The first time I saw it I was at a farmers market and I asked the vendor if I could take pictures. This vegetable made me laugh. I thought it was one of the funniest vegetables I have ever seen. I thought she had called it an Italian Cauliflower. She had me believing it tasted like cauliflower. I am not really a fan of cauliflower so I wasn’t interested in buying it and trying it. But lo-and-behold I received some in my organic produce box that I have delivered. Yay! AGAIN, I received something that I would not have bought. Often times I don’t think about somethings so I don’t buy them, but this particular vegetable I was once faced with buying but declined because I didn’t know what it was! So here I had some delivered and so I “HAD” to try it. Well, I actually received two. One head on one delivery and another head the next. Yeah, that is kind of long for vegetables to sit in the fridge, but . . . sometimes even though I get it delivered I am still not all that enthusiastic about trying it. Plus, I am still trying to get my new schedule down. I have just started teaching Nia classes two nights a week and so I need to have my cooking schedule down and when I don’t know how to cook something a night I am rushing off to teach is not a good night to experiment. So, I received a new bunch just this past delivery. Plus I still had the first bunch. So I decided to cook them both at once.
I bet you know how I cooked them . . . . you got it. I chopped it up and put it on a pan with olive oil and garlic salt and I roasted it. I decided to cook it a little later than I normally would have started my roasted veggies – meaning the rest of dinner would be done really quick – so I really cranked up the heat. I started it off at 450. I cooked it for about 10 minutes. Then I turned it down to 400 and cooked it for about 10 minutes. Then I think I turned it off and cooked it for about 10 minutes. It seemed to cook faster than both broccoli and cauliflower. It browned very nice.
I thought it would take a long time because it seems dense like cauliflower. Well, it seemed to cook up faster. Yay!
Well, I was very surprised at the sweetness of it. It tasted really sweet. It was very funny having that cornucopia shaped veggie on my tongue. It is pokey. It has a mild flavor. A little sweet. Well, I have to say that I like it.
Here is what Wiki says about it: “Romanesco broccoli, or Roman cauliflower, is an edible flower of the species Brassica oleracea, and a variant form of cauliflower. First documented in Italy . . . ”
I am unable to find nutritional information on it. Maybe as it gains popularity the nutritional information will start showing up on the internet?
Have you seen it? Have you tried it? What do you think?
Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: Alien vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, Farmers Market, Italian cauliflower, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia schedule, organic, Roman cauliflower, Romanesco broccoli, vegetables from another planet | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 7, 2013
I found Nia back in 2008. I was looking for an exercise that was more like dance. I had several people in my life at that time that loved to dance, but their partners wouldn’t dance with them. They claimed they would love to do exercise if it was more like dance. I also had people in my life at that time that were younger than me, my age, and just slightly older and they couldn’t move very well. They moved with pain and/or it was an extreme challenge for them to balance and just a mixed bag of things. I believed that movement could help some of the issues facing them and many others. I also loved to dance and thought it would be great to have an exercise class that was dance. I looked at doing Jazzercise, but I think at the time the franchise thing (or however they did it/do it) was not something I wanted to do. And back then Zumba was not yet the rage and I had thought it was ALL Latin music (I know better now). I remember I came across a website that was talking about Trance Dance. So I researched that a bit. That sounded interesting, moving your body in your own way to music. But the information I found said that you kept your eyes closed and/or were blindfolded while dancing and someone would watch to make certain people didn’t injure themselves. That part and the fact that some sites stated there actually was a form of “Trance” that people entered into kept me from wanting to do that. But somewhere there was a mention of Nia. So I tried to find all the information I could on this Nia. Back then it might have even been NIA. I don’t remember when it changed and even now some places still call it Neuromuscular Integrative Action. It has gone through a few name changes, but at present it is just The Nia Technique or Nia.
It IS non-impact aerobics and it IS Neuromuscular Integrative Action, but the name is Nia and it no longer “stands” for anything. And in the four years that I have been doing it and learning about it, it has changed. It was originally created by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas in the early 1980s from a desire to help people exercise in a different way, a way that addressed more than just the physical body.
When I joined Nia there were really starting to talk a lot about the next phase of Nia. You see, even though Nia remains true to the original concept of a Joyful workout, it does change and it does grow. Anything that wants to survive has to change or at least be flexible enough to endure the change that happens around it. Nia changes, they change the way they deliver training from the routines to the intensive — so the continued education changes. Nia’s training material is phenomenal. When you read through a newsletter or a manual or listen to a conference call you can sense the care taken in creating the material. It is nice to be a part of Nia.
It is interesting. It is amazing to see how far Nia has come and how much is has changed in the short time that I have been a teacher. The roots of Nia are still there they are just always finding new ways to share it.
As with any an all certifications I have earned I did my research beforehand. It is important to know how much the initial training cost and how the licensing and/or certifications works. It is important to know about continued education and re-licensing or re-certifiying. I liked everything I saw about Nia. It took me four classes before I decided to invest the time and money needed to teach.
I took the training in December of 2008. I started teaching in February 2009. I have been teaching Nia ever since. I have had the same Monday and Wednesday class since February 2009. I have had other classes at other studios and gyms on different days and different times. At this writing I am teaching Nia five times a week in San Jose – not including subbing dates. I have three classes for the City of San Jose; a Tuesday morning and a Tuesday evening class. I also have a Thursday evening class. My schedule is update regularly on www.HelpYouWell.
I took a second Nia training in November 2012. I just finished posting my way through the #13 principles of that belt (Blue Belt).
I am excited to have so many opportunities to share Nia with people each week. As I said, I have five classes and as I said things change. So when you are ready to join me in one check my site to confirm time and place and all those details. I would like for the number to grow. Just as Nia is growing, in leaps and bounds and for the better.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: City of San Jose Nia, Community Center Nia classes, dance class, dance exercise, dance partners, Dance Workout, Jazzercise, Neuromuscular Integrative Action, Nia, Nia Blue Belt, Nia Classes, Nia San Jose, San Jose dance exercise, San Jose Nia, trance dance, www.HelpYouWell.com, Zumba | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 12, 2012
Yay! Here it is day 12! Thank you for being here. I know it is a busy month. I know it is a busy time of the year. Even if Christmas is not YOUR thing there are others who are off doing theirs so you might be busy because of other people taking vacations and time off. So getting that 30 minutes in is a challenge. The reason I called it a challenge is because I know it is a busy time. But it is so worth it. So, again, thank you for participating and being here.
I am teaching Nia this morning. Then with nothing else on my schedule, I am going to do more Nia. I want to review a routine I have been doing for four years and finish learning one that I am in the middle of learning. I am presently teaching two different routines. In my morning classes we are ready to move on. Nia routines are so rich it is easy to keep learning with them. So that will be my 30 minutes.
I will be back to check in.
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Christmas, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia routines, Nia schedule, Nia Teacher | 3 Comments »
Terre Pruitt's Blog 