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Saturday, April 2, 2016 there was a Nia Jam in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been a long time since I have been to a Nia Jam. The last one I went to was in 2013! They are so fun. The energy at a jam is fantastic. I thought I was going to miss it because the event was being held at a studio in the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. It is a HUGE complex and I parked in the garage and followed the first sign that said fitness center. It led me to a courtyard where every door was locked. There was a sign pointing up and to the left, but there was no way for me to go up and to the left. I asked someone walking around if he knew where it was and bless his heart, he had no idea but he made an attempt to help me. We looked at a map and I decided the best route was to go out to the street and go all the way around to where I thought the studio was. As I was making my way back to the garage, I made a few turns and ended up on the right track. I was supposed to be the first teacher and I was kinda bummed that I was late because I thought I missed it. But as I was walking in they were saying. “Where is Terre?” and I was able to say, HERE!” Yay! I made it. I was about 5 minutes late. I thought I was going to be early. I am so glad I made it. Nia Jams are soooo fun.
Often times there are microphone issues. It seems as if movement disrupted this one’s connection. But Nancy H. worked on it and got it fixed after the first few songs. And it was good to go. As we were making introductions one of the teachers told me she was going to be after me. It is important in a jam situation to know who is before you and after you. You need to know who is before you so you are paying attention and can be ready to switch off with the microphone. And also, it is nice to know who is after you so you can make eye-contact as you are ending your selection so the switch off can go as smooth as possible.
I don’t normally teach with a microphone so I always feel like I have to be quiet when I have one in my face. Otherwise it would blow people’s ears out.
The focus was the Nia Five Sensations, FAMSS, (Flexibility, Agility, Mobility, Strength, and Stability) And I did it again, I don’t know what the intent was. I always seem to miss the intent. We had a great playlist (as you can see)!
It was super fun. It is always so nice to see all the teachers. We are kind of spread out in so many different areas. It is even nicer to be able to dance with everyone. And the JCC was very kind to donate the space so between ticket sales and the raffle, I think the association did well.
Here are some pictures and a video. I will continue to encourage you to go to a Nia Jam. They are so fun. I know you will love it!
Mind Body Zone in Fremont is having a weekend of FREE yoga classes. The schedule is as follows (note only the classes listed below are free):
Saturday, February 27, 2016
3:30-4:30 Vinyasa Yoga
4:45-5:45 Yin Yoga
Sunday, February 28, 2016
10:30-11:30 Hatha Yoga
11:40-12:40 Gentle Yoga
2:15-3:15 Intro to Yoga
3:25-4:25 Restorative
Since it is free, it might fill up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot at the online sign-up website for the studio. You can use the date field or calendar tool to get to the correct dates, then sign up for whatever classes you want to attend. (Note: ONLY the classes that are indicated as “FREE” are free. There are other classes that are being taught that weekend that are not free, so if you are wanting to take the FREE classes, please be sure to sign up accordingly.) 🙂
Bring your own yoga mat or rent one from the studio. Bring water or purchase a bottle from the studio. If you are planning on taking more than one class you might want to bring a snack. It is up to you.
Keep in mind these classes are kinda like a Nia Jam, each class will be taught by three or four teachers per class. And they are new Graduates of Yoga Teacher Training.
Sign up now, so you can join the fun!
Mind Body Zone: 3335 Seldon Ct, Fremont, CA 94539
(a couple of blocks down from Fry’s right off of 680)
Today we had a Nia Jam. I would have written about it right after and posted it, if I hadn’t of had theater tickets. There is a little theater in San Jose that I love (Click here for City Lights Theater) and tonight they were doing the Rocky Horror Picture Show and — wow! The singers/actors were all amazing, but wait, I digress, must be the time warp! The Nia Jam was at Stanford, the awesome Nancy Hoebelheinrich orchestrated it all—as usual. The focus was sound and movement. There were seven teachers. This was a unique Nia Jam because they decided to tie in some Kivo, which is “An Empowerment Practice that activates Voice and Body so you can do the Work you came to do.” The creator of it is also a Nia Teacher. You can learn more about it here. I really go to the Nia Jams to fill my Body, Mind, Emotional Self, and my spirit with Nia. I always have a great time. I love that I get to both teach and be a student. I am not a student enough so I really enjoy my time being a Nia student. I learn a lot as a student. I know I have shared on my blog before that I often want to just stop dancing and take notes. Often times the pearls used are ones I would love to use in my class. Today there were a few dances I would love to bring to my students. Nia Jams are such a good time.
(The white box is someone who requested to not be in the photos . . . some photos were taken before the request was made)
Nia Jams are jammed packed with energy. With so many teachers leading so many different dances it is just one big cosmic burst of energy. I do think that adding the other modality changed the tone and energy a bit, but everyone loved it and had great time. The weather here in the San Francisco Bay Area and particularly Stanford — where the Nia Jam was held — was fantastic. One whole wall of the space where we get to dance is doors so it is open and lovely. There are huge fans on the ceiling and several time during the hour and half that we danced, I sensed the air the fans were moving around the room and I was grateful. It was a beautiful day.
I will continue to shout from the rooftops that if you ever have a chance to go to a Nia Jam — go. I don’t just mean ones that I am a part of or ones that are in my area, I mean ANY Nia Jam. I KNOW that ALL of them are infused with the same HIGH energy and fantastic music so I know that any one you attend would give you a GREAT taste of what Nia is.
This month also happens to be the 30th Anniversary of Nia so it was very fitting that we had a Nia Jam this month.
Thank you, Nia Teachers and Nia students for coming to the Jam and making it jamming.
What song would you love to hear at a Jam to get you moving with all you have?
(I will have more pictures from the Nia Jam on www.HelpYouWell.com shortly, so check it out! Thanks!)
Wow! What a week. How was yours? I had a couple more classes than usual, which is always nice. I had to take our cat to the vet which is never nice and was particularly not nice this time. Poor kitty.
Tomorrow is a Nia Jam. That is always fun. You should come join us.
There are good things to be noted going in my jar. How about you? What do you have going in your jar this week?
Ok, so no criminal acts have been committed, but I do hate when my produce goes bad. I get a box of organic produce delivered, plus, as I have mentioned there is a fabulous produce department on my way home from my Nia class on Tuesdays so sometimes I end up with a lot of produce. Since I didn’t go to the store and pick out the produce that comes in the box sometimes I put the veggies in my vegetable bin and forget what is there. I know that I have it because I took it out of the box and took a picture of it, but then some might get pushed to the bottom of the drawer. Or I can even go to the store and buy something and then forget about it. Especially if it is an ingredient in a recipe and I make the recipe and have left overs of that ingredient. Sometimes I forget I have an entire bag of, oh let’s say, cilantro. So it ends up going bad. I do not like to waste food so to have it just sit and get spoiled in my fridge really is annoying.
My refrigerator even has see-through drawers which helps, but sometimes they are kinda jammed packed (I say kinda because I try not to JAM my vegetables in so as not to damage them, but they can still get pretty full) and I can’t see all that it is there. So I think I am going to have to start keeping a list on the fridge. Silly I know, I can just look in the drawers and see, but I don’t wanna have to rummage around in there every time I am thinking about what to cook for dinner. Plus if I see the list over and over I will remember I have to cook/eat what is on there. Sometimes I will remember that I have a vegetable that I should use, but then the day will go on and for some reason I will get the idea to make a different veggie. Then rushing around to make dinner I forget about my original plan and the vegetable that should be used first and I just grab and go with my last thought. Then later —- sometimes way too much later — I remember the veggie I should have used. With the list I will be reminded when I am ready to start cooking and I won’t have to rummage and it will be right there. And I can cross off the vegetables as they get used.
Also, some of the vegetables from the farmer’s market are too big for the drawers so they are on top on a shelf and sometimes they get pushed to the back. With the lists it won’t matter because I will know they are there. Now I need to make sure I keep the lists updated. I might end up getting one of those shiny plastic coated board things where you can write and erase. Yeah, because there is not enough “stuff” on my fridge!
So do you ever forget you have a vegetable in the fridge and it goes bad before you eat it? Do you have a method to help you keep that from happening?
YAY! So happy I did it again. I had henna tattoos done in time for the Nia Jam. It had been way too long since my first henna tattoos. I have wanted to do it again since then. It just so happened that we were going to a party on Saturday night and the Nia Jam was on Sunday so it was the perfect time to get my feet done. It has been suggested that I need to love my healing foot more. Sometimes I don’t love it since it doesn’t work properly. I thought if I had henna done it would at least make me think it was pretty. I was right. Henna and Beyond does beautiful work so I think my feet look very pretty.
I had the henna done on Thursday afternoon. The henna can come off as soon as it is dried but the longer you leave it on the better the stain. The henna is squeezed onto your skin via a cone, like a small icing bag. As I mentioned in my post when I had henna done before, henna is applied and it rests on the skin like puffy paint would. It is best to leave it on your skin until dried. The longer you leave it on the darker the tattoo will be.
Rachna has printed information, but I didn’t want to take it and waste the paper because I pretty much knew what to expect. I read the information to be sure, then asked if it was on her site because I knew I wouldn’t be able to remember it exaclty. The lengths of time were a little different on the paper than that which are on the site, but they are just guidelines so you’ll have an idea of what to do. Both the paper and the website state that it is best to leave the puffy-like henna on for at least 2 hours. The paper said up to 12 hours. I am not sure why not past 12 hours, but it worked out that it was exactly 12 hours after having it done that I was ready to take it off. I slept with socks on so I wouldn’t get henna all over the bed. While not a lot of henna dropped off in the socks, I can’t say that it would not have in the bed. It could be that the socks kept it secure.
When I got up I was able to brush most of it off with just my hand. The rest I just scratched off with my nails, although she recommends using the smooth side of a butter knife. The information says that 24 hours after it is applied it will be darkest. Hmmm? Here is a picture of mine about 26 hours after. The information also said to apply oil because it will make it darker. Really? Ok. It said any cooking oil would do, but I have some moisturizing olive oil, plus some Arnica Allay. I used both. I put the Arnica Ally on my toes and the olive oil on the rest of the art. I have applied it a couple of times. And here is what it looks like exactly a week later.
I am happy. I think Rachna does a beautiful job. After looking at her books of samples I told her the designs I liked and the ones I didn’t and this is what she came up with. Brilliant! She free-handed all this and designed it as she went along.
I have also included a picture of what it looks like today. Which is a week and two days after having it done. You might notice that this time it is much darker than last time I had the henna tattoos. There are several things that could be the reason for that. One, I let it completely dry this time. Last time I did something very silly (so silly I will not even mention it here) thinking it would help keep the flaking henna from getting all over the place. What actually helps it from flaking all over is to let it dry and to not bump it off. It stays on pretty secure. Also, Rachna said that she now mixes the lemon and sugar* into the henna and so that could be another reason. And the oil, I really think applying the olive oil helped make it darker. In the pictures today I actually have a “coat” of olive oil them so they might even look shiny.
Yay! I am so happy. One of the reasons I had hesitated in doing henna tattoos again is I remember the henna flaking off and getting everywhere, but this time it didn’t. I am sure that has to do with me following her tips. I kept telling myself, “She’s been doing this for almost 30 years. I really need to trust she knows what she is talking about with all of her little tricks and tips.” And I did, and it is awesome!
*According to her website this is a mixture you make and apply that acts as a sealant.
This past Sunday we had a Nia Jam in Palo Alto. The San Francisco Bay Area Nia Association tries to have four Jams a year. The peninsula one is in Palo Alto, but it is usually at Stanford, this time it was at a gym. It was a nice day so it was great that people came inside to support the local Nia association. As with a music jam session there are switches and changes that occur. A Nia Jam is where teachers gather and switch off leading songs so there is a mix of music and styles. The routine is created to be about 90 minutes. Normally we have a lot of teachers teaching so we only get to do one or two songs. This time the group of teachers was much smaller and we were able to do three to four songs each. The energy is always very high and exciting at a Jam because the teachers are from all over the Bay Area and beyond, so the students come from near and far. It is also a GREAT way to experience Nia for the first time because you get a taste of all the different approaches to teaching. Nia is specific in the way that we teach, yet at the same time it allows for the personality of the individual teacher to shine through. So a Nia Jam is great fun.
The theme for this Nia Jam was Summertime. The focus was moving with lightness with the intent of bringing in lightness and a sense of “summertime”, effortlessness and joy. It allowed for a lot of play, like kids playing during summer vacation. Not only were we able to bring in the lightness in our minds, our physical bodies, and our spirits, but we had the extra special treat of a skylight. The room we were dancing in has a huge skylight in the middle of the ceiling and a few glass doors to the outside so we were able to share in the beauty of the sun light and move with it. Along with the skylight and doors and windows to the outside, the room has a huge wood floor and a mirror on one wall. A small portion of the back wall is made of glass “windows” that looks into the workout room. I saw many people stop their workout to peek in at the Joy that was whooshing around the room in spirals, releves, kicks, and punches.
Nia Jams are no different than Nia Workout Classes in regards to what to wear. As you can see everyone wears what they are comfortable in. Whatever allows you to move freely and makes you feel good is perfect. But you also have to be ok with getting on the floor in your dance outfit. Like most Nia classes there is almost always Floorplay — even at a Nia Jam!
There is a wonderful sense of community at a Nia Jam. Teachers gathered to share the Joy of Nia. Participants gathered to experience a Jam. All of us gathered to do our favorite exercise. All of us ready to workout. All of us ready to dance. All of us there to do Nia. It is really fun stuff. I hope that you will be able to join us for our next Jam.
You can visit my website to see all the pictures from the Nia Jam in July. (The link MIGHT change in the future.)
July 9, 2011 was Fitbloggin’ World Meetup Day. I had heard of Fitbloggin’ when I was asked if Nia could be there next year. I hadn’t heard of it before or that I could remember. When I was looking for Nia people online (a few years) I found Foodie McBody on Twitter, I think. She posted a blog post about Nia. I was so excited that she had posted about Nia that I commented on her post and we starting talking a bit. I hadn’t realized when I first read her post that she is not too far from me. I think that is how it happened. I am not sure anymore, all the social media sites get blurred as I connect with more people on more than one site. But I did actually meet her briefly at a Nia Jam. And now we keep in contact via Twitter, Blogs, and FaceBook. So she was the one who asked me if Nia would be represented at the next Fitbloggin’ Conference. I will have to look into that. In the meantime the Fitbloggin’ community decided to have a World Meetup Day where Fitbloggin’ bloggers would meet in different locations all over the world. I think that is cool. Foodie volunteered to do it at her residence and she asked if I would attend and do a Nia demo.
Of course I wanted to learn more about Fitbloggin’ and, of course I wanted to introduce Nia to a group of Fitness people. So I went. There was a walk, a lunch, a talk, and a Nia demo. When I got in my car to go there I was confident I could get there just fine. Well, I didn’t get there just fine. I was later than I wanted to be. I made it for the end of lunch and the talk. The talk was awesome. Danica of Danica’s Daily shared information about how to monetize your blog. She talked about some fabulous tricks and tips. It was awesome.
She talked about tags, SEO, advertisements that you place on your site to get paid on, placement of things, colors, text, hosting, non-hosting, names, logos, content, and a lot more. Believe it or not she covered all that in an hour. It was very interesting.
A handful of people actually stayed for the Nia demo. We were not planning on doing an entire Nia Routine, we did a few songs. As often is the case with Nia the participants were surprised they worked up — or almost worked up a sweat. When you do an entire routine there is definitely a chance to work up a sweat. It all depends on what you put into it. Just like your blog. There are so many things that you can do with a blog it really depends on what you put into it. We received a lot of great information that day so we can take it from there.
I am thankful to Foodie for inviting me and letting me share Nia with the Fitbloggers. Originally the group was going to be much bigger, but things came up. It still was a great turn out and I was happy to meet all that attending. Thank you, Foodie, I appreciate it! I was happy to have a glimpse into the Fitbloggin’ community.
Two more timely posts about the Nor Cal Fitbloggin’ MeetUp:
Tomorrow morning is my last Nia class of 2010, it will be in Los Gatos at 9:30 am. I mention this because I am ending 2010 with three classes a week. I mention that because someone was reminding me that the end of the year Holidays (Christmas, Bodhi Day, Winter Solstice, Advent, Yule, Pancha Ganapati, Hanukkah, Yalda, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Hogmanay, and the New Year – just to name a few) are difficult for some because it is a time of reflection and sometimes dwelling on all that was not accomplished in the passing year and maybe even dwelling on some of one’s failures. Once when I was sharing with one of my Nia students all that I still had to learn just in regards to Nia, she reminded me of how far I had come. Instead of listing my goals and resolutions for the new year, I am going to share some of the things I did accomplish.
–completed my second year teaching Nia
–consistently taught Nia at least twice a week all year
–taught up to four classes in one week
–subbed several Nia classes
–taught classes at a Park and Recreation Center
–consistently posted to my blog
–penned at least 200 blog posts (I post on other blogs)
–witnessed an increase of number of participants in my Willow Glen Nia class
–paid studio rent with funds solely collected from teaching Nia
–raised over $300 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society
–been married for 12 years
–went from two Nia classes a week to three classes a week
–started up a new Nia class in Los Gatos
While some of these may seem small or as if they didn’t require a lot of effort, that is not the point. The point of this post / exercise is to celebrate things no matter how big, how small, how easy, or how difficult. It is just a moment to do a Snoopy Dance because they are. It is a way to not dwell on all that has not been done or all that has yet to be done. It is just to say, “Aahhh.” and with that ahh turn my face towards the future and the excitement of what 2011 will hold.
So? What about you? What is on your list of things you did?
Since I started teaching Nia classes I have received the question of what to wear to Nia quite often. For those that have not heard of Nia or done Nia, it is a valid question. People are not sure what it is and what you do in a class, so they have no idea how to dress. I have seen a lot of people wear a lot of different things. I have seen people wear clothes that I would consider fancy “going out” clothes, I have seen people wear “jogging outfits”, yoga clothes, and all types of dance clothes. I wear a variety of things. It depends on where I am doing Nia and what it is for. Most of the time I wear “workout clothes” because I do get sweaty. Plus we do get on the floor. So for my “everyday” Nia I wear my tie-dyed T-shirts. I have a little collection. And I wear loose pants. I do have a few outfits that I think of as “Nia outfits” and I usually save those for Nia playshops, Nia workshops and Nia events. I am working on expanding my Nia outfits.
My answer regarding what to wear is whatever is comfortable to move in. Whatever makes you feel good, but that you don’t mind sweating in or getting on the floor in. I like flowing sleeves and pants that swing. Nia to me is even more fun when your outfit flows and swings. But most important is to be comfortable and safe. Some pants are so so long that they can be stepped on and that could be an issue so you want to make sure you can move freely.
Nia is a workout. In class we move, we sweat, we get on the floor . . . . .so knowing that wear something like that you want to workout in yet that makes you feel good. One thing you don’t have to think about is shoes.
Nia also has Nia clothes in case you are interested. They can be purchased through the Nia website, NiaNow.com.
Below is a picture from a Nia Jam* and as you can see people wear what they want. Nia is about moving your body at your level and in comfort so wearing something that allows you to do that is exactly what you want to wear.
Saturday, April 2, 2016 there was a Nia Jam in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has been a long time since I have been to a Nia Jam. The last one I went to was in 2013! They are so fun. The energy at a jam is fantastic. I thought I was going to miss it because the event was being held at a studio in the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto. It is a HUGE complex and I parked in the garage and followed the first sign that said fitness center. It led me to a courtyard where every door was locked. There was a sign pointing up and to the left, but there was no way for me to go up and to the left. I asked someone walking around if he knew where it was and bless his heart, he had no idea but he made an attempt to help me. We looked at a map and I decided the best route was to go out to the street and go all the way around to where I thought the studio was. As I was making my way back to the garage, I made a few turns and ended up on the right track. I was supposed to be the first teacher and I was kinda bummed that I was late because I thought I missed it. But as I was walking in they were saying. “Where is Terre?” and I was able to say, HERE!” Yay! I made it. I was about 5 minutes late. I thought I was going to be early. I am so glad I made it. Nia Jams are soooo fun.
Often times there are microphone issues. It seems as if movement disrupted this one’s connection. But Nancy H. worked on it and got it fixed after the first few songs. And it was good to go. As we were making introductions one of the teachers told me she was going to be after me. It is important in a jam situation to know who is before you and after you. You need to know who is before you so you are paying attention and can be ready to switch off with the microphone. And also, it is nice to know who is after you so you can make eye-contact as you are ending your selection so the switch off can go as smooth as possible.
I don’t normally teach with a microphone so I always feel like I have to be quiet when I have one in my face. Otherwise it would blow people’s ears out.
Terre Pruitt's Blog 