Posts Tagged ‘Nia Practice’
Posted by terrepruitt on October 12, 2020
Ahhh, today there were two meetings on Zoom to introduce the new options for Members and Teachers. There was one for brand new Nia White Belt Graduates, since I just attended that training I was able to listen to that one. Then there was one for people who are current Nia Members and I am a current Nia member. So in light of those meetings I feel like it is the perfect time to post this post that has been sitting on my desktop. I want to remind readers that I am a Nia teacher, I teach a dance exercise class called Nia. Nia is really much, much more than that, but that is how I describe it when talking about what I teach. I have written many posts about it and I have a lot of information about it on my website. Nia was initially created by two people, Debbie Rosas and Carlos AyaRosas. Carlos left the organization in, I believe it was 2010. Debbie has continued the work. It is so difficult to describe what “the work” means. She continues to learn about the body and why it needs to move and then applies that to trainings. It is multi-dimensional. I am posting this as a reminder that anything I post about Nia has come from their/her teachings. As I have said many times before not everything in Nia is new . . . they did not invent the moves we do in Nia, but they have added their own way of doing them and learning them and showing how they can help you move in your body more comfortably. In addition to that reminder I want to remind people that many of the movement class forms (Zumba, PiYo, etc.) that you may take require the teacher to be licensed. Nia is one of those things. I pay a fee in order to market my class as “Nia”. And Nia is introducing new ways that people can be licensed.
When I directly quote Debbie or the material I state it. As a Nia teacher we are encouraged to share information about Nia. I have taken pictures of our routine covers and I have created documents myself. I have also used pages of The Nia Technique Book. But I don’t post pictures of the training material from the belts. ANYONE can buy The Nia Technique Book, but only a participant receives the training material – well, now I can say only a graduate as a current member receives the training material. 🙂 (This is part of the new options.) I share the information about the belt trainings to entice you into wanting more.
Nia is giving options on licensing. It used to be that if you wanted to teach you paid a licensing fee – either monthly or annually. That fee came with a lot of things . . . DVDs of the routines (music, the choreography, and the additional training for a routine), teleconference calls, written articles, handouts, and various stuff, now the routines are on NiaTV and there are podcasts and other recorded things. There are meditations and various types of movements including routines with the 52 Moves and Moving to Heal . . . there is a plethora of stuff. Nia is going to have three tiers in which people can stay connected to the wealth of Nia training, they will still have the monthly NiaTV subscription if you just want access to Nia Workout Videos, Music, and Podcasts. The tiers just relate to the additional stuff that is part of Nia.
They are putting up a new website this week (hopefully Wednesday, 10/14/20) so you will be able to get all the details there. I do not want to start to list them because I don’t want to misstate anything. It is better for you to get the information from the source. I am just giving you a heads up to let you know that there are options now. And with Nia there is always a huge amount of material to access. So as a member you can get a lot of information and if you want to teach you get more. Each tier adds on stuff we will have access too.
Since the old website is going away and it will have a new look, I thought I would post my profile page as a photo for this post. I really hope that you will look into Nia . . . you can look into as a movement practice (if you like to dance) or if you want more. Keep in mind the new website should be up this week.
So exciting! Who wants to talk about Nia with me?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Carlos Rosas, dance exercise, Dancing Through Life, Debbie Rosas, Nia license, Nia members, Nia Practice, Nia routines, Nia teachers, Nia training, Nia website, Nia White Belt Graduates, NiaNow.com, NiaTV, Sacred Athlete, Sacred Livelihood, Zumba license | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 5, 2020
Ahhh . . . so today was the actual last day of the FIRST EVER NIA WHITE BELT TRAINING ONLINE! Ok, I just want to clarify it was not only the first Nia White Belt Training online, it was the first Nia Belt Training online – ever. So it was super special! If you have read this journey from the beginning you may know, but just in case you haven’t I want to summarize briefly. Nia is a holistic wellness system, I call it a practice (like yoga) . . . through it, I teach cardio dance classes. Nia has levels of learning called belts. The first one is the Nia White Belt. The belts have thirteen principles (yoga has limbs). The principles can be applied to everyday life so you do not have to have teaching Nia in mind when you take the training. The Nia White Belt is all about the body and living in sensation. For some it is a reminder to dance through life and enjoy living in the body — for others that is a totally new and unique concept. Regardless it is a really amazing experience. I have said over and over Nia isn’t always about NEW stuff but the way Nia describes things and relates it to life it very cool. The training was two hours, once a week over sixteen weeks and it is over. I am going to go out on a limb and say we are all sad. I know that is very presumptuous, but I really believe it to be true. We are all sad that it is over. It was an amazing experience and we are sad it is done. But we are also happy because there is a lot more to come. With Nia there is always more.
Today was not really what I was thinking it would be . . . a little disappointed that it wasn’t more of a ceremony, but it was very celebratory and joyous. We actually spent most of the time moving. We spent A LOT of the time dancing. We danced and Debbie reviewed the Nia White Belt Principles 2020. It was awesome.
Last week we were told there is new stuff and we would be told about it today, but I am guessing they couldn’t fit it all in so we are having another meeting next week that is going to explain the membership. If you want to teach you have to pay to do so . . . pretty much like every single licensed thing out there. Instructors pay for Zumba, PiYo, and all the things out there so that isn’t new, but the pay structure is going to change . . . so that is what I wanted to hear about today, but that didn’t happen. We danced and that was fun.
Even though we were not together in a room dancing, it really did feel like community. Especially when the host (we were on Zoom) shared everyone dancing, my entire screen was full of people dancing all over the world! That is amazing to me. I so love the idea of that. I know that I danced with a woman in Africa, a woman in Germany, a woman in Tennessee, a woman in Washington, two women in Texas, a woman in Idaho, and a woman in Chile. I don’t know where everyone else was but we were all together and we were dancing.
This was the second time I have taken the White Belt, the first time was in 2008 and an audit in 2009, but this was a full retake and the material was new. Again, the way it was presented was new, the language was new, but the core teachings are the same. I keep emphasizing that because that is important to me. Nia is not an opinion, which can change, it is a system based on science and ancient teachings so the base is consistent, yet it adjusts and grows.
Today was really fun. I loved moving and dancing with everyone.
I hope that you choose to explore more about Nia. I have posted about the thirteen Nia White Belt Principles 2020 I just studied (and will continue to study) and I have posted about Nia before. There is information on this blog and my site and of course, information about the trainings on Nianow.com
In Joy!
Posted in 2020 Nia White Belt Principles, Nia | Tagged: dancing via Zoom, Debbie Rosas, First Nia Belt Training online, graduation, holistic wellness system, licensing fees, Nia Classes, Nia Practice, Nia Technique, Nia training, Nia White Belt Principles, Nia White Belt Training, NiaNow.com, PiYo, Yoga, Zuma | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 21, 2020
This week we quickly reviewed Nia White Belt Principle 12. It is a pretty involved principle and there is not a lot of time to really dig deep into it. There are four triads to this principle. That information alone is an indication of how complex this principle is. Nia White Belt P12 – Body + Life Transformation with a tagline of Purpose – Potential – Possibility.
Like many places, here is where Nia and Nia training can translate into something that a person that doesn’t want to teach can benefit from. Even twelve years ago when I participated in the Nia White Belt Intensive it was not ALL about teaching us how to teach Nia, but as Nia continues to grow it has shifted even further into being a “life style practice” to include those that don’t want to teach. The description of this principle is Sensory Study of Personal Enrichment and Growth. The first triad is about Past, Present, and Future with the center being Knowledge with wings of NiaTV and Nia Training. Basically it’s representing oneself and indicating that we can continue to learn and gain knowledge with the things available to us.
The additional triads each have a tagline and description, which you can learn about when you take the training. As often is the case, I don’t want to give it ALL away and really can’t get into each principle or triad in depth because I do – believe it or not – try to keep my posts from being too long. P12 (t1) is about oneself with purpose, potential, and possibility making up the three corners of the triad. Tapping into our ideal of ourselves. P12 (t2) is very complex and is about potential with a top-level “map” on how a teacher learns a routine. But, it can be applied to a student too as it represents lo
oking, moving, then sharing a routine. It reminds us of how we blend science, craft, and art into our dance. The science has us looking, listening, and imagining as tool to learn and do the moves. Then we can energize the moves with the nine energies (movement forms), crafting the routine. And the art is the part where we share, having really connected through the music we are able to dance to the music sharing the science and craft.
P12 (t3) is class, core, magic where we learn, embody, and share. I feel like these two triads should be switched, but I also feel the main triad should have a different order. Which reminds me, there are a lot of different ways people learn and to me I would Learn – Embody – Share Nia Routines (t3 tagline) as a way TO engage the Somatic Wheels of Transformation (t2 tagline), but I also see needing to engage them first in order to share Nia.
While for me, aspects of the principle that are related to teaching Nia are the most intriguing I see how it is all related. That is what is amazing and fun about Nia . . . the principles can be applied to daily life. One does not have to want to teach Nia to be able to relate it to life.
This principle is about purpose, potential, and possibility and the triads are little maps or signs to remind us of the tools that we have in our Nia toolbox.
Can you see how this (thinking about your purpose, potential, and possibilities of your life) can be MORE THAN just an fitness practice?
Posted in 2020 Nia White Belt Principles, Nia | Tagged: Learn Embody Share, Life transformation, Nia belt training online, Nia class, Nia Practice, Nia routines, Nia training, Nia White Belt, Nia White Belt Principle 12, NiaTV, personal growth, Triads | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 10, 2020
Wow. We are already on Principle 6 of the Nia White Belt Principles in the first ever Nia White Belt Training Online. Remember this is somatic training so it is about the body. For people that have not taken any type of anatomy training or exercise training the information might be new, but since Nia is based on the body a lot of it is not new because we pretty much have had the same number of bones in our feet since they have been able to count all the bones in the feet (26 in each foot). Nia is based on science but the way Debbie relates it to your everyday life is what makes it fun and amazing. Nia White Belt P6 Base. It is about the base, our foundation, from our feet to our hip joint. The triad consists of feet, legs, hip joints.
I love to remind my students that feet need to be flexible in order to provide the shock absorption we need with each step. Also, in order to help with the entire health of the body they need to be strong, and also allow the energy to flow through. Nia refers to the feet as the Hands that touch the Earth. Feet like hands relay a lot of information to the body. In Nia we dance barefoot to not only receive that information through the hundreds of thousands of nerve endings in each foot, but to help with the health of our feet. Nia has 52 Moves the routines focus on. Twenty seven of them are associated with the base and each move can help keep feet flexible, strong, and allow energy to flow up to the body.
There are four categories associated with the base. The “Feet” category has 8 moves, the “Stances” category has 6 moves, the “Steps” category 9 moves, and the “Kicks” category has 4 moves. Below is the list of “base” moves and links to my posts about them, except the Cha-Cha-Cha.
Foot Moves (8)
1. Heel Lead
2. Whole Foot
3. Ball of the Foot
4. Relevé
5. Rock Around the Clock
6. Squish Walk
7. Duck Walk
8. Toes In, Out, Parallel
Stances (6)
9. Closed Stance
10. Open Stance
11. “A” Stance
12. Riding (Sumo) Stance
13. Bow Stance
14. Cat Stance
Steps (9)
15. Sink and Pivot Table Wipe
16. Stepping Back onto the Ball of Your Foot
17. Cross Front
18. Cross Behind
19. Traveling in Directions
20. Lateral Traveling
21. Cha-Cha-Cha
22. Slow Clock
23. Fast Clock
Kicks (4)
24. Front Kick
25. Side Kick
26. Back Kick
27. Knee Sweep
If you have never been to a Nia class you might be amazed at how many ways you can do each of these moves. There are many ways . . . you could shift your intention, you could shift your energy, you could shift your focus, you could shift your weight . . . . all of these things would allow you to sense the move differently. And the great thing about them is you don’t even have to be in a dance class to practice them.
Can you spot one you might call a favorite?
Posted in 2020 Nia White Belt Principles, Nia | Tagged: 52 Moves of Nia, Base Moves, dance class, Debbie Rosas, Heel lead, Knee Sweep, Nia Practice, Nia training online, Nia White Belt Principles, Nia White Belt Training, stances, whole foot, www.HelpYouWell.com | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 6, 2020
Back in December 2008 I took a training for a movement practice called Nia. I had only taken a couple of classes and that was only to see if I liked it enough to teach it. I liked it enough to want to teach it so I signed up for the week long training at the headquarters in Portland, Oregon. I went having no idea what I was getting into and thinking I would walk out with routines learned enough to jump start into teaching. Well, no, that is not what a week training for a Nia Belt is. But it is pretty amazing. Back then the TWO founders were still a part of Nia, whereas now-a-days it is just one of the founders. Turns out Nia is a practice . . . like yoga is a practice. You can do just the physical exercise part of it or you can add it to your life. Adding it to your life is pretty easy since the main idea of Nia – to me – is to notice your body and how it moves.
One thing Nia does is have principles for every “level” (called “Belts”). I listed the principles of the (2008) White Belt in my post Nia Or Nia Technique Is A Specific Practice. Then I wrote a post about each principle individually. With an amazing and unprecedented opportunity to take the training again with one of the Founders online at an astronomically generous discount, I couldn’t say no.
It is the first time a Nia Belt has ever been offered online. Nia is very much about the body and movement so it really does make sense to do it in person – to be in the same space with people learning and doing the same stuff. But . . . Nia is amazing in its ability to adapt and change and do what needs to be done to continue on yet keep its members and participants safe, so we are doing it online. Debbie Rosas (one of the founders) is determined to give it a personal feel and touch so we are on Zoom doing a portion of the training. Then we are assigned to a POD, with over 200 people taking the training I thought the PODs would be big, but there were only five people on my POD list.
Anyway, the principles’ wording has changed a bit so I wanted to post an updated list. With the slight changes I am confident that the principles are still the same. I mean, that is what Nia is based on. It is just that sometimes language can be updated, sometimes to more marketable friendly words. But still stay the same. We will see as I go through the training. I never like to give too much away because it is something you need to experience for yourself, but I do plan to post more about it . . . the information and my experience. That is the reason I started this blog in the first place. I wanted to share Nia with everyone. And now that so many things are having to be online, maybe you can experience it yourself.
Principle 1 – JOY OF MOVEMENT
Principle 2 – NATURAL TIME + MOVEMENT FORMS
Principle 3 – MUSIC + 8 BC SYSTEM
Principle 4 – FREEDANCE
Principle 5 – AWARENESS
Principle 6 – BASE
Principle 7 – PLANES + INTENSITY LEVELS
Principle 8 – CORE
Principle 9 – UPPER EXTREMITIES
Principle 10 – X-RAY ANATOMY
Principle 11 – CREATING A SENSORY LIFE
Principle 12 – BODY + LIFE TRANSFORMATION
Principle 13 – LIVING WHAT YOU SENSE
As I said I don’t think these have really changed, because if you compare lists they are basically the same but with slightly different wording. Number 11 is what always changes the most. I don’t know how many times it has changed, but I know I kinda didn’t care for some of the versions . . . but again, I think it is all BASICALLY the same. I am looking forward to seeing. This is not only new language to me, it is NEW to everyone . . . Nia just finished crafting it so this is really exciting.
As I said, I hope to be following up this post with more information as it unfolds.
Have you participated in any type of training or lesson online that you were/are enthusiastic about?
Posted in 2020 Nia White Belt Principles, Nia | Tagged: Amazing Nia training, COVID-19 World, Debbie Rosas, marketable language, Nia, Nia Practice, Nia White Belt 2020, online training, Principles of White Belt 2020, Zoom Nia Belt training | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 22, 2017
Well, it looks like I haven’t posted a Nia move from the Nia 52 Moves in a long time. When I started my blog and website I wasn’t actually planning on posting about each and every move, but with only nine left that I have not posted about, I really might as well finish the list. It might not be done quickly, but I will get to them all. Why not, right? Only nine, well, eight after this one, to go! So today I am posting about the Chop Cut.
As with most, if not all, of the 52 Moves of Nia there is a specific way to do it, but then a lot of different ways it is done. I will go out on a limb to say this move, the chop cut, is a common move. I am sure many, many people have done this move whether they are dancing, practicing martial arts, or not. It is just a common move. Or at least I think of it as a common move.
To practice it as a Nia move, one of 52, we chop the air with the edge of our hands. The edge of the hand we refer to as the blade side. Using one hand at a time, raise the arm from the shoulder and bring it down. Slice, with the blade, from up to down. Allow the elbow to be slightly bent. All fingers are extended. Keep the hands active and engaged even the one that is not doing the slicing.
The Nia Technique book states the benefits as:
an excellent exercise for affirming your personal power. This move is effective for building strength in the arms and shoulders, and it is superb for releasing stress.
The move itself can release stress but when combined with sounding it can be really effective. The book recommends saying, “because.” I usually have my class say, “HA!”
The ideal Chop Cut is using the whole arm and the blade of the hand. Sometimes we might use straight arms. At times while we are dancing, we might just make the movement from our elbows. Just letting our forearms move, chopping at the air in front of us fast. That kind of movement can be done faster than using the entire arm. At times the chop can just be from the wrists. So just the hands move. It requires loose wrists. This move can be done really fast. Sometimes when we chop with our hands, we move them in the space around us, so we are moving more than just our wrists. So the chop is coming from the wrists so it is more of “just a chop” than a “chop cut”. The Chop Cut when done according to “specs,” is a power move. The other ones are great and sometimes they fit better into the dance.
So, am I right? Have you done a Chop Cut before? Were you dancing?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: Chop cut, dance exercise, Karate Chop, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia Dance, Nia Practice, Nia Technique Book | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 13, 2017
Ahh, I usually have Mondays off, but today I am subbing a class. I will be teaching Nia when there is regularly Pilates. I thought I would try Nia at the community center because this is the community center where I once taught gentle yoga and they wanted to know what Nia was. Hopefully those that enjoyed the demo will show up and enjoy an entire hour of Nia. So instead of Pilates at the Almaden Community Center today it will be Nia at 9:15am!
I will do my Daily 10 Minute Practice, after I get home. We are on day thirteen. When will you do yours?
I haven’t marked off today, yet. I will when I get it done. 🙂
Posted in Ten Minute Daily Practice | Tagged: Daily 10 Minute Practice, daily challenge, Day Thirteen, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia Practice, Nia Teacher, San Jose Community Centers, something to do daily | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on February 12, 2017
Here we are day twelve of the Daily 10 Minute Practice. Here is where you post your comment. I don’t know if I will doing my “practice” before or after I teach Nia. Today (Sunday, February 12, 2017) is my day to teach Nia at the NW YMCA in Cupertino. There are three of us Nia teachers that teach the Sunday class on a rotating basis. It is nice to have a Sunday class, but nice to not have to teach it every Sunday. Perhaps I will see you there.
When are you going to do your 10 minutes?
Posted in Ten Minute Daily Practice | Tagged: Daily 10 Minute Practice, daily challenge, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia Practice, Nia Teacher, NW YMCA, something to do daily, YMCA Instructor | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 5, 2016
What? “cow guy with needle in haunch.” That came up in the “top searches” on my blog. I read it over and over thinking, “What?” And even more disturbing . . . “it sounds familiar.” The more I think about it, the more I think I know something about it, but I can’t remember what. This situation is very weird and disturbing to me. Cow guy with needle in haunch . . . . . . . . hmmmmm . . . it will come to me. I bet just as I am about to press publish I will remember and then I will have to scrap this whole thing and think of another post. It is at the edge of my brain. I am sure it has to do with a TV show that my husband and I watch because I have no other connection to a “cow guy.” I might have a connection to a needle in a haunch, but more like the skin of neck. Hmmmmm . . . . don’t you hate that? When you think something is familiar but you have no idea why? It is like that thing on the tip of your tongue. Or the thing on the edge of your brain or in the corner of your mind. But what I don’t know is why that is a top search on my blog. Even if I was searching for it because it has to do with a TV show we watch, why is it on my blog?
Next top searches are: wrist blood pressure higher than arm, granola for gout, piyo satya. The search terms used to be so much more useful but then a long time ago Google changed the way they did things and so the information we get on WordPress is pretty useless. At least WordPress claims it was Google’s fault for the change. I don’t really know. I do know that at one point I used the searches to sometimes come up with post topics. I figured if people were looking for the information I could write about it.
But in this case (“cow guy with needle in haunch”). I got nothing. I am somewhat wondering. Is it the cow with the needle in its haunch or the guy who has something to do with cows? Kinda sounds like there is a guy who has something to do with cows so he is called “cow guy” and HE has a needle in his haunch. What kind of needle? This search just really raises a lot more questions then there could ever be answers, don’t you think?
I kind of wish that people would have to explain WHY they were searching for the things they do. But then I think about it more and realize that something like that could actually be pretty terrifying. Eeeeek!
The highest search that comes up on my blog is the wrist monitor for blood pressure. Always surprises me. That is always the top search. Which takes people to my post Blood Pressure Monitors – It’s All In the Wrist.
In regards to that, a few months ago, my father, my husband, and I were sitting around the table and my wrist blood pressure monitor happen to be on the table. We were talking about the accuracy of it. My husband took his blood pressure. Then I took mine. After I took mine, my father said, “Oh so it doesn’t work. It must be broke.” And I just smiled and said, “I don’t know. Ok. Take yours.” Then he took his and it came up accurate according to his normal rates (my dad takes his blood pressure enough and has it taken enough he knows what his is). And he said, “Oh.” He felt it was pretty accurate. I always take it three times when I take it. I just took it now: 91/62 ❤ 55 and 103/65 ❤ 60 and 84/65 ❤ 60 I honestly think it has a lot to do with Nia.
Everyday I see more and more post on Facebook with links to how dance is really good for you. I don’t read any of them, because I know. I don’t read them because if you don’t like to dance then it doesn’t really matter. Me telling you that they have done studies about how great it is for your health, if you don’t like to do it, you’re not just gonna start because it is good for you. And I don’t need to read it for me, because I know. I do believe Nia helps blood pressure, just like any mind-body or body-mind practice.
Anyway . . . I started off wondering about an odd search term and ended up on blood pressure which brought me to Nia because I think Nia helps with mine. How is that for sitting down and just typing/writing?
What kind of search odd search terms do you see on your blog? Do you do any type of mind-body or body-mind practice? Yoga? Pilates? Meditation? Chanting?
Posted in Misc, Nia | Tagged: body-mind practice, chanting, cow guy with needle in haunch, dancing is good for you, granola for gout, lower blood pressure, meditation, Mind-body practice, Nia, Nia Practice, Pilates, PiYo, top searches on Wordpress.com blog, wrist blodd pressure monitor, Yoga, Yoga Practice | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 13, 2016
I have often mentioned how Nia is a cardio dance exercise that you can take to another level and make it a practice, like yoga. Yoga is an exercise that you can take to another level by practicing some of the other limbs of yoga. Yoga has eight limbs. These limbs are things that one can work with throughout a lifetime. They are not necessarily things that one masters – well, not things that I can master. There could be days when it feels as if they have been mastered and then days when it feels like you had never even heard of them because the ideas or actions were just not present. So . . . these things get “practiced”. The physical, exercise part of yoga is just one of the limbs. While Nia is not as . . . I’ll say, “preachey” as yoga we do have some things that can be practiced outside of the dance class, off the dance floor. Things like noticing your movement and being aware of your relationship with others and things. But yoga’s limbs are more like rules to live by.
The eight limbs of yoga are:
1) The yamas. There are five yamas. They are often compared to restrictions. Some think of them as restraints or ethical principles.
2) The niyamas. There are five niyamas. They are often compared to rules. Some think of them as observances or spiritual practices.
3) The asana. There are thousands of poses. This is the physical limb of yoga. This is the exercise that has become very popular. Not only are there a lot of poses, there are many different types of yoga. Some are ancient and some are very new. Some types have created new poses. And sometimes I think that the ancient text has been translated so many different ways we end up with different poses.
4) Pranayama. There are various types of pranayama. This is the breath work of yoga. I have posted about two types of pranayama, Ujjayi Breathing and Equal Breath
Since this was originally posted I have posted about additional types of pranayama:
Dirgha 03.12.18, and Sitali 06.19.17
5) Pratyahara. This is the withdrawal of the senses. The idea is that when the mind has control over the senses, can withdrawal them, then it can focus on the other limbs of yoga without distraction.
6) Dharana. This is concentration. The idea of concentration of the mind on one thing leads to meditation.
7) Dhyana. This is meditation. The idea is to be able to concentrate on one point. Being able to breathe to a state of withdrawal of the senses. Having complete control. Then concentration is pure. Meditation is supremely focused and then . . .
8) Samadhi. This is transcendence. When one is in control over mind and body.
Each of these could definitely use a blog post of their own. Not sure I will get to them all. But, I will at least do a post on the yamas, a post on the niyamas, and a post on pranayama. Probably multiple posts on each of them. So, if you are interested stay tuned.
I had heard about the first two, and knew that poses and breathing were apart of yoga. But was not and am not so familiar with the last four. Did you know there were eight limbs to yoga? Which ones are you familiar with?
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asana, cardio dance exercise, dance class, dance exercise, Eight limbs of yoga, equal breath, Nia, Nia Practice, niyamas, pranayama, Ujjayi Breath, yamas, Yoga, Yoga class, Yoga Practice | 10 Comments »
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