Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘Nia students’

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In The Looking Glass

Posted by terrepruitt on June 13, 2016

In Nia we teach facing a mirror with our backs to the students.  The mirrors help me stay connected to the class.  I can look in the mirror and make eye-contact with someone.  I can peruse the room and see what is going on.  It is different from the way it used to be when I took Jazzercise so many moons ago.  The teacher faced us and would do mirror actions.  When the class went left the teacher would actually go to his right.  When we went right the teacher went to his left.  When we moved forward the teacher also moved forward coming toward the class. When the class moved back the teacher would go back.  The teacher facing the class allowed for face-to-face connection.  The other day I was teaching a class and I was doing the “mirroring” and as I was pausing in the movement, I realized why I didn’t like “mirroring” as much as teaching with my back to them.  I couldn’t share my sensation.  I could not teach what I was sensing.

I think part of what makes Nia so joyful and fun is that the teacher is having fun.  We are taught to be in our bodies and dance.  We learn routines, but if while teaching the music motivates us to do something off from the choreography, that is fine.  We get to play.  We get to sense what is happening in our bodies and share it with the class.  Then the class gets motivated to dance what is in their bodies . . . their individual body.

When I was paused in that stretch I wanted to tell them what I was sensing and have them explore their bodies sensation, but I couldn’t.  I had to pause and adjust my mind and my words because we were not bending the same way.  So, yes, I could say, “side” leaving out which side, but it felt less authentic because we were not experiencing the same side.  Silly, I know, but it was a thought that popped into my head as I was teaching.  Sometimes there are no mirrors available in the classrooms I am assigned to teach in, so I have to teach facing the class and that is fine, but I really like having mirrors.

Also, I notice that when I am facing the students even when I used left or right or even use a landmark in the room . . . there are some that pause for a second in confusion.  They are looking at me and seeing me do the opposite from what I am asking them to do and you can just see the internal struggle in the face.   This is especially the case when instructing twists.  Twists are already a little challenge for the brain so when the arm goes up and around and the leg goes up and around, crossing over the mid-line of the body, the brain really likes to see it as the body is to do it.  The mirrored way really has people all twisted.

While we don’t have really complicated steps in Nia, it seems like the students learn them faster when they can see exactly how it is to be done.  They don’t have that extra brain work to do of adjusting for left and right.  They see my left foot going over to the right side and they get it.  It takes a lot to see the right foot going towards them and over to the left while I am telling them to take their left foot front and over to the right.

It is nice to dance without the mirrors sometimes, as I wrote about in my post Mirrorless Inward Reflection.  For some it helps them be less concerned about how they look while they are dancing.  It can allow people to be more introspective.  It can enable people to connect to their own Conscious Personal trainer.  It is a good thing and definitely something I / we can do when we do not have access to mirrors, I just happened upon an insight recently and thought I could share.

Do you like to take classes with mirrors?  Do you find it easier to follow when the teacher has his/her back to you?

Posted in Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

My Cootie Catcher For Nia

Posted by terrepruitt on April 22, 2016

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitIn my last post I told you how I was recently reminded of the Cootie Catcher.  I explained how you can make your own.  Did you?  What did you use it for?  Well, I also mentioned that I would be using mine for picking a focus and an intent for Nia class.  Well, I used it today and I liked it.  It worked.  In Nia we set a focus and an intent for each class, which allows us so many different things.  It could help us move differently to a familiar routine, it could allow us to help work out some kinks in the body and mind, it can do many things.  It is a powerful tool in the Nia tool box.  Most often I ask my students if they have anything they would like to focus on.  Then we go from there deciding an intent.  One of the most requested focuses is shoulders.  So many of us hold tension in our shoulders.  Rarely is there a time when no one has something they want to focus on, but I thought it would be fun to mix it up giving us an alternative for picking the focus of the class.  Plus I thought it would be a good way to get some focuses in use that we don’t use that often.  So I made a cootie catcher to assist us.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI wrote four of the seven Nia Class cycles on the outside.  I used the number of the cycle.  Warm-up is cycle 3, Get Moving is cycle 4, Cool Down is cycle 5, and Floorplay is cycle 6.  I could have just used numbers but I wanted to remind people that Nia has cycles.  I wish I could have used all seven.  So we have someone pick the cycle, then we open and close the catcher that number of times.  Then someone picks a focus or I might have them choose a number . . . that way they won’t really know what focus they are picking.  Ha, I will probably do it both ways.  Anyway . . .we now have our focus.  Then the catcher is opened and closed as many times as the corresponding number.  Then someone picks another number and we open that triangle and read the intent that is behind it and that is our intent for the class.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitToday in class we picked Natural Time . . . to empower us to connect with our body.  NICE!

Each focus can work nicely with each intent.  So no matter what combination is picked it will work.

You may notice the underlining on the focuses (Joints is underlined, Extension is underlined), originally I was going to use the words, spelling them out to open and close the catcher, but I decided to go with the numbers.  But again, I might try that way, too.  There are so many ways you can do it.  That is one thing that makes it so fun!

There are many ways we can decide on a focus and intent, this is just one.  If you are going to make one to use to help with a focus and intent you need FOUR things for the outside (that is where I put the cycles).  Then you need EIGHT focuses and EIGHT intents.  So that would be the same formula for anything you are going to use the catcher for.  Four, eight, eight.

I would love to make more and have all kinds of different focuses and intents.  So, you Nia teachers and Nia students, share with me your favorite focus and intent!

 

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

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

Cootie Catcher

Posted by terrepruitt on April 20, 2016

A few months ago I heard that there might be a Gilmore Girl Reunion.  Then as things unfolded (ha, that will be a pun, wait for it) it turns out that there is going to be one.  Well, I wanted to be up-to-date and refreshed on the series so I started re-watching it on Netflix.  I am so happy that there is such thing as a start and a stop when watching some programs because I often have to stop this show – and quiet often –  because I really cannot stomach Emily Gilmore.  I can barely stomach Taylor, but I don’t usually stop watching because of him, but I do because of Emily.  I just need a break.  But then again when I started re-watching the entire series I was wondering why I had a vague feeling of not liking Lorelai because I love her, well, I did.  I just got to the episodes where I don’t like her so much and now I know why I had a “bad taste” in my mouth regarding her.  Season six the last episode.  I am just now beginning season seven and it turns out I didn’t need to rush to re-watch the entire series because I think the word is that the mini-series won’t even be out until 2017, but we will see.  Netflix is doing the revival.  Anyway . . . a couple of seasons back . . . I don’t even remember which one now, they had a cootie catcher on the show.  That had me thinking.  How fun!  I want to make a cootie catcher.  So here you go.

First you need to have a square piece of paper.  If you are using an 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch piece of paper you make it square by folding over one corner to meet the edge of the paper.  Then you draw a line, then cut along the line.  Now your paper is ready to go.

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Next fold each corner into the line and to meet each other.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

And you end up with a smaller square.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

Then turn the square over and fold all four corners into meet each other.  So now you have a smaller square.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then fold it in half with the four points you just created on the INSIDE.  So you have two squares on each half (the outside) of the fold paper.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You put your fingers in the four squares and work the catcher open and close.

Then you write on it allowing it to do what you want it to do.  One version is colors on the four squares (spelling the color open and close . . ), then numbers on the eight triangles inside (then you would spell the number, opening and closing the catcher), then have the person you are playing with choose another number and open the number and read the fortune/quote inside.  Ahhh, the simple things.

Some people call them fortune tellers, but they can be used for anything.  You can use them to help assign chores.  You can use them to help figure out what to have for dinner (hey, I might need to make one just for that).  I am going to use mine with my Nia students to give us our focus and intent for our Nia class.  That will be a post on its own.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What would you use your catcher for?

 

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

2015 Goodie Jar – Almost Time

Posted by terrepruitt on December 22, 2015

It is almost time to read the contents of the Goodie Jar.  Oh yes, the Goodie Jar.  We are still doing it.  We actually have three containers going on.  One was the original one that is the Princess House Pitcher.  That one looked pretty festive (and it was full) so I put it in the China cabinet hoping it could be passed off as a Christmas decoration.  Then the other one is a container that sits on the peninsula and has to be put away to make room for the Christmas decorations that are all over the peninsula.  So I have a note in the present Goodie Jar dish that reminds me to go into the closet to get the planter that we were using to put good things in.  So it is almost time.  I really like this tradition.  I think this is the third year that we have done it.  I am not sure, but I think we will do it again next year.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitI have not read any of the notes in the containers, but I am pretty confident that there will be a few about our cats.  They are such good girls and the certainly make me smile when I think about them.  So I am sure both of us have documented that!  There are always moments that I write down about my students making me smile.  The latest one is my socks.  LOOK!  Aren’t they cool.  They have cats on them AND they can be worn with my flip flops.  I was explaining to my students one day that since I have to rush over to class I didn’t want to put on my socks and shoes and my feet were really cold.  Ya see, in the morning on the way to my first class I wear socks and shoes.  But there is not a lot of time for me to get to my Tuesday morning yoga class after Nia so sometimes I just put on my flip flops after class and my feet get cold.  So one of them picked up on that. Super sweet.  The socks are super cute.  They have cats!!!  She is a cat lover herself!

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitLately we have gotten some rain.  And by lately I mean this week.  Rain — for me — always goes in the Good Things Jar because it is really a good thing.

There is just always something that is a good thing that makes me smile.  So many of my friends, family, and students are noted in that jar.

If you have not done a good things jar, I would like to strongly suggested it.  It is such a great way to remember the good things in life.  And it is really fun because you get to get TWO, maybe even THREE, smiles out of them.  One is when the thing occurs, two is when you write it down, and three is when you read it.  And sometimes it is really funny when you read it because it might take you a minute to remember what you were talking about.  Then, if your family and friends (or whomever you are reading them with) are into it, you get to tell them the story.  Often times things that make you smile make for a good story.

Ooooo!  I am getting really excited thinking about it.  Can’t wait!!!

So are you still doing a good jar?  Might you do one next year?

Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar, Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Persimmon Chicken

Posted by terrepruitt on December 3, 2015

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitTis the season for persimmons.  A few weeks ago one of my Nia students came into class with persimmons.  Many of us ooohed and ahhhed at the beautiful fruit, but most people did not take them because we don’t know what to do with them.  The last time I received persimmons in my organic produce box I looked up recipes that use them and most of them call for a puree and then they are baked into something.  One of my students said she had a pudding recipe.  I think she said it was like a bread pudding, so she was happy to take them.  I didn’t know what to do with them, but I took one.  Then the next day the woman who brought them in had more and even less people took them so there was a lot left and she was going out of town so I took a few.  The student with the bread pudding recipe said they wouldn’t be ripe until about Christmas.  So I put them in my fruit bowl and didn’t check them often because I thought they would be ready closer to Christmas.  In the mean time my husband brought home some persimmons.  So I had quite a few persimmons and I didn’t know what to do with them.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitThe ones that my student brought in were from her neighbor’s tree and they were the Hachiya kind.  I had never had those.  The bread pudding student said they were ready to eat when they were soft.  Well, it turns out the ripened a lot faster than I was expecting and unfortunately a couple ended up casualties.  The kind my husband got from his co-worker were the Fuyu.  Those are the ones I had received before.  Those are to be eaten when they are more like an apple.  So one, the Hachiyas, need to be soft, the other, firm, but not hard.

The only thing I knew to do with them was to make my Fancy Toast.  And that is with the Fuyus.  I know there was a time when I was eating that every day it seems, but I just wasn’t that into it this batch of persimmons.  So there they sat.

Then one day I looked at them and realized that I was going to have more casualties if I didn’t use some of them.  So I just decided to throw them on my chicken.  When I met my husband one of the things he liked to cook was apricot chicken.  He would get some apricot preserves and put it on the chicken.  I thought that persimmons wouldn’t be too different.  So I tried it.  I liked it so much I am making it again to use up the remain persimmons.  It was easy and tasty.  Here is what I did.

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Persimmon ChickenDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit

2 large chicken breast
2 Hachiya persimmons
2 Fuyu persimmons
cinnamon
nutmeg
salt
(pepper, if you like it)

I would salt both sides of the chicken put the chicken in a baking dish.  I smashed the two Hachiya persimmons and spread them on top of the chicken.  I sliced up the two Fuyu persimmons and put them on top of the chicken and on the sides.  Then I sprinkled a little more salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon on top of everything in the dish.

Bake at 375° F.  Halfway through cooking, I took the dish out of the oven and flipped the chicken.  I arranged the persimmons back on top and around the chicken, sprinkled a little more salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon on top of everything, then baked it until done.**

**This time around I am using a tiny bit of soy sauce.  I put a little on the chicken before baking.  Not soaking in it, just a little on both sides of the chicken.  I should have used salt.  I sprinkled a little tiny bit of cinnamon and nutmeg on it THEN add the persimmons (this time I only have one Hachiya).  Then I sprinkled the salt, the nutmeg, and the cinnamon on top of everything in the dish.

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The chicken still needed a little bit more flavor to me.  It was GREAT as long as I got a piece of persimmon with the meat, but not having salted it before (as I say to do in the recipe) left it kind bland.  Because I did the soy I didn’t salt it, but I will next time.

So . . . there you have it.  If you want to use your persimmons you might want to try this.  If you have a recipe you already use for your persimmons, please let us know.

What do you do with persimmons?

 

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Not Silent About The Silence

Posted by terrepruitt on November 21, 2015

Wow.  This non-verbal cueing that we did in Nia has brought up some stuff.  So here is another post about it!  I have really noticed since the “silent class” that cueing sometimes disrupts the dance for some participants.  Since people are so different, we all hear differently, see differently, concentrate differently, and learn differently, it is different for different people.  What I noticed is that when I mention something, some people stop or they look to be interrupted.  I had noticed this before, but it seems more obvious to me now that we had the silent class.  Nia teachers are supposed to cue at a specific point, to me it is so that the person has a moment to finish the move they are in the middle of, have a moment to know what is coming, then perhaps be able to seamlessly change to the next move.  That is the idea.  The idea is to NOT interfere with the dance.  I see it happens sometimes.  I see sometimes it does not.  So I think it might have to do with what the person is thinking while they are dancing.  It could be, if they are completely in their bodies there is no disruption of the movement, but if they are thinking something else while they are moving, then a cue is given, their thoughts are interrupted so their movements get choppy, then they either finish the present move or move onto the next.  I am not sure of the reason for what I am seeing, but it is very interesting.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitI feel as if in the silent class they actually have to pay attention MORE.  They have to LOOK at me if they want to see what is happening.  When you have to LOOK at something, it might help with concentration.  It could be that the mind is not wandering and counting on the verbal cue to tell you what to do.

As I mentioned in the last post, the participants were in sync, but that was after the move was done at least once.  Without verbal cues there is no way for them to know what the move is after I clap until they see it.  So once they saw it, or sometimes in the middle of seeing it they knew what to do.

Since they were so synchronized and got there so quickly, I am also thinking that without verbal cues from ME they were letting their bodies cue them.  Muscles have memories and without the benefit of me telling them what to do, they just did what their bodies knew to do.  As I mentioned in the first post about the “silent class” we have been doing this routine for a few weeks.  Plus it is one they already “know”.

I have had people tell me either before or after classes that they need CONSTANT instruction.  They want the instructor to say each move through the entire song.  I have had people tell me that I don’t tell them what they are supposed to do enough.  I have had people tell me that they don’t like Nia because there is not enough of the teacher telling them what to do.  I share that to let you know, as I said before, there are different ways to learn and people like different things.

That is why Nia is so fun.  We can do it different ways.  If you like constant instruction, think of what new things you are being introduced to with less instruction.  If you don’t like any instruction, think of what new things you are being introduced to with minimal instruction.  It is all about keeping the body, mind, emotions, and spirit challenged (BMES).  Learning and doing new things or learning and doing “old” things but in a “new” way.  The BMES likes to be flexed and stretched and stimulated.

I love that the Nia participants that come to my Nia classes are so willing to try new things.  I love that they like to play and experiment.  This had opened some new doors for me.  It will allow us to have more fun!

Have you been to a Nia class yet?

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

Thoughts About The Absence Of Verbal Cues

Posted by terrepruitt on November 19, 2015

In order to keep my post from being really long – I personally like to read short posts . . . I started this story in my last post and I am finishing it up here.  In my last post I talked about the ways classes are led.  I talked about how Nia was designed to be a lead and follow, with cueing at a specific point, and even certain types of cues (pearls).  I also mentioned how Nia is about keeping things fun and new . . . always challenging the body, mind, emotions, and spirit (BMES).  With that in mind sometimes Nia teachers might teach classes without cueing.  Now the “cueing” is up for interpretation.  What we did was NO VERBAL CUEING.  I decided to clap to indicate that a change was coming.  And it ended up that, during two songs I pointed to indicate direction at a couple of areas in each song.

After the class, I asked what they observed.  One student said she like it.  I pressed a bit because I wanted to know WHY she liked it.  I wanted to know what she noticed about it.  Because I noticed things too.  So I wanted to know what SHE noticed.  She said that she felt as if she could do what she wanted more without the verbal cues.  She felt she could dance more.  Some others agreed.  A couple of people said they felt more connected to their bodies.  And it is my opinion that having a deeper connection with your body is one of the reasons why we play with no cueing.  However, what I observed was really interesting . . . I thought.  I noticed that the class was more synchronized.  They were all doing the moves together more than I have ever seen.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia Technique, SJ City FitThere is this one part in this routine that people always “jump the gun” on.  There is always someone doing the “big” move before the big move.  But during the non-verbal cueing class . . . they all did it perfectly.  This synchronization struck me as I watched it, and then again when one of the students said she felt she could do what she wanted more without instruction.  Apparently they all want to dance perfectly in unison and my “interfering” as we call it, is keeping them from doing that.

When instructing a small group it seems as if there is less of a need to guide people.  In larger groups there seems as if the odds are someone seems to look as if they could use a cue.  And as a teacher, I want to help, so I might count, or repeat the instructions of the move.  In smaller groups there are less people so less opportunity for that.

This silent class had a fewer people than we have been having.

Some people expressed the opinion that they didn’t feel as much joy and/or energy in this silent class.  They shared they really like verbally cued classes better.  They were relieved to hear that this is not the norm or where my Nia classes are headed.  This was just play.  This was just a way to experience Nia different.  This was just an experiment with the body and dance.

It was fun.  But, at one point I put my fingers to my lips because I wanted to say something so badly, but I didn’t want to break the silence.  We did sound because that was the mood we wanted.  We wanted the energy and the play of sounding, but we wanted the introspectiveness of no verbal cueing.

We will be doing it again.  In fact, we have been dancing another routine I was thinking about trying it with so we will see.

Nia is so fun and so interesting.  Have you been to a Nia class yet?

Have you taken a silent Nia class?  What did you think?

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

Delicious Things In Small Packages

Posted by terrepruitt on September 22, 2015

So last Friday I received an organic produce box.  And I was actually a little surprised because I thought I had selected what I wanted in it, but that must have been the box before.  So I ended up with some things I don’t know that I would have kept in the box.  You might remember I first signed up to receive an organic box of produce as a way to get “stuck” with fruits and vegetables that I would pass by in the store or at a Farmer’s Market.  If I don’t know what it is, I am not likely to buy it and try to deal with it.  But when it is delivered to me then I am “forced” to learn about it . . . .well, at least learn a way to cook it and/or (just) eat it.  This past week we received Kiwi Berries.  I have never heard of Kiwi Berries before.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueMy hubby had kindly left the produce box on the counter and I was able to snap a few pictures then put the produce away then go off to my Nia class on Friday.  I asked a couple of ladies if they had ever heard of them and they had not.  At that point I had not really had a chance to look at them or look them up.  It was receive and leave.  While we were talking I quickly looked it up because there were curious, too.  The pictures showed the Kiwi Berries sliced and they looked just like kiwis (the fruit, not the bird).

These berries actually look like kiwis, but much smaller and not hairy.  And when you cut them open they look exactly like kiwis.  They are great.  So much better . . . to me . . . . than kiwis.  With kiwis you have to peel them and sometimes that hairy stuff gets on the kiwi and . . . . I just don’t like it.  My husband says he doesn’t mind it.  Well, that could be that most of the time when I give him a kiwi I have already peeled it and sliced it.  I like to make it easy for him to eat while he is at work.  So I am the one dealing with hairy skin.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYo, Nia TechniqueThe Kiwi berries taste like kiwis except to me, they were a little creamy.  I don’t think of kiwis as creamy, are they?  I don’t actually eat a lot of kiwis so perhaps they are and I missed it.  But the berries had a hint of creaminess to them.  They are totally cool because you can just wash them and then pop them in your mouth like grapes or any other small fruit.

Since they were such an easy to eat fruit, I didn’t even look to see any recipes or anything.  Once I saw the pictures of them looking like kiwis I figured you can just eat them as it and we did.

Wiki says:

“Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi) is a perennial vine native to Japan, Korea, Northern China, and Russian Siberia. It produces a small fruit resembling the kiwifruit.

The fruit are referred to as Hardy kiwifruit, kiwi berry, arctic kiwi, baby kiwi, dessert kiwi, grape kiwi, northern kiwi, or cocktail kiwi and are edible, berry or grape-sized fruit similar to kiwifruit in taste and appearance . . . . Often sweeter than the kiwifruit, hardy kiwifruit can be eaten whole and need not be peeled.”

I am seeing sites that say the kiwi berries are a good source of vitamin C, fiber potassium, vitamin E, and magnesium.

They are like bite sized dessert.  If you like them, I am sure you can use them like you would use any berry or fruit; in a salad, as a topping for a pie, cake, or dish of ice cream or yogurt.  They can be pack in a lunch or eaten as a snack.  I am happy that I received something new to me in my produce box.  That is one reason why I started getting it.  But now that they allow us to pick what we want, I am not always being adventurous.  Sometimes I forget to check my order.  I am glad I forgot to check this week!

Have you ever heard of Kiwi Berries?  Have you ever had Kiwi Berries?  Do you like kiwis?

Posted in Food, Fruit | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

A New Goodie Jar

Posted by terrepruitt on May 19, 2015

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYoSo, so, so many things to go into my Goodie Jar.  I think the last mention of it was in March.  MARCH!  Here it is, MAY!  Well, I have been busy filling that jar.  So much so that I had to move it to a different container.  And I think since it is only May this one won’t last long.  Perhaps when this container gets full I will put the papers in the original container, the pitcher and we will just put things in the new container.  It is AWESOME to have to have more than one container to contain the good things!  Wahooo.  This time it is really exciting because my husband has been putting stuff in.  He put things in the pitcher the previous years, but this time he is putting stuff in more often . . . . hence the need for a different container.

My hubby is using some of the ticket stubs and things of that nature as his documentation of the good things.  But he doesn’t just put the item in the jar he writes on it to state why the ticket/used gift card/parking pass/whatever made him smile.  He is doing a great job.  It will be super fun this December 31, 2015 because it will be more stuff from him and not so weighted towards me and my smiles.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYoI have had a lot of “student” stuff to put in the Good Thing Jar.  Good things keep coming to them via movement .  Today one woman told me that she is sleeping about two hours longer since starting Nia.  Exercise is often praised for the help it brings to people regarding sleeping.  Some times the help is in the form of better sleep and sometimes it is in the form of more sleep.  I love that she recognized that her sleep benefited from Nia.

I have also had yoga people say this or that has improved.  And, yes, again it is the exercise, the yoga that is helping.  That is what is so awesome.  Hearing people reaping the benefits of movement is definitely Goodie Jar Material.

Recently I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time with my three girlfriends AND my hubby.  That was a special treat.  Our friend that moved away came down for a visit and spent the day with us.  Spending time with my friends is ALWAYS a good thing . . . . so it goes in the jar.  Ya know, anything that makes me smile.

After that, one weekend we dog-sat my husband’s “co-workers” for the weekend.  That was a treat.  That type of thing is a Goodie Jar item.

Oh . . . .just writing about the Good Things in the Goodie Jar is making me smile.  I can’t wait to read it all . . . . but then, I can because that will mean the year is gone.  I will stick to thinking about the smiles in the container.

Well, this is a share and a reminder.  You can start a Goodie Jar anytime.  If you are doing one, have you added to it lately?

 

Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Many People Feel Diets Don’t Work

Posted by terrepruitt on May 7, 2015

Not too long ago one of my Nia students asked me if the Road Diet in Willow Glen was working.  I laughed because I don’t know what the goal of the diet is.  I think that if the reason for changing the lanes on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose from four to two was to decrease the number of cars driving down the street, then perhaps it worked.  I think there are fewer cars actually using the road because, as I said there are two lanes now, one going one way and another going the other way.  Half as many lanes.  If with the reduction of lanes they wanted it to take longer to get down the street even with fewer cars, then it is working.  I am not in downtown Willow Glen everyday, but when I have been down there, it does seem as if there are less cars . . . but it does not seem like there is less traffic congestion.  The cars back up to what seems like the length of the entire downtown.  So it doesn’t seem like traffic congestion has been eased at all.  So I don’t know if it is “working” because I don’t know if that was the goal of the city.

It seems to me . . . but again, I am not in downtown Willow Glen every day, nor do I own a storefront there, but it seems to me that fewer cars driving down the street would mean less business for the stores.  Especially if the lower number of cars is creating a worse traffic situation.  While I have not done a large survey, the people I have talked to have shared with me that they are avoiding downtown Willow Glen because “it is worse than it used to be.”  Also, the people who I have talked to that live and work down there say that it is now taking them 10 to 15 minutes longer to get to work or home.  I do believe that two things might ease the traffic situation with this Road Diet — 1)  if the lights were actually properly set up to allow for left hand turning cars to turn at the same time and 2)  if people actually understood the purpose of the reversible lane/suicide lane.  Even though there are designated turn lanes at the lights now, the lights are only green going one direction.  And at places where there is not a light, I have seen people stop all the traffic behind them and make a left hand turn from the lane of traffic that is supposed to be able to continue to flow.  It is as if people do not know what a middle lane is for.

The reversible lane/suicide lane is there to allow left hand traffic to pull into so they can make a left hand turn and allow traffic behind them to keep flowing.  It is also to help people coming out of the businesses, allowing them to turn left passing over one lane of traffic, then pausing to make certain it is safe to merge into the traffic going the direction they want to go.

Also, apparently, in downtown Willow Glen, it is where all the delivery trucks park so they can make their deliveries.  Granted that seems better than blocking a lane of traffic, but that is until you see the driver/delivery person dart out into the traffic from behind the truck.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia at the San Jose Community Centers, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, PiYoI have seen a petition against the Road Diet on Facebook from some Willow Glen business owners.  As I said, there are fewer cars on the road, so to me that equates less business, but I don’t know.  I am curious if there is more walking traffic and more bike traffic.  Curious, if the increase (if there is one) in bicyclists and pedestrians equates to more business for the businesses.  As I said, I have only talked to people who are avoiding the area, I haven’t talked to people actually down there — because I am one of them avoiding the area.  Also, I have only spoke with at a couple of businesses whose employees now have a longer commutes.

At least the term is accurate it is a “ROAD Diet” as opposed to a Traffic Diet or Congestion Diet because from what I have seen it has caused more traffic and congestion.  Perhaps they should remove the “diet” from the name altogether, because many people agree diets don’t work.

I believe it was scheduled for a three month test.  I am looking forward to seeing the results and finding out what the City will decide.  Again “is it working” is a matter of opinion, I guess.

What do you think?  Do you frequent downtown Willow Glen?  Have you experience a Road Diet in your area?  

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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