Posts Tagged ‘Nia Teacher’
Posted by terrepruitt on May 30, 2013
Nia Technique’s Outstanding Routine DVDs (Part 2)
Three years ago I posted about Nia Routines and I stated in that post that I would describe what the training DVD is like. Here I am with that information. Also, I want to share about the whole routine teacher training package that a Nia teacher receives. It is turning out to be three (sort of four) posts long. This is the second post. That is how much we get in our Nia continued education Routine Teacher Training package. I am just sharing briefly about it. These posts are to give you an idea of what you would receive. As a reminder you receive a CD, DVD, and pamphlet. The CD and DVD are shipped to you and the pamphlet you can view online, save to your computer, and/or print.
The DVD consists of the Focus, Move the Move, Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the Music. In post one I talked about the Focus and the Move the Move section. Here you’ll learn a bit about Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the music.
In the Learn the Move section they explain the move. The way they did this morphed over the years. I have some DVDs where they stood facing the camera and talked about the moves. Showing you the move and going into detail about each move. I also have some DVDs where the teacher is just dubbed over the actual class as shown in the Move the Move portion. So you are seeing the same thing over again and the creator is talking about the moves as the routine plays. The explanation includes both the physical description and little tips. Sometimes they might explain alternatives even if they have not done them in the Move the Move portion of the DVD. They also sometimes explain why we are doing a move. “‘Holding a ball’ allows a body to move systemically, connecting the upper body with the lower body.” This portion at times can help with figuring out how to do a move if it is a little challenging to you or your students.
With Energize the Move the creator explains the energy involved. For example “the energy at this part of the routine is meant to be focused and very intentional.” And, “the energy of connecting to your body and space around.” This section can help provide pearls and additional verbiage that you can use to get your class moving.
The last section of the DVD is the Move the Move with just the music. There is no teacher instruction. This is where you do the Nia Class without being told what to do. You get to watch and just listen to the music.
The music portion of the DVD always makes me remember I have always wanted an option in the Move the Move portion to be able to turn up the music. I have an exercise DVD (Turbo Jam) where you can “pump up” the music. You can still here Chalene Johnson giving you instructions but you can make the music much louder. I think it would be of great help to me if I could turn the music up on my Nia Routine DVDs but still listen to the teacher talking. I have yet to suggest that to Nia HQ. It would really be nice for me to hear the music louder so I could practice my listening to the cues, yet still get the benefit of the instruction. I’ve tried to time the music say from my iPod to the DVD so I COULD turn up the music myself, but I can never get it synchronized. 🙂
In my post Continuing Education – Nia White Belt Principle #12, I talk about the three stages of learning a routine. I mention there are steps in each stage. The Learn the Move and Energize the Move are couple of the additional steps. Watching and learning the information contained in each of these sections of the DVD can be very beneficial to leading a routine.
In my next post I share some information about the pamphlets and you’ll see how there is even MORE information to learn!
Are you getting a clearer picture of what is contained in a Nia Teacher’s Routine DVD? Can you somewhat understand that there is a lot of good information?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Chalene Johnson, Energize the Move, Nia CD, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia continued education, Nia Music, Nia routines, Nia Teacher, Nia Technique, Nia training, Nia White Belt, Routine DVD, Turbo Jam | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 28, 2013
In my post about Nia Routines in February of 2010, I stated I would explain more about what we receive on a Nia Routine Teacher DVD. A comment with questions on a recent post (Nia Routines I’ve Learned), reminded me that I needed to do that. Over three years later, I am explaining what we get. I also wanted to share what is in the Nia Training/Continued Education package as a whole. We get a LOT. It is more than just music and routine. The amount of time and effort and all that goes into our training DVD/package is awesome. I know that even though I see the results and I think it is a lot, there is probably so much more that goes on in the background I would be even more impressed. Since we get so much I am finding as I type this that it is a longer explanation than I like to have in one post. So this will be part one of what is in a Nia Routine Teacher Training package. When a Nia Teacher receives a “Nia Routine” there is a CD and a DVD. We used to receive a pamphlet within the package, but now we have to print those out ourselves if we want a hard copy. But basically a training routine package is CD, DVD, and pamphlet.
The CD and DVD are in a cardboard holder, one side has the list of songs with the 8BC and the time shown. The other side has the Focus and Intent that the routine was created with. The back of the holder states the name of the routine and the creator, along with a paragraph about Nia Technique’s thoughts on routines.
The CD is a typical music CD. It has music on it. But as a Nia Teacher or student you know there is nothing really typical about Nia routine music. 🙂 The songs play one after the other with no pause unless the song itself has a pause before the music begins or after the song ends. Or I guess the engineer putting the CD together could put a pause in.
The DVD consists of five sections: the Focus, Move the Move, Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the Music. The “Focus” portion of the DVD is the creator (or one of them) talking about the focus and the intent of the routine. Often times they explain a bit about how the focus relates to the choreography. For example if the focus is “Steps and Stances” it might be mentioned that there are a lot of opportunities in the routine to experience all six stances.
“Move the Move” is the routine filmed almost as if you were taking a class. Sometimes they change the camera angle, but it is still basically as if you are taking a class.* The music is playing and the teacher is teaching. *There is one routine I have in which it was filmed with the class FACING the camera the entire time. I do not care for that at all. I like it when the camera is BEHIND the teacher with the mirror in the shot and it is as if I am standing behind the teacher taking a Nia class. I don’t know if there are other routines in addition to Birth that is filmed with the teachers and the class facing the camera, but I will inquire before I purchase additional routines.
Often times in addition to the teacher demonstrating different LEVELS of a move, they will demonstrate a lot of different moves that CAN be done while doing the routine. I always have to remind myself that just because they are showing us multiple ways to do the move or multiple ways in general to move to the music it does not mean I need to put them all into the routine when I am leading it. They are just showing examples as to what can be done. I find it very funny that a lot of the times Carlos was not even doing what he explained the choreography to be. To me, he often just let his spirit go and he danced to the music that he clearly loved. In his spirit dance he was able to show a lot of different things that could be done to the music.
As you can see this post is a bit long in itself. I have only touched upon two of the sections included on the training DVD. So stayed tuned for part two where I give a brief summary of the sections: Learn the Move, Energize the Move, and the Music.
Do you like to take lead follow exercise workout classes where the teacher is facing you? Or would you rather have the teacher’s back to you?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: "Steps and Stances", 8BC, Birth Nia Routine, Carlos AyaRosas, Energize the Move, exercise classes, exercise workout, focus and intent, Nia CD, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia continued education, Nia Music, Nia routines, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia Technique, Nia training, Nia workout, Routine DVD, workout classes | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 9, 2013
I teach Nia. I actually like to say I lead Nia because to me teaching a dance is more instructive. What I think of as teaching is the type of class where the instructor demonstrates a step or two then the students do the steps a few times, then the instructor demonstrates more steps and the students practice them. Eventually the steps are strung together in a dance. But in my Nia cardio classes it is just lead follow. I do – you follow. I give verbal instructions and/or verbal guides but it is not the type of instructional class where I show you, then you do, then we practice and then we string all the steps together. So I guess it is not an “instructional” or “instructed” dance class. But I do teach by example. You follow my lead. In order to be a Nia teacher I had to take the Nia White Belt Intensive. I have talked about this before, but to review the White Belt is the first level of Nia. The White Belt Intensive is over 50 hours of instruction and is open to anyone. Individuals do not have to have the intent to teach. The Nia White Belt Intensive is about the body so anyone is welcome to join and learn. In order to be a Nia teacher there is an additional licensing fee. The fee is due annually and it includes four routines that we, as teachers, agree to learn per year. I was just looking at my DVDs. I have two routines that I have not learned. I have 19 that I have learned. I have been teaching almost four and half years so I am keeping up with the four per year schedule.
Now, I want to clarify that I have learned 19 routines. That means that I basically did the bars and have shared 19 routines with my students. That means I roughly know those 19 routines. I could stand up right now and lead you through some of them, but some of them I would have to look at my bars, and some of them I would have to study my bars. But I also feel I am better at just doing. While I want to do the routine as per the choreography, I am not as afraid as I once was to just DO the routine.
When I am preparing to do a different routine for my class sometimes I have a chance to practice and sometimes I don’t. I will look at my bars for each song. Sometimes I look at the first few lines and think, “Oh yeah, I know this one.” Then when I am leading it my body and my mind don’t remember it as well as I thought and I just dance through it, but then when I get home I look more closely at my bars or re-watch the DVD. It really is about moving and having fun. As long as we are moving and we are doing it close enough then it is good. Then, like I said, I come home to get the choreography better established in my head and body!
The routines I have learned are:
Alive – Carlos AyaRosas
Amethyst – Debbie Rosas
Aya – Carlos Rosas
Beyond – Debbie Rosas and Ann Christiansen
Birth – Debbie Rosas and Collaborators
Canta – Carlos Rosas
Clarity – Carlos Rosas
White Belt Dream Walker – Carlos Rosas
Earthsong – Carlos Rosas
Global Unity
Humanity – Carlos AyaRosas
Miracle – Carlos Rosas
Opal – Debbie Rosas
Passion – Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas
Sanjana – Debbie Rosas
San Medusa – Helen Terry
Sexi – Carlos Rosas
Velvet – Debbie Rosas
Vibe – Debbie Rosas
The names of the routines that I have on my shelf that I need to learn are Butterfly and Oshun. I just renewed so I have four routines that I need to pick out as my new routines. Picking routines is always a challenge because everyone has such different tastes. Some people LOVE, LOVE, LOVE some of the routines I have and I don’t love them. So for me it is a difficult decision. I try to pick routines that I think my students will like, but then that is just a guess. I know which ones they like out of the ones I teach because they request them often.
If you were just picking a routine from the name which one would you pick? As a Nia student which one out of this list is your favorite? What about Nia teachers, which is your favorite out of this list?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Ann Christiansen, Canta, cardio class, cardio dance exercise, Carlos AyaRosas, Carlos Rosas, dance exercise, dance instructor, dance teacher, Debbie Rosas, Dream Walker, Earthsong, Global Unity, Nia, Nia bars, Nia choreography, Nia Dance, Nia DVDs, Nia licensing, Nia Practice, Nia routines, Nia stuents, Nia Teacher, Nia White Belt, Nia White Belt Intensive, Opal, Sanjana, Sexi | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 16, 2013
One day I was having my Chai Tea Latte (you can check out that recipe I got from a fellow Nia Teacher here: Venting Gets Me Good). Even though the tea needs to be stirred constantly, the spoon I was using to stir the tea ended up on my plate with my turkey sandwich. Some of the ginger from the tea came off the spoon and I ended up taking a bite of sandwich with ginger on it. “Oooooo!” I thought. That was good. So I got up and sprinkled more ginger on my sandwich. Right now the lunch meat we have is sliced turkey breast from Costco and it is a sweet flavor so it was nice to have the little bit of spicy from the ginger. I don’t know if other sandwich meats would taste as good.
Since then I have been making our sandwiches with ginger on them. I don’t know if my hubby has even noticed . . . .well, in all fairness, I have not been doing it on his everyday lunch sandwiches. Just on the weekend sandwiches. I know the poor guy eats a sandwich every day for lunch and then on the weekend I make him yet ANOTHER sandwich. Ahh, but yes, thank you for the reminder (I heard your future thoughts, he COULD make something for himself). But since I am making a sandwich I just make two so we can each have one. With each sandwich I make I get a little more bold and add more ginger. So far I have not made it too hot or spicy for me.
I really like the little drama that the ginger adds to the sandwich. This is really funny to me because two years (maybe about that long) ago if you would have asked me if I like ginger I would have said no. But then again, I always thought of that pink slimy stuff that comes on a sushi and sashimi plate as ginger. I mean, it IS ginger, but it is PICKLED ginger. I hadn’t known that fresh ginger or even powdered ginger can add just enough of a zing to food to make it a nice change of pace.
Like many things I post, some people might be reading this and wondering why I am doing an entire post on adding ginger to my sandwich and it is for the others saying, “Oh, I would have never thought of that. I bet it IS good. I’m gonna give it a try.” I can’t take for granted and/or assume that everything I know other people know. That is ridiculous. And just because it is simple doesn’t mean that it is not worth sharing.
And here is a picture of my lovely half eaten sandwich. There is turkey, cheese, mayo, bell peppers, and ginger on the sandwich! Pretty good.
Remember that ginger is a digestive aide and can help relieve nausea. It is also considered an anti-inflammatory root/herb/spice. So in addition to adding a little zip to your sandwich ginger could add some health benefits!
Are you a ginger fan? What do you put it in? Have you tried it on a sandwich?
Posted in Food | Tagged: anti-inflammatory, bell peppers, Chai Tea Latte, digestive aide, drama, ginger, ginger root, health benefits, lunchtime, Nia, Nia Teacher, sandwich, sashimi, sushi, turkey sandwich | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 7, 2013
At the present time I am fortunate enough to be holding Nia classes at four different locations in San Jose. Each location allows me to meet different people. At one of the locations I have been teaching for four years and some of my students have been coming to my classes that long. At three of my locations I am a new teacher and Nia is new. Most of the people are new to me. It is exciting to met new people and discover new relationships. There is the relationships between my students and me and there is the relationship between Nia and the students. One of my students told me after one class that she loved the part of Nia where we compare things to nature. The specific example she stated was “tickling the clouds”. She said that the mention of nature in Nia reminded her of one of her favorite poets, Mary Oliver. She asked me if I had heard of Mary Oliver or if I was familiar with her. I said no. I also said that I would look her up. Well, the following week, my student came into class and handed me a copy of two poems. As soon as she held out the paper, I remembered that I had said I would look up the poet and that I had forgotten. I gratefully took the paper without reading the poems because class was about to start. After our class there is another class so I did not stop at that time to read the poem either. It was not until today I picked up the paper to read the poem. On the second line I realized I HAD heard this before and I laughed. This very poem or at least a portion of it is in the Nia White Belt Manual.
I thought it was funny that my student related Mary Oliver’s work to Nia and obviously so did the creators of Nia, Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas, because they put this poem in the manual. Only the first few lines are in the manual, but I recognized it right away.
The lines are:
“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
From Mary Oliver’s Wild Geese poem.
That portion of the poem is at the very beginning of the section which is Principle #1, The Joy of Movement. The last line of that section really struck me.
I want to continue to share with my students that a Nia class is not just about learning the moves and doing a routine. It is about doing what the body loves. It is about their relationship to their body. It is about their relationship to Nia. To me that is why we do a routine over and over. That is also HOW we do a routine over and over and not get bored with it. If we move and let our body do what it loves then it is moving in a different way. Once we have done a routine a few times we can play. We can move lower . . . if that it what the body loves . . . we can move higher . . . if that is what a body loves . . . all the time moving in the general pattern of the routine. It is when we are not in tune or when we cannot let go, that the routine is tiring or boring. If we are only moving the way it was choreographed and not putting our spirit into the moves it is as if we are walking through a desert on our knees. Suffering through a workout. UGH! Repenting for the cream we had in our coffee, the workout we missed yesterday, or the cookie we had at lunch.
I used to do a different routine every class. I thought people would get bored with the same routine. But then I realized that the more I knew the music and the choreography the more fun I had and the more playful I could be. I asked my class and they said they liked the fact that after doing the routine a few times they, too, could be less concerned with the choreography and more aware of their own spirit, dance, and play. So it is a relationship with Nia and the body that we are building and experiencing in a Nia class, we are not just learning a routine, we are not just moving through choreography.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I work on a routine schedule, playing with it to see what works. I want to ensure my students don’t get bored, yet I want them to build a relationship with Nia. I want them to be able to dance and play with the routines.
I love that my student shared her thoughts with me. To me that is me being able to witness her budding relationship with Nia. I love that because of my thoughts about repeatedly doing a routine, I was able to look at this poem and relate it to that. Like many things I might look at it sometime from now and have it relate to something else. My relationship with it might change, just as my relationship with my students and with Nia will change and grow. That is the nature of it all.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Carlos Rosas, Debbie Rosas, Joy of Movement, Mary Olive, Nature, Nia, Nia choreography, Nia classes in San Jose, Nia experience, Nia locations, Nia Music, Nia relationships, Nia routines, Nia San Jose, Nia students, Nia Teacher, Nia White Belt, poems, poets, Principle #1 of Nia White Belt, San Jose Nia classes, tickle the clouds, Wild Geese | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 29, 2013
As the New Year approached and very shortly there after, I started seeing pictures of jars with paper inside posted on Facebook. The idea was simple, write down something good that happened and put it in the jar, at the end of the year read it, and be reminded of all the good things that happened to you during the year. Even though I loved the idea and I wanted to do it, I got caught up in other things and I forgot about it. Just this past week a friend posted a picture of her jar saying, “Do you remember this?” And I hadn’t. I had completely forgotten. I want to do that. I want a “good thing jar”.
First of all I don’t have a jar. So I am going to use a pitcher that I love, but hardly use. This way, I will be using something that I love and it will be pretty. Second, I don’t remember how often one is supposed to put something in the jar. Was there a rule? Was there a timeframe? I THINK it was “whenever” something good happened. I like that but I also want to make sure something gets in the pitcher. I am going to impose an at-least-once-a-week rule. It is not that good things don’t happen daily, I just think that life gets busy and I might not write something everyday but I want to make certain I do it at least once a week. I also don’t think there was a guideline on what “good” means. So for myself I am going to define it a bit. I am going to keep track of things that make me smile and the memory of which will make me smile. It does not have to be a significant thing, something say “to write home about”, but I want it to be something where I can say, “Oh yeah, I remember that. That was great!” Another thing I thought of, which I think might add to the experience is to date the note so I can remember better as I am reading about all the good stuff.
I love when I make deals with you and we have check-ins. Even though this is just a feel good kind of thing, I know that sometimes projects — even fun ones — get pushed aside and/or forgotten altogether when time is short, so I thought I would do a weekly check-in.
If you want to join me you can just post a comment on the post. I am going to do it on Fridays. My first check in will be Friday, February 1, 2013.
I have my first paper already in my pitcher. Of course is has to do with Nia and teaching another class for the City of San Jose.
Then on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, I will read about all the good stuff that happened throughout the year. I will be reminded of the things big and small. I am sure I will get warm fuzzies. I think this is a fabulous way to end a year and go into a new one.
What do you think? Is this a project you would like to join? Are you going to–join me?
Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: City of San Jose, Facebook, good things happening, New Year, Nia, Nia class, Nia San Jose, Nia Teacher, something to write home about, warm fuzzies | 9 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 26, 2013
I know I have mentioned before that I teach Nia as a substitute Group Exercise teacher for the City of San Jose. What that means is when a teacher can’t teach a class s/he will send out a message saying that a substitute is needed. In order to give our clients/students what they want we work to keep the substituted class close to what the original class is. If a Boot Camp teacher needs a substitute the first choice to have instead would not be yoga. Or vice versa. As you can imagine, when someone plans on going to a class and shows up and it is not what was expected it can take a little wind out of someones sails. Sometimes in order to keep the class from being cancelled a different format will be allowed, but that is rare. Usually someone is able to step in with a similar format. It is a real challenge when people have not even heard of the type of dance exercise that you are going to do in substitution for their normal class.
It seems like with many people the first time they hear of something they are a little resistant. To me this is understandable. It seems like a natural thing to shy away from something that is unfamiliar. And as I said, it really can be disheartening when you are looking forward to a specific thing/type of workout and you walk in and find it to be a class of something you have never heard of. I don’t take it personal when people decide not to stay or leave in the middle of class. I’ve learned a long time ago that Nia is for everyBODY it is just not for everyone. It can be a HUGE step for some people. It can be a huge switch in thinking and moving and a lot of things, I understand. So when someone comes in not knowing what they are in for and completely embraces it — I love it. I find myself thinking, “YES!” I admire the person and their openness.
I have been teaching a class where I am listening to the music, dancing, cueing, sensing, and looking out into the room and as my eyes survey the students I will see someone who is completely new to Nia and utterly unfamiliar with it, dancing with all of their body, mind, and spirit. It is so amazing. For someone to come in and not having even heard of Nia before the class to just embrace something so fully–it is so wonderful. That is one of the best moments ever. The challenge for me is to keep going myself. There are times when I just want to stop and watch because it is such a beautiful thing to see someone dance with all of their heart. It is as if they are glowing and all of a sudden they are all I can see. It is so incredible.
I appreciate the people who say, “I’m open to anything.” Or even, “What the heck? I am here. I might as well try it.” But it is really amazing to look out and see the ones that are just INTO it. In a Nia class where people come to DO Nia, it is typical to see people dancing with everything they have, but to see it in a class that is usually not Nia . . . . ahhhhhhh!
I felt like sharing this today. Thank you for letting me share a bit of joy with you. Today has been a GREAT day. Nothing spectacular or even note worthy has happen but there has been a lot of laughing and any day with a lot of laughing is a great day. Don’t you think?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Boot Camp, City of San Jose, dance class, dance exercise, exercise class, Group Exercise classes, Group Exercise teacher, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercise, Nia in San Francisco Bay Area, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia workout, San Jose exercise classes, San Jose Group Exercise, substitute teacher, teach Nia, workout class, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 12, 2013
Have you ever listened to a song and had a rush of emotion? Have you ever had a song take you somewhere else? The song could transport you back to a place in time or a location. The song could allow you to to be lost in thought, lost in feeling, lost in emotion. All the world around you fades away and you are in another space. Even if it is not such a strong pull that all the world disappears, have you ever had an emotional response to a song? Have you ever stopped to think what the artists meant by the song? Have you ever dissected a song to really try to figure out what emotion the artist was trying to convey? Have you ever had the emotion you experience during a song seem completly different than what you think the artist is transmitting with the song? Say “Happy Birthday to You” brings you to tears because of a sad birthday memory. It is amazing how music can elicit emotion. It is amazing how music can figuratively transport you to a different time, a different place, a different state of mind. On the other hand have you ever been at a club or a party and just danced or bobbed your head to a song, not thinking about a personal emotional response or what the artist was feeling? This is all part of Principle #8 of the Nia Blue Belt. I say “part of” because as with all of the principles there is a lot more than I am posting about. There is a lot more than I even have thought about. This is just a little part. This principle is The Power Of Silence And Sound. Music, Emotion, Expression.
There is power in the music. The music is both the silence and the sound. There is emotion in the music – in the silence, in the sound. The emotion can be expressed. In Nia, for the purpose of this principle we are saying there are three emotional parts of a song. There is the emotion of the artist. What feeling is the artist trying to get across? The next song you hear, think about it. What do you hear? Then there is the emotional part of YOU. What do YOU feel when you hear the song? As I mentioned sometimes what you feel is different from the emotion the artist was putting out there. Sometimes it can be the same, but not always. Sometimes it can be the same emotion but maybe you feel it more strongly, than the artist was. Then there is the emotion that you express. The emotion of the dance, the emotion of a Nia class.
In a class there is the choreography. The moves have their own emotion. In leading a class, in creating a class, in crafting a class a Nia teacher plays with all three. The artist’s emotion, the personal emotion, and the Nia emotion. Because Nia is a body mind dance exercise (to put it simply) and it is body focused the moves in a class do not always match the motion of the music. Sometimes it is an exercise in itself to move slowly to a fast moving beat. Or even to stop when the music begs for motion. Or to move through a portion of silence. But also, because it is Nia, it is fun to match the choreography to the music exactly. It is fun to take the emotion that the artist is throwing out there and match it. With Principle #8 of the Nia Blue Belt Nia teachers have a great tool in which they can learn and study the music. It can be broken down to allow for all types of movements and emotions to erupt from the dance. We get to play with The Power Of Silence And Sound.
If you want to play with The Power Of Silence And Sound, pick a song. Listen to it to decide the emotion of the artist. Then DANCE that emotion. Then play the song again dancing your own emotion. Then play it again and marry the two, the artist’s emotion and yours. Have fun mixing it up!
Posted in Blue Belt, Nia | Tagged: dance exercise, Emotion, emotional response to a song, emotional rush, Expression, Happy Birthday to You, lost in emotion, Music, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia emotion, Nia Music, Nia Principle, Nia Teacher, Principle #8 of the Nia Blue Belt, The Power of Silence & Sound, The Power Of Silence And Sound | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 8, 2013
There is a stance in Nia called the Riding Stance. It is part of Nia’s 52 Moves. I actually think of it as the Sumo Stance. It is called both. I bet if I actually were to really let my body doing the thinking, my riding stance would be taller than my sumo stance. Stop and think about it. Do you picture a rider with legs straddling a horse and sitting up tall? And a sumo wrestler as legs wider than a horse with his body lower to the ground? A sumo wrestler is still upright and “tall”, but he is closer to the ground. with a wider stance than a horse Ha! I love that. As I am typing and thinking, this is what I come up with. An insight. That is what I love about Nia. Even though there is an ideal there is still the way a body does it. And sometimes a body does it the way the mind thinks about it. My body translates sumo stance as low to the ground. I am going to go to class and use the different terms and see what my student’s bodies do! The Nia Technique states the Riding stance is as if you are riding a horse.
As I stated, riding a horse – to me is at a higher level than a sumo wrestler. So, I actually do this stance much lower and that is because I THINK of it as a sumo stance. I am going to practice this stance as a RIDING stance and see where my body goes.
The book says: “your knees slightly bent and your feet apart, as if you were riding a horse”. I think I have always had a really wide horse! Whether the horse is wide or not, the feet are parallel.
Again, to be clear, the Riding Stance in the Nia 52 Moves is with the knees slightly bent and the feet apart. The feet are as far apart as if you are riding a horse. As I recently posted the sound to make while doing this stance is “ha!”
I think that it would be fun to say, “Yehaw!”
This stance is a great way to condition the legs. It is fun to play with this stance and try different levels. By levels I mean both the planes and levels of intensity. A level/intensity 1 would be a high plane. Then a level/intensity 2, could be the middle plane. And the level/intensity 3 could be the low plane and maybe more of what I think of as a sumo stance. With all moves in Nia the key is pleasure. So the move is not meant to be painful. If you are sensing pain in any part of the leg adjust your stance. If you sense pain in the knees, check your feet, are your toes facing forward? Are you evenly distributing your weight over your whole foot (feet)? Ankle pain? Are your legs/feet too wide apart? So it is important to not always go as low or as wide as you CAN, but to go as low and as wide as is reasonably comfortable.
I love that as I write I learn. That is one of the reasons I am writing a blog. It is so helpful to put things in writing. It is helpful to stop and examine what you already know, right? Sometimes you see things differently.
Either way . . . . Riding or sumo stance, the stance is with knees bent, feet apart and parallel. Everyone’s stance, every BODY’s stance is different. Got it? Horse riding. Ride ’em cowboy.
I am fortunate enough to have wonderful students that are willing to pose. Here are the “riders” of the group.
Are you ready to ride?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: levels of intensity, Nia, Nia class, Nia students, Nia Teacher, Nia's 52 Moves, Riding Stance, straddling a horse, Sumo Stance, sumo wrestler, The Nia Technique | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 5, 2013
There are a few posts on my blog about sounding in Nia. I even have a separate category for it. See over there to the left under categories, under Nia? Sounding is what we call making noise in a Nia class. Sounding is great for many reasons. Sounding is a release. It can help release tension, emotions, spirit . . . whatever needs “releasing”. Sounding is fun. Sounding can assist in the stabilization of the torso. Sounding can help ground you . . . physically, emotionally, and your spirit. Often times when I am doing Nia both when I am teaching and when I am a student, my spirit just makes a sound. I don’t plan it, I don’t think about it, a noise just comes out. I “woo” a lot. But sometimes other sounds comes out. Sometimes the sound I make makes me laugh because I really don’t think about the sound, something just comes out. I could be thinking of something, for example, maybe the move we are doing reminds me of a swirling skirt, so then the sound could be a “whosh” as in the sound of a skirt, or it could be a giggle of a girl twirling in a skirt. I don’t always think about the sound I just let it out. Sometimes I do think of the sound. Sounding can be purposeful. The noise can have a purpose. I have posted about healing sounds and sounds associated with the chakras. This post is about the sounds that are associated with Nia stances, which are part of Nia’s 52 moves.
The
picture in this post is an approximation of how MY feet would be placed in the various stances. Remember that your stances would probably be slightly different. The width would be according to YOUR body and your body’s way. The picture is just to give you an idea and maybe help remind you of the various stances. At this time I have a post associated with four of the six stances.
In Nia’s closed stance the sound is the vowel sound “o”. The sound is made to “create volume in your chest cavity”.
In Nia’s open stance the sound is (to say) “balance” or “ground”. Saying the word “balance” can assist you in your balance. The word “ground” can assist with allowing you to feel grounded and sense balance.
The sound for Nia’s “A” stance is “aaaaahh!”. You say it on an exhale. Letting out all your breath until you are ready to inhale.
Sumo stance or riding stance (feet as wide apart as if you were riding a horse) has an explosive sound. Say “ha!” To me this helps with stabilization.
The bow stance has a sound of “u”. The bow stance is done with either foot in front, not just with the left foot in front as shown in the example.
The cat stance (standing on one foot, with the other foot pressed against the standing leg) has the sound “wooooooo” associated with it. This is done on the exhale. This stance is also done on the other foot and not just the left one as in the example.
So as you are practicing the Nia stances you can use the sounds associated with them for added benefit and fun. It is just fun to make noise. To me it adds to the experience. In my classes I encourage people to make any noise they want. I also like to play with the noises, sounds, and words associated with the move.
Do you attend a dance exercise class or exercise that encourages you to make noise?
Information regarding the sounds made with the Nia stances can be found in The Nia Technique book written by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas (NKA, Carlos AyaRosas). The book can be purchased from Amazon.
Posted in Nia, Sounding | Tagged: A Stance, Amazon, Bow Stance, Carlos AyaRosas, Carlos Rosas, Cat Stance, closed stance, core stabilization, Debbie Rosas, making noise is fun, Nia, Nia class, Nia Sounds, Nia Stances, Nia Teacher, Nia teaching, open stance, Riding Stance, sounding, Sumo Stance, The Nia Technique book | Leave a Comment »
Terre Pruitt's Blog 