Posts Tagged ‘Nia Teacher’
Posted by terrepruitt on January 1, 2013
I have already posted about one of the awesome gifts I received for Christmas. I received another one that makes me so happy when I use them I just wanted to share. You might remember I bought a speaker for my iPhone awhile back. I was so impressed with it I wanted to share about it because it is great to have a portable audio source, just in case. It is really helpful when you are teaching a dance exercise class like Nia. Well, more like it came up on Woot. My hubby looks at Woot and he knows how much I love my other speaker so he asked me if I wanted what they were selling on Woot. I glanced at it and said yes because it was LESS than I paid for my other speaker AND it was TWO speakers!
They are REALLY cool. When my hubby showed me I hadn’t even read all the cool features! First of all as I said, they cost less than my ONE speaker I originally bought. They are black but when they are in use and they are open they glow blue! These little guys are so cool.
They have their own bag, I love things that have their own storage. They fit together and stick with magnets. They have a volume control. They have an audio in cord and a connection cord. One speaker has the audio in cord. The other speaker has the cord that connects them. So you can just use one if you want. BOTH cords retract back into their respective speakers. How cool is that? I had just been telling someone over Christmas that I think every electronic device that has a cord (whether optional or not) should have a place that the cord can be stored ON/IN the device. But that is just me because I have what seems like a million cords and I don’t know all the devices they belong to. So every time I put these speakers away I am so impressed because I just pull gently and the cord goes right in. They are great sound for such little devices.
This particular pair came with a “BONUS! USB wall adapter” which the package claims is usually an extra $19.95. The speakers on Woot didn’t even cost that much AND it came with the additional adapter. I loved them so much I looked online to see if we could get more. We can, but at more than twice the cost and without the “BONUS”. I don’t NEED them so I’m not going to spend it. I just really like them and since the places I teach Nia at for the city of San Jose do not always have sound systems I was thinking I could keep a pair in my car.
The iHome/first speaker I bought does not have an electrical adapter. It only charges off a USB. So when I use it at a venue I am teaching at I have to make certain it is charged. But these speakers I just got, I could leave in the car and not have to worry about them being charged because in a pinch I could plug them in and use them. Also the iHome speaker does not have a volume control. Which is fine, because the device it is used with does. But I found out that it is really cool to have two options of volume control!
Of course these speakers would work with iPhones, iPads, iPods, MP3 players, MP4 players, and laptops!
Yeah, no post about goals and resolutions, just an excited post about something that makes me happy. I hope you enjoyed your New Year’s Eve. I wish for you to enjoy 2013.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: awesome gift, Christmas gift, City of San Jose, iHome, iPads, iphone, iPods, laptops, MP3 players, MP4 players, New Year's Goals, New Year's Resolutions, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, retractable cords, small speakers, USB wall adapter, Woot | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 21, 2012
WOW! Day 21 of the December 30 Minute Movement Challenge. I’m 20 for 21, how about you. I missed Friday, December 7th. Still not sure how that happened. The day just escaped me. That happens, right? But we just keep on truckin’!
I don’t have a Nia class to teach today so I need to get my own self moving! 🙂 I’ll be back.
Thank you! Glad you are here!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Day 21, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, teach Nia | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 20, 2012
WHOA! Five days until Christmas! Only 11 days left of our December 30 Minute Movement Challenge. We can all do it! I don’t have a Nia class to teach today so getting in my 30 minutes is on the top of my list! I’ll be back to check in.
Thank you for being here!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Christmas, December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Day #20, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, teach Nia | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 19, 2012
Wednesday and day #19 of the December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, how are you doing? Still hanging in there I see. Love that you are here. So how is your 30 minutes going? I am teaching a Nia class this morning, but I will be back to check in!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Day #19, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, teach Nia | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 18, 2012
The Nia Blue Belt Principle #6 is hilarious. Ok, the principle itself is not hilarious it is just funny – to me – that it identifies something and names it. But that is what some of the principles do for me. The principles identify something that we do in everyday life. Or they connect dance, Nia, teaching to something that is commonly known or done. This is one of the principles that we – you, me, everyone – do all the time. We – you, me, everyone – probably didn’t call it “Split, Ellipt, Blend” with a tagline of “Crafting With Attention”. Basically the principle itself (Split, Ellipt, Blend) refers to attention. As I was writing this post, I typed that the tagline in this case refers to teaching Nia, but then I realized that, while yes, the whole principle is designed to enhance our Nia practice and teaching, – as do many of the Nia principles – it can apply to everyday life. So what is Split, Ellipt, Blend?
Well, as I said it has to do with attention, so in an everyday situation you split off your attention from others and focus on yourself, you focus 100% on another, and you blend it so your attention is on both. So sometimes you might be doing something and completely focused on yourself and what you are doing. You might not even notice other people or other things around you. You are 100% concentrating. Then you hear a loud voice and it is someone, your boss, your spouse, your child, coming towards you. They have something to tell you. So you stop what you are doing and you are 100% focused on them. You are listening. Once you understand the situation and realize that it is not an emergency requiring you to stop what you are doing you go back to what you were doing yet you carry on a conversation with the person talking to you.
Split into self. Ellipt into others. Blend with.
This is something we do in class as Nia teachers. We might completely concentrate on ourselves. Waiting to receive a pearl. Thinking about the moves. Sensing our body. Then we might focus on the class. Giving all our attention to what they are doing and how they are doing it. Doing a Joy check. Asking for sounds. Then our attention could be on both. We could be receiving information from the class as well as ourselves. The “Crafting With Attention” is us being aware of the split, ellipt, and blend. And how we use it.
A few things I have mentioned before, but will repeat again, “other” does not necessarily have to be another person. You could be splitting, ellipting, and blending with your own body, with the music, with the movements, with many things. And . . . this is just barely a scratch on the surface of the principle. This is just the broad overview and it is what I understood it to be about. There is ALWAYS deeper to go in Nia and the Nia principles. And sometimes the more I do, the more I see it differently. Sometimes, not always. So keep that in mind when I post again about The Nia Blue Belt Principle #6: Split, Ellipt, Blend, Crafting With Attention. (For a list of Nia Blue Belt Principles see Terre’s post The Joy of Being In Relationship With The Nia Blue Belt Principles .
With that quick explanation, can you see how split, ellipt, blend applies to more than just a Nia Teacher teaching a class? With an awareness of it, can you see how you can use it in different ways?
Posted in Blue Belt, Nia | Tagged: attention, Blend, dance, dance class, Ellipt, Nia Blue Belt, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia pearls, Nia principles, Nia Teacher, SEB, Split, teaching Nia, The Nia Blue Belt Principle #6 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 17, 2012
So today is Monday. On Mondays I have a Nia Class at 9:00 am. When I thought of this challenge part of my reason for doing it was to get me to do 30 minutes BEYOND my Nia Class. I have found that I like that but I don’t always seem to do a good job scheduling for that. Also, when I thought of this challenge, I had not yet agreed to be a substitute teacher for a city class on Monday nights.
With a Nia Class in the morning and a Nia Class at night. I use those two hours as my 30 minutes. 🙂 But I will be back to check in on your check ins!!!!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: city class, Day #17, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Nia class, Nia Teacher, San Jose City, substitute teacher | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 12, 2012
Yay! Here it is day 12! Thank you for being here. I know it is a busy month. I know it is a busy time of the year. Even if Christmas is not YOUR thing there are others who are off doing theirs so you might be busy because of other people taking vacations and time off. So getting that 30 minutes in is a challenge. The reason I called it a challenge is because I know it is a busy time. But it is so worth it. So, again, thank you for participating and being here.
I am teaching Nia this morning. Then with nothing else on my schedule, I am going to do more Nia. I want to review a routine I have been doing for four years and finish learning one that I am in the middle of learning. I am presently teaching two different routines. In my morning classes we are ready to move on. Nia routines are so rich it is easy to keep learning with them. So that will be my 30 minutes.
I will be back to check in.
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Christmas, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Nia, Nia Classes, Nia routines, Nia schedule, Nia Teacher | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 8, 2012
Off the top of my head, Nia’s Blue Belt Principle #2 – The Power of Two makes me think of Nia’s Energy Allies or the more commonly known four agreements. The tag line for this principle is Communication. The details involve a transmitter and a receiver. So to me it is a perfect connection to the energy allies. To me to be a clear transmitter one must speak with impeccability. One must stay on task of what the idea is that is being communicated. It is the job of the transmitter to be clear so that the receiver can understand what is being conveyed. To add to that the transmitter doesn’t assume the receiver knows what is being said, another reason to be impeccable. To be a pure receiver, the receiver shouldn’t be assuming they know what the transmitter is saying. The receiver shouldn’t be making up stories in his/her head as the transmitter is speaking. The receiver should be quietly listening, with no inner dialog happening. Also there is the added mission of not taking anything personally. This can be more easily accomplished if the third person — the one in the receiver’s head — is quiet. Both the transmitter and the receiver always strive to do their best. That is how I connect Nia’s Energy Allies to Nia’s Blue Belt Principle #2.
Since communication can be thought of as the exchange of energy between two, this principle and its details can easily be applied to everyday life. The exchange of energy can be between people or things. The exchange is a giving and a receiving. It does not have to be verbal, the exchange, the communication, could be a touch, a gesture, or any of the other ways things are communicated. So you might be able to see how within the scope of life it can be applied to more than just communicating with another person.
As a Nia teacher we can apply it to our Nia practice. There is a transmitter and a receiver with our bodies’ movements. There is a transmitter and a receiver with the music. There is a transmitter and a receiver with a Nia routine and the choreography. There is definitely a transmitter and a receiver in a Nia class and the transmitter is not always the teacher.
With the principle being The POWER of TWO, I can’t help but connect it the Nia Energy Allies when thinking of the communication between people. My connecting probably stems from the fact that I truly feel I need to strengthen my relationship with all FOUR allies in order to allow the POWER of two to shine through.
This is just my immediate thoughts on Nia’s Blue Belt Principle #2. As I live with it longer and read the manual and process it, I am certain I will come up with more. My relationship with will become stronger. Nia has a “craft” for working with this principle, but I am still determining my relationship with that idea. We will see if a post ever becomes of their idea.
Are you familiar with Nina’s Energy Allies (or the four agreements)? Can you see how they can be instrumental in communication? Can you see how the Allies could assist in making two powerful?
Posted in Blue Belt, Nia | Tagged: Four Agreements, inner dialog happening, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia Practice, Nia routine, Nia Teacher, Nia's Blue Belt Principle #2, Nia's Energy Allies, NiaNow.com, receiver, speak with impeccability, The Power of Two, transmitter | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 5, 2012
Yay! Day five! How are you doing? Feeling good, huh? You’ve done five days and you are gonna keep on trucking! (Remember that term? Where did that come from?)
Post a comment to let me know you are done. I will be back to let you know. I have to teach my Nia class and then run some errands, but I will be back with to comment with my 30 minute done!
Thank you for being here!!!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Day #5, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, keep on trucking, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, teach Nia | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 1, 2012
So today is the first day of the December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge. There are so many things you can do, you know that right? On the days I am teaching a Nia Class I will obviously get in 30 minutes of movement, but at this point, right off the bat, I don’t want to count that as my 30 minutes. I would count Nia as my 30 minutes if I am doing it as a student. Being a teacher and being a student are different, so I am going to count them differently. I will be back today to check in with my 30 minutes completed. But first some ideas on what you can do, yes? You can walk. Walking for 30 minutes is a great exercise. If you walk fast enough and get your heart rate up it can be an aerobic exercise. With your challenge you decide whether your 30 minutes will be aerobic or resistance training. You can also add to it. Moving for longer than 30 minutes. Just make certain you are moving (in an exercise-y type of way) for at least 30 minutes.
There are so many things you can do. I already mentioned walking. There is my ten minute workout. You can do that for 30 minutes consecutively or do three different 10 minute sessions. If you have a device that allows you to create playlist of music you can make up a great playlist and dance for 30 minutes. You could do 30 different exercises for a minute each. Some examples: squats, bicep curls, lunges, triceps kick backs, donkey kicks, push ups, inner thigh lifts, sit ups, triceps dips, frogs, hamstring kick backs, lateral flies, knee lifts, rows, reverse curls . . . . . . and 15 more.
The key is to get AT LEAST 30 minutes in. The thirty minute time length was originally brought up to help people STAY healthy. Many people need more than that to GET healthy in the first place. But we are just doing a challenge for the month of December to make sure we are moving EVERY DAY. With all that is going on during this season it is easy to skip the workout. So committing to 30 minutes EVERY DAY will help.
Keeping to a schedule helps a lot. Committing to a goal, also helps. We also know that sometimes things do come up and even though we have a schedule and made a commitment there might be a day where we just didn’t get the 3o minutes in. To help ensure you get it in I recommend doing it first thing in the morning. I know that when I put things off for later in the day sometimes they don’t get done. The things I do first thing always get done . . . . funny how that works huh? If you happen to miss a day, that is fine, just pick it right back up the next day.
Remember you don’t even have to comment about what you did, just comment that you DID move/exercise/workout for at least 30 minutes! So . . . . what do you think? Do you have a plan? Are you done with your 30 minutes?
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: 30 Minute Movement Challenge, 30 Minutes In December 2012, 30 minutes of exercise, dance exercise, Dance Workout, December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge, lunges, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia workout, running, squats | 6 Comments »
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