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Posts Tagged ‘Nia workout’

Nia Jam

Posted by terrepruitt on August 8, 2009

You might have seen me “talk” about it somewhere. They have them four times a year in the wide Bay Area (and beyond) recently I went to my first one. Not only was it my first Nia Jam, but I was going to teach. Nice.

It is somewhat like a “Jam Session” we’ve all heard of, a bunch of musicians get together and play, sometimes certain songs, sometimes making stuff up as they go . . . whatever, it is a jam.

Well, with the Nia Jam they pick a focus and arrange the music to comply with the Nia Workout cycles and to assist in sticking with the focus. And then a group of teachers teach and just have a good time. Students that attend the jams get treated to a variety of styles and music. It is just like one big party.

It was so fun to be able to workout with all the different teachers getting a sample of all the different Nia classes around the area**.

The room we held the class in was awesome. It was in a open room at Stanford University in Palo Alto. The room was rectangle shape and there were mirrors on one of the longs walls and the other long wall opened up, it was glass doors. The floor was wood, I believe, I want to say it was cushioned because It felt somewhat like the floor at the studio where I teach in San Jose. We danced a lot and it didn’t feel like cement directly under the floor.

The wall that opened up, opened onto a patio we had all to ourselves. The weather was perfect.

The Nia Jam was fabulous, it was freeing, it was inspirational. I met a lovely group of Nia Teachers from around the area and beyond. It left me feeling really sweaty and alive. Very energized. I would like to invite you to our next one. When I have the details I will let you know.

**Check the main website for regular classes, if you don’t see one in your area call the nearest instructor, she might know about one that is NOT on the main website. NiaNow.com Or visit my site for current information about classes in San Jose and Los Gatos.

Posted in Nia | Tagged: Jam Session, Nia Bay Area, Nia Exercies, Nia focus, Nia instructor, Nia Jam, Nia Teacher, Nia workout, Nia Workout Cycles, nianow, NiaNow.com, Palo Alto Nia, San Jose exercise, San Jose Workout, teach Nia | 3 Comments »

Its Annoying When People Don’t Use. . . .

Posted by terrepruitt on July 25, 2009

I am actually interested in hearing what you think, because I know what annoys me. So let me know what you think. Add comments to what I have or come up with your own.

It’s annoying when people don’t use:

Car blinkers

Car ashtrays

Car gas pedals

Door mats

Manners

Headsets (hands free devices) for cell phones while driving (yeah, in California it is illegal to hold your phone)

Headsets for office phones (we all do not need to hear your conversation even if it is a “business” conversation)

Office doors (see the above)

Crook of your arm when sneezing or coughing (it is better to cough/sneeze into the crook of your arm as opposed to your hand that touches things)

Bathroom sinks (they’re for washing your hands after you use the restroom before you go back to work. Oh yeah, I’ve seen it happen.)

Ok, I honestly just started out with two, but then I thought that looked kind of measly and I let my brain wander. Let’s see how this one works out. What about you? What bugs you when they are not used properly?

Yeah, “do you know the way to San Jose?” that is what pops into my head, because my blog has strayed . . . . oh well, thanks for putting up with it!

Posted in Entertainment, Misc | Tagged: annoy, california, cell phone, manners, Nia, Nia workout, San Jose Workout, workout | 10 Comments »

Lyrics Gone Wrong

Posted by terrepruitt on July 16, 2009

Are you bold enough? Are you secure enough? Do you have it in you? Can you admit to what you THOUGHT the lyrics were?

Well, here are a few I can share—whether they were from me or not, I won’t tell—hey, maybe I won’t tell. Let’s make this post twofold.

1–share with me some lyrics you had wrong (or that a friend of yours had wrong or that someone you know of had wrong.)

2–guess what songs these are:

A–In the Garden of Eden

B–Our Love Is Japanese

C–Painted Glove (oh, c’mon, that one is way easy)

Its too hot here in San Jose, California. I know this will work out, right? Care to play?

Posted in Entertainment, Misc | Tagged: Garden of Eden, love, Love is Japanese, Lyrics, Nia play, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Painted Glove, San Jose, San Jose Workout | 32 Comments »

Katas

Posted by terrepruitt on July 11, 2009

According to Wiki a Kata “is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs.”

Even though we do not do it solo or in pairs, Nia™ has adopted that word to describe the movements we do to a song. Nia classes are similar to other group exercises in that the teacher leads the group through moves.

Nia uses music and Katas strung together to form a routine.

The average seems to be between seven and ten katas to a routine. Since one of the goals in Nia is to find health through movement, we move in all different ways to the music. Sometimes the katas can be similar and sometimes they can be completely different. One might have you swirling in place or moving around the room. We often use the face of a clock as a pattern for our feet. We will, as an example, step to 12:00, then 6:00 and then maybe out to 1:00, 2:00, or 3:00. We might cross our right over to the left and step at 11:00 and/or our left over our right and step to 1:00. All the while moving our arms, of course.

The most recent kata I learned is full of kicks, chops, blocks, shimmys, and rumbles. It has front kicks, back kicks and side kicks. It has downward chops and upward chops. It has upward blocks, downward blocks, and outward blocks. It is somewhat energizing because you can really put some “oomph” into your blocks—really contracting the muscles, then when you do the shimmy it is a nice relaxing release.

Nia is a full body workout. The katas that are put together to form a routine that gets the whole body moving. Would you like to come see how its done?

Posted in Nia | Tagged: kata, kicks, Nia, Nia class, Nia workout, workout | 10 Comments »

Nia Belt System

Posted by terrepruitt on July 4, 2009

I feel I need to clarify something. I keep seeing these great articles on the internet about Nia. They are so great I get excited and I want to share them, until I get to the part where it says something like, “Nia students work through levels akin to martial arts and the different belts”. This is where my enthusiasm for the article dies. To me this makes it sound like a participant of Nia™ has to earn a belt in order to participate.

Nia is a workout. A person can go to a Nia class every day and workout and never have to think about belt levels. Belt levels never come into play during a workout. Nia as a workout is so beneficial you may never want to progress to anything beyond that. Think of it like yoga, you can go to a yoga class every day and never have to participate in the meditation or yoga life-style of a yogi or yogini.

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My Nia White Belt and my manual

IF someone is interested in learning more about Nia, aside from what the book and the DVDs, the classes, and the workshops have to offer, one can participate in an “Intensive”. THIS is where the belts come into play. Each intensive is about 40 hours of intenseness. There is lectures and movement and workouts. There are five belts. Anyone can participate in the intensive, but they must be taken in order White, Blue, Brown, Black. And they require a year in between each belt.

Each of the four belts mentioned has principles. There are 13 principles for each belt, each belt also has a focus.

I am sure you noticed that I mentioned five belts but only named four, that is because one of the five belts is Green Belt. Green Belt is newly added and it is for teachers. So while any one can take an White, Blue, Brown, or Black belt intensive only teachers can take the green. That is because Green is focused on assisting teachers. It is just another aspect of the continuing education that Nia offers and recommends.

So, again I will say, anyone can participate in Nia as a workout and that is great and that is fine. You will gain many, many benefits from it. No one has to think about belts and the levels. Only if you are interested in making Nia a practice and learning more about it do you need to even think about the belts. Just come and enjoy the way your body feels during and after a Nia workout. Then if you arrive at wanting more you will do so . . . in your own time . . . in your own way.

Posted in Nia | Tagged: Belt System, Black Belt, Blue Belt, Brown Belt, Green Belt, martial arts, Martial Arts Belt System, Nia, Nia Articles, Nia Practice, Nia teachers, Nia workout, White Belt, work out, workout, Yoga Practice | 3 Comments »

Sound – In Nia: Sounding

Posted by terrepruitt on July 2, 2009

So, I could just fill my blog with Nia, but I want to post other stuff too because I am interested in other workouts and exercises and I like to share other stuff. Today is supposed to be my “fun” post or “whatever” post, not necessary related to health, wellness, or Nia™. I thought that I would find some inspiration before the day was out, but . . . nothing.

So . . . here I am, back at Nia and the wonders of it. I left an article from Nia Education in the studio where I teach (in Willow Glen) and it is about sounding. This evening (when does “evening” start? Anyway . . .) when I was explaining to my class in Los Gatos that Nia uses a focus it dawned on me that I didn’t have a focus for class. Then it came to me in a flash “Sounding”. Nia calls it sounding, I’ve heard some classes call it vocalization. Whatever . . .

We had a few songs that were great for sounding and that are normally done with us making noise, but tonight I added noise (sounding) into all of the songs.

I am going to be honest, when I am TAKING a Nia class I am not a big “sounder”, I am getting better, but I don’t always do it. So I know how intimidating it can be. And it frustrates me (that I don’t do it) because I know—-I have FELT the benefits. When I first started doing Nia I didn’t make any sound. Then I was in a class and I realized that I was the only one NOT making sound so I joined in—-HOLY MOLY! What a difference that makes. It is amazing and I can’t really describe it. But because I have felt the benefits, I am getting better at doing it in other’s classes, and I do it when I am leading my class.

Tonight I was so loud I couldn’t hear if others were doing it. I had to tone it down to make sure they were doing it. The women who showed up first, the ones I had explained it to were participating, but the others weren’t. But that is ok, they will come around in their own time, in natural time. After class I felt awesome. Sounding is amazing. It is like a release and an energizer all at once.

Have you ever been frustrated and just shouted, yelled, or screamed, you know how you feel after that? That sense of release, that feeling of “aaaaah, now I feel better.” Well, just think of an entire workout like that? It is exhilarating.

A Nia Education article says, “every cell in your body is a sound resonator that responds to sounds coming from the outside and the inside of your body, and that all of the systems in your body – your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual states of consciousness – respond to sound?”** Yeah, I knew that . . . .

If you are interested in the article, let me know. It is very short and I can send it to you. I have posted the tips for helping you begin sounding on my site, in case you are interested. So, can you do it? Are you ready to make some noise?

Posted in Nia, Sounding | Tagged: exercise, exercise class, Los Gatos Nia, Los Gatos Workout, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercise, Nia workout, sounding, Willow Glen Nia, Willow Glen Workout, workout, workout class | 3 Comments »

Loving More Than One

Posted by terrepruitt on June 9, 2009

I think that it is perfectly fine for people to like (or love) more than one thing. Right? Do you agree? I teach Nia, I practice Nia, I preach Nia, I love Nia, but . . . .I also love Pilates. I am somewhat hesitant to admit that I have never taken a mat Pilates class. I do plan on taking one because the club in Los Gatos where I teach offers it so I will get in there soon, but lately I have been practicing Pilates at home with DVDs.

I believe that Pilates was designed to be done on apparatuses. They have several that they utilize. It is my opinion that in order to really experience Pilates you do need to go to a qualified instructor and work with him/her on the apparatuses. I have experience with one wonderful Pilates instructor. Originally I found her because she was near downtown Milpitas, now she is in Milpitas, but closer to Fremont. My DVDs are not the same, but for now, it is what my schedule allows and I enjoy it. I have a few Pilates DVDs.

I enjoy the 10 minutes ones because I can focus on a section of the body for 10 minutes then move on. I can get a whole body work out in 30 to 40 minutes. They say you can do Pilates every day, but just like anything you want to listen to your own body and see what it says.

So , as I am always saying: find something you enjoy. You can enjoy several things Yoga, Pilates, Dancing, Nia, Walking, whatever. You can enjoy them several ways; in a class, outside, with a DVD, whatever. Find a couple of things and do it, enjoy doing it.

Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: 10 Minutes, Dancing class, Fremont Nia, Fremont Pilates, Fremont Yoga, Los Gatos Nia, Los Gatos Pilates, Los Gatos Yoga, Milpitas Nia, Milpitas Pilates, Milpitas Yoga, Nia, Nia class, Nia workout, Pilates apparatuses, Pilates class, Pilates DVDs, Pilates instructor, Walking class, workout, Yoga class | Leave a Comment »

Nia Or Nia Technique Is A Specific Practice

Posted by terrepruitt on April 11, 2009

I want to remind everyone that Nia™ or Nia Technique® is a specific practice.** It was created in 1983 by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas. They were married and now they are not, but Nia is such an important part of their lives and so important to them, that they continue to work together.

Nia has different belt levels; White Belt, the newly added Green Belt, Blue Belt, Brown Belt, and Black Belt. Each Belt has its own set of principles, except for Green. You must wait a year in between belts before you can take the next intensive. (Except for green because it a newly added in the system to assist teachers.)

Click here for more info on classes and Nia

I am a White Belt, so I continue to work with the thirteen White Belt Principles:

1–The Joy of Movement
2–Natural Time and the Movement Forms
3–Music and the 8BC System
4–FreeDance
5–Awareness – Dancing Through Life
6–The Base; Feet and Legs
7–The Three Planes and the Three Levels of Intensity
8–The Core of the Body; Pelvis, Chest, and Head
9–Creative Arm and Hand Expressions
10–X-Ray Anatomy
11–Business and Marketing
12–Continuing Education
13–Dance What You Sense / Teach What You Sense

When I talk about Nia it is based on what Debbie and Carlos have created. They have been working and growing with Nia for 25 years. And if you look at their work and information you will see that it has morphed a little. It is the same basic practice but I believe it gets refined as they grow and change.

So please keep in mind when I talk about Nia, I am talking about something wonderful and specific and it is entirely based on the work of Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas.

Please join me in San Jose for a Nia class. Visit my website for the schedule http://www.helpyouwell.com/

**This post is to explain that “Nia” and “Nia-things” I talk about are primarily from the creators of Nia BUT please keep in mind . . . . Nia is also a workout that can be experienced, just like a Yoga, Zumba, Jazzercise, or any group exercise class. One can show up to class and just move and get a great workout. One does not have to participant in the intensive and the belt levels.

Visit Nia’s main website at: www.nianow.com

Posted in Nia, Nia White Belt Principles | Tagged: 8BCs, Carlos Rosas, Debbie Rosas, exercise class, exercise classes, great workout, group exercise, group exercise class, Jazzercise, joy, Nia, Nia Belt levels, Nia Practice, Nia San Jose, Nia Technique, Nia White Belt, Nia workout, San Jose exercise class, San Jose exercise classes, San Jose Nia, the joy of movement, thirteen White Belt Principles, workout class, Yoga, Yoga class, Yoga Practice, Zumba, Zumba class | 3 Comments »

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Terre Pruitt's Blog

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I teach yoga, Nia, and stretch online!

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