Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

  • I teach yoga, Nia, and stretch online!

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Posts Tagged ‘Willow Glen Nia’

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Down Dog

Posted by terrepruitt on June 6, 2009

Even though the Adho Mukha Svanasana or in more familiar language, Downward-Facing Dog is often used as a resting pose or a transitional pose, you are working a lot of your body.  It is a great pose for working your legs, back, shoulders and arms.  More specifically your gastrocnemius (calves), hamstrings, retucs femoris (front of leg), gluteus maximus, latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior (muscles by the ribs), deltoids, and triceps.

As with a lot of yoga asanas the “working” is either a lengthening and stretching or a strengthening or both. This asana also helps strengthen the hands.

Recently I took a yoga class in Los Gatos and I am looking forward to going back because I realized something, I don’t like this pose that much.  But what I have come to accept in my exercise workouts and Nia practice, is that if I don’t like something it is usually because I am not doing it correctly or it is something in which I need to improve.  So the reason I am looking forward to my next class is because I hope to ask the instructor for a body check.  If not in my next class I will ask the instructor in Willow Glen. I want an instructor to assist me in making sure I am doing it correctly.  Then once I feel the correct way to do it, I will work on it.

So, as you can see I am taking this Down Dog thing seriously.  Just because it is thrown in as a way to get to the next move and sometimes treated like a rest, I still want to use it to help strengthen my back, shoulders, and arms.  I want to work at it to make sure I am getting the full benefit of the lengthening of my legs and arms, and the stretching of back.  Do you work your Downward-Facing Dog or just let it lie?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Sustain, Increase, Tweak

Posted by terrepruitt on May 30, 2009

In Nia (TM) our movement is for Joy.  “Joy is not a technique or a choreographic method.  It is an attitude toward the body and toward life.  Joy is not just for when things in like are going well.  It is an open accepting energy that accepts whatever comes its way.” (1)  This is Universal Joy.

So we choose during our workouts to sense Joy and to seek the Joy of Movement.  Throughout our routine we seek to sustain that Universal Joy.  If we are able, we actually increase it.  When we lose it or if we are doing a move that causes it to faulter, we tweak.

I think these can be applied to life.  That is what I love about Nia.  We have all these thoughts and ideas that we apply to our workouts, but they aren’t necessarily new and they can applied to life.

When you are doing something that gives you joy don’t you want to keep doing it?  When you have joy don’t you want to increase it?  When you start to lose it don’t you do something to tweak it and bring it back?

That is what we do throughout our work out.  We are using our bodies to seek the sensation of Joy and if we find it and we can increase it, we do.  If we start to lose it we can tweak it.  Our workouts are about one’s own body and how it feels.  So while you are following the teacher you are also paying close attention to yourself and making sure that you are sensing the Joy of Movement.

This is one of the things that makes Nia such a different workout.  We are actually “sustaining, increasing, and tweaking” the entire time.  Universal Joy.  Allowing our bodies to move for pure pleasure.  Doesn’t that sound like something you want to do?

(I have added an Evening class to my schedule.  Teaching in San Jose (Willow Glen) three times a week; two AM classes and one evening class.  Teaching at a member only club in Los Gatos in the evening once a week.   Check out my Nia Class schedule on my site, HelpYouWell.com)

(1) From The Nia Technique – White Belt Manual  March 2001, V3 page 2-4

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

Practice What I Preach About Being True To Myself

Posted by terrepruitt on May 21, 2009

Dance Exercise, Nia San Jose, Nia Campbell, San Jose Nia, Campbell Nia, San Jose Dance Workout, Campbell Dance WorkoutThis morning as I was trying to figure out what to write about, it dawned on me that I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching about being true to myself.

I was trying to decide what to write. I want to write stuff that people will read. I am worried about people not reading it. I am worried that they won’t like it. I am worried that I am not following my own self initiated schedule of healthful on Tuesdays and Saturdays with Thursdays less in that realm. Because of all my worries I couldn’t think of what to write, I felt as if my thoughts were twisted like the most twisty Yoga pose. Then it hit me, my real intent of all of this, my blog is somewhat like a mini resume.

When people ask me about their resume or they share that they are confused because they don’t know what to put on it because they hear this and they hear that, I ALWAYS tell them to follow their heart and write a resume they would like. Some of who they are needs to be in that resume because they want to be happy at their new job. The person that is going to hire them and the place where they will fit the best will be the person that likes the resume at the company that accepts it. So if you put a little of yourself in it, then it should all work out.

So with my social media stuff I need to think the same way. I am tweeting so people will see me, and learn from me and want to train and workout with me. When I retweet something, it is something I like, so that is showing a little bit of me. Twitter is different for everyone, we all have different reasons for being there, so if you don’t like the tweets you are seeing don’t follow. I follow to learn and network, so I won’t follow you if I see tweets I don’t like. That is Twitter.

For me Facebook is more personal. I am not “friending” everyone because I like to be less business-y there. Although I do post a lot of stuff about Nia, that is just because I am practicing it and I like the way it makes me feel so I want to share with others. And I am growing my garden of Nia flowers so I tend to repost their information so that others can see what people think about Nia and maybe come try it for themselves.

With my blog I have a few goals. I want to share about events that happen in my areas, Los Gatos, San Jose (Willow Glen, Berryessa) and around, I want to entertain a bit, and I want to help people learn, but I don’t need to be all scientific as I first thought. Every time I go to write a blog with a bunch of interesting facts, I find a bunch of other sites with a bunch of interesting facts. I think that people can go to those sites if they want the science and the statistics. I will keep it simple. And you will either like it or you won’t, but I think if you like it then you will enjoy my classes and enjoy training with me.

My point is that I need to stop worrying and just start doing so that we can get on with it. I need to be me so you can see who I am and then say, “Yeah, I would like to go to her class.” So, whew . . . what a relief, now I just have to remember to actually practice what I preach. You are welcome to remind me.

Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

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