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Posts Tagged ‘Yoga’

Quick Feet Facts

Posted by terrepruitt on February 13, 2023

I have posted these feet facts before, but since I couldn’t easily find them because they are part of a larger post. I thought I would list them for quick reference:

—Feet are not just for standing and balancing, they help with shock absorption to keep the entire body from sensing the entire jolt as you move. A flexible foot is great with absorbing the impact.
—Each foot has a network of more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
—Each foot has 26 bones and 33 joints.
—With 52 bones (26 for each foot) it is about 1/4 of all the bones in the body (206).
—The largest bone in the foot is called the calcaneus (heel bone).
—There are over 7,000 nerved endings in each foot.
—The feet have 250,000 sweat glands so an active person can produce four to six ounces of perspiration a day.

As you may guess – from that previous post – I am a big believer in moving the feet. I believe they need to be strengthened and stretched. We do a lot of that in Nia, yoga, and of course stretch. I always remind my students of their “Homework”.

Have a great day!

Posted in Misc | Tagged: Nia, stretch, Muscles, Yoga, walking, Standing, Feet Facts, balancing, bones, tendons, ligaments, calcaneus, heel bone | Leave a Comment »

Not Flexible Enough To Do Yoga

Posted by terrepruitt on July 11, 2022

So, I had the conversation again, you may be familiar with it, in fact you may have had the same thoughts yourself. I have people tell me all the time they are not flexible enough for yoga. This comment makes me so sad. And, to be honest, it is rubbish. The comment makes no sense at all, but it may stem from the fact that people don’t understand yoga or they want to be further along in the practice than is reasonable. I have a question to answer when presented with that statement, but I seldom remember it, my question is: “Would you go to the gym only if you were strong?”   Most people don’t start resistance training when they are strong, they start it to GET strong or improve their strength. Why is it people don’t approach yoga the same way? One does not walk into their first yoga class knowing all the moves and being able to do them all. Yoga is a practice. I posted once about how I was taught yoga was actually originally created for yogis . . . people that wanted to spend their entire lives learning yoga . . . not only the poses, but all the other things involved. So with that alone, it proves that people cannot just do the poses from the very first time they try. Some take years of “doing” to be able to “do” them.

So I think the statement is rubbish because YOGA MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE! That is the thing about yoga. Since it is a practice you do it as you can. If you can lie in shavasana for ONLY 1 minute at first – LIE THERE FOR ONE MINUTE! Then next time it might be 3 minutes, but then the next time it might be 30 seconds . . . that is ok. If you can’t touch your toes in a forward bend, do what you can. BE where you are. If you want to be “flexible enough to do yoga” (not my words, I don’t agree with that statement) – DO YOGA.

One does not get strong by NOT lifting weights. One does not get flexible by not doing yoga. If you want to do yoga, do it. It is not meant to look a certain way, but to allow one to get into their body. In addition, it could be that your body will never get into a pose like you see on Instagram or in Yoga Journal, I have another post that talks about body design – that is a whole other story. Yoga is a practice and the only way to do it is to “do” it.

I hope this allows you to realize that you don’t need to be anything when you practice yoga, yoga can help you discover what you ARE, yoga accepts you, and gives you space to adjust and just be.

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: body design, flexible, gym, Instagram, resistance training, strength training, stretch, strong, Yoga, Yoga Journal, Yoga Practice | 5 Comments »

Gotta Show It Off

Posted by terrepruitt on January 3, 2022

Since I did complete the daily tracker I wanted to show it off. I did post when December started, but here it is . . . I managed to do some type of movement everyday. I have a schedule so it makes it kinda easy to make sure I get it in. I have found that stretching every day is awesome. I used to stretch once a week in addition to yoga, but yoga is not stretching and dedicated stretching is a great way to keep moving without aches and pains. And the key is EVERY DAY.

My calendar was not for 30 minutes of stretching it was for 30 minutes of movement, but I can honestly tell you that there was at least 10 minutes of stretching done every day. You may want to try it for yourself.

I have seen some GORGEOUS trackers out there. Are you doing one this year? You can find it here by clicking, if you want.

Posted in Misc | Tagged: calendar, Colorful Daily Tracker, colorful daily tracking, coloring, daily tracker, stretching, track what you want, Yoga | Leave a Comment »

Sitting Uncomfortably

Posted by terrepruitt on September 20, 2021

I have my students do a pose/stretch that I used to call the “icky pose”. Yeah not quite a technical name but a very apt one. I did not recall actually learning it anywhere or having anyone have named it and it was very icky so I called it that. Eventually, through my study of Yin Yoga, I learned the name. And, then one day when I was teaching Yin Yoga a student asked for the actual name. It actually is considered a Yin Yoga pose it was called the toe squat. It took me a bit to actually adjust to calling it that. One thing that helped me transition to its proper name is that it stopped being icky.

Like many stretches, poses, and exercises it became less icky the more I did it. It is one pose/stretch that I consider vital for one’s health, yet when we first try to do it, it is so uncomfortable many people stop.

I instruct my students to curl their toes – being mindful of the pinky because sometimes it does not bend the proper way – but to not sit on their heels at first. One can work into sitting on their heels. It could be that they have to practice just curling their toes. One gets to control the actual pressure they put on the toes. It could be they are able to sit on them but only for a second or two, then the more they practice the longer they can tolerate it.

Basically you are kneeling with your toes curled and you sit back on your heels.

There are ways to modify it to make it more tolerable and to ease into it. I just recommend remaining tall kneeling and not even put an additional pressure on the toes. Or doing one foot at a time may be more tolerable. This IS an icky pose while your feet are getting used to doing it. But it can give you immediate benefit. And if you do it often, it will get easier.

As with any stretch, pose, or exercise you should get clearance from a medical professional. Make certain your body is able to do said stretch, pose, or exercise.

Again . . . this is really one of those poses/stretches that most of us have to work into and it could take a long time. Just like any stretch, pose, or exercise, the more you will benefit from it.

Do you sit on your heels with your toes curled (doing a toe squat)?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: icky pose, stretching the feet, toe squat, uncomfortable toe stretch, Yin Yoga, Yoga | Leave a Comment »

Colorful Daily Tracker

Posted by terrepruitt on August 2, 2021

So how are you doing on the daily calendar/tracker? Do you remember it? I have it in a place where I see it so I remember it, but I have to be honest, I did have to stop and fill in a few days at a time. I do my daily thing, but I don’t always fill out the log daily. The way I color the log changed. In my first post I made a key with colors assigned to a specific movement, I figured I would change the color assignments every month (so I could use all of the pens), but it ended up primarily just one color . . . which would tend to make sense if you were doing one specific thing daily. But I had made my log for 30 minutes of movement and changed in February to just use a color for meeting that goal. Also in February I added indoor cycling to my menu of movement. So my 30 minutes could be a combination of yoga, Nia, stretching, cycling, and/or walking.

I am still using the set of pens I received at Christmas and so far sticking with a type of pen per month. January was glitter, a majority of the glitter gets rubbed off, but when I look closely I can still see it. February was metal. March pastel. April was florescent. May was regular. There are only five different types so I reused metal for June and pastel for July. I am using glitter for August, but I think I am going to use dots and stripes for the LONG/larger days . . . we will see how that goes.

Anyway . . . hard to believe we are past the halfway point in the year.

So . . . do you have a daily practice? Do you have a calendar/journal/log that you use to keep track?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: calendar, Colorful Daily Tracker, colorful months, colorful tracker, Cycling, daily log, Daily practice, daily tracker, Nia, spinning, stretching, tracking daily, Yoga | 2 Comments »

A Few Ways To Use Yoga Blocks

Posted by terrepruitt on February 15, 2021

When I taught yoga in person, I taught at places that did not have props. I feel it is perfectly fine to not use props while doing Hatha Yoga, in fact, I think sometimes it is better not to have them, but sometimes it is nice to use them. Whether you use them or not could depend on what you want to get out of your practice or in our case we didn’t have them. What we used as a prop was a chair. There are a lot things that can be used as substitutes for yoga props. But wait, what is a yoga prop? There are several common yoga props and now-a-days with yoga being a multi-million dollar business there are hundreds of yoga props you can purchase. The ones I think of as “common” yoga props besides a yoga mat itself are yoga blankets, yoga blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. In this post I am doing to show you some ways you can use a yoga block.

One way you can think of the block is as something to “bring up the floor” and/or something to help support you. There are various types of yoga blocks and I am aware of two sizes, but there may be more. When you go shop for a set of yoga blocks (yes, you usually will want to have two) you will want to think about what you are going to use them for, this will help you decide the size and the material.

Once you decide on which ones to get you will notice that they have three “levels”; high, medium, and low. In some of the photos I am demonstrating two of the levels in one picture. You may also notice that my hand it not always in the correct position – if I were actually doing yoga – because I am using a remote to take pictures. And in some, yes, I cut off my head because it is about the blocks.

In a lunge, a triangle. and extended side angle you can see how it can be used to “bring up the floor”.

A block can be used to rest your head in a wide angle forward fold or a child’s pose.

A block can help with alignment of the hips in a pigeon by supporting the hip/butt of the bent leg from underneath or help with a stretch by support the hips in a bridge.

Blocks can be used (remember there are different levels) to help support knees in a bound angle. In this pose you can not only change the levels of the blocks but the placement . . . they can be closer to the hips to allow the knees to be higher, closer to the knees allowing for a more intense stretch in the inner thighs, or anywhere along the leg. A block can also support your knees in a supine twist. This helps when the knees can’t reach the floor and allows the shoulders to stay connected with the earth.

Blocks can help raise the shoulders in a Downward Facing Dog. They can also bring up the floor and sometimes be higher than your heels in a camel. Again . . . remember blocks have three different levels that can be used.

Some people like to sit on them to raise the hips in sukhasana or maybe even straddle a block for Thunderbolt (not pictured). And there is always something like a supported fish or shavasana.

There are many, many, many ways to use blocks, this is just a small sample, and with many of these a bolster can be substitute. If you don’t have blocks sometimes a pillow or a towel can be used. A small sturdy box might work too, it really depends on what pose it is being used for. With teaching classes online many people have the opportunity to use their own yoga props or things around the house.

I like to teach and practice the idea that yoga is not really done to get into a pose in a specific way, it is practiced to sense the body. The body may never get into the pose as it was supposedly “supposed” to be, but we can practice with intent and gain many benefits along the way.

Do you use yoga blocks in your practice?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: Bound Angle, bridge, child's pose, community centers, Down Dog, Downward-Facing Dog, easy pose, extended side angle, fish, Forward Fold, lunge, online yoga classes, pigeon, teaching yoga, triangle, Yoga, yoga blankets, yoga blocks, yoga bolster, yoga eye pillow. three heights, yoga props, yoga strap | 2 Comments »

Decorations Are Different For 2020 Christmas

Posted by terrepruitt on December 11, 2020

With our living room as my studio for Nia, yoga, and stretch I’ve had to make some adjustments that have displaced some of my Christmas decorations. I’ve had to move some furniture around and my Zoom backdrop is in the way of a table that I normally put up to display a number of Christmas decorations. So . . . I’ve been rearranging things a bit. I just put the small bottle light up tonight, and I thought that it would be the piece that allowed me to be at peace with this arrangement, but I am not sure about it yet. I will have to sit with it. I have still been up and down (there are two ladders involved) decorating so we will see once I have a chance to actually observe it. My original vision was for multi-colored strings of lights. I didn’t have them, but might be able to scrounge them up. Maybe THAT will do the trick.

Christmas decorations continue for Friday Photos in December.

How are you doing so far?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas decorations, Christmas Ornaments, Friday Photo, Nia, stretch, studio, Yoga | Leave a Comment »

That’s A Wrap – FIRST EVERY Nia Belt Training Online

Posted by terrepruitt on October 5, 2020

Ahhh . . . so today was the actual last day of the FIRST EVER NIA WHITE BELT TRAINING ONLINE! Ok, I just want to clarify it was not only the first Nia White Belt Training online, it was the first Nia Belt Training online – ever. So it was super special! If you have read this journey from the beginning you may know, but just in case you haven’t I want to summarize briefly. Nia is a holistic wellness system, I call it a practice (like yoga) . . . through it, I teach cardio dance classes. Nia has levels of learning called belts. The first one is the Nia White Belt. The belts have thirteen principles (yoga has limbs). The principles can be applied to everyday life so you do not have to have teaching Nia in mind when you take the training. The Nia White Belt is all about the body and living in sensation. For some it is a reminder to dance through life and enjoy living in the body — for others that is a totally new and unique concept. Regardless it is a really amazing experience. I have said over and over Nia isn’t always about NEW stuff but the way Nia describes things and relates it to life it very cool. The training was two hours, once a week over sixteen weeks and it is over. I am going to go out on a limb and say we are all sad. I know that is very presumptuous, but I really believe it to be true. We are all sad that it is over. It was an amazing experience and we are sad it is done. But we are also happy because there is a lot more to come. With Nia there is always more.

Today was not really what I was thinking it would be . . . a little disappointed that it wasn’t more of a ceremony, but it was very celebratory and joyous. We actually spent most of the time moving. We spent A LOT of the time dancing. We danced and Debbie reviewed the Nia White Belt Principles 2020. It was awesome.

Last week we were told there is new stuff and we would be told about it today, but I am guessing they couldn’t fit it all in so we are having another meeting next week that is going to explain the membership. If you want to teach you have to pay to do so . . . pretty much like every single licensed thing out there. Instructors pay for Zumba, PiYo, and all the things out there so that isn’t new, but the pay structure is going to change . . . so that is what I wanted to hear about today, but that didn’t happen. We danced and that was fun.

Even though we were not together in a room dancing, it really did feel like community. Especially when the host (we were on Zoom) shared everyone dancing, my entire screen was full of people dancing all over the world! That is amazing to me. I so love the idea of that. I know that I danced with a woman in Africa, a woman in Germany, a woman in Tennessee, a woman in Washington, two women in Texas, a woman in Idaho, and a woman in Chile. I don’t know where everyone else was but we were all together and we were dancing.

This was the second time I have taken the White Belt, the first time was in 2008 and an audit in 2009, but this was a full retake and the material was new. Again, the way it was presented was new, the language was new, but the core teachings are the same. I keep emphasizing that because that is important to me. Nia is not an opinion, which can change, it is a system based on science and ancient teachings so the base is consistent, yet it adjusts and grows.

Today was really fun. I loved moving and dancing with everyone.

I hope that you choose to explore more about Nia. I have posted about the thirteen Nia White Belt Principles 2020 I just studied (and will continue to study) and I have posted about Nia before. There is information on this blog and my site and of course, information about the trainings on Nianow.com

In Joy!

Posted in 2020 Nia White Belt Principles, Nia | Tagged: dancing via Zoom, Debbie Rosas, First Nia Belt Training online, graduation, holistic wellness system, licensing fees, Nia Classes, Nia Practice, Nia Technique, Nia training, Nia White Belt Principles, Nia White Belt Training, NiaNow.com, PiYo, Yoga, Zuma | Leave a Comment »

This Little Bird

Posted by terrepruitt on October 2, 2020

I thought I had posted all of the pictures of watercolors that I had. All of the watercolors I have posted were from the San Jose Community Centers where I used to teach yoga, Nia, and stretch. Most of them were from Willow Glen, a couple (I think it was two) were the Camden Community Center. The Willow Glen Community Center always had such great art. This is the last one. He is bright and beautiful and I share him with you for today’s Friday Photo.

Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: Camden Community Center, colorful bird, Friday Photo, Nia, San Jose Community Centers, watercolors, Willow Glen Community Center, Yoga | 2 Comments »

Dragonfly

Posted by terrepruitt on July 17, 2020

So, I found three more watercolors from the community center in San Jose where I used to teach gentle yoga. At least I think they are watercolors, two of them are different than the others. One is really bright and one is really dark so it could be they are not watercolors. But they are for different Friday Photos, today we have this lovely dragonfly.

Do you like dragonflies?

Posted in Friday Photo | Tagged: dragonfly, Friday Photo, gentle yoga, San Jose Community Center, watercolor, Yoga | Leave a Comment »

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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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