Posted by terrepruitt on December 15, 2022
This is a pretty narrow tree. Since I use the room as my studio to do my Zoom classes it works. Gentle yoga and stretch don’t require a lot of room, but Nia has lateral movement so I am going left and right a lot. It is easier not to be too restricted. So a narrow tree is working ok. I was just kinda surprised when I saw it in the daylight today. It is a good tree. Looking at another photo of it though, I think it may have shrank!
What do you think?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Chrstimas tree, gentle yoga, narrow tree, Nia, Online Classes, stretch, tall tree, Zoom classes | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 12, 2022
I cannot believe I missed a Friday Photo! There are only five Fridays in the month and I missed one. So I decided that I am just going to share a bunch of photos this month. I love lights and Christmas decorations and I spend a lot of time putting stuff up that no one really sees. I am fortunate that I am still Zooming my classes from home so my students see my tree, but if you have been around here for previous Christmases you know I love my ornaments and decorations, so I am just going to post when I want. It is my blog and I wonder why I still try to follow a posting schedule. Here is a picture of the Christmas tree almost done being decorated. It was a challenge.
Do you put up a tree? Do you decorate for the Holidays?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas decorations, Christmas Ornaments, Firday Photo, holiday decorations, ornaments, students, Zoom classes | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on November 19, 2020
Sometimes the day escapes me. I am not going out, but with all of the stuff happening online I am doing a lot of exploring of additional tools to use to make class registration automated, I am doing tests on Zoom for different ways to bring classes to students, I am having to move and rearrange our furniture on a daily basis . . . so a lot of time-consuming stuff. Not complaining, but explaining . . . explaining why I can’t keep up with my own self-imposed posting schedule. I should have posted this yesterday since I am offering a Pop-Up Class tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 20, 2020). This post has a dual purpose, to explain the difference between a Pop-UP and Pop-IN and to expound a bit on Yin Yoga.
POP-UP VS POP-IN
What is a Pop-Up Class? For me, it is a class that is not on my regular schedule. In many cases with many different things a Pop-Up can happen rather quickly – it pops up – but for me, I am usually talking about it a couple days in advance so it is not a quick spur of the moment thing, but it is not a regularly scheduled thing.
Now, the Pop-UP is different than the Pop-In. The pop-in is quick (under 30 minute). So far we have had three pop-ins where we reviewed katas in a song from a Nia routine and then danced the song. It isn’t something where there is the structure of a regular Nia class (or yoga class or stretch class). It is quick – you can just pop-in. I have ideas to do other type of pop-ins maybe a quick stretch or a yoga pose or two, but we will see. A Pop-UP is a class . . . with the actual class structure so popping in and out is not advised.
YIN YOGA
Yin Yoga has long holds in order to affect the tissue involved. It is not about the muscle but about the connective tissue. Since the connective tissue is not as elastic as muscles it take a bit longer to effect, AT LEAST a minute. When introducing people to Yin Yoga I generally will not hold most poses but for a few seconds over a minute.
In addition to the four Tattvas of Yin Yoga another very important thing to remember is to get out of the poses SLOWLY. In some cases if you feel the pose is too much, it could be just a simple matter of backing off, not getting out of the pose . . . if that doesn’t work and you feel you need to get out of the pose you must do it slowly. When instructing I allow for a transitional period and that could be just as long as the hold. Think of it like when you sit for a long time and how it might not work to jump up, ya gotta ease into standing or repositioning yourself. That is the same with Yin . . . you are in a pose for a long time so it requires a long time to get out of it. If you need to get out of a pose before the instructors instructs the class to do so, do it slowly just as if the instructor is walking you through the transition.
Some of the poses we do in Yin Yoga are similar to the poses in yang yoga. I have probably mentioned how I used to be so frustrated that the Yin Yoga poses had different names then the Hatha yoga poses even though they are “the same” . . . but then I learned they are not the same. Yin Yoga instructors may even use the other name (non Yin) to help you get into the pose, but the intent is different. In yang yoga the focus is stretching and strengthening muscle but in Yin the intent is to affect the connective tissue and move the Qi. But so many people ask about Yin Poses I am going to say here – just to give people an idea – that we do poses similar to pigeon, sphinx, bound angle, and extended child’s pose, to name a few. Most Yin poses are done on the floor, so it is not as if you are going to be holding a Warrior II for five minutes.
Additionally, as a reminder Yin Yoga is not Restorative Yoga. Yin may be restorative like all yoga can be restorative, but it is not Restorative Yoga. Restorative Yoga is about relaxing and involves a lot of lying around. Yin is not about relaxing although it does require the muscles to relax.
Well, a really good way to see what Yin Yoga is like is to try it. For details regarding the Pop-Up Yin Yoga Class on Friday, November 20, 2020 please go to my website. Maybe I will see you there! (Update 11.28.20: This class has already occurred, but do check my site because we plan on doing more because they are so FUN!)
Posted in Misc, Yin Yoga | Tagged: candle holders, classes online, Himalayan salt, katas, Nia, Nia class, Nia routines, Pop-in, Pop-up, stretch class, tea light, Yin and Yang, Yin Yoga, Yoga class, Zoom classes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 22, 2020
Well, many of us are still teaching classes via Zoom. In my area indoor exercise is not allowed and even when they thought they were going to allow it they had restrictions on indoor cardio and dance. And Nia is a cardio dance exercise. Because it is full of playfulness, taps into many types of movement forms, energies, and challenges and satisfies the BMES we don’t like to call it just a cardio dance exercise, but when classifying it for indoor activity purposes, that is what it is. So many of us are still doing it online. Some have moved outdoors, but that gets into all types of possible liabilities and issues I am not ready to take on just yet . . . so I continue to try to improve my delivery of the virtual class.
In my last “Zoom” post I wrote about how at the point of class starting my mic and music failed. That was a bummer. Then I had a great week and then it failed again. Some of it, I know is user (me) error, but sometimes I think it is internet or software error. As an example, last week I used a different USB port for my microphone and speaker and in doing so the transmitter was hanging and I think was not plugged in all the way. But then when we were doing our little chat after class, I couldn’t hear one of my students, the other students could, but I couldn’t. I didn’t do anything to fix it, but she exited the meeting then came back on and I could hear her. So it is crazy.
My students continue to be kind and understanding so I continue to try.
Lately I am using iTunes directly through Zoom. Zoom allows the host to share the screen and in this case the “screen” is just audio. This eliminates the issue of the music cutting out as would happen when I used a speaker and a microphone to pick up both my voice and the music. My fans would create background noise and interfere with music transmission.
Here is the advanced screen where you can choose to just share sound.
The Kimafun microphone I got (box shown in my “struggles” post) came with a USB converter that allows me to plug the transmitter into it so it feeds directly into the computer/Zoom and it allows me to have a speaker attached so I hear the music that is being played through Zoom to my students.
I still have to rely on my students telling me if they can hear me and the music, but that will always be the case. I record myself and the music to test it, but it really boils down to what the students hear. So whoever shows up first gets to set the volumes because I adjust according to what they say.
I still feel I need more practice with the microphone. I usually teach without a microphone so I am used to projecting my voice and allowing myself to exhale with all the lovely sounding techniques that Nia encourages, but that gets LOUD with the microphone in my face. The recommendation I saw said to keep it two fingers away from your face and I am using three. Next week I am going to try four. Part of the issue is that it moves around as I dance so the set up changes. I readjust it when I remember. For the most part it is working out, but I will keep in mind that I need to keep trying to improve.
So . . . what do you do when you are teaching a class? Or, if you don’t teach, what experiences have you had in regards to sounds when in a Zoom class or meeting?
This is the basic screen share screen
Zoom reminder and “stop” sharing
Posted in Nia, Online Classes, Zoom | Tagged: BMES, cardio dance exercise, exercise classes online, iTunes, Kimafun microphone, Nia classes online, Nia students, Nia Technique, screen sharing, virtual exercise class, Zoom classes | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 27, 2020
I am confident that somewhere on the Zoom website it tells me all the information that I keep discovering and sharing with you. But I haven’t looked at everything they have on their site and I haven’t joined any of their training sessions, which I am sure . . . probably would have informed me of my new discovery. Since my students have confirmed that they want to continue taking classes online I figure there might be other people that will be continuing to use Zoom even as areas begin to re-open. Where you live is dictating what phase of re-opening you are experiencing. I live in one of the “strictest” counties in California. So we can’t do what some areas are doing. So . . . as I continue to discover stuff on Zoom I will continue to share it. My latest discovery could be something I just noticed or it could be a change with the latest version of Zoom, I don’t know, but I really appreciate it. And I am sure it has an official name or description, but I’m gonna call it “small screen set-up”.
Some of you are familiar with Zoom and some are not, so I will explain a little bit. When you join a Zoom meeting you have the option to allow your device’s camera to transmit a video. I’ve talked about “non-video participants” before in a post. There are a gazillion reasons why one might not want to have their camera on so it is truly up to the individual. If you choose not to have the video on it can be just a black screen or you can upload a picture so that participants will see that instead of a black screen with your name. I have a picture showing when my video is off.
What I just discovered . . . . so excited . . . is that when I have my video settings screen open I can still see myself even when my video is off. So, this is very important to me because I encourage my students to join a class early – before the actual start time! I want them to be able to say hello to their friends AND be able to set up their device so they can see and be seen if they so choose. But sometimes I am still readying my space so I want them to be able to join the meeting and ready their camera, but I am still getting mine set up. I used to start the meeting and start transmitting and just shuffle around on screen, but now I can have my picture up and still see what the camera sees and what the class will look like.
Could be that I hadn’t noticed this because I only really needed it once or maybe twice. I like to try to sign on and be all set up when students show up but even though there isn’t a lot going on right now, a couple of times I was not able to be that timely so this is cool!
If you use the Zoom application then you have access to your video settings and you can do this. I wasn’t sure if it only worked because I was host, but it works even if you are a meeting participant.
So . . . how do you Zoom?
Posted in Online Classes, Zoom | Tagged: Nia on Zoom, online video, Stretch on Zoom, video participants, video settings, Yoga on Zoom, Zoom, Zoom classes | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 25, 2020
Teaching online is different than teaching in person. As you can imagine. If you have taken an exercise class online, especially from your same teacher, you have probably noticed some differences. I thought I would just share some of the things I am doing different.
-I am facing my students. When teaching Nia I like to face away from my students because one of the thirteen principles I was taught when I attended my White Belt training about 12 years ago was “Teach what you sense.” So it is easier for me to teach to my left arm (as an example) when I am actually USING my left arm. Now when I instruct students to use their left arm I am using my right. So I am not using sensation to teach as much. When I had taught yoga in person I often faced my students, but pretty much always faced away when doing twists. It seems twists really twist people’s brains.
-I am moving “smaller”. For Nia, the space I am using is large enough to move around fully, but if I use the whole space it can take me off camera. So I try to stick to what the camera can see. Staying in camera might have me focused on that at times. Sometimes I might go out of view a bit, but hopefully that is on a repeated time of a move and students know by then what the choreography is – and this is in regards to Nia. With yoga I make sure students can see head and feet and I am not moving enough to move out of frame.
-I am quieter. I used to be loud and make all kinds of sounds, while dancing, but since I am in a house where someone is working, I don’t make as much noise. I do hope my students do. I sometimes felt they didn’t make noise because they didn’t want to be the only one, but now that they are home, I am hoping they are taking advantage of the benefits sounding provides. I do make sounds, but not as loud.
-I point more. It is kinda like in Zumba where I point or make a hand signal because I am not sure they can hear me (and again I don’t want to shout all the time). I talk less
-I “check in” differently. In-person I would ask how people are doing and encourage them to answer. That allowed me to know how they were doing and (instructor “trick”) forced people to breathe. Now I try to be very conscious of the pose/stretch because I don’t always want them moving their head or arm to give me a thumbs up. And we mute people because we are all doing this in our homes where there is other stuff going on. I have to restrict my “check-in” to in between poses/stretches. So I am not getting to use the “trick ’em into breathing” instructor thing.
-We start standing then go to the earth. In stretch and yoga we used to start one way and then switch off. We would move up and down (or down and up) to enable us to retain that ability. But with the devices it is easier to start up and then when it is time to get down – stop and adjust the device, then get down. If I start yoga in corpse pose then I don’t instruct on any poses that I may need to see so we just leave the camera “up” and then when we get up it is set fine, then we do our standing poses then adjust and get down.
*****Update 05.26.20*****
I forgot one of the most important ones, I kind of said it when I said I point more, but that is for Nia.
-I don’t always demo the pose or DO the pose/stretch. When I have my face on the floor or in my lap, no one can hear me. When I am talking and my voice is too muffled for people to hear they look up to see what I am doing and they are not doing the pose. So I don’t always do the pose/stretch. I didn’t always put my face down when teaching in-person classes either, but online there are a few more poses/stretches I don’t do just so I can instruct. And, honestly, sometimes I forget. This morning while I was talking to my lap I realized I needed to be up and not folded over – AND, I realized I didn’t include this change in the post.
**********
I am very grateful to my students who have joined the Zoom classes. They have helped me keep teaching and I love that. I hope to continue teaching online so I imagine these changes will change and adjust over time.
What have you noticed is different on your Zoom/online classes? What changes have you seen in the way your instructor teaches?
Posted in Online Classes, Zoom | Tagged: 13 principles, exercise classes online, in-person classes, Nia Classes, Nia White Belt, Online Classes, stretch class, teaching online, yoga classes, yoga students, Zoom, Zoom classes, Zumba | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 29, 2020
You may have noticed I have missed a few days posting. I have a self-imposed schedule to post Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Three times a week is a lot when I am not a writer. It is not as if I have things I want to get out or stories to tell. I started posting Friday Photos because I still wanted to post three times a week, but I thought pictures would be fast for me to post and fast for you to “read”. I have a lot to say about what is going on in the world right now- especially since it is really somewhat ALL that is going on right now – but the information changes so fast and as with everything we are all in different situations, I don’t want to have a bunch of coronavirus / COVID-19 stuff on my blog. So, I haven’t kept to my schedule. I do want to share something somewhat related though, a post came across my Facebook feed within the last few of days and I sympathized with the person. Then last night I realized I am in the same boat and a lot of us are in similar boats due to the storm that is raging.
My “boat” is not EXACTLY like my Facebook friend’s because she is more like on a cruise ship whereas I am in a little dingy. She has a dance studio that usually has at least 35 classes a week (I am guessing because I don’t remember, but it is A LOT) and she has converted a lot of them to virtual classes. Granted she has a studio from which to transmit the classes, but she and her fellow instructors are doing a lot of classes. She had shared a list of the things she was saying she needed to be right now which included a manager, a set designer, and a camera woman, I didn’t really think too much about it because the post was long and my focus was on another portion of it. But then a couple of days later my friend asked me what else I had been doing aside from teaching classes and I thought, “Snap! What have I been doing? Why don’t I have a lot of time?”
Then shortly there after I received some payments for some classes and set about sending out thanks yous and the information needed to join the class. And doing the bookkeeping that I think needs to go along with all of it. Also, having sweet little side conversations with the students that are purchasing the classes. Then I needed to think about the classes themselves, deciding on what to teach. I don’t like to teach the same thing every class and the only way I can manage that is to plan my classes in advance. And then . . . I need to make sure that the computer is set up . . . Zoom is basically doing updates every time I start a meeting so I must make sure that my settings have not changed. Then I need to make sure that the camera/laptop is set up to capture me and not just the wall. THEN I need to make sure that the space is set up. I mean, I know that everyone understands that we are doing classes out of our homes so there is going to be a room with furniture and maybe even pets walking around, but I try to keep in clean and empty when I can . . . but that requires continual upkeep and/or rearranging things.
All of that takes time. And I didn’t realize I, too, was having to do many of the same things (audio technician, camera woman, key grip) on my friend’s list that she was saying we are doing for the first time and learning on the fly. And all of this takes time. It also takes energy.
At first when my friend asked me I was thinking I must be experiencing some sort of time “event” because I wasn’t getting much done during the day nor was I just sitting around watching TV. But then I realized that all of this new stuff, this new way of teaching takes time.
I am so grateful to all of my students who keep encouraging me to continue teaching online. I am so humbled that they keep coming back. I love that they are helping me through the little speed bumps (Did I really have the input volume turned DOWN?) so that I can deliver a quality class – one that I feel good about and one that has them feeling good after taking. But I really don’t have extra time. I feel I am working more than I was P.C. (pre-COVID) because it is more involved to do a class.
So while we are not all in the same situation, I know a lot of us are having to do and learn new things. So for those of you that have added a whole new set of skills to your list – Cheers. Hears to you – to us! Hang in there.
So are you doing anything new? Have you learned something new? Are you having to be an audio technician or a camera person?
Posted in Online Classes, Zoom | Tagged: audio experts, Coronavirus, COVID-19, new things, teaching from home, teaching online, technicians, Zoom classes | 4 Comments »
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