Jason Alan Griffin :: The Blog

Yes, this site has been updated November 3.  All classes below are still scheduled to happen. You can't stop the Nia!! Nia - with JAG November 4 and November 11 10am to 11am Bridge For Dance 2726 Broadway @ 104th St. third floor $20 Subway: 1 train to 103rd St. ******************************************* Nia - JAG & Jayne Mielo November 7 7pm to 8pm Teaching the Yin and Yang of the hUmaNITY routine at Sirovich Community Center 311 East 12th St. between 1st and 2nd Aves. by donation subway: 4,5,6 trains to 14th St. / Union Sq. ******************************************* Nia - JAG & Nancy Hammett Yin/Yang Nia - Dancing with Masculine and Feminine Energies November 9 YIN/YANG NIA The Dance of Masculine and Feminine Energies with Nancy Hammett and Jason Alan Griffin Friday, November 9th 9:40 - 10:40 (Feminine w/Nancy) 10:45 - Noon (Masculine w/Jason) $15*   * (current students:  no extra charge for Nancy’s seg

You may have heard the rumors... But this makes it official.   Jason is coming out of retirement and bringing the older Nia routines with him. Early in 2011, JAG announced his retirement. After being in the fitness and wellness industry since 1993, it was necessary to take a break for some personal self-healing and soul searching. Living in New York City and working as an actor, model, Nia teacher, personal trainer and massage therapist for eleven years led to a bit of burn-out. Jason needed some “Jason time”. He moved to Seattle and adopted an abused and abandoned dog from the rescue shelter and spent a good year in “dog therapy”. During this period of introspection it became clear that Nia was a passion that was calling him to teach once again. Nia has called and he’s going to answer. So now Jason is announcing a come-back. The plan is to present his entire body of work in the form of monthly classes and learning playshops. Jason has over thirty routines under his

Horses won't eat leeks. Soma Ranch is a Nia haven created by Helen Terry in Montgomery Texas. It’s a good drive from Houston; maybe 45 minutes. But once I start to settle into the ranch I always feel very at home thanks in large part to the gracious hosts, Joe and Helen Terry. The studio is very clean and spacious with light flooding in from a wall of windows. There’s a comfortable lounge area with a big water dispenser and chocolate, health bars, sea weed and other snacks snacks available for purchase on the honor system. Inside the 16 person dorm is a far infra red sauna. The kitchen serves three very healthy meals a day and is also well stocked with a wide variety of snacks and beverages for those who choose to raid the pantry. Out on the ranch, there are a few horses and a whole bunch of donkeys and one dog, Phelps, to oversee us all and make sure we're all herded.  It is a playful, spirited, Nia sanctuary that I thoroughly enjoyed being in this year as much as I d

It was a rough morning. We woke up to the coldest temperatures we had experienced the whole week. It felt like we dropped into the 30’s over night. Of course it was the earliest we had gotten up all week, so maybe we just usually slept through this cold part. In any case, it was hard to get out of bed today.  I had spent the night before thoroughly cleaning the motor home, and I didn’t want to get the sink and coffee maker dirty, so I skipped my coffee and just got dressed, shook the dog hair out of the bed sheets, took River for a walk, refilled the fresh water tank, unhooked the rig, packed everything up and, as soon as the engine was warm and the windshield frost free, we took off.  The dump station was a central station for the whole campground, so I had to drive a bit before dumping. While at the station, River got really anxious when I left the cab. Even though I never went further away than the rear of the vehicle to get the tube, he was heavily shivering and whimp

What a nice day we spent at Millersylvania, today.  Last night, I was playing music so I didn’t notice when the rain stopped. But when I shut down for bed, I noticed that there was no rain falling on the roof. It was blissfully quiet and dark.  In the morning, I was surprised to see some blue in the sky and to see that it still wasn’t raining. So we rolled out of bed and went on our morning walk. We only walked for a little while when we came to a place where the sun was streaming in through the trees. Most of the park is pretty well protected under giant trees, but we stopped in that spot and I took off my shirt and got some sunshine on my skin. Fortunately, I had brought River’s training pouch full of kibble, so I was able to entertain him as I stood in that spot for literally twenty minutes soaking up the rays.   It was then I realized that I didn’t have my waterproof shoes on. I had worn my vans instead, which I had been basically using as my indoor shoes. I suddenly

This morning we woke up and I did my chores. River had a rough morning because I couldn’t take him with me into the laundry room. But we have to get used to the reality that some things I’ll just have to do without him. We did walk around the grounds this morning before taking off, so here are the pictures of Mayfield Lake and Harmony Lakeside RV Park.  This is the "Natural Area" The leaf-covered trail leading down to the lake Our first view of the lake River finally managed to stay on top of this mossy log Is this poison oak? River checking out the rocks Lichen Mayfield Lake and its mossy rock shore. Then, in a case of perfect timing, as soon as we unhooked and drove off, the sky opened up and we got our first real good rain of the season in the Pacific Northwest. It was pouring like we don’t often get around these parts. Really really raining.  After driving for about fifteen minutes, I stopped for gas and put $1

Last night I tried sleeping in the bed over the cab.  I originally intended to rent the smallest size motor home that they offered: a 23’ that sleeps three. But they only had the 27’ that sleeps five.  Last night I was sitting here thinking about that. Five? The living room table swings down to sit flush with the benches and the cushions slide flat, too, so that could be slept on. They don’t mention that that fifth person would have to be under four feet, or sleep with bent legs all night. And that that person could never use that bed during the day unless the other four people didn’t want a living room.  Anyway, my point is, I guess that extra four feet is the bed in the back. So if I had gotten the model I wanted, I’d be sleeping in that thing that looks like an attic space over the cab. I wondered if it was worth the extra length and weight just to have that bed.  So, I thought last night I’d sleep in the attic and see what I was missing.  It wasn’t so bad. I

When we arrived at Hause Creek Campground yesterday afternoon, we were the only ones there, but throughout the afternoon and evening, more and more campers showed up.  It wasn’t full by any means, but there were probably five campsites taken by the time it was dark.  I left the shade up on the window near the bed last night. It was still pitch black except for the gentle glow from a campfire. My plan was to be awakened by the sun, get in an early workout by the creek and hit the road. But the clouds moved in over night and so the only thing waking me up was a soft grey light. I might have scrapped the idea of working out because it was so much colder than I had planned, but last night I ran the generator for about 45 minutes just so my laptop would have enough of a charge to record it, and that cost me about $3, so that was impetus enough to get me to brave the temperature.  First, I made my coffee and took River for his morning constitutional while it brewed. Or so I thought

Last night got pretty cold, and I didn’t want to leave the heater on over night, so I let River sleep with me under the comforter again. I hope he doesn’t get too used to this; he’s going back to his crate as soon as we get home.  As the sunlight began to tease me awake, I thought I heard raindrops on the roof. But I lifted the blind and didn’t see anything, so I don’t know what it was. Maybe dew was dripping off of the tree that was over us.  With a bit better planning, this morning was a lot more comfortable than yesterday. I hopped out of bed and switched the heater on and then got back under the down and waited until the house was heated enough for the thermostat to kick it back off. Then I got up and switched on the water heater as I took River for a stroll. When we came back, I made my coffee. By the time I was done drinking it, the water was sufficiently heated for a nice, warm shower and a shave.  I had to remind myself that my showers weren’t to make me clean, bu