Covington’s The Flying Cat Studio Hosts Free Live-Streamed Cat Yoga – Cincinnati CityBeat
Posted: April 1, 2020 at 4:44 pm
While the guided yoga session doesn't necessarily require cats, they are welcome to join. If you don't have a cat but enjoy watching them, several can be seen meandering throughout the video.
Cat yogaPhoto via The Flying Cat Covington gallery and healing arts studioThe Flying Catis hosting live weekly cat yoga sessions via video conference program Zoom.
In the session, studio owner JuliaMartinguides viewers through a variety of different yoga poses and breathing exercises that can help you find a calm state of mind.
While the guided yoga session doesn't require cats, they are welcome to join in the practice or just roll around on your mat. If your house happens to be feline-free but you enjoy watching kitty antics, several cats can be seen meandering about Martin's instructional video.
The sessions are free, though a $10 donation is welcome. Yoga classes run from noon-1 p.m on Wednesdays.
Get a glimpse of what you expect during the live session below.
Martin also has a second wellness video centered on cats on The Flying Cat page: Energy healing for cats. In this video, she and a partner practice energy healing techniques on their pets.
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Covington's The Flying Cat Studio Hosts Free Live-Streamed Cat Yoga - Cincinnati CityBeat
Rewiring your brain: The unexpected benefits of YouTube yoga – New Atlas
Posted: at 4:44 pm
This extended quarantine could be shocking for your mental and physical health, or it could be a chance to make some real positive changes. Without being presumptuous, I want to share something I've been doing recently that might be a huge help, both for your body and for your mindset as the COVID-19 juggernaut continues dominating our lives over the coming months.
For background, let me say this: I promise I started from a worse place than most people. Two years ago I fractured a vertebra in a nasty car accident while recovering from completely snapping my patellar tendon on a trampoline. I spent months in bed, losing a ton of strength, along with any meagre fitness or flexibility I may have had. As a 43 year old, class 2 obese male with two kids and a desk job writing for New Atlas, getting started was no easy matter.
But get started I did, and for some reason unbeknownst to me I gravitated toward YouTube yoga sessions as I started to wind down my rehab physio treatments. I had never done anything like it before. I guess I like to put myself in weird new situations and be on the steep part of the learning curve.
It was hard. Some of the "resting" poses were physically impossible; I haven't sat cross-legged on the floor since primary school and my legs just don't do that. I persisted, grunting and sweating my way through a video or two a week from all sorts of different channels. Yoga with Tim. Yoga with Bird. Sarah Beth. Whatever came up. when I searched for "yoga for complete, hopeless, inflexible beginners." I tried to "get comfortable with discomfort," and each 10, 20 or occasionally 30 minute session would leave me feeling stronger and more limber the next day.
Circumstances were never ideal. I don't have a mat, I'd just do it on the carpet. My dog would frequently see me on the floor and think I wanted to wrestle, so I'd end up with 35 kilos of labrador all up and under and on top of me. My kids would treat me like a climbing frame, or stick their bums in my face as I tried to hold certain stretches. I persisted. I even got my wife to start joining in.
Sometime just after Christmas last year, I decided that if I felt good every time I did the damn yoga, I should do more of the damn yoga. So I committed to a 30-day course called Home by the biggest yoga YouTuber on the planet, a ridiculously bright and positive gal called Adriene Mishler who runs the Yoga with Adriene channel and has become an absolute juggernaut in her own right, with 6.4 million subscribers and counting.
Here's where I felt this stuff really starting to work on me. I'm not going to go too far into what it's done for me physically, because after one or two classes you'll have a good idea how much it challenges you for strength, flexibility, balance and endurance to take this on daily, and what the physical benefits might be. Any form of regular exercise will improve you physically, and choosing to do something really hard every day makes the rest of your day easier.
The more interesting things for me have been in the mindset of the practice. This will get weirdly personal, so apologies in advance.
When you're starting out from a shitty place, it's easy to get hung up on the things that put you there. Laziness. Bad choices. Self-inflicted injuries. Overeating. External pressures. Weakness of character. That's a highly negative mindset to take into a new habit you're trying to form.
Adriene is relentlessly forgiving. If you can't do this pose, she'll often say, you're not alone. Try this instead, or take a break if you need to. Spending more than 80 sessions now with somebody that forgives me for my inadequacies in such an encouraging way has wormed itself into my brain.
I feel like I'm starting to forgive myself and others much quicker than I ever used to, which feels like a genuine step towards self-love and self-care. These are not concepts I have ever interacted with before, and they feel like a weight off my shoulders.
Yoga might look like a series of physical challenges, but I'm starting to see it much more as a physical form of meditation. Regular meditation strikes me as being all about developing a zen-like awareness in the moment, a detachment from the chattering mind, a mastery over one's attention and a remote viewpoint on the self. Yoga takes those tools of awareness and applies them to the body.
So as you become more familiar with the different poses, you begin really tuning in to your muscles, your joints, your bones, your tendons and your breath. You learn to feel the "heat" beginning to build as a muscle starts working, and anticipate the shaking you get when they're called on for sustained effort. You start to identify which motions you're avoiding to protect something that doesn't need protecting any more, and which ones you genuinely need to go easy on.
For me, it was like starting to rebuild a kinetic map of my body that had deteriorated since I stopped playing sports in my late 20s. Adriene would have me stand still for minutes on end, not fidgeting around on my feet as I would usually, and I'd become painfully aware of how weak and sore my feet were, how that was affecting my posture and physical habits, how I might be able to work to correct it.
It's this process of precise physical awareness that makes this feel like a meditation to me when I get the chance to do this stuff with the kids in bed and the dog too tuckered out to get involved. At the end of the sessions, which last at least 20 minutes with Adriene's channel, I feel a lot of the same mental clarity and calmness I get from meditating, with a nice rush of exercise endorphins to boot.
As a bro dude, my approach to exercise in the past has always been flat out. Heavy lifting, maximum exertion, pushing hard, going for it. This was a real issue when I started rehabbing after the injuries, because I'd go too hard and set myself back several days, putting myself in a ton of pain in the process.
YouTube yoga has helped me change that mindset. Sure, you can strike out at poses you're too weak or inflexible for and hurt yourself. Lots of people do. Yoga injuries are super common, and lots of them appear to be caused by people trying to nail the show-off Instagram poses: headstands, hand balances, extreme twists and whatnot.
But Adriene's attitude of self-acceptance and forgiveness has allowed me to gently push at my physical limits, and the mindful, meditative awareness aspect has allowed me to really tune in to what's going on, and decide carefully what to push against, what to leave alone, where I'm strong enough to apply extra effort and where I should back off and work on basics before going too hard and sending myself backwards.
No other kind of exercise has ever made me so aware of these things. It feels like a responsible way to work with a compromised body. Hitting poses for Instagram seems counter to the point, the point being that yoga isn't about reaching a destination, it's about being ever-mindful in the process, and finding exactly the right level for you to work at, even if you have to forgive yourself for being at such a crappy level to do it. This is a place egos should come to die.
That point was driven home by day 30 of the Home program. I came in excited to take some sort of final test and see how far I'd come. And I was a bit pissed when Adriene announced that she wasn't going to say anything at all, that we should use this session as a chance to "find what feels good" and do whatever the hell we felt like for 45 minutes, only looking up to the screen if we needed inspiration.
But I started out, and suddenly a bunch of things started to click, and although I'm still working at a very basic level, I started to finally understand yoga as a kind of language. Over the previous month, we'd been doing little physical vocabulary exercises, and now, mindfully and carefully, I was starting to have a conversation with my own body instead of just parroting what my teacher was saying.
I held poses longer, worked gently at edges and sore spots peculiar to my situation. I focused on moving with breath, and did extra work around my lower back and knees. I paid careful attention to how far I was stretching and moved mindfully between different poses. Without Adriene speaking, my attention was totally focused. It was an extraordinary experience, and it felt amazing.
Afterwards, I went and wrote her a long, gushy letter of thanks. It takes a truly great teacher to get you to a point where you can stand on your own two feet, if only for a short while, and with the amount of free content Adriene puts out, she has sent some amazing ripples out into the pond.
This is a mildly embarrassing thing to write about on a website with such a hard science focus, but I'm comfortable embarrassing myself for your benefit. I'm aware of our audience demographics, and of the perception that's out there of yoga as something for crystal-collecting astrology fans and lycra-buttocked Insta-bunnies. I'm not into that stuff, and Adriene knows the breadth of her audience well enough to steer clear of too much chakra and meridian talk.
I'm prepared to see yoga as a spiritual pursuit to the degree that I'm prepared to with meditation. I think some of the language is helpful in changing perspective. But my experience over the last few months does feel like it's done some subtle and very positive rewiring of my brain as well as my body, and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude, even if there's still a ton of stuff I can't do even in these beginner courses. I still can't sit cross legged for any length of time, but I'm slowly getting there and it's very cool to feel that kind of progress.
I don't know enough about yoga to know how much of this is the fundamentals, and how much Adriene personally brings to the table, but I do know this: she's a ray of sunshine to bring into your living room, and this has been a hugely beneficial thing for me. For those of you out there wondering how the hell you're going to get through the long months of lockdown, I would humbly put it forward as something that might help you come out of the COVID-19 era stronger, calmer, more content and positive than you went in.
Just please, take it easy, never push too hard, and be super mindful of your movements. And I'm sure that working with a teacher who can help make sure you're not doing things wrong is even better. A lot of those guys and girls are probably stuck at home too right now, and might be available to supervise over a video link.
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Rewiring your brain: The unexpected benefits of YouTube yoga - New Atlas
With in-person yoga canceled due to the coronavirus, I took a livestreamed class on Zoom. Heres how it went. – Seattle Times
Posted: at 4:44 pm
Like every other adult woman in my Seattle neighborhood, with its Subarus (sensible) and almond milk (organic), I consider yoga an essential part of my routine. Its one I picked up from my mom; wevebeen going to Seattle yoga classes together ever since a running injury first forced me onto the mat in high school.
Since then, weve been devoted yoga buddies, butlike blashand hygiene and working in offices,our yoga practicewas recently halted by the outbreak of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, and for good reason: Social distancing isnt really possible in a yoga studio, where all manner of hands pass over all manner of props, people walk around barefootand crowded classes often involve maneuvering around (if not straight into) the prone, sweaty bodies of your neighbors.
But I need yoga more than ever in a crisis, soit was a relief when we found out last week that our neighborhood studio, 8 Limbs, would be livestreaming classes on Zoom. I was so frazzled from working on a coronavirus-related story the day classes opened thatI decided to attend as soon as I could, and texted my mom an invite. She said she might be working too late to make it. (My mother works in health care policy; this is not an easy time for either of us, professionally speaking.) I was bummed she couldnt make it, but ready to remind myself I live in a body, and not just an overtaxed, overthinking brain.
At the appointed time, I put away my work, but not my laptop, rolled out my mat on the floor of my living room and was flooded with relief to see one of my favorite teachers, MJ, smiling in greeting as the names of my fellow students popped up on-screen with each login. The class was a gentle all-levels flow, and it was just like any studio class, with a few major deviations: MJ called up her music on Alexa; we were muted during class and so all of the oms and chanting were performed on the honor system; and, at one point, MJs dog appeared in-frame (honestly, an upgrade).
Id thought it would be impersonal to take yoga through a screen, but it felt jarringly good to become reacquainted with my breathing and to be able to look out at my view of Green Lake and the Cascade Mountains while moving through sun salutations. Andthough theres a feeling of emptiness that comes with following prerecorded exercises on YouTube or an app, I was surprisingly moved by the knowledge that many other people were taking class with me from their own living rooms, even if I couldnt see them. It didnt feel like a YouTube video. It felt like community. Maybe thats one of the unintended consequences of the pivot to Zoom: a melding of our private and public contexts into something that feels a little more holistic than either one on its own.
In class at the studio weeks before, I would sometimes compare myself to the people around me, or get irritated when someone breathed loudly next to me or knocked over a water bottle. All of those distractions were gone now, and I felt nothing but gratitude for everyone in this strange experiment with me.
I thought Id feel all alone, said MJ. But I can feel you all here with me.
Bizarrely, I knew what she meant. At the end of class, we unmuted ourselves to say thank-you. And then I saw Id gotten a text. It was from my mom. Im at yoga with you, she said.
Continued here:
With in-person yoga canceled due to the coronavirus, I took a livestreamed class on Zoom. Heres how it went. - Seattle Times
The Best At-Home Workouts to Try in Social Isolation – Observer
Posted: at 4:44 pm
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, people are spending a whole lot of time at home. Everyones daily routine is changing as those who are lucky enough to be able to stay inside adjust to the WFH lifestyle. That also means a change in your workout routine, but with all this time within the confines of your abode, theres never been a better time to try out new fitness classes.
Tons of instructors and studios are offering virtual classes on apps, streaming platforms and Instagram. All you really need is a mat (or a towel) and weights (or two water bottles). Whether youre looking to add on a new monthly yoga subscription service to your repertoire or you want to join a free (!!) dance cardio class on Instagram every week, these are the instructors and studios to workout with at home right now.
SEE ALSO:Our Favorite Candle Scents to Light at Home This Spring
For a full-body yoga session thatll make you sweat, try Corepower. You can choose from C1, C2, Yoga Sculpt and Hot Power Fusion classes offered on-demand, which vary from 30 minutes to an hour. A selection of the workouts are free of charge.$19.99 a month for full access.
Kelly Ripa is a fan of this fitness platform, which offers its 28-minute workouts though its app and online, with at least 14 live classes per day plus a library of more than 4,000 sessions. You can choose from sculpt, dance, pilates, yoga, barre, boxing and other options. $27 a month after seven-day free trial.
The Class combines cardio, calisthenics and plyometrics with a spiritual edge. The new digital studio live-streams classes seven days a week. $40 a month after 14-day free trial.
The strength training and HIIT studio recently launched Fhitting Room LIVE. Its a two-way class, so you can see and interact with the instructor. Its offered every day of the week during scheduled slots; youll need to sign up beforehand, and then you get a link to join the virtual class 20 minutes before the start time. If the timing doesnt work for you, try Fhitting Room On Demand, for a curated selection of workouts. Fhitting Room LIVE: $20 a class, Fhitting Room on Demand: $9.99 a month after 30-day free trial.
The NYC wellness studio is now offering its signature trampoline and sculpting classes online, so you can bounce in the safety of your own home. Theyre also holding weekly IG Live classes. $39.99 after three-day free trial.
This workout is based on physical therapy and functional movement, and you can try out sessions on the online streaming platform. Theyre also hosting free Instagram Live workouts three times a day.$19.99 a month, use promo code ONEPVOLVE for a 30-day free trial.
Megan Roups digital streaming app offers dance, cardio and body sculpting classes, with new additions each week. Theyre also posting IG Live free classes. $19.99 a month after two-week free trial.
The interactive home gym offers dance, cardio, boxing and yoga content to use on the Mirror device.$1,495 to purchase Mirror.
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Peloton Yoga Instructor @annagreenberg wants you to find your purpose in this week's Friday fitness tip: "In the midst of rapid change and uncertainty, doing things intentionally helps to keep me sane and grounded. When we do things with a sense of purpose, even just the purpose of doing the thing itself, theres a satisfying feeling of ownership. It makes us active players in our lives instead of sitting on the sidelines just watching things happen. Yoga gave me the gift of understanding how empowering and uplifting intentional movement can be. A brief practice can put things into perspective even when they feel overwhelming or out of control. Its not just yoga that does this though, any creative, physical, mindful, intentional practice like running, cycling, meditating, strength training, journaling, art-making, cooking, and more can give a much-needed sense of control & direction to our lives as well as filling them with a little bit more joy." #onepeloton
A post shared by Peloton (@onepeloton) on Mar 27, 2020 at 9:30am PDT
Even if you havent splurged on the pricey bike, you can still try out the brands on-demand fitness classes on the app, including dance cardio and strength options.$12.99 a month after 90-day free trial.
The celebrity Pilates instructor, who counts Olivia Wilde and Kerry Washington as clients, is offering personalized, virtual one-on-one sessions at 20 percent off the usual studio price, as well as complimentary twice-a-week IGTV classes. Personal sessions from $128.
The athleisure and wellness brand is partnering up with instructors like Amanda Kloots and Megan Roup for 30-minute workout sessions on Instagram Live every single day at 4 pm.
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Happy Noon on Monday, Soul Fam! Heres our lineup for this week (but always stay tuned for more!) Today, well be starting our week off with some motivating words from Master Instructor @melaniegriffithnyc Tomorrow, well be keeping active with NYC Instructor @jrlkennedy over on his Instagram Live at 5:30pm EST! On Wednesday We couldnt let Aries season go by without celebrating our Aries fam (a belated birthday ride is in order) Thursday, well be doing yoga with LA Master Instructor @purposefulpixie on her Instagram Live. Wed love for you to join us! Friday, well be making our final Soul Appreciation Sale purchases. You can never have too many matching sweatsuits, right? Saturday, well be keeping active with Senior SF Instructor @chrislayda on his Instagram Live. Perfect way to kickstart our weekends (even at home). Sunday, well be spending some time doing self-carethis week through gratitude, led by Senior NYC Instructor @noashaw26.
A post shared by SoulCycle (@soulcycle) on Mar 30, 2020 at 9:00am PDT
The spin studios new Off The Bike program launched last week, with at-home workouts that require zero equipment offered by instructors three times a week. The classes are streamed via Instagram Live on the rotating schedule of instructors personal feeds, so check SoulCycles Instagram every Monday at noon for the weekly schedule.
The fitness instructor teaches at least two dance cardio classes a week, which he streams poolside from Miami.
This fitness brands in-person classes combine cycling, bootcamps, circuit lifting and stretching, and theyve modified it for an at-home experience. AARMY is offering multiple free daily classes via Instagram Live, and theyre partnering with a few of their celeb clients, including Karlie Kloss and Ashley Graham.
The personal trainer, who has taught at ModelFit and Equinox, offers dance tone classes twice a week on Instagram Live.
Variis recently launched a Social Fitness-ing series, with workouts ranging from yoga, HIIT and meditation from brands like Equinox, Pure Yoga and HeadStrong. There are seven classes available on the brands IGTV, and new classes are posted each day.
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We miss our fit fam! Now, more than ever, its important to band together, support one another, keep our bodies moving, and stay connected. Tune in live @barrys twice tomorrow: once at 9am PDT as Barrys CEO, Joey Gonzalez, and again at 12pm PDT as VP of Curriculum, Chris Hudson, lead us through 20 minute total body workouts. Bodyweight only. No equipment needed. 9am: Joey Gonzalez 12pm: Chris Hudson
A post shared by Barry's (@barrys) on Mar 16, 2020 at 7:47pm PDT
The intense cult-favorite fitness class is offering free daily workouts on Instagram Live twice a day.
The New York-based fitness studio is holding free daily classes via Instagram Live, with no home equipment required.
Read this article:
The Best At-Home Workouts to Try in Social Isolation - Observer
Coronavirus: Perform These 14 Yoga Asanas and Stand United with PM Narendra Modi in Fighting This Pandemic – Entrepreneur
Posted: at 4:44 pm
Yoga has always been India's way to perform fitness for ages. Its lockdown time and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is here for the rescue
March 30, 2020 3 min read
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
For ages, Yoga has been India's way of life. It's a mix of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that keep you strong in every sense. With Covid-19 cases increasing every single day, its time to get active and take self-responsibility.
The fitter you are, the better is your immunity. While what you eat plays an essential role, physical activity/ workout holds the utmost importance.
Talking about the same was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who on Monday shared fitness routine and also requested people to perform yoga to remain fit during the lockdown.
He tweeted about his fitness routine and said, "During yesterday's Mann ki Baat, someone asked me about my fitness routine during this time. Hence, I thought of sharing these Yoga videos. I hope you also begin practicing Yoga regularly."
Prime Minister Modi took this to Twitter and tweeted, "The Yoga videos are available in different languages. Do have a look. Happy Yoga practicing..."
The videos bring out his playful side where he can be seen performing different yoga asanas. You have a pool of 17 videos which gives you an in-depth knowledge about 14 asanas. From Vrikshasana, Ardha Chakrasana, Padahastasana, Bhadrasan, Ustrasana, Trikonasana, Tadassana to Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Pawanmuktasana, Vajrasana, Vakrasana, Shashankasana, and Setubandhasana.
Everyone is aware that he is an ardent yoga follower. While sharing the video he wrote, "I am neither a fitness expert nor a medical expert. Practicing Yoga has been an integral part of my life for many years and I have found it beneficial."
At the time of this crisis, yoga can be a great source to keep you safe, healthy and fit. He has also asked people to share their fitness mantra.
"I am sure many of you also have other ways of remaining fit, which you also must share with others," he said.
The fitness channel is available in 12 Indian and 12 foreign languages, making it accessible to everyone around the globe.
While you might be following your fitness routine, awaken the yogi inside you and practice this ancient, spiritual and ascetic discipline for a better life.
Also Read:
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Coronavirus: 6 Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements Tips to Strengthen Your Immunity
Coronavirus: 20 Do's and Don'ts To Stay Safe, Fit & Healthy
Coronavirus: 6 Workouts You Can Do At Home To Stay In Good Shape
Yoga clothes to see you through home workouts in comfort and style – goodhousekeeping.com
Posted: at 4:44 pm
As many of us adjust to life at home, yoga is definitely a pastime worth considering. Not only does it keep you moving in a dynamic way, strengthening your muscles in the meantime, it can be a real booster for mental health. That's because a key element of yoga is being mindful of breathing and syncing breath up with the body's movements. As well as this, it's about staying in the present as much as possible and trying to let go of distracting thoughts. Essentially, it's a really nourishing way to spend time and can be done at home if you have enough space to stretch out.
When it comes to yoga clothes, the key is wearing breathable fabrics and layering up so you can add and remove items depending on the stage of your practice. If you're working through a relaxing slow flow, you might want to wear a long sleeve wrap, but if you're moving through some more rigorous poses, a simple tank top is more suitable. Here, we've picked out some of the best yoga leggings, yoga tops and yoga pants to opt for, whether you're a seasoned yogi or new to the whole thing.
Continue reading here:
Yoga clothes to see you through home workouts in comfort and style - goodhousekeeping.com
Shake it up: From yoga to Zumba, theres plenty of ways to work out while you’re stuck at home – Quad City Times
Posted: at 4:44 pm
I try to do a variety of workouts to hit all different types of exercise," Anderson said. I tell those watching that even if they dont normally like a specific type of workout, give it a try and move your body in a different way," she said."Ultimately, its your workout. ... Take options, skip something if it hurts or you dont like it.
Scott County Family Y regularly posts virtual-class videos on its Facebook page, with everything from living room gymnastics for kids to yoga and more, some in front of clever backgrounds for a little change of scenery, such as a beach and mountains.
Smaller area gyms are taking similar approaches. We are making working out at home as easy and fun as possible, said Brieanne Breezy Lonergan, a coach at The MoveMeant in Moline, a Crossfit-style gym that also offers other workouts for those who are not interested or ready to work with a barbell.
The best part of our gym is the community, the members, so its hard not seeing everyone," she said. In the gym, everyone motivates one another, so we are trying to maintain that encouragement and positivity while we are all apart and quarantined.
Prior to the gyms closing, Lonergan said gym owner Ryan Gayman allowed members to rent equipment to use at home. Coaches know its members do not have a full lineup of equipment on hand, so workouts are modified to accommodate that.
Calming Your Mind Through Meditation During a Crisis – 9&10 News
Posted: at 4:44 pm
High stress, anxiety, and ongoing racing thoughts have become a common part of our lives with the coronavirus crisis. It seems like we might go to bed thinking about whats going on in the world around us and wake up with the same agonizing feelings.
Psychotherapist, meditation and yoga instructor with the Cowell Family Cancer Center in Traverse City, Kirt Baab says there are three stages our minds go through during a crisis. First, we remember life before COVID19 and then we know what life is like as were experiencing the sensations of whats going on around us. In the future, once the crisis is over well have a new stage that well begin to process.
While were in the middle stage trying to calm our minds and find inner peace, meditation and mindfulness is what Baab says will help. He says anyone can meditate, even beginners.
The meditation even for a few minutes, puts you in the present moment so youre able to focus on your senses and breath. Its a way to pull away from the chaos around us to simply heal our minds and focus on self-compassion.
To see the two-part interview with Kirt Baab through SKYPE with Melissa Smith see the video above.
For a direct link to a mindfulness and self-compassion website, Baab mentioned in the interviews click here.
For a link to Cowell Family Cancer Center including their support groups click here.
Originally posted here:
Calming Your Mind Through Meditation During a Crisis - 9&10 News
‘The dancefloor is a religious experience’: the unselfconscious retro joy of the home dance workout – The Guardian
Posted: at 4:41 pm
Dance troupe Real Hot Bitches in ancient, pre-coronavirus lockdown times. Photograph: Chloe Pukk
Push back the coffee table and drag the floor-length mirror out of the bedroom. Tonight were going to party like its 1999 or maybe even 1989.
In the absence of IRL carrying on, some community-spirited party sprites have moved their usual dance classes from retro aerobics to primal gyrating to the online sphere, and at a fraction of the price. The pay-off is that by livestreaming from their backyards theyre reaching bigger, further-flung audiences.
There have been some early hiccups such as figuring out how to avoid having your livestream cut off due to not having permission to use the backing track, or not being able to crank out enough juice of the NBN to upload a video. But initial responses from cabin-fevered fans at home have been nothing but enthusiastic, as Guardian Australia found out when your correspondent donned her leotard.
Fierce Brosnan is a spokesperson for Melbournes Real Hot Bitches, a performance troupe that thrives on tiger stripes, big hair and wild makeup. He tells me: As well as the dance livestream, were working on other projects like 80s bitchin makeup routines and how to look after your wig.
Every second Tuesday at 7pm, two of the 40-odd members will take turns hosting a Facebook Live video. When I tune into the debut, its Feminem and Skittle-Bitch, social-distance dancing to Princes Cream. The sets a little basic at this stage, but the choreographys fun, taught line by line. It has to be, since its so literal (reminding me of the difficulty I had trying to choreograph Elton Johns line in Nikita, Eyes like ice on fire, when I was in primary school).
Youve got the horn / So why dont you blow it? Prince croons.
Now, this is open to interpretation, explains Feminem. You could be playing the flute, or saxophone, or its bubble tea. She also offers an alternative, more explicit, suggestion.
Its chaotic, but I flail along as best I can.
Love this hot mess! types Crispy McFly, watching from home. Indeed.
Annas Go Go Academy is something of a Melbourne rocknroll institution. Since 2006, the bouffanted Anna Achia has incorporated deeply kitsch and fun 60s dance routines into fitness workouts.
Ive been to a few IRL classes at the Bendigo Hotel, so I was curious to see how theyd work online. Im soon jump-and-punching to N Syncs boyband classic Bye Bye Bye, impeccably instructed by Achia in a chintzy front room, in front of paintings of Michael Jackson and Prince.
Pick up the bucket, stop for the hand, shoulder, shoulder, shoulder, out that door bye bye, she directs. And: Imagine youre a terrible burglar and you want to go headfirst through a window.
Through Patreons subscription platform, Achia has managed to monetise her work. $20 a month buys you 10-minute dance breaks to cheer yourself up, while $52 grants access to four prerecorded one-hour classes.
Theyll have exclusive access to those videos and the archive as the classes accumulate over time, Achia says. Its like a digital exercise DVD, I guess!
In the future shell add livestream classes but thats a few weeks off yet. Ill also be adding a kids option mini classes for people to do with small children, Achia says.
Over in Sydney, Shannon Dooley has worked with a small team to bring her thrice-weekly Retrosweat aerobic-dance classes to the internet.
Right now, people need escapism, she tells Guardian Australia. And given her love of Jane Fonda and penchant for high-cut leotards and legwarmers, shes the ideal peddler.
Ive long perved at Retrosweat on Instagram, but Im based in a different state. Finally, I get my chance to do a power-lunge to Deborah Harry and Roxette. Dooley teaches us the choreography in real time, with the kind of forthright direction of Jamie Lee Curtis in Perfect. Shes professionally shot, on a set-built lounge room, steeped in purple light. Given that Retrosweat has had a segment on Channel 7s The Morning Show for the past five years, Dooley is used to assuming that people are choosing to get off the couch.
The first class went well. People used wine or champagne bottles as weights and tagged Dooley in their videos. Theres an optional donation via PayPal, and the most generous donor wins some kind of 80s-style merch chucked in by a small business that in turn gets a plug.
In a way, being forced online using Instagram Live was fortuitous. People have been begging for Retrosweat to be online and Id already been writing the pilot and trying to get funding, Dooley says. I wanted to create something quite cinematic and beautiful, like a variety show. Two phrases keep popping into my mind right now, she says. Necessity is the mother of invention and a problem shared is a problem halved.
Back in Melbourne, the Born to Boogie Dance Connection crew work with more contemporary music. Founder Tennille Chambers runs the class every Friday night at 8pm on Facebook Live. Beforehand youre given a link to a track to acquaint yourself. This week its Dua Lipas Dont Start Now.
Our regular courses cover all genres, says Chambers, listing disco, burlesque, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, funk, go-go and 80s, which her students incorporate into eventual live shows. We love hair flicks, body rolls, pivots, struts, freestyle, and definitely lots of sass. Anything that gets people to unleash their inner showoff.
Tonight the gang is in formation and dressed in colourful activewear, shooting in a studio against a white backdrop. Its joyously daggy and PG-rated. OK gang! Chambers chirps. She executes a double hand move: Stop corona!
They clock up 2,000 sets of eyeballs before theyre done. Since theyre invisible throughout, participants at home are encouraged to take a 30-second video of themselves and message it to the Facebook page so that Chambers can create a video of everyone dancing together at once.
One happy punter posts: Virtual dancing was so much fun. I learned the dance with my 15-year-old daughter and NO one could see me! I was happy about not being seen and my daughter was happy about not being seen with me. WIN, WIN!
Betty Grumbles mother was three months pregnant with her when she won an aerobics championship, so you might say its in Grumbles blood. The performance artists creator, Emma Maye Gibson, says she uses movement as a way of moving through grief and anger. But in the hands of Grumble who also employs elements of drag and subversive cabaret it brings unbridled joy.
I experience that for myself by tuning into Grumble Boogie, which Gibson is streaming every day at 10am on Instagram Live and Facebook Live.
Filming outside while the sun still shines, Gibson works the brightness further with filters, headbands and high-cut leopard-print leotards, for 30 minutes of heart-pumping cardio, dance and stretch, to disco, house, tribal beats and all sorts of eclectic takes.
Dancing has always been a democratic way of being with each other, Gibson tells me afterwards. I think the dancefloor is a religious experience. Aerobic fitness turns me on because its so goofy and about breath and the heart.
I must admit I didnt feel like dancing this morning, but Gibson still snared my full attention and made me grin. In her Instagram Stories she shares videos from participants as far away as Edinburgh, all intent on doing the Angry Frog.
I believe the classes to be ephemeral beasts and are essentially a free way for people to engage their bodies in a daily ritual, says Gibson. Its great when they can stay online but I have let go of the idea of cataloguing them. I post the playlist I curate for each class on Spotify and have set up a PayPal for people to make donations if they have the means.
Those donations have assisted her in keeping her creative projects going, but she also filters some into the organisations and venues that have supported her.
As a solo journeyer on this mission, it quickly becomes apparent that having a quarantine pal grapevining in the kitchen with you would be preferable, but getting in the zone isnt impossible if youre alone it just requires more dedication. Make sure youre dressed for success in appropriate regalia, and devote the workout your full attention. At least you really can dance like no ones watching.
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Working from home? Here are 5 things you can do to take care of yourself – WFAA.com
Posted: at 4:41 pm
Exercise. Eat better. Sleep more. Dont worry about things you cant control.
Those are good tips anytime, but especially during a global pandemic, said Dr. Tyler Tyler Cooper, president and CEO of Cooper Aerobics and a Cooper Clinic physician.
The venerable institution on Preston Road is in its 50th year. It was founded in 1970 by Coopers dad, Father of Aerobics Kenneth H. Cooper, and has grown into a multi-specialty practice focused on preventive health care and backed by extensive research.
In an interview with the Dallas Business Journal, Tyler Cooper shared some tips for executives and others working from home during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Right now, its incredibly important for prevention of disease, for prevention of infection, to focus on those staples that weve been talking about for years, Cooper said.
Here are five areas Cooper emphasized:
Fitness
Regular physical fitness is associated with a decreased risk of the ability to acquire infection, Cooper said.
He encourages his patients, and everybody for that matter, to maintain a regular fitness program that includes at least 30 minutes of exercise five times a week. But dont overexercise, because that weakens resistance, he said.
Nutrition
Does an apple a day keep coronavirus away? It could help, Cooper said.
Now that people are staying home, they have more time to cook and focus on a healthy diet, Cooper said. He recommends a well-balanced diet that follows American Heart Association guidelines.
The Heart Association recommends a variety of fruit and vegetable servings every day. Dark green, deep orange, or yellow fruits and vegetables like spinach, carrots, peaches and berries are especially nutritious.
The recommendations also call for a variety of grain products every day and fish at least twice a week. Oily fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids, like tuna, salmon, mackerel and sardines, are best for heart health.
Sleep
Get your Zzzzs, Cooper says.
Its extremely important to be well-rested in order to fight disease, he said. Even if you were to get the COVID, the better shape you are in, the better chance youll get through it with the least amount of difficulties.
Cooper recommends eight hours of sleep per night and no TV or reading before fading to la-la land.
Certainly during times of stress, it's sometimes difficult to sleep, he said. You lie in bed awake and toss and turn.
To fight against that, sleep in a cool, dark room, and consider trying melatonin if youre having trouble sleeping.
Vitamins
Many people dont get the right amount of vitamin nutrition through their regular diet, so regular supplementation is important, Cooper said.
A multivitamin will help, as will Vitamin D, which is especially good at building immunity, Cooper said. Fish oil is associated with a decrease in inflammation and would be beneficial as well, he added.
Theres not a one size fits all on supplements, but if youre going to try to cover the bases, a well-respected multivitamin is going to be a benefit, he said.
De-stress
To rein in stress, focus on controlling what you can control, Cooper advises.
You want to be aware of whats going on in the country, he said. Certainly with the stimulus act and the growth of the virus, you need to be aware. But you dont need to be obsessing all the time about things you cant change."
"You cant control the spread of the virus beyond yourself, you cant change the economy, you cant change whats happening in the world," he added. "But what you can change is focusing on making yourself stronger.
Keep a positive attitude and look for the silver linings in this time of crisis, Cooper said.
Its so seldom ever in our life that youre going to have this much downtime, he said. Do something advantageous. Do that home project that you never did, or call that friend you havent called in a long time.
Originally posted here:
Working from home? Here are 5 things you can do to take care of yourself - WFAA.com