A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HIP HOP DANCE CLASS: Last fall, I decided to try something new: hip hop dance classes at Dancewave, a dance studio a block from my apartment. I was nervous, but it was labeled as a beginner class, and I figured I had a decent level of rhythm and that I’d be well on my way to being a Fly Girl within the first few lessons. I could not have been more wrong. I was horrible. A humbling experience to say the least. And hard. Several of the dozen or so participants floundered like me, but I felt like the worst one; arms flailing and legs performing a hybrid of Riverdance and a Barre workout. At one point, I struggled to get out of a squat and by the time I did, I was eight moves behind. Hip hop moves fast. As a middle-aged, Scandinavian white woman, I should not have been surprised by my lack of rhythm–it showed. Regardless, I had some fun. Then the holidays came, then the virus, and so my Fly Girl dreams are going to have to wait. Check out @von_b, the class instructor, who bless his heart, deserves a medal for his patience alone. Even Elaine was better than me.
HEADSPACE.COM: I’ve had an on-again-off-again relationship with mediation. Click HERE if you’d like to read a magazine article I published regarding the benefits of meditation. If there’s any time to be meditating, it’s now. I know it’s difficult to do, but like anything, it takes time, effort, and patience in order to reap the rewards. In conjunction with Governor Cuomo, otherwise known as Saint Andrew, Headspace is offering a free, special collection of meditation sessions for New Yorkers. How cool is that? So light some incense, slow down, and take a break from the incessant news cycle. If you need some convincing, check out these studies on the benefits of meditation. Now go ohm.
