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Hello beautiful,

Happy Ramadan, St.Patrick's Day, and almost-Equinox to those who celebrate!

Welcome to my lovely new subscribers who are here due to participation in Eating Disorders Awareness Week and International Women's Day! There will not be a video replay of the live IWD Ballet Barre+ class, but I am offering sample of my mindful movement offerings this Women’s History Month, including Yummy Gentle Yoga and more to come so that you may experience the benefits of yummy gentle dance movement for yourself. Simply reply to this email and let me know what you are interested in trying out and any questions you may have.

I would also like feedback from my regular online students as we near Daylight Savings/Summer Time in Germany and a new spring season: what times work best for Yoga, Ballet, and Barre a Terre in the coming weeks and months? We can keep the current time slots, shift a little, or add on. Once everyone weighs in I will let you know the updated weekly schedule and this will continue to be the best place to stay abreast of the latest.

Having found value in creatively tracking twenty-three (and more) key actions in my Bullet Journal collections last year for 2023 (originally inspired by Jess or JashiiCorrin on YouTube), I decided to keep it going this year with twenty-four 24’s in 2024!

Arranged according to my 8 major focus areas–Read, Write, Create, Practice, Serve, Connect, Sustain, and Adventure–in this way I get a holistic picture of my intentions for the year, with a focus on small actions I can take regularly to advance my goals. Then I can see what results follow, reflect, tweak, and carry on.

​Read this week's Twenty-Four 24’s in 2024 blog article here​

My other creations, recommendations, and questions for you are:

Viewing:

• Springing and swirling soutenu, sous-sus, sauté, seconde, saut de basque, six step for #alphabetsuperset “S” micro video choreo
• We started watching the "Death and Other Details" mystery series (available in Germany on Disney+) and it is right up my alley
• A truly fascinating (and brief) history of one of the world’s favorite condiments​

Listening:

• I used AIR's “Sexy Boy” to accompany "S" but then serendipitously found out about the new track,
• “Shimmer Shimmer” from a colleague and friend I know from our Portland days. This is absolutely my new jam!
• Speaking of actions to take 24 times this year, the Happier podcast also issued a 24 challenge

Reading:

• Finished Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper, a light supernatural queer romance, and started
• The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic seems to be very much along the same lines of my recent reading, apparently some library holds from fall and winter are now coming available, then lost interest in this title when the next one became available,
• Namely In a Holidaze, which grabbed me right away and I plan to finish :)

Practicing:

• New Dynamic Drinking Bird - Balance, Stability & Strength Dance Cross Training video on YouTube
• Savvy selection of "S" ballet tutorials:
  • ​Saucy Prances & Sautés​
  • Seconde, or the second position of the feet in ballet and modern dance ​
  • ​Seven Satisfying Connecting Ballet Steps​
  • ​Snappy Sous-sus and Échappé Relevé
  • ​Soutenu Tours ​
  • ​Sweet Reclining Leg Swings​
  • ​Sizzling Standing Leg Swings ​
  • ​Sunset Sissonne à la Seconde​
  • ​(Delightful) Sissonne Devant ​
  • ​Amazing Under-Curves is also a very swingy dance warm up
• ​Strategic Slowness, a refreshing but challenging idea in our go-go-go culture
• ​Spring cleaning checklist time!
• Simplicity, including decluttering and organization but also Simple Living that is not Decluttering ​

Practicing Together LIVE:

• In-Studio Adult Beginner Ballet, 6-7:00pm CET Mondays, Tanzschule Tanzraum Nippes, Cologne, creates a strong, body-friendly, and graceful foundation for dance (German)
• Online Yogalicious Gentle Yoga 7:00pm CET Tuesdays (8:00 am HI) is a delicious mindful movement feast which balances strength, balance and coordination, mind body and spirit (English)
• In-Studio Barre a Terre / Strength & Stretch for all dancers at 6-7:00pm CET Thursdays, Tanzschule Tanzraum Nippes, Cologne, Germany is an hour of floor-based feel-good functional conditioning for all dancers (German)
• Online Balletlicious Gentle Adaptive Ballet 8-9:00am CET Fridays is mostly barre with a little dancey centre and creates a strong, body-friendly, and graceful foundation for dance at home or anywhere in the world (English)

Inquiring:

• How are you celebrating Women's History Month and other early-spring holidays?
• What goals and intentions do you have for 2024, the coming quarter and month?
• What small actions or habits could you practice regularly in alignment with your intended outcomes?
• How can I support you during the exciting seasonal transition ahead?

Let me know what is up in your world by replying to this email or on social media for those who use it. Glad to be in community with you and wishing you a very merry March!

​

Love, Blythe

Blythe Stephens, MFA, Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
Creator of A Blythe Coach: dance through your difficulties
and take leaps of faith into a joyful, fulfilling life

P.S.- If you signed up for my email newsletter in order to try a free class or coaching session, just reply and let me know what you're looking for, happy to help!

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