Be Kind to Yourself, It Might Lower Your Blood Pressure

Seriously. It might. Check out the video of a song we started doing this week called "Shake It" by Michael Franti and Spearhead with Lady Saw. The song is a happy expression of beauty being in the eye of the beholder and knowing that you are perfect just the way you are. To delve a little more, so many of you that I know personally are in the "helping professions" which require lots of giving to others. It also requires treating others with a certain amount of compassion. I came across this blog posting which suggests that people who find it easy to be supportive and compassionate toward others often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests. The research suggests that giving ourselves a break and accepting ourselves can lead to better health. People who score more highly on self-compassion tests have less depression and anxiety and tend to be more happy and optimistic.

Give yourself a break, you deserve it!

Zumba Saves the Day

What do you do when the power goes out in the middle of your Block Party Festival? Well, if you are the creative minds behind c.r.u.s.h. (Citizens for the Revitalization and Urban Success of Holyoke) you call in the Zumba instructors, Nataliya Yuzych and I were happy to oblige!
Luckily, c.r.u.s.h. had a battery powered generator that was able to provide just enough power to play our iPods and keep the party rolling! With everyone from c.r.u.s.h. volunteers, the mayor, and local teenagers participating, it made for lots of fun and a great way to introduce people to Zumba!
If you didn't get a chance to make it to the Great Holyoke Block Party, consider putting it on your schedule for next year. It was truly a community event with diverse music and food; from klezmer to salsa and from El Salvadorean to organic farming, there was something to please everyone.
As well, there was terrific information from Community Watch, local photographers, Vega Yoga and Creative Movement, KPAO (Kennedy Park Arts Outreach), Greater Holyoke YMCA, Nuestas Raices, Friends of the Holyoke Public Library and many more!