May Word of the Month: Appreciate

As with much in life, things happen for a reason. I originally chose Appreciate as the word of the month because this week is teacher appreciation week and I know how important it is for teachers, who work so hard and give so much, to get the appreciation they deserve. I appreciate the people I have trained, my amazing past and present Dailey Method teachers who give so much to their job and care about their students and their health. They step in when other teachers are in chaos in their lives and they truly change lives. I appreciate you all so much!

I also have learned that anyone we learn from can be considered a teacher, they don’t specifically have to have that title. Our parents are our teachers, so are our children. Our life circumstances can also be our teachers... which is why this word of the month has taken on broader meaning for me. So far this month has been off to a crazy and chaotic start! 

May 1st Doug and I opened our long time dream of a flagship Dailey Method Studio in our own community - yay Fairfax! Next week is our annual owners' retreat, which takes a tremendous amount of preparation and I’ve also been thrown a lot of other professional and personal curveballs that have made me feel stretched to my limit! Yes, I’m overwhelmed and a little anxious. My ambitious "to-do" list was tossed aside for a lean-and-mean "happening-now" list. Then things just fell into pure "survival" mode… mental notes such as: don't forget to pick the kids up from school and make sure the baseball uniforms get cleaned – why, they just get filthy again anyways?! I’ve been trying to go to bed early because I wake up at 4:00am thinking about everything I have to do and then that’s the official beginning of my day…I’m sure you’ve been here before too.

For these reasons, "Appreciate" is the perfect word to practice this month. To appreciate, you have to slow down, you have to notice and you have to be present. It's so easy to get caught up in noticing what is absent, lacking or wrong:  I messed up, I wasn't good enough, there’s still a hole in the wall! Our human primal brains are hard-wired for this type of thinking because at one time it meant survival. To recognize things were look out of place enabled us to identify dangers & potential threats - so seeing what was "wrong" protected us minute-to-minute long ago. Today, thankfully, true mortal threats are few & far between, but our bodies can't distinguish between a life-threat and a silly, modern-day stressor; once we are triggered so we get the same heart-thumping, adrenalin response either way. But we can CHOOSE to respond to stress with our evolved brain and a mindfulness practice: Notice what is happening, breathe, and be present. 

A great way to be present is to simply APPRECIATE. Here are some ways to incorporate appreciation into your TDM practice and your day this month.

- Begin your TDM practice by appreciating something in your body - maybe something as simple as your next breath. Use Marching as your time to transition, arrive & shift your thinking to "appreciate."

- Dedicate your practice to something that you appreciate in your body/life. Return to your dedication throughout your practice to center, positively impact your energy, and intentionally deepen your mind/body/heart connection.

- End your practice where you started it - notice how your body feels, notice your thoughts and emotions, observe the ones that come automatically then choose ones that focus on appreciation. Appreciate your breath, appreciate your body, appreciate what is working.

- Appreciate your teacher!

- Take your practice with you throughout your day; every time you feel your "switch getting flipped," you're noticing what is wrong so just stop, take a breath, and ask yourself if that's really true or if you can notice many more things that are GOOD.

To appreciate is to notice what is working, what is present, and what is full. I invite you to join me in this practice of appreciation for the next month - and (hopefully!) for the rest of our lives.

With appreciation and love,

- Jill

Note From the Teacher: Colin Turek

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week and to begin to honor it I wanted to share a letter from a teacher who has touched my heart and many others. This is specific to his teaching at The Dailey Method but can be related to teaching in many different facets. Colin has commitment and passion to being the best authentic teacher and I love his words of wisdom.

Next week, (and always) I invite you to express gratitude to your teachers - those who have touched your hearts - within our TDM community and other circles of your life.  My own heart is filled with appreciation for the beautiful arts of teaching and learning.

- Jill

How does that old classic go? I left my heart in San Francisco - especially at the Dailey Method? Those words have never been truer than as I gear-up to move to the city that never sleeps (or stops snowing). Yep - come May 3rd, New York is home. Leaving is unquestionably bittersweet because of the amazing Dailey Method community. 

Reflecting on my years with TDM, I’m reminded of my personal journey - as both student and teacher. Embodying the principles and philosophy of The Dailey Method while learning to effectively share that knowledge with others wasn't always easy, fun, or sexy (try as we might), but it’s been a rewarding process that I wouldn't trade for anything. To my fellow instructors, veterans and trainees alike, and to students interested in a little insight into the experiences of a TDM instructor, here are a few tips that shaped my own personal development as an instructor.

1. Say it, don’t spray it.

Don’t  forget to say this...and that...and OMG what's seat work again? With so many technical concepts to recall during a class, mental logjams are not uncommon. It’s critical to stay present with your students and make every instruction meaningful. It’s not our job to dictate a checklist; it’s our job to help people engage with their bodies. Remember to slow down, give your words purpose and meaning, and understand your own unique gift to inspire health and fitness.

2. Be a creative.

What this means is unique to each instructor. When I first began teaching, I focused heavily on understanding the principles of our exercises and creating a healthy merging of my teaching style and the fundamentals of TDM. I then began playing with music and tempo and later started to be creative with my choreography. Creativity is what helps keep our classes fun, fresh, challenging and relevant.

3. Become the master of your domain.

Congratulations, you're the instructor… So take charge! Controlling the space, energizing music, and effective use of tempo are all examples of the little things that add up in a big way and it is the compound effect of these efforts that breathes life into a class. But you want to know the real secret? PLAN your class. The choreography, variations, and transitions are all as important as the exercises themselves. I have found that 100% of the time, when I plan my class in advance, it is better - and that’s a statistic I can work with.

4. Parrots are caged for a reason - they’re creepy, so don't be one :)

As instructors, it’s critical that we collaborate, share ideas, and learn from one another. However, this doesn’t mean we should all sound exactly the same. The reality is that a good instructor understands and embodies TDM principles in a fashion that allows him or her to effectively teach these principles to others. Your unique personality is the vessel from which you should deliver your classes, as it’s the space where we have the most room to grow, learn and be present.

5. Knowledge is power.

TDM is on the cutting edge of so much when it comes to health and fitness and there are many opportunities to deepen our knowledge as instructors. When I decided to teach TDM, I set a bar for myself to access these opportunities as often as possible so I’ve continuously studied the manual, attended continuing education workshops and taken classes from senior instructors. This commitment alone probably had the most significant impact on my progress and I would encourage all instructors to make a solid effort to leverage the knowledge at your fingertips - your quality of teaching will reflect this effort immediately.

These five strategies have helped me develop as an instructor and I hope they offer others fresh ideas on how to approach their practice. It has been my honor and privilege to squeeze, lengthen and lift with all of you over the years. I certainly will be leaving a part of my heart with all of you.

With love and health,

Colin

How to Save Time and Money... and Eat Better!

As a busy Mom one of the biggest challenges I find is providing my family with nutritious and healthy food without losing the fun and enjoyment that I want my kids to associate with meal time. One of the best tips I’ve gotten is from my friend, studio owner and TDM anatomy trainer, Kerry Corcoran about organizing a meal board for the family on a weekly basis. I’ve been doing this for 6 weeks and am having such great success that I want to share it with all of you! Honestly it’s helped change my life - I am saving time and money, my kids are trying foods I never thought they would and I’m enjoying my time in the kitchen so much more.

Here’s the plan:  

Sundays I sit down and write out menus for breakfast and dinner Monday – Friday. The kids have a reasonable say - so yes that means occasionally putting chocolate chips in the sprouted pancakes that I prepare the night ahead, but we also sprinkle coconut flakes and walnuts on them so a little chocolate feels okay! One of my daughter Nico’s chores is to make dinner on Monday nights and she’ll research recipes and make her choice and then I’ll fill in the other four. Once I’ve finalized each meal I make a grocery list making sure to put on the quantities. I end up buying a lot in the bulk section to the exact measurement needed which saves money and room in the pantry. It also allows us to try new things without committing to the whole bag. It takes me about 45 minutes to plan the meals and another 45 to do the shopping (even less if I can get one of my kids to come with me and help) and I’m done for the entire week! My old pattern was to spend brain time each day thinking about what I should serve for dinner that evening and making multiple trips to the store during the week. Often times I would pick up prepared foods to supplement or was not organized on quantity of ingredients so I ended up buying more than I needed. It added up to more time and money spent and potentially less quality food!

Julius helping with the shopping. Isn’t he cute? 

Face paint credit from our Easter brunch!

Some additional things I think about when preparing the menu:

When I make something the whole family loves I write it down in a notebook I keep in the kitchen as a recipe catalog of things for us to choose from.

I get a produce box delivery every other week so I look through my refrigerator prior to the meal planning and use what I have on hand to help inspire meals.

I aim for one meal per week purely vegetarian. With all the amazing recipes out there sometimes they don’t even notice!

I look for variety in protein and vegetable/fruit additions to help diversify their palates and get a full range of natural vitamins and minerals.

I try to make sure that there is at least one component to the meal that each child will like so they can go heavier on that food if they don’t like the rest.

In order to keep us on the same page, we write out it all out on a board that also holds the kids after school activities for the week. It’s beneficial because now I don’t get the “what’s for dinner tonight Mom?” and then “EEWWW that’s gross!” It makes it clear and also empowers them because they have a say and always know what’s happening. By the way, it’s really never gross :).

I am fortunate that Nico will write out the board for me but I’ve encouraged that by making it one of her chores. May I digress on chores for a moment? Chores are something that I’ve been working really hard to instill in my kids because I have been guilty of the “easier to do it myself” route and was starting to raise some lazy, entitled kids which will not do! We now have a chore list but we let them have a say in some of the chores they do. For me a chore should be something that makes my life easier, so they are truly contributing to the way the household runs. Nico loves to be creative and organized so having her write the board and make a meal lets her contribute a way she enjoys. She also feeds the dog and sets the table so it’s not all fun but it helps create balance and lessens complaining.

Each week I’ve done the boards I’ve been able to get more creative and make the meals even healthier. On May 5^th my Studios are doing a 30 day challenge and I’m also introducing an optional real food and mindful eating component called The 30 Clean which is aligned with how I would like my family's diet to be the majority of the time. On this program for 30 days you focus on eating a clean diet. The things to avoid are sugar, dairy, soy, corn, gluten, wheat, grains and anything artificial. Gratefully it's ok to have your morning coffee and wine (a glass or two on the weekend) and a small square of real dark chocolate 3 nights a week. The goal is to inspire you set and achieve goals, develop a new relationship with food, and gain more confidence in yourself, with the help of a like-minded community on private Facebook boards. I’m excited to try this new program and see if it’s something that can help me be even more successful in creating delicious, nutritious and clean meals for myself and my family. If you’re interested in joining me you can sign up here.

Here’s to saving time and money and always striving for optimal health!

-- Jill