Relax, Relate, Release and Repeat

Twenty-twenty-two. It takes two to make a thing go right. Not this year. It takes two to make it out of sight. No. Nada, New year. New plans. New mantra. One is the only number that I’ll ever know. And it’s not a lonely one. It's all about me this year. I'm relaxing, relating, releasing and resting some more. Hit Repeat. My new yoga position is resting human. I'm revving up my engines and refreshing my brain, body and soul. It all begins with zoom online courses. I've signed up to participate in four Brain Blast challenge classes. These interactive brain game exercises will ‘jump start my brain's super pathways and shake off the winter cobwebs.’ I'm challenging my mind and my brain will thank me. Less stress equals more exhaling and relaxation. It’s all about me so let's explore music next. I'm taking the Sound and Vision series to explore the history of musical scores from some of my favorite films and learn about some of the current composers who shaped the way stories are told into movies. I'm going to learn about award winning scores, famous black film composers, and famous women film composers. These classes suit me since I’m the movie Soundtrack queen. Bring on the music! The next class I'm taking is The Science and Mystery of Sleep to explore some of the late findings on sleep through fantastical, handmade bedrooms created by visionary artists as a personal refuge. Presented by the American Visual Arts museum; I'm hoping to get some great ideas about redecorating and revamping my bedroom to get more sleep and rest. And after a restful sleep, let's play games. I'm taking three online Bingo classes. G 47 B 11 G 20 I 19 Nin 39 O 70 …BINGO! I'm going to win. Just watch me! The next class I'm taking is a journaling class. It’s called Creative Writing which encourages creative expression through end of the week free riding. In each session, participants are given writing prompts to explore and share with the rest of the class. This is a fun way to express yourself and get writing feedback from peers. Our first prompt was “What’s on your mind?” My response was:

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, they say.

A body too.

How do you navigate the mind of a 30-year-old in a 50-year-old body?

You do it boldly.

I love to write, but I’m also an avid reader. So, I will be now searching Good Reads for some must reads this year. And now that the libraries have reopened, I can hold a cherished paperback or hardback in my hands again. Now that’s a relationship that never fails. My next class will be an art class. The name of this class is Daydream with Art. It asks the question… have you ever had a dream that you wanted to remember? and the answer is yes! This class is going to explore diverse types of dreams and ways to use art to examine them. I'm excited about this class because we're going to keep a dream journal and this journal will help explore the mind as in lab for creativity. we're going to use a variety of materials including paints, pastels, watercolor truncal and we use the idea and dreaming and the inspiration for our work in this class. also, I know it's going to encourage me to broaden what dreams mean to me and what a dream can be. I actually love art so I'm going to explore more I'm going to take Colored Pencil Flowers. In this class, we're learning how to use colored pencils to create colorful drawings of flowers. We’re going to learn several techniques including layering colors, using blending sticks to mix colors, and creating different tones. Today I drew my first flowers (tulips) with colored pencils. How relaxing! Another class I’ve signed up for out is Printmaking. I'm going to be able to create designs for printing influenced by haiku writing prompts in this class. The goal of the workshop is for me to practice carving my own print blocks to learn and understand how written works can influence my designs and I think I'm going to be encouraged to recite and discuss my own responses to the writing prompts before I create the print blocks. This is a new experience for me. I'm very familiar with Haiku but I'm not quite sure how it's going to be used in this class. I'm excited for the opportunity to learn more art. Also, I'm going to participate in an art history class called Art in Action and it's about delving into narratives about how artist’s live and learn. It’s going to help me build an understanding of art movement and modalities right from the comfort of my home. How restful is that. The final art class I'm taking this semester is How we are Healing, an art opening and reception. It looks at creativeness as active healing Art as a way of processing pain and trauma. Art is a way of forging connections and rebuilding relationships. Art is a way of communicating when words fail to express the depth of fields and emotion and art as a means of transforming in equal structures and healing oppressive systemic issues. this exhibition will focus on art and the artists’ ability to express our truths individually and as a group for growth toward wholeness justice and liberation for ourselves and our collective communities. Various artists work will be on display. Well, I haven't forgotten about my body. With that in mind, I've signed up for a few fitness and movement classes. One is Chair Yoga. Yoga means union so I'm going to practice uniting movement breathing and meditation without the need for moving up and down from the floor to a seated or standing position. Yoga promotes balance flexibility and relaxation mentally and physically. Secondly, I'm taking a line dancing class and there's going to be more music and more movement. I can’t wait to see what the new dance steps are. It’s going to be a lot of fun. There are two other classes I'm taking this semester; one is Guided Imagery. Guided imagery is a form of focus relaxation that helps create harmony between the mind and body. it's a way of focusing your imagination to create calm, peaceful images in your mind. This class is going to guide the participants through spoken instruction that generates memories thoughts taste, smells, emotions, or feelings to help relax and refocus our minds and bodies. The common mating activity will be my class called Love Yourself: A Self-care event. Since women lead busy lives taking care of families, work, home and caring for others, this Women's History Month event will assist women in restoring their emotional mental and physical health. There's going to be journaling family histories, flower arranging, mini massages, tips on meditation and more. Men are invited to join as well. These are the ways I’ve decided to actively engage to create a better, more restful space for me, myself and I. Because I’m worth it! We all are!