Side view of a wooden GYROTONIC® Handle Unit with a black padded bench and two upright curved handles, glowing under streetlights on Valencia Street at night. Blurred shop signs, a green and red traffic lights fill the background.
image by Kristine Hernandez
THOUGHTS
It was a full week in San Francisco: Fleet Week overhead, the Valencia LIVE! street party on Thursday, and time spent at the permit office making sure our new space checks all the boxes. More to go on that front, but making progress.
I’m grateful to everyone who helped me get set up on Valencia between Liberty and 20th: Zep at Best Buy; Andy, for bringing water; Rawan, for lending her tent and lights; Avenne at Synced, for the cork flooring; Alex, for helping with setup (who knew the bike could haul 120-plus pounds of sandbags?); and Kristine, for helping me close up the new studio after 11pm. It was a pleasure to share the block with Gia from Back To The Picture framing and the SF Signal pro women’s volleyball team, whose informal jump contest added some friendly excitement and camaraderie.
My favorite part of the evening was meeting people who had heard of GYROTONIC® but had never seen it out in the wild. Those of you who move with us know it’s easier to feel than to describe. I also loved my son starting off our “What do you think GYROTONIC® Exercise is for?” sticker collage project, writing “fun” on about 15 different stickers. Other responses were also on-point: health, aging well, feeling good, and more.
The tower end of the Pulley Tower wouldn’t fit in the Prius, so I demonstrated the Hamstring Series without straps, which meant a lot of explaining and, inadvertently, a lot of abdominal work. Between that and moving half of a Pulley Tower around town (and let’s not forget those sandbags), I’m feeling strong and ready for anything, including more hours at the permit office.
CLASS SPOTLIGHT
Intro to GYROTONIC® with Celeste
Mondays at 6pm | Starting October 19
If you’ve been meaning to try Gyrotonic, or you know someone who has, this four-class series is a good place to begin. No experience needed, and Celeste will guide you through the foundations at a pace that works for the group.
Life gets fuller the closer we get to the end of the year. Getting on the schedule now is a thank-you to your January self.
If Monday evenings don’t work, tell us what does. As a small studio, we can build a series around a schedule that works for the group. We begin at our Mission Street space and continue through our move to 20th St if needed.
$190 for the series. Or choose the Group Class Welcome Package at $268, which covers the series and adds a 1:1 appointment (package valid for 60 days).
WHAT I’M READING
Indonesia Cash-for-photos Scheme Turns Animal Hunters Into Protectors — Asharq Al-Awsat
In Borneo, villagers earn more by photographing wildlife than by hunting it. The animal stays in the forest and can be observed again. A good reminder that a change of incentive can change a relationship. Read it here →
The Slow Disappearance of Black Studies on College Campuses — Capital B News
Northwestern has moved its Program of African Studies under the provost’s office and cut two staff positions. The university says the program continues, and its endowed funding won’t change. The piece places this within a wider pattern of campuses merging or scaling back Black and African studies, and recalls that students at Northwestern fought for these programs in 1968. Read it here →
Get to know the Colorado-raised astronaut leading NASA’s next flight — The Coloradoan, via Yahoo Tech
Jessica Watkins started imagining space at age nine, after learning her elementary school was named for an astronaut. Sometimes the name on a building is the whole invitation. Read it here →
It’s been a full week, and the calendar is only getting fuller as the days get shorter. Whether you’re hauling sandbags or holiday decorations, I hope there’s room to move slowly, breathe fully, and come back to center. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the studio soon.
Warmly,
Harriet
