A Blythe Coach – Details, episodes & analysis

As part of my birthday celebration this year I decided to indulge in sharing, in no particular order, these incomplete, unjustified, and unsolicited pieces of advice!

The bite-sized nuggets come from a wide variety of influences from family and mentors to thinkers and celebrities and my own observations and beliefs. Usually careful to cite sources, provide context and justification, as well as practical applications, in this case I've cast all that aside. Instead, I've just compiled, willy-nilly, some of what I consider to be the most important lessons I've learned so far. Some might be thought trite, some are redundant, and there are certainly important lessons I've failed to include.

Concepts here are also included in my work so far here on the blog, in my classes and coaching, online on YouTube and social media. Some will bear elaboration in future offerings and I'd love to know what peaks your interest.

• Which of these lessons resonate for you?
• What important lessons have you learned so far in your life?
• What words of wisdom have you learned from family, friends, mentors, study?
• What do you want to learn more about?

More resources for further exploration linked in the companion blog article.

You're always more than welcome to reach out to me via email or on Instagram​ @ablythecoac​​h​ and I'm grateful we're connected.

Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
she/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: ablythecoach.com @ablythecoach

helping multi-passionate creatives

dance through their difficulties

Perhaps you enjoy my offerings in-studio or online and would like to know in what ways we might further collaborate, or you are interested in supporting me in expanding what I can provide for your befit and that of others.

Whether your interests lie in mindful movement, dance, coaching, education, or personal growth, I've got something for you, and you've also got oodles of potential ways to support me in return :) Glad that you are here with me to savor any and all of these ways to create and connect!

This podcast shares ten ways for us to potentially work together or for you to help support my work. The associated Blog Article/Show Notes includes all the links and resources I mention, from completely free and low-commitment offerings, to higher-cost, -commitment, and -value contributions.

My approach is holistic, rigorous, and truly unique, but you don’t have to take my word for it, you can experience the difference firsthand in a complimentary discovery call and/or sample class.

Questions for Reflection

• What ways to work together resonate most with you?
• What is the next step?
• How did you hear about my work or in what capacity have we worked together?
• Have we danced or practiced mindful movement together, or would you like to try it out?
• Have you been coached? 
• What area of your life would you like to transform?
• Who do you know who could benefit from my offerings?

Thank you for taking the time to consider creative ways we might support one another. Let's keep in touch, and never hesitate to let me know if I can be of service!

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

In this podcast, and in the companion video on YouTube, I do an experiential exercise in the process of balancing while talking about the dynamic process of equilibrium in the body and in our larger lives.   

Listen in, and if you like and in a way that is appropriate for you, with or without a balance board, play along experimenting with striking your own balancing shapes.

Full notes with more resources on balancing in movement practices and in life will be available on the ablythecoach.com blog

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

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Hello, this is Blythe Stephens of A Blythe Coach: dance education and coaching to move through life with balance, grace, and power. This podcast includes bite-sized insights on ballet, dance, yoga, well-being, creativity, and joy! This is the fourth part of a series about being present in the body and living mindfully. Today’s topic is exciting, because we get to take that inner awareness out into the world!

If you haven’t yet heard the sections on Grounding, Centering, and Orienting, you may wish to go back and check out those episodes as well. Here I’ll discuss how to get into a creative state of being, so you can shine your light and share your gifts with the world. As dancers and yogis, we practice these principles in an embodied way, but no matter your skills or art, you do create. Of course my discussion here is just the tip of the iceberg- truly this introduction is just a tiny taste of the philosophy behind my work, and it draws on many sources.

In the podcast I talk about a couple valuable tools to blast through creative blocks:

• The Clearing Exercise - I first started using this tool when I was training as a personal coach with Accomplishment Coaching and it is a quick and effective daily power booster
  
• Morning Pages (from The Artist’s Way), or another free-writing practice that allows the intellect free reign, making way for creative inspiration
  

What creative action have you been avoiding due to fear and excuses? Take one small step towards it today!

I invite you to clear away the blocks that stand in the way of your creativity. To sign up to work the Clearing Exercise with me personally, to join a yoga or dance class, and for many more free tools, visit my website at www.ablythecoach.com

This is the third part of a series about being present in the body, which is beneficial to our physical training, dancing, and quality of life. If you haven’t yet heard the sections on Grounding and Centering you may wish to go back and check out those episodes as well. I’ll briefly discuss how to find a Oriented state of being, becoming present in the space in which we find ourselves and aware of the opportunities in the present moment.

Having found a grounded state supported by the floor below us, and a centered state connected to our core strength, the next stage is to get oriented, aware, and curious about our surroundings. Here we seek perspective, exploring different ways of seeing and learning about reality. We use the five senses to investigate, expanding our experience to include the world around us.

In The Living Gita, Sri Swami Satchidananda states that from a yogic perspective, “The body also in a way is outside you. The real you is just simply you--an isolated ‘I.’ All that you have or possess is part of the outside world, part of nature.” Therefore, we are capable of impartially observing the workings of the body and our surroundings, and then responding powerfully.

In yoga and dance, we look around the space, experimenting with positions of the body, levels, viewpoints, pathways, and means of moving and traveling. From the stability of the earth and a strong center, we are able to become mobile, reaching out into a larger experience of existence. Here we experiment with how things work, including the body and the objects around us. We experience trial and error, test hypotheses, and seek knowledge and wisdom through our experience. Here lie our raw materials, the stuff we will later use to convey grace, strength, and emotion.

“Orienting is about knowing where you are in space, which helps you to create a connection with what is real in the present moment. To orient, look around the space that you are in. Use all of your senses to take in what you see, smell and hear the way a dog would when it first enters into a new space.” Jay Fields, Teaching People, Not Poses Fields suggests that “As you hold the pose, look around the room and orient yourself to the present moment.”

• Today, I invite you to simply notice what is so in your environment from a neutral standpoint. What is present? What is missing? (or absent) Only once this is established can we move with clarity toward what is next.
  
• In yoga and dance class, practice observing the details of your perceptions and sensations. Don’t dwell on what you did wrong in the past or the anxieties you have for the future, but keep bringing yourself back to your experience of this moment.
  
• What possibilities might being present in your body create?
  

Thanks for joining me in this brief discussion of the power of an oriented state of being! Coming up soon I’ll share about using these tools to unleash your creativity! For more free tools and community, come visit me at www.ablythecoach.com

Hello, this is Blythe Stephens: A Blythe Coach dance education and life coaching to move you through life with balance, grace, and power. Today I want to share a foundational awareness that can transform our dancing and our lives. I’m talking about how to get into a grounded state of being.

All of our dance technique, conditioning, and yoga work does develop both body and mind, but no matter how physically fit we become, we won’t truly have a strong foundation (and therefore strong performance), without attending to our underlying state of being in real time. This is the ultimate foundation for our work, so let’s look at HOW we’re showing up and the impact on our dancing and quality of life.

Have you noticed on days when you’re preoccupied with your thoughts and distracted from feeling your body’s connection to the floor, that your equilibrium feels off and you struggle to balance? For me, balancing goes best when I am relaxed yet engaged and fully aware of my connection to the floor, sensing the support I receive.

Feeling gravity, noticing where my weight falls as well as where I lift up against it’s pull, helps me come into the present moment and just play with my movement. Equipoise becomes almost effortless.

In the book Teaching People, Not Poses Jay Fields states, “Grounding is about feeling supported in your body, as opposed to the floaty, diffused feeling you get when you’re not grounded. To feel grounded, put your attention into what supports you--your feet on the ground, your butt on your chair. Try to give your weight to what supports you, or imagine sending roots down into the ground.”

I like this image of rootedness like a tree or a plant reaching down into the earth and spreading out. An alternative image that I also enjoy, is to imagine pouring your weight like pancake batter onto the griddle. The batter slowly spreads across the surface in all directions, solidifying as it cooks. A delicious visual, and I encourage you to come up with whatever mental picture serves you!

I invite you to be present in your body, aware of your base of support, and grounded as you practice foot and ankle exercises as well as when you come to standing for dance class or to move into your daily life. Care for any discomfort, be mindful of your needs, get support from others as needed. Notice what is supporting you, right now. Mindfulness is an ongoing practice, so don’t beat yourself up when you fail to do this perfectly.

Bonus grounding practices: set a daily reminder on your phone to check in with that which supports you by feeling your feet or the seat beneath you in that moment. You may also wish to consider all of your resources, reflect on and write about who and what supports you, and go ahead and ask for the support you need.

I hope this helps you to find your foundation and a grounded state of being. Stay tuned for further ideas to take into your dancing practice and the world!

DISCLAIMER: Although the exercises I recommend are suitable for dancers at a beginning through advanced level, and I do my best to keep things moderate and safe, please consult your healthcare practitioner before beginning any health or fitness regimen! Always be responsible for your body's well-being while exercising- if you get injured, that will take time out of your dancing and moving, and we don't want that if it can be avoided.

www.ablythecoach.com

Facebook Page: A Blythe Coach

Hello, this is Blythe Stephens of A Blythe Coach: dance education & coaching to move through life with balance, grace, & power. My podcast includes bite-sized insights on ballet, dance, yoga, well-being, creativity, and joy. Today I’ll briefly discuss how to find a centered state of being, recruiting our inner resources to act powerfully.

When we are centered, we sense our internal strength and the support of our respiration. We can become aware of our own thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. We are clear of mind, able to be in our personal power, courageous, at cause, and responsible.

Centering is finding the connection to and strength of the core of who we are, including our physical core strength and all of our internal resources, courage, and power. In the yogic system, the center is associated with the third chakra, a place of action, creativity, gut feeling, and self-definition. In ballet and other dance forms, core engagement is crucial to our poise, balance, and power, and yoga also involves pranayama or breath control practices.

In the book Teaching People, Not Poses, Jay Fields states that  “Centering is having a sense of personal power and control over your life. To center, consciously put your attention on connecting to the center of your body, to your core strength. I like to imagine being able to gather all the parts of myself and all of my energy back to my center and take a moment to feel my strength.”

I invite you to feel centered in your body as you practice core and conditioning work, as you practice yoga or dance, as you perform onstage, and in your daily life.

“Draw your attention to your center and see if you can feel strength there.”

For my favorite exercises to tap into your core strength, subscribe to the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel and sample videos including “Planking Pleasures,” “Oh Wow, Cat/Cow!” and “Plush Paralleleves.”

I also find Dandapani’s energy-gathering meditation to be a supportive practice in the pursuit of a centered state, and I will continue to share tools that help connect to core strength and courage. To find many more free resources, visit my website, www.ablythecoach.com

Please, Thank You, I’m Sorry.
I love you.
Help, Thanks, Wow.
Hallelujah.

An academic, poet, and lover of words, I’m continually fascinated by what language inspires, propels, and empowers us. Time and again, I have found that words have power, to bring mindfulness, intention, medicine.

Show notes and links in my Say the Magic Words: Musings on Resonant Affirmations, Powerful Phrases, Prayers, Stands & Mantra blog article at ablythecoach.com/blog

• What language speaks to you?
• What is your favorite word or affirmation?
• Which words do you find yourself repeating when you need strength, courage, or solace?
• Are there words which you’d like to stop saying to yourself?
• How would you like to transform your self-talk?
• What do you want to create that could be supported by a prayer, motto, or powerful words?

I would love to hear about your current inspirational intention, stand, or words of power as well as the challenges you’re currently facing on social media @ablythecoach 🙂

Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst they/she
Creator of A Blythe Coach: helping multi-passionate creatives
dance through their difficulties and take leaps of faith

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Back-to-School is a good time to practice flexibility, adjusting to learning, new knowledge and schedules. Also the late-summer heat in the northern hemisphere is that much more conducive to a good stretch out. But tests to our personal resilience and ability to respond with agility to change come all year long.

Maybe you already love stretching and appreciate the experience and benefits. In that case, we’ve got the choir and the preacher, let’s sing!

But it could be that your emotions around stretching and flexibility work could be more mixed, or even downright negative. The words you use to describe stretching practice could be mild, such as uncomfortable, boring… or strong, such as awful, excruciating, torture.

In that case, it could be time for a shift of mindset and actual stretching setup, toward comfort, relaxation, and the positive influence, both physical and mental, of greater elasticity in our lives. It means more possibilities for movement, physical and metaphorical!

Momentary discomfort can, through mindfulness, curiosity, and resourcefulness, transform into something savory, delicious, even indulgent. With the right timing, intentions, music, positions and approaches, props, and breathwork you may just fall in love with the spaciousness of flexibility.

Come feast your senses with me 🙂

Show notes and all links available in the Sumptuous Stretching blog article linked here.

• What is the intention of your stretching/flexibility practice?
• What are your flexibility goals?
• Why do you have these goals, or what purpose do they serve?
• What tools serve your stretching practice?
• Where would you like to learn to be more flexible in life?

Please tell me about your experience and challenges with stretching, flexibility, and mobility. Still to come, ever-expanding movement offerings and writing on the topics of Cooling Down, Elements of Dance, Riding Waves of Change, and more!

Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
they/she
Creator of A Blythe Coach: helping multi-passionate creatives
dance through their difficulties and take leaps of faith

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.

Dance theorists identify 7 basic movements of ballet or classical dance technique, and we can see these essential building blocks at play in every ballet pas, step, or movement.   

I'm excited to announce that around these 7 essentials, I've designed a free summer dance challenge to begin or continue your ballet journey!   

Balletlicious Basic Building Blocks of Dance is a 7-Day "not so intensive" challenge, enriching your knowledge of dance before the summer is over, at no charge in just minutes per day.  

We will focus on one basic movement each day, then look forward to more resources on putting it all together to come!  

Visit the sign-up page to be included in the 7-Day experience over the course of two weeks  27 July - 3 August:
https://dogged-maker-9006.ck.page/405f54afe1 

Can't wait to dance together :)

Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
A Blythe Coach: ablythecoach.com @ablythecoach
helping multi-passionate creatives dance through their difficulties
and take leaps of faith into fulfillment 

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.