Weekly Schedule 5/2/2022 — The Power of Perspective
NEXT WEEK IS CLASS DONATION WEEK. Sign up now to be sure your class fee is donated.
With the intention of gathering strength for the new generation of the Black community, our donation class recipient organization for 2022 is 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic. Please read more about this clinic and the variety of programs they offer San Francisco youth between 12-24 years old: https://3rdstyouth.org
We donate 100% of class fees from classes attended the second full week of every month to the annual organization. That's next week, May 9, 2022. We also encourage you to make your own donation directly if you are able.
Week 112 - Like most of us, I am so sad when I see the human suffering sprinkled in varying amounts through San Francisco. The pandemic-emptied downtown streets have revealed the suffering that the pre-pandemic hustle and bustle masked and muted. When it comes to describing my outlook on life, I like to think of myself as a realistic optimist, but I was really getting bogged down with news articles reporting on the increase in drug overdoses, high crime rates, and increased population of unhoused people. Plus, I felt like I was seeing more evidence of increased crime every time I saw a plywood-covered window at a local business, increased tagging on boarded up storefronts, or heard of yet another catalytic converter being stolen from someone's parked car. This recent Mother Jones article by Eamon Whalen serves as the jumping-off point into contextualizing my viewpoint:
https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2022/04/san-francisco-crime-wave-media-public-defender-chesa-boudin/
Whalen did most of the cross-referencing for us in his intro paragraph (although I hit a few paywalls). I was particularly struck by his interview with deputy public defender, Peter Calloway (excerpt below):
There’s a narrative that has developed that San Francisco is unsafe and that policies attempting to reform the criminal justice system are to blame. Can you talk about why this narrative is wrong?
The narrative is wrong because it’s empirically wrong.
So, the narrative is San Francisco is a very violent place. It’s a disgusting, filthy place. It’s a place where anything goes. It’s a place where the police don’t even bother making arrests because they know that the the District Attorney Chesa Boudin won’t prosecute. When there is a prosecution, nobody’s facing any meaningful consequences. You can’t walk around without being attacked.
... So, I looked at the actual numbers using the San Francisco Police Department’s publicly available data, and saw that these double digit percentage increases were actually single digit incident increases. The number of homicides went from 10 to 11, which is a 10% increase. And the number of rapes went from 22 to 29. But violent crime is lower than it was in 2018. It’s significantly lower than it was in the 80s and 90s. Since 2019, crime across the entire city has decreased, and crime in the Tenderloin has decreased overall.
Are we living in a crime-free utopia? No, there's agreement that crime still happens. What I appreciated was Calloway's candor in explaining how data can be manipulated to propagate a perspective, and ultimately the real issue is our personal and cultural difficulty adopting a different approach to crime and criminals.
And all this to say this is an issue of adapting to a different perspective, rather than simply wrong-or-right, is-or-isn't. Like when you come into the studio with an understanding of your body, and through our work together you understand that maybe you didn't have quite the full picture. Sometimes you just need a little outside perspective to improve your outlook, and someone to remind you of what you're trying to change. As I like to say, we are reconciling our realities.
As we all know, change is hard. That's why we enlist the help of professionals to guide us -- and the support of our community to support us -- through change.
Community, I am grateful for you and your support though changes.
Here's what's on the schedule this week:
7:00am PST - Monday, 5/2/2022
IN-PERSON GYROTONIC® Pulley Tower Class
A 50-minute group equipment class series exploring Gyrotonic exercise on the Pulley Tower. Space for four (4) individuals. Curious about this movement system? This is a great class to learn more.
Sign-up: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16934439&appointmentType=11540424
9:30am PST - Tuesday, 5/3/2022:
ONLINE Pilates Mat (Mixed Level)
May's focus is pelvic stability using the small ball (about 9") and resistance band or loop band (medium resistance). Video available if you can't attend live.
Sign-up: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16934439&appointmentType=13574506
1:00pm PST - Tuesday, 5/3/2022:
IN-PERSON New Neural Pathways Gyrotonic Pulley Tower Class
This is a small group equipment class meeting Tuesday and Thursday at 1:00pm and is limited to 4 individuals. The focus of this class is to assist individuals in early-stage Alzheimer's continue to create new neural pathways using the Gyrotonic Methods, connect to their bodies and the community.
The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® is a form of deep abdominal strengthening, focusing on the body’s natural movement in three dimensions, breathing, as well as continuous motion that is smooth and uninterrupted.
Sign-up: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16934439&appointmentType=31966982
9:30am PST - Thursday, 5/5/2022:
ONLINE Balance and Flow GYROKINESIS®
Keep those two (2) yoga straps, and break out the long foam roller! Our focus for May is building on our shoulder mobility work from April, and connecting the pelvis to the arms.
Focusing on the ability of the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® to increase circulation, mobilize and strengthen joints, and increase proprioceptive awareness, this Zoom class prepares the body for more confidence in standing balance work. Video available if you can't attend live.
Sign-up: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16934439&appointmentType=13778332
1:00pm PST - Thursday, 5/5/2022:
IN-PERSON New Neural Pathways Gyrotonic Pulley Tower Class
This is a small group equipment class meeting Tuesday and Thursday at 1:00pm and is limited to 4 individuals. The focus of this class is to assist individuals in early-stage Alzheimer's continue to create new neural pathways using the Gyrotonic Methods, connect to their bodies and the community.
The GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® is a form of deep abdominal strengthening, focusing on the body’s natural movement in three dimensions, breathing, as well as continuous motion that is smooth and uninterrupted.
Sign-up: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16934439&appointmentType=31966982
Looking forward to seeing you online and in-person this week! Until then, breathe deeply, get your booster, stay socially distant, healthy and sane.
Warmly,
Harriet
P.S. — Our renter is now starting next week, so we’ll delay their introduction until the next email. Very excited!
2022 FOCUS: Firmly deciding, after reducing an abstract problem into its components, to proceed on a journey toward harmony.
Read the first email of 2022 here to understand how this became our resolution for 2022.
