Hello beautiful,

Happy New Year! I hope you are having a mellow and fulfilling transition into 2026.

For me it has been a slow and gentle liminal period of rest, reflection, celebration, starting to plan the year ahead but honoring the rhythms of my personal year, with no hard deadlines. I do like to set intentions and plan events each New Year, but take my time in doing so.

Teaching online, in-studio and school, sharing resources on YouTube, articles on the blog, as well as on Social Media have resumed and I'm doing some additional dancing this month substitute teaching for a ballet colleague (we're producing "The Nutcracker" for late March!), so still deciding on an email and workshop schedules for quarter one beyond that.

I do however have room for YOU or an interested friend in Zoom Yummy Gentle Yoga and Adaptive Ballet Barre+, more information below and just reply to this email to come sample a class with no obligation (or to ask questions about any of my offerings at any time!).

A full recap of December, Quarter 4, and 2025 are to come, as well as declaring my 2026 Word of the Year, projects, guest teaching, and other treats on the way! Personally, I'm especially looking forward to Lunar / Chinese New Year of the Fire Horse, Koeln Karneval, National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and International Women's Day in Quarter 1, how about you?

Other creations, recommendations, and questions for you are:

Listening:

• ​Balletlicious Barre+ Dance playlist on YouTube is my current class soundtrack
• "Dance the Pain Away" by Haute & Freddy is a new one, with the video shot in a dance studio

Reading:

• ​Notebook & Supply Lineup – Analog Journaling System for Reflection, Memory, Planning & Creativity article is an update on all the books I'm working in since relying on analog tools, paper first, for planning, writing, organizing thoughts and projects is absolutely down my alley. Though my main squeeze is dance, if you've been around you know that writing, poetry, collage, photography, music and other creative media are very much at play and all current projects find a home in my system.
• ​A November to Remember – 2025 Month 11 Reflection article is my retrospective on that month of gratitude and going for goals
• Working on the novel Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan and its been a slow-reading time of year and I'm also reading slower than usual due to it being so well-written, finding I want to highlight and digest along the way
• Listening to the How to Winter nonfiction audiobook through the Libby app and the library, finding it to be a good resource for resilience in any season, but especially those that challenge our ideas about how we should feel or where to find beauty in life

Viewing:

• Been adding bite-sized videos to my Tasty Technique Tips playlist on YouTube
• "The Great" Comedy-drama series is satire gold about other times for these times
• "Evil Influencer: the Judi Hildebrand Story" Netflix Documentary is a disturbing recent true crime
• Excited for the new "The Muppet Show" February 4th!
• Leena Nooms' The Death of Personal Goals spoke to me and she is one of my favorite creators I've recently discovered
• Concious consumption is a great way to start a new year and Things I'm Not Buying in 2026 content is proving motivating
• People are freaking out that Cloud Dancer, a shade of white, is Pantone Color of the Year ​

Practicing:

• ​Compass Tours Chaines - Ballet Turns Visualization - Tasty Technique Tip video on YouTube
• ​Creative Notebook System 2025 into 2026 - Techo Kaigi - Journals of a Teaching Artist at New Year video on YouTube
• ​Experiments instead of goals appeals to me and has scientific backing
• Mia's Digital Diary also covers Experiments as a creative person​
• Using a Stop, Start, Continue team exercise/personal development tool introduced me to
• the Stoplight exercise & pain
• Appreciate ecofriend lia's approach to New Year's intention-setting​
• ​Modding a $1 pocket notebook is an option for accessible custom journaling
• This Empathy project in Denmark is inspiring (German)
• Effective Hip mobility exercises from Live in Leggings include 90/90, RDL, Lateral Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat, a useful resource for dancers and folks who have experienced hip pain like I have
• Made delicious warming Carrot Ginger Soup from the Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook (though I measure with my heart)

Practicing Together LIVE / Adult Movement Classes:

• Online Yogalicious Gentle Yoga. 7-8:00pm CEST Tuesdays (8-9:00am HI) provides a delicious mindful movement feast which balances strength, balance and coordination for mind, body, and spirit and is adaptable to all levels and conditions (English)
• Online Balletlicious Adaptive Ballet Barre+, 7:30-8:30am CEST Fridays (Thursday p.m. HI) consists of mostly supported barre exercises with a little dancey centre work, building a strong, body-friendly, and graceful foundation for dance at home or anywhere in the world (English)

Inquiring:

• What are you practicing and declaring this season?
• Which books are on your TBR?
• Films, foods, tunes that take you there?
• What are your intentions for 2026?

Gladly share your response to the questions above or provide other updates by replying to this email.

Thank you for reading, for being, and for dancing with me, in spirit or in fact. Take care of yourself, pay attention, and keep moving mindfully!

Love, Blythe

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

P.S.- If you signed up for my email newsletter in order to try a free class or coaching session, just reply and let me know what you're looking for, happy to help!

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