Have you met our local State Farm agent Dimiti Kondos? His office is on Milwaukie, just south of Bybee, and you have probably seen this lovely mural on the side of the building.
I’ve gotten to know Dimitri through the Sellwood Moreland Business Alliancemeetings, and love how connected his is to our community. These are uncertain times, and he is here to give us peace of mind. When your basement floods, or your car gets dinged, do you have a special person you can call who will talk you through the process, advise you as to your deductible, and whether or not to file a claim, and refer you to contractors, or other service providers that you can trust? If Dimitri is your agent, you do!
During stressful times I like to gather facts. By focusing on the things that are under my control, I feel less stressed and out of control. Join us Saturday to learn why now is the perfect time to double check your policy, and what you can do to fill in any holes.
Do you have the proper insurance coverage?
Do you know what your policy covers?
Do you know the amount of your deductible?
Contact Dimitri this week and you will feel safe and secure with your home or auto insurance policy.
Kondos Insurance Agency, Inc.
7304 SE Milwaukie Ave, Portland, OR 97202 Bus 503.206.6035 Fax 503.719.6125
Thanks Alice for sharing your insights on running form and safety! Check out our live interview below.
I first met Alice during one of her Chi Running workshops years ago. As you may have experienced, being coached by someone else, and then videotaped while you move gives you a whole new insight into whether “your” reality matches “the” reality. Spoiler alert – I was surprised to learn that I was not in fact swinging my arms and legs like she had instructed me, even though that is what it “felt like” I was doing.
In addition to running and walking coaching, Alice is a Registered Yoga Instructor, Certified TRE® Provider, and Original Strength® Certified Coach. She has lots of tools in her tool box that all lead to one point, improving your body awareness. She shares with us her tips on running safety (yes or no to masks, best practices for running outdoors) in these strange times.
If you suffer from knee, back, or hip pain after running or walking, Alice is here to help.
Alice shares some of her upcoming offerings: • I’m available for virtual gait analysis. You can download the Coach’s Eye app and have a friend or family member use that to shoot a quick clip of you running or walking. It helps to get a sideview, and well as front & back views. E-mail me the video clip, and I’ll send you my analysis along with a few personalized form focus tips for your to work on. • I’m available for Zoom sessions in yoga. I have a lot of experience teaching Yoga for Runners & Walkers, as well as Yoga for Athletes. For their past 4 competitive seasons, I’ve taught yoga to the Portland Winterhawks. I’m also available for Zoom sessions in TRE®, which stands for Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises. It’s a movement-based technique that enables your body to shake off accumulated stress and tension in order to down-regulate the nervous system and help bring it back into balance. Due to the pandemic, many of us are experiencing unprecedented stress on a variety of levels. I look forward to sharing this highly effective self-care tool with more individuals to help them find greater calm and more resilience during this challenging time. • I’ll be offering Zoom classes through Portland Community College’s Community Education/Recreation & Wellness Department during their Summer Term and Fall Term. My Summer Term offering will be Yoga for Teen Athletes, intended for 12-17 year olds. My course proposals for Fall Term include Yoga for Runners & Walkers, a new course offering called TRE® & Yoga for a Calmer Nervous System, and potentially another section of the Yoga for Teen Athletes class. • I also recently became an Original Strength® Certified Coach. The philosophy behind OS is that by revisiting movement patterns that we progressed through early in our lives, we’re able to press reset to rid ourselves of unhelpful movement habits and regain our ability to move in a more fluid, natural way. I integrate OS principles into a lot of my yoga teaching, and I look forward to offering some Facebook Live events or Zoom sessions soon to share this innovative approach with more clients.
The Farmer’s Market is back! Wednesdays, from 2-6 pm. Still near Wilhelm’s, this year they have moved one block north on SE 14th Avenue between SE Glenwood St & SE Claybourne. Click here to read the market’s safety guidelines. You may walk up and shop – treat this shopping experience as if you are at the grocery store, no sampling, no hanging around, get your veggies and move along buddy! You also have the opportunity to preorder and pick up via the drive thru. Is anybody else cracking up that they have made a healthy drive thru? I love it!
I have been getting out and about a little more, and here are my top picks this week:
Reed Canyon. Looking for a quiet, in town nature walk where you may see birds, otters, or salmon? Reed has posted signage directing everyone to move in one direction around the creek, and to stay far away from each other. I was there Tuesday at 5 and it felt safe, and not too crowded.
Westmoreland park is another good choice, with wide walking paths and plenty of space.
Now, back to yummy food. We’ve mostly been hitting up the food carts on the weekend, (I can only eat my own cooking for so long) this feels like a safe way to support local businesses. I just found out that my favorite gumbo cart, Matt and Memere’s, has moved over to 35th and Powell in a pod where the old Original Taco House was (and right next door to DiNicola’s) so if your crowd can’t decide what to eat, you’ve got your choice of gumbo, gyros, fried chicken and jojos, or spaghetti and meatballs all at one location!
Eric was super excited to see Laughing Planet on Woodstock has reopened. They have their quarantine game down! You place you order and pre-pay online. They have tables set up just inside the door with your bag stapled shut, clearly labeled with your name, and a receipt taped to the outside showing the exact contents of the bag. You grab your food and head out the other door. I didn’t come within sneezing distance of another human the whole time. So if you are looking for a healthier option for burritos, bowls, and salads check them out (I usually pick the daily special and have never been disappointed).
I hope that you are doing what you feel is best for you and your family right now. If that means hunkering down at home, you have made the right choice. If you feel comfortable exercising outdoors, you have made the right choice. If you feel safer wearing a mask while doing so please do.
And lastly, these are my top pics based on where I went in the past week or so, not paid endorsements. I have no connection to these businesses, other than I like their food and their people, and wanted to share these places with you. If you have favorite places you’ve been going to lift your spirits, I’d love to hear about your quarantine adventures!
“Improve Your Online Teaching Skills” Workshop Sunday May 24th
• Who: Dance teachers (This class is geared towards movement teachers, but the skills you learn will translate to any online instruction.) • What: 90 minute workshop that will immediately improve your teaching skills! • When: Sunday May 24th at 1:30 pm PDT • Where: From your home, or wherever you are teaching your online classes. • Why: To improve your skills, your students experience, and your bottom line. • How much: Donate the amount you like – from $5 to $25. • How: Join us on Zoom by clicking this link. And here is the meeting id and password:
Meeting ID: 868 0722 7398 Password: 469319
If you feel this class is beneficial, you may pop some dough into mypaypal “tip jar”.
The video classes have been great, you’re doing an excellent job showing the moves from different angles and all, I haven’t had any trouble following along. I’m really grateful you’re able to do these, it’s been a lifesaver.
Testimonial from S.H., Portland, Oregon
Goals of this workshop:
Improve your online teaching techniques to improve your client’s experience! To do this you need to learn new skills. This is not just a switch to video; this is a whole new way of teaching. You are responsible for creating an oasis for your people – a safe, loving, warm, learning environment where your clients get a break from their stressful day – and create relationships with others in class. When you do this, your students are excited about your classes, they tell their friends, and they can’t wait to come back! You fill your classes and make more money!
The number one thing I have learned from zooming, is the importance of clear verbal cueing. In fact I recently had a client have a technology issue and we did an entire session over the phone! What do you do when your client can’t see you very well, say they are tuning in on their phone or iPad?
It is your responsibility to be able to teach them using your words. We will be using breakout rooms, so you can practice your verbal cuing (including the “positive sandwich”) with each other.
Who do you know who teaches dance classes? Have you (or a family member) taken a dance class from a studio, either here in Portland, or elsewhere? I have developed a brand new program that I am excited to share with the dance community, and I need your help.
Would you be willing to introduce me to a dance instructor?
This could be any type of dance, from ballet, ballroom, bachata, salsa, swing, Jazzercise, or Zumba (to name a few). Teaching classes virtually is a whole different animal than teaching in a studio. I want to share my tips for success with other instructors.
You can help me in two ways:
1. Forward this post to your instructor. 2. Share this post on social media.
On Saturday May 9th we chatted with Sam from Zen Focus Tech about how to get the most out of your technology right now!
Does your screen freeze during Zoom calls? Are you maxing out your system with you, your kids, and your spouse, all on the internet at once? Check out our latest interview to learn how to improve your internet speed, improve your productivity, and reduce your stress while you work from home.
Sam Rodriguez shares his tech tips for working from home
About Sam: Sam is a trained engineer with 16 years’ experience in IT, and 7 years’ experience teaching martial arts to teenagers and adults. This combination allows him to bring quiet, expert determination to IT systems, and to take on a variety of roles. His work as an IT consultant integrates his knowledge of technology with his desire to serve – driving clients’ business passions with 21st century technology.
My goal with these free interviews is to help you reduce your stress, connect with cool, smart, knowledgeable people, and learn something new. You may tune in with your video on or off. I’m not judging your Saturday hair or pajama look.
Who do you know who would benefit from this? Can you send this info to your special person?
