Weekly Wellness Blog: Wednesday, April 29th, 2020

Weekly Wellness Blog: Wednesday, April 29th, 2020

It is Wednesday! What a great day to recenter and refocus on your own personal wellness. Reflect upon what you have done this week to support your own well-being. I hope that you are able to carve out some "me time" every day. Running out of ideas with what to do to promote your own Wellness? Well, you've clicked on the right blog! Scroll through for more options and resources. 

Jason gathered volunteers from our community to star in a music video that he compiled, Lean On Me! Please click on the YouTube link below to see this wonderful work of art; made by our AISC community - together...apart:

https://youtu.be/oMS9GOSPQFo

"I hope this video brings joy, inspires connection, and brings some light into the world." - Jason

Upcoming (Online) Events & Suggestions!

New Ideas? Keep Them Comin'!
Let's share some ideas of how to promote wellness in this new virtual norm. if you have something that you'd like to share with the community - an app, a Ted Talk, a new Netflix rec, a video of yourself to cheer us up - please let me know and I will feature you in our upcoming blogs! 

Operation Appreciation is Going Virtual!

Operation Appreciation...

Operation Appreciation, May 2020

You have until Thursday, 30 April to sign up for the last Operation Appreciation of the 2019-20 school year. If you haven't heard, we're going virtual! So, if interested, please take a moment to complete this form. Your participation is not mandatory, but it would be great if everyone gave a contribution.
Cheers- Priya and Sarah 

Food Suggestions! What to Order

Let's share some new, or well-loved restaurants that are delivering! What have you tried? What do you recommend? Share in the comments below or send Keeley a WhatsApp or an email.

OINK ( speciality is Pork!) Recommended by Sunita

Contact person is Rohini. She delivers every Friday. Payment again is online after delivery.

Contact number: 7358415430

Brod Bakery

I've mentioned the new "Brod Bakery" on the blog before, but did you know that they are delivering fresh bread and homemade sandwiches during this lockdown time?! The menu above is their current offerings for this week. If you are reading this blog on Wednesday, April 29th, you will be able to get your orders in for this week! You can WhatsApp your orders and they will let you know when they will be able to deliver to you. It is a small business, so thank you for your patience as they only deliver one day per week.

Brod WhatsApp Contact Number: +91-99866-70858

Repeated & Ongoing Suggestions: 

Wellbeing Resource from Jen Gold

Wellbeing During Distance Learning

This link includes a plethora of ideas to help you through distance learning and social distancing. Remember, we can be together...apart.

Work Outs & Personal Training with Jen Thomas

No gym? No problem!

During the quarantine period, Jen Thomas Fitness is uploading a new 12-minute at-home circuit to her Instagram page, every day! 

Her circuits are full body and fun to do! 

All you need is:

- a timer app on your phone 

- a set of dumbbells

- resistance bands

Check her out at http://instagram.com/jenthomasfitness

Jen Thomas also offers online Personal Training programs that you can do at home. 

Virtual Yoga and Meditation with Nora Lim

Nora is offering some of her classes online! Please visit her website at www.thinkoffthemat.com to see her timings and her codes to join via Zoom.

Cooking with Priya!
Would you like to broaden your cooking abilities? Priya Venugopal is sharing her passion and talents via YouTube. Please subscribe to her YouTube channel and watch her tutorials in her kitchen!

Priya's YouTube Channel

May Birthdays!

Salome Verghese	May 2
Sankar Ganesh M	May 2
Ramesh R	May 3
Morgen Elizabeth Wettergren	May 4
Kanthimathi Sundaram	May 4
Valarmathi J	May 4
Jenisha Lloyd	May 5
Hannah Priyadarshini	May 6
Gayathri Suresh	May 7
Geetha Venugopal	May 8
Lakshmi Vijayaraghavan	May 11
Lisa Daniels	May 12
Lisa Levi	May 12
Devendra Kushwaha	May 17
Keeley Tagtmeyer	May 17
So Yeon Lee	May 17
Nigel John Holdsworth	May 19
Paramananatham G	May 19
Martina Nargunam	May 20
Nicholas Pollman	May 20
Padma S	May 20
Barakathunnisa Begum	May 20
Albert Finny James	May 22
Vinitha Rajkumar	May 22
Liza Mathews	May 22
James Dowling	May 24
Marcus Gostelow	May 27
Sathish M	May 28
Linda Gerberich	May 29
Sonia David	May 31

Weekly Wellness Blog: Wednesday, April 22nd 2020

Weekly Wellness Blog: Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020

It is Wednesday and we are halfway through the week. We are also half way through our ten weeks of virtual learning. How are you doing? Have you established new routines for yourselves? Is it getting easier? Is it getting harder? Now would be a great time to self reflect, and don't forget that you can write a reflection about this experience as part of your PGE this year. Please see emails from Dan and your sectional principal for more information about your optional reflection letters.

Now is also a great time to go back through these Wellness Blog posts. Double check the available (online) events & suggestions from previous weeks. Are you interested in online classes? WhatsApp Groups? Personal challenges? Look through some of the suggestions and offerings from colleagues, friends around the globe, and trusted websites. Please, comment on this Wellness Blog with more ideas that you might have. Do you have something that you'd be willing to share virtually with our community? Do you have any suggestions for things we can do virtually to keep our close-knit community positive and together while we are apart? Please reach out via comments or emailing Keeley so that we can feature you in some upcoming blog posts! 

Food Suggestions! What to Order

Let's share some new, or well-loved restaurants that are delivering! What have you tried? What do you recommend? Share in the comments below or send Keeley a WhatsApp or an email.

Persian Bowl

Recommended by: Dee

Free home delivery 

For menu please call : Shiraz art cafe 00919840572126

Ciro's Pizzeria

Recommended by: Remy

on Zomato!

For menu please see your Zomato App or click this link

Upcoming (Online) Events & Suggestions!

Operation Appreciation - Coming Soon!
Operation Appreciation...

...is still happening! Be on the lookout later this week for an email outlining the first ever Virtual Operation Appreciation. Your participation is not mandatory, but we would love to have everyone participate.
Cheers-
Priya and Sarah 

Cooking with Priya!
Would you like to broaden your cooking abilities? Priya Venugopal is sharing her passion and talents via YouTube. Please subscribe to her YouTube channel and watch her tutorials in her kitchen!

Priya's YouTube Channel

Oh Scrap!

Are you interested in helping local community members create masks for essential workers? See the flyer below for details.

Free! Cappy Junior Titans Kids Sports Academy, From Martina

Are you interested in getting your kids to be a bit more sporty during quarantine? Martina suggests this Cappy Junior Titans Kids Sports Academy - with free virtual Zoom classes! They are conducting free fitness sessions on Zoom Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 4.45 pm. 

Join with Meeting ID: 8423654386 and Password: 954820.

See flyer for more information:

Organizations that Need Support - A Growing List

Our list of reputable charities here in India is growing by the day! Some of them are local Chennai charities, where many people in our community volunteer. Others are national relief funds. They are all organizations that need support!

I am continuing to build this resource for our community. If you know of another reputable source that you would like me to add to this growing list, please comment on this post or send me a private email. I will continue to add charities as we receive more information.

Repeated & Ongoing Suggestions: 

Wellbeing Resource from Jen Gold

Wellbeing During Distance Learning

This link includes a plethora of ideas to help you through distance learning and social distancing. Remember, we can be together...apart.

Free Mindfulness Meditation Course with Tara Brach

Mindfulness Daily can help you establish or deepen your practice. It is a FREE 40-day mindfulness course that (Tara Brach) leads together with Jack Kornfield. 

Lisa Daniels especially recommends this video of Tara Brach's Facing Pandemic Fear with an Awake Heart - on YouTube

Work Outs & Personal Training with Jen Thomas

No gym? No problem!

During the quarantine period, Jen Thomas Fitness is uploading a new 12-minute at-home circuit to her Instagram page, every day! 

Her circuits are full body and fun to do! 

All you need is:

- a timer app on your phone 

- a set of dumbbells

- resistance bands

Check her out at http://instagram.com/jenthomasfitness

Jen Thomas also offers online Personal Training programs that you can do at home. 

Virtual Yoga and Meditation with Nora Lim

Nora is offering some of her classes online! Please visit her website at www.thinkoffthemat.com to see her timings and her codes to join via Zoom.

April Birthdays!

Miriam Chakko	April 1
Uma Mahesh	April 1
Deepa Jacob	April 6
Deborah Allen	April 7
David Allen	April 7
Kala Ganeshan	April 9
Chandramouli V	April 10
Hannah Rajendran	April 10
Suvitha R	April 11
Sweety Jayakar	April 11
Sherriden Masters	April 12
Renato Dezonne	April 13
Scott Steven Stier	April 15
Sriraman C	April 15
Sarah Sahr	April 18
Calley Connelly	April 19
Cory Milone	April 20
Jessy David	April 26
Gurunathan G	April 28
Gemma Adderley	April 28

Weekly Wellness Blog: Wednesday, April 15th 2020

Weekly Wellness Blog: Wednesday, April 15th, 2020

How are you doing? I want you to reflect upon your response to that question. Rather than just saying the typical and ingrained "fine, how are you?" response, think deeply about how you are doing today. How do you feel? Why? How have you connected with someone today? This collective experience is very out of the norm and, most days, the answer to the question "how are you?" is probably much more complex than "fine". Reach out to loved ones, check on each other, and be extra-sensitive to the changing complex emotions and anxieties that we are all cycling through.

There are so many things out there because, all around the world, people are coming together while living apart. There are silly challenges on social media platforms, there are more than 50 skills you can acquire for free from home, movies that you can stream, home improvements you make, home workouts you can challenge yourself to accomplish, and chores that you can productively finish. But, above all these optional ways of occupying any free time that you may have, please remember to focus on your well-being and your mental health. Some days, you might have an amazing workout, finish grading all your assignments, and clean your whole house while other days you might be lucky if you managed a shower and met your basic needs. Be kind to yourself as you navigate this new territory of lockdown and social distancing. Share your suggestions of things that you have done during quarantine! 

Have you been catching up on some series and movies? Here is a list from Business Insider of their top nine shows available for streaming. Do you agree with their list? What would you add or take away? 

Upcoming (Online) Events & Suggestions!

Duolingo: Learn or Practice a New Language!

Have you thought about learning a new language? Have you heard of Duolingo? It's a free app and website that can help you. There are more than 27 languages currently on Duolingo, including Klingnon. https://www.duolingo.com/ 

Sweet Sora Reads! (From Babs)

Sora Sweet Reads

From April 15th-July 31st Sora is offering up a variety of children's, middle grade, and young adult reads - stories so great, you'll want seconds! These books are being made available to unlimited, simultaneous users, so read on!

Organizations that Need Support - A Growing List

Our list of reputable charities here in India is growing by the day! Some of them are local Chennai charities, where many people in our community volunteer. Others are national relief funds. They are all organizations that need support!

I am continuing to build this resource for our community. If you know of another reputable source that you would like me to add to this growing list, please comment on this post or send me a private email. I will continue to add charities as we receive more information.

Repeated & Ongoing Suggestions: 

Wellbeing Resource from Jen Gold

Wellbeing During Distance Learning

This link includes a plethora of ideas to help you through distance learning and social distancing. Remember, we can be together...apart.

Free Mindfulness Meditation Course with Tara Brach

Mindfulness Daily can help you establish or deepen your practice. It is a FREE 40-day mindfulness course that (Tara Brach) leads together with Jack Kornfield. 

Lisa Daniels especially recommends this video of Tara Brach's Facing Pandemic Fear with an Awake Heart - on YouTube

Work Outs & Personal Training with Jen Thomas

No gym? No problem!

During the quarantine period, Jen Thomas Fitness is uploading a new 12-minute at-home circuit to her Instagram page, every day! 

Her circuits are full body and fun to do! 

All you need is:

- a timer app on your phone 

- a set of dumbbells

- resistance bands

Check her out at http://instagram.com/jenthomasfitness

Jen Thomas also offers online Personal Training programs that you can do at home. 

Virtual Yoga and Meditation with Nora Lim

Nora is offering some of her classes online! Please visit her website at www.thinkoffthemat.com to see her timings and her codes to join via Zoom.

April Birthdays!

Miriam Chakko	April 1
Uma Mahesh	April 1
Deepa Jacob	April 6
Deborah Allen	April 7
David Allen	April 7
Kala Ganeshan	April 9
Chandramouli V	April 10
Hannah Rajendran	April 10
Suvitha R	April 11
Sweety Jayakar	April 11
Sherriden Masters	April 12
Renato Dezonne	April 13
Scott Steven Stier	April 15
Sriraman C	April 15
Sarah Sahr	April 18
Calley Connelly	April 19
Cory Milone	April 20
Jessy David	April 26
Gurunathan G	April 28
Gemma Adderley	April 28