 If you watch POSE or American Horror Stories then you might be familiar with Angelica Ross who plays Candy and Nurse Rita respectively. She is a trans woman, an actress, a transgender rights advocate, and a self-taught computer programmer who founded TransTech - a firm that helps employ transgender people in the tech industry. Founded in 2014, TransTech offers free career prep and courses on everything from coding to public speaking, as well as mentorship.
Before Ross began her career in acting, she was a webmaster for an adult website and taught herself skills such as photography and graphic design just from watching online video tutorials. As she began doing more work to customize the site, she eventually taught herself to code too. Currently, Ross has been working on getting more LGBTQ+ centers across the country to become TransTech hubs. Prior to the pandemic, members could access the space Monday through Saturday and use that time to look for jobs, connect with mentors, or access systems to help them find freelance, remote work during their transition process. To learn more about TransTech and support its mission, please visit Transtechsocial.org.
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 You may know her as a former professional golf player, but Maya Reddy is also the Founder and CEO of Queer Asian Social Club and an LGBTQ+ activist.
A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, Maya was captain of the Varsity Golf Team and a three-time NCAA All American. She turned professional in 2015, played on the Cactus and National Women’s Golf Association Tours, and gained status on the Symetra Tour before having to take a step back from the sport due to its exclusive culture and the many harmful bigoted experiences she endured. As a result of that culture, Maya focused her pain on fighting for and becoming an advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusive policies in sports, working closely with organizations like Athlete Ally. Today, Maya is dedicated to fighting for LGBTQ+ inclusive policies in sports and intends to use her J.D. to strengthen that work in inclusive policy formation, advocacy, and litigation defending trans and queer folks in athletics and elsewhere. What an inspiration!  It's hard to celebrate Pride Month without mentioning Vogue, and no, we're not talking about the magazine! Vogue, or voguing originated in the late 1980s and came from the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s.
William Roscoe Leake, also known as Willi Ninja, and the "Godfather of Voguing", and the Father of the House of Ninja, was very much a part of that scene. I first heard of him in the iconic 1990s documentary, Paris is Burning, which is on Netflix. The documentary focuses on drag queens living in NYC and their "house" culture (family) that provided a sense of community. Willi was a self-taught dancer and even though he did not create this expression of dance, he perfected it and worked on refining it with clean, sharp movements. His influence can still be seen today. Kemetic hieroglyphics, the young Michael Jackson, Fred Astaire, Olympic gymnasts, and Asian culture inspired his movements. It was through the House of Ninja that voguing moved from the underground ballroom scene to appearances in mainstream media. House of Ninja has had a fruitful history in the entertainment and fashion industries, even appearing in Madonna's Vogue music video. In the 1990s, House of Ninja began collaborating with major fashion designers including Malcolm McLaren to teach models — notably supermodels Naomi Campbell and Iman — about posture, movement, and posing through the art of Vogue. If you're interested in learning more about the ballroom dance scene, watch POSE on FX. It's a great to show celebrate Pride Month!  Today marks the start of Pride Month! To honor those who have played a pivotal role in pushing for LGBTQIA+ equality, I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite queer trailblazers for the month of June.
You can’t acknowledge Pride Month without mentioning Marsha P. Johnson, a Black, trans, bisexual woman, who lead the movement with protest and clashes for six days at the Stonewall Inn. On June 28, 1969 in New York City, police raided the gay club in Greenwich Village, which resulted in bar patrons, staff, and neighborhood residents rioting into Christopher Street outside. The protestors demanded the establishment of places where LGBT+ people could go and be open about their sexual orientation without fear of arrest. Pride Month is largely credited as being started by bisexual activist Brenda Howard, also known as ‘The Mother of Pride’. She organized Gay Pride Week and the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade a year after the Stonewall Riots. This eventually became what we now know as the New York City Pride March and was the catalyst for the formation of similar parades and marches around the world.  What is your core? Your core muscles are the muscles deep within the abdominals and back, attaching to the spine or pelvis. Some of these muscles include the transversus abdominis, the muscles of the pelvic floor, the oblique muscles, and the multifidus; this is a deep back muscle that runs along the spine.
Most people either have lower or upper back pain, mostly caused by improperly functioning core muscles. Having a solid core creates a foundation for all activities. All our movements are powered by the torso – the abdominals and back working together to support the spine when we sit, stand, bend over, exercise, and more. Try these four exercises 2 to 3 times a week for 30-60 seconds for 3-5 sets.
 Remember this month I'm focusing on the power of correcting your body mechanic, also known as ergonomics, and the importance of taking micro-breaks regularly throughout your day
Let's dive into releasing the constant tension we place on our lower body- hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and lower back You might think it doesn't do much for you and your time could be better spent on "real" workouts like doing cardio or strength training, but stretching is an important part of any workout routine. Not only does it help increase flexibility, deepen the range of motion in your workout, but it's also relaxing! Try these four movements 2-3 times a day for 3-5 full belly breaths. figure 4 hip stretch hip and hamstring stretch standing quad stretch lower back stretch Cheers, Tiana  Your spine is the backbone of your ability to move, sleep, and function properly. Almost every movement originates from it and without a healthy spine, everyday tasks like sitting up straight, bending over to picking up objects, or walking can be really difficult and painful.
Natural human movement is executed in all three dimensions/planes of movement: saggital, frontal, and transverse. The saggital plane is forward and backward movements like leg movement with walking, the frontal plane is sideways movement like jumping jacks, and the transverse plane is a rotational movement like rotating your shoulder during a throwing motion. Thus, multiplanar training is important because many will focus on one or two dimensions but neglect the other. Below, I've provided a few exercises that you can do 2-3 times a day for 3-5 full belly breaths. Please comment below if you have any comments or questions!  Hey y'all,
I can't believe it's May! I'm looking forward to hanging out on my patio and admiring the beautiful flowers. After all, isn't that what April showers promised us? This month I'm going to focus on the power of correcting your body mechanic, also known as ergonomics, and the importance of taking mico-breaks regularly throughout your day, which can increase your engagement and reduce fatigue. As always, please consult with your doctor first if you have any injuries, illnesses, or other medical conditions before performing any of our suggestions below. Over the month of May we'll discuss the following topics each week- Spinal Health. Your spine is the backbone of your ability to move, sleep and function properly. Without a healthy spine, everyday tasks like sitting, bending over, or walking can be really difficult and/or painful. Lower Body Mobility. Tension, lack of range of motion, or weak muscles in your lower body can contribute to lower back pain, restless leg syndrome, and improper muscle compensation. Core Strengthening. Strengthening the abdominals and back muscles will help improve your posture, form when exercising, and prevent a "hunch back". Whether you're working a four or twelve hour shift, remotely or not, it's important to learn how to take better care of your body. Where the body goes, the mind and spirit will follow! Cheers, Tiana Over the last few weeks, we focused on reflexology by identifying the pressure points on your hands, feet, and ears, and how they are connected to certain organs and body systems. Each pressure point offers a range of health benefits such as improving indigestion, reducing stress and anxiety, to easing arthritis pain. Below is a quick recap and please remember, if you are pregnant consult with your physician first.  Lung Meridian (hand) You can find your lung meridian pressure point by looking at the edge of your hand. It runs from the tip of your thumb down along the side of your hand, ending just beneath the crease of your wrist. Run your finger along this line. If you find a sore spot along the line, reflexologists say you should gently massage it until it feels better. This may help relieve any cold symptoms, such as chills, sneezing, runny nose, and sore throat.  Urinary bladder 67 (foot) This area is on the corner of the pinky toe right near the toenail. If this point becomes blocked, Qi (vital energy) can back up along the pathway which in this case includes the calves, hamstrings, hips, sacrum, back, neck, top of the head, and eyes. Gently pressing on this area with your thumb and index finger (as if pinching your toe) helps eliminate both interior and exterior wind, clears headaches, and adjusts blurred vision.  Ear-gate (ear)
This pressure point is located directly in front of where your earlobe begins. Reflexology on this point is used to relieve the pressure that builds up around your jaw and in your ears. This could make it effective in treating tinnitus, ear infections, earache, tension headache, and migraine. Apply pressure to both lobes simultaneously. Did you know there are reflexology points on the ear? Earaches are sometimes caused by sinus inflammation, which can make your ears feel stuffed up or cause painful throbbing around your temples and behind your ear. Applying pressure on these areas has been used as a remedy for pain and pressure in your ears and head.
A common issue that is related to the ears, but also the jaw is called TMJ disorder, also known as a temporomandibular joint disorder. TMJ acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull and you have one joint on each side of your jaw. Wind Screen This point can be found right behind your earlobe. Stimulating this point with reflexology may relieve ears that feel "stuffed," as well as help to relieve tinnitus (when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears) and migraine. It’s more sensitive than other points so apply a light touch. Ear-gate This pressure point is located directly in front of where your earlobe begins. Reflexology on this point is used to relieve the pressure that builds up around your jaw and in your ears. This could make it effective in treating tinnitus, ear infections, earache, tension headache, and migraine. Apply pressure to both lobes simultaneously. Daith This point is located on the top part of the innermost cartilage of your outer ear. Some people find this pressure point to be effective at treating migraines that they get a piercing at the daith to stimulate it. Stimulate this pressure point to relieve migraine headaches as well as tension and cluster headache. |
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