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What’s your relationship with learning look like? Are you a reader? Do you take online courses? Go to lectures? Listen to audiobooks or podcasts? Attend workshops? And once you’ve got the gist of something, what do you find is the best method to stay sharp? The old saw claims that practice makes perfect, or that 10,000 hours devoted to anything will make a master out of you.

But really, memorization and practice can only go so far. What I’ve found, and what modern science seems to be proving, is that the best way to really learn something is to teach it to other people. There’s something about helping someone else get started that flips a switch in our brains and anchors the knowledge in a deeper way.

So if you just find ways to share your knowledge by teaching, you’ll shortcut the 10,000 hours and become much more masterful at whatever you do. In today’s world there’s more options than ever for sharing your knowledge. Your opportunities run the gamut from volunteering at a local school or community center, coaching or mentoring an individual one-on-one, or taking the high-tech route and creating a webinar or online group training.

For me, teaching fulfills the need that I have to be in service. It just kills me when I see people struggling with the basics of practice building, and I find great joy in helping my one-on-one clients become fluent in the art of communication. And it’s exciting to guide them in doing things that are in alignment with my goals, like doing book projects or developing public speaking careers.

Ironically enough, I am not technically a “movement facilitator”… My background prior to the launch of Conscious Dancer magazine only had one phase of teaching, and that was instructing aspiring sculptors and designers in the ABC’s of welding and metal fabrication at The Crucible in Oakland. I had been a DJ since the mid 90s, coining the term “conscious dance” as a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for my DJ practice on my business cards in 2005. Little did I know then that it would become the umbrella term for an entire movement.

Beyond instruction, the most important thing I can do for you as a teacher is to instill belief. Showing you how to do something is one thing, helping you believe you can succeed at it is another. One thing I’ve come to believe myself over the years is that success is inevitable—as long as you do two things. Never give up, and keep doing the necessary work on yourself.

You folks are my life work! If you’re a Dance First member and we haven’t caught up lately, a movement leader interested in working with me to grow your practice, or a facilitator curious about the benefits ofDance First, please visit my booking page and schedule a meeting with me right away.

Much love, and happy moving!

DANCE FIRST SPOTLIGHT : 5Rhythms Smartphone App!

DANCE FIRST SPOTLIGHT

Good news in the World of Waves today! Gabrielle Roth would most certainly be delighted to see the latest development for 5Rhythms fans, there’s a new app available for your smartphone that enables you to locate a class or teacher anywhere in the world at the tap of a finger!

Hats off to Jonathan, Morgan, Arthur, and the entire 5Rhythm’s inner circle for all of their hard work and dedication to bring this valuable tool to life! Not only can you find a class or workshop near you, you can also keep track of your favorite events and teachers, enjoy In-Home Practice tracks, watch an extensive 5Rhythms video series including wisdom from Gabrielle herself, and access the entire Raven Recordings library on iTunes.

I remember how much Gabrielle enjoyed her then-new iPhone towards the later years of her life, I would get emails from her sent on it in her signature all-lower-case style. I can well imagine that she envisioned an app like this for the 5R’s tribe early on. This app is clean, professional, and extremely well done — very much in keeping with the overall 5Rhythms aesthetic that she made her life work perfecting. Congratulations my dear 5R’s friends! Keep riding the waves into the future!

Visit the App Store of your choice, and install the 5Rhythms App on your device today!

5Rhythms App for iPhone

5Rhythms App for Android

PS: Bay Area 5R’s fans—don’t miss Jonathan Horan’s rare upcoming Heartbeat workshop in San Francisco this coming weekend!

Heartbeat :: 5Rhythms with Jonathan Horan
Aug 26-28, San Francisco, CA

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