Astarte Mind & Body

13/03/2026

A lovely morning facilitating an art workshop for Seniors Week at the Blackbutt Youth Centre today. Thank you to everyone who came along. I hope you enjoyed the process. 😊

11/03/2026

No matter how organised or well curated ones plans are, there are always some random spanners that work their way into the mix.
All we can do is take a breath ... and remember to exhale ... and then breathe again.

And so I continue living in hope while accepting that life can change in an instant. I am practicing my "whatever" attitude with a teen inspired shrug and wave. 🤷‍♀️

10/03/2026

In today's class we focused on how to achieve muted colours, as well as experimenting with creating different patterns and textures.
Workshops are all about learning, breaking out of ones comfort zone, and enjoying the process of exploration and play.

09/03/2026

Relaxercise is not your average fitness class. It is a mind body class integrating somatic principles, functional movement, mobility training, and energy medicine practices.
It forces you to slow down and experience movement, breathe more deeply, explore your range of motion, and also surrender.
These are just a few screen shots from the head-tail section of the six levels of whole body connectivity. It may look weird, but it feels so good. 😊

08/03/2026

Learn the art of watercolour painting. Explore your own creativity. Take time out for some art as therapy.

04/03/2026

Moving to online teaching was a massive step for me, and also a forced one as it was the only way I could maintain the consistency of my classes during lockdown.
When the dust finally settled after lockdown two, I was left without a studio and with online teaching being my only option.
I initially received quite a bit of pushback from clients who were used to the live class experience, and also had a significant percentage leave to seek alternatives, which I completely understood. I was initially extremely resistant too.
However, over the last five years I have discovered a new appreciation for the convenience, clarity of delivery, and bonuses that online teaching provides for my participants.
I have noticed a shift in my clients too, with many opting for an online option even when live classes are offered. Sometimes it's a time issue, sometimes it's a distance or travel issue, and other times it's simply the weather that forces a decision.
I also record all our classes so enrolled members can access classes any time to catch up or revise content, something that live classes don't offer.
Of course, online learning is not for everyone, but in terms of convenience it's a winner for many.
What's been your experience of online learning?

03/03/2026

Take a look at these beautiful herons and ibis in progress from our final Australian Birds in watercolour workshop.
Today we worked with masking fluid and graduated colour techniques to begin, and pulled all our skills together to create the bird.
They look so good together.

02/03/2026

I opened a new bank account yesterday and one of the questions required me to list my occupation. I was actually really stuck on what to write. How do I sum up in one word what it is that I actually do for a living? I used to put Personal Trainer as that was the majority of my income, but I never felt comfortable with the title or the stereotypical images and impressions that surrounded it.
I don't do personal training anymore, instead focusing on my three streams of mind body focused classes, art classes, and dance and drumming classes.
After some consideration I put down my occupation as Dance Teacher. However, it still doesn't really sum up what I do for a living.
What do I do? Who am I? What do I really offer?
How can it be summed up in one description that actually fits options on a list?
It's a conundrum for all multi-passionate entrepeneurs!

26/02/2026

Change doesn't occur just through major leaps but through a series of small steps. I need to remind myself of this whenever I feel overwhelmed by a task or a goal.

18/02/2026

I've always been a believer.

17/02/2026

Today's subject matter was the rainbow lorikeet, a very tricky bird to paint with so many different vibrant colours and textures. We explored the technique of scratching in and also how to integrate watercolour pencils to help create texture and tone.
Thank you to John Alessi for allowing us to use your photograph as a reference.

14/02/2026

I think Chat GPT has ADHD.

ChatGPT just lost a chess match to a 1977 Atari console.
Even on beginner mode, it struggled against the decades-old AI engine.
ChatGPT hit a humbling roadblock—losing badly in a game of chess to an Atari 2600 from 1977.
In a now-viral LinkedIn post, Citrix software engineer Robert Caruso recounted how the modern AI chatbot was "absolutely wrecked" by Atari Chess, a primitive game engine that only thinks one to two moves ahead.
Even on beginner mode, ChatGPT fumbled its way through the match, confusing pieces, misreading moves, and losing track of the board state entirely—blunders that would embarrass even a novice.
The irony?
While ChatGPT floundered with abstract visuals and insisted it could win with a restart, the Atari’s rudimentary 8-bit system calmly calculated its next moves, delivering a crushing defeat with no frills or fanfare.
The showdown highlights a striking contrast between brute-force logic and generative language intelligence—suggesting that even cutting-edge AI can be outplayed by decades-old tech when it steps out of its comfort zone.
Chalk one up for retro resilience.