Everything She Wants

In her essay, " African Dance is Medicine for the Mind, Body and Spirit ," dancer, teacher and choreographer Cherie Hill wrote, "The more I perform African dance, the more I discover and enjoy euphoria. When the drums are beating and the body is dancing everything fits in sync and I feel limitless and powerful."   Photo by Nate Palmer                                                                                                                         Hill is honored with a portrait by Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway that's on display   at the  BAM Howard Gilman Opera House  during the annual  DanceAfrica Festival ...

Summer is a time to relax, rejuvenate and explore the great outdoors. It's also a great time to reflect, tune in and nurture your mind, body and spirit. Fittingly, my first post for the relaunch of  Everything She Wants  spotlights YogaOutlet , a specialized multi-branded online yoga retailer offering a broad selection of yoga brands and yoga-inspired products to all levels of yogis. This spring, I got my Zen on at a blissful mini-retreat -- complete with classes, workshops and a yoga wear trends preview of trends like florals, cut-outs, pastel colors, distressed fabrics, and more. The event was  hosted by the e-tailer at the posh 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge  in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Yoga instructor, Sara Clark. I was gifted fab swag from luxe brands including Spiritual Gangster, Onzie, NUX and Beyond Yoga. To test out our new yoga wear, bloggers and media guests participated in two energizing yoga classes, one led by super yoga instructor,  Sara Cla...

I'm not usually a gym girl. But thanks to the dynamic dance-aerobics-fest that is Zumba , I'm a proud, card carrying member of my local  YMCA . Led by uber-perky instructor Alma Bonilla , each 60-minute Zumba class feels more like a Latin dance party than a calorie-crunching cardio workout. Salsa , merengue, and Samba steps intertwine with the grapevine, Tae Bo jabs, and hip-hop moves. Super Alma teaches four frenetic Zumba classes a week at the Atlantic Avenue Y (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday). Everything She Wants Tip : If you're in the area, you can try Zumba for free every Sunday through August 22 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. at Brooklyn Bridge Park .