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Ready, Reset, Go!
The holidays are over. The decorations that we were so eager to put up in early December outstayed their welcome and are stowed away until it’s time to be excited about them again. In between holiday festivities, I did a whole lot of relaxing. I read, I watched television, I napped, I walked the dog, I went to the gym, I went out to lunch with friends. Nothing too strenuous. Sure, I could have done more and had some real accomplishments under my belt over these past couple of weeks. Instead, I went at a snail’s pace or slower. The period between Christmas and the New Year is known to be a bit of a dead zone when it comes to work-related productivity, and I really killed it with my dedication to slothfulness. Normally, I would feel guilty about doing next to nothing for days on end. As a body at rest, I really made the most of my inertia. I needed the reset, and now I’m ready to be a body in motion again. Whether you were a busy bee or a slug or somewhere in between, I hope you feel a sense of renewal as we start 2025. Let’s get rolling!
Stay safe and healthy,
Tracy Jacobs
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Important Dates
- Registration opens: February 4
- Session I: March 3–28
- Session II: April 7–May 2
Class will not be held March 31–April 4
Note: Schedule subject to change.
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Osher Gentle Flow Yoga with Tammy O’Donnell
January 16–February 27
Thursdays 10–11 a.m.
401 Washington Avenue (Towson University Building), Room 360
Registrants will receive directions and parking information via email prior to the first session. Advanced registration required.
This class will combine a series of yoga postures through a gentler, lighter paced flow. Emphasis will be on proper alignment and breath work to build strength, flexibility, and balance. Postures will include standing, seated, and reclined positions. Although this class is appropriate for beginners, students should be capable of moving with relative ease from standing to seated on the floor and from the floor to standing. Students should also expect poses which position their head below their heart such as in a forward fold as well as have a level of comfort practicing standing balance poses.
Tammy O'Donnell is a 200 Hour YTT and Iron Yoga certified instructor. She currently teaches Vinyasa Flow, Hatha Yoga and Yoga Sculpt at Razz Yoga Studio in Jacksonville MD and OneLife Fitness in Hunt Valley MD. She holds an MS in Organizational Development from Johns Hopkins University and worked for Proctor and Gamble, GBMC, and MedStar Health in areas of leadership development, team dynamics, and change management across her 30-year career. Yoga is a key component of Tammy's personal wellness practices. It provides the physical, mental, and emotional focus that allows her to achieve her goals and to be her best self. Tammy wants people in her classes to experience strength in movement, peacefulness in stillness, and a greater connection to their bodies.
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Comedy vs. The Apocalypse with David Misch
Wednesday, January 15 at 1:00 p.m.
Zoom
Nowadays everyone’s inbox is filled with memes, cartoons, and jokes about our continuing political, economic, and environmental disasters. And even though each joke is another reminder of a horrible situation, we laugh. Why? Because we must; laughter is critical in terrible times because it reminds us we can still feel joy, and that the purpose of life is to do more than just survive. No matter the circumstances, people always crave what author Phillip Pullman calls “the value of simple delight.” We will look at how comedy fights tragedy with a different kind of distancing: lightening frightening things by making them seem ridiculous. And laughter’s benefits are more than just psychological. Physicians have long known that humor has real health effects. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” says no less an authority than God (Proverbs 17:22). From examples that include Mel Brooks, Samuel Beckett, Sarah Silverman, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, and Key & Peele see how comedy has always laughed at tragedy – from the Black Death to the Holocaust to 9/11—how it is happening now and how humor can help us make it to tomorrow.
David Misch wrote and produced stage and screen comedy for more than 40 years; his credits include “Mork and Mindy,” “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” and "Saturday Night Live.” He’s also an author, playwright, songwriter, recovered stand-up comic, and teacher. He has spoken at the Smithsonian Institution, 92 Y, Yale, Columbia, the American Film Institute, Grammy Museum, Sony Pictures, Oxford University, Austin Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival (London), and many other venues.
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The Towson University Office of Alumni Relations invites all Osher members to participate in these amazing travel programs in 2025 and 2026.
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Support Osher at Towson University. Your tax-deductible contribution helps to provide a rich experience for our members and a vibrant, affordable program for years to come.
Donate online through the link below. If you prefer to donate by check, please make check payable to “Towson University Foundation, Inc.” and note Osher fund in the memo line. Mail to: Towson University Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 17165, Baltimore, MD 21297-0219.
If you would like to honor a friend or loved one with a donation in their memory, please consider supporting Osher at Towson University with a gift to the Osher Excellence Fund.
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