01/13/2024
Years ago, when I was beginning my journey out of pain after my two car accidents, I had no idea how my postural patterns had contributed to the discomfort I was feeling.
I had a vague understanding that I was knock-kneed and that I turned out my feet (years of ballet trained that pattern). I did know that when I use to lie down on my back on a massage table my arms flopped out to the sides because my shoulders were so tight.
I knew I fell off of my ankles all the time and that I tended to hit my head getting in and out of cars.
I thought that painful feet, knees and shoulders were just a part of being human. Something one had to endure.
I did not know that these were patterns that I could retrain over time or that they were partially to blame for the chronic pain I was experiencing. I really didn't believe it was possible until it started to happen little by little. When I began to add nervous system drills the healing improved exponentially.
A doctor told me I'd always be in pain because my injuries were soft tissue damage and he didn't have any way to help me. I took that to heart and just excepted that the pain would not go away even as I grew stronger and more flexible and progressed through my Pilates training.
This was years before we all had professional level cameras in our pockets so even if I'd wanted to I wouldn't have been able to document my progress like I can for my students now.
I would love to pull out a picture of my posture when I first started practicing Pilates to show as well as tell my students the challenges I've overcome.
Even though the ultimate test is the way we feel, it's nice to have a visual. It can really help the nervous system understand the changes that we're working toward. And the after picture gives you motivation to incorporate the changes into your daily tasks so you don't slide back into old patterns.
It took me many years and thousands of dollars to find the right mentors, therapists, colleagues and certificates to give me the next piece of the puzzle.
Now I feel better than ever at 60 because I know how to relax out of my tension patterns moment to moment in my everyday life. I'm telling you, it's more important than all the Pilates and CoreAlign workouts.
It also allows me to try new activities and remain pain-free afterward.
I can dance for hours, try a butt-kicking new exercise class, ski hard for that one glorious day a year, go on a challenging hike - all without the stiffness and pain I would've felt in my 30's and 40's.
My new group coaching program, Kitchen Dancer, puts all the things I've learned over the past 30 years of practicing Pilates and being a movement teacher with a specialization in functional movement and gait into a program that's easy and fun to implement.
I want to share it with you now - to give you a shortcut through what I spent years and thousands of dollars learning. I believe with just a few moments of awareness and one or two small shifts a day, you'll begin to understand how you can move back into ease over and over again as you go about your day.
We start on Wednesday the 17th, I hope you're considering making the investment in yourself (less than $40 a week this first time) and join me for an exploration that can make a real difference in the way you move and feel everyday.
Click the link in the comments to learn more and sign up:
p.s. I call the program Kitchen Dancer not because we'll dance in our kitchens (I will but you don't have to!) but because I want your everyday movements to feel as joyful and full of ease as gliding across the dance floor.
Questions? I'd love to answer them, leave a comment or DM me. I'd love to hear from you.
