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A friend who is also a yoga teacher recently honored me with an invitation to teach Optimal Movement to her students..  She’d been excited about the Feldenkrais Method in general, and my work specifically, because it’s specifically designed to help over-50 women who struggle with balance and stability.  She thought this work would help her people with their standing poses (she also wanted a chance to get on the floor herself!)

Well we did the class last Saturday. It was such a pleasure to teach this group. When they stood up after the lesson to notice differences, some of them looked amazed. “All my pain is gone!”, one called out. Another emailed me the next day to say

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Spring is here! After the long winter, I long to get out for a walk… see the tulips, smell the cherry blossoms. I want to dig in the garden, spread mulch…get a jump on that shot-weed! You might want to take your grandkids to see the baby animals at the zoo.
 

But maybe walking is not that comfortable these days…(especially when you have to hurry to keep up with walking partners or chase kids). Maybe not that safe either. You’ve been falling and it  hurts…not only physically, but emotionally too. How embarrassing. You were always the capable one, the helpful one…when did you get so clumsy? 
 

Maybe you saw your mom’s health deteriorate as she got more and more sedentary. What a slippery slope. And she had YOU to take care of her…who do you have in the wings? And how long will they be there? I’ve been there. I realized I had to stop that trajectory now! But how?


I used to dance to stay fit, but every injury from every fall took me out for days, weeks, months, and I never got back to 100%.  What if every activity that lights you up and keeps you fit, makes you hurt  (if not immediately, then surely the next day). You might be used to working through pain, but now it’s just not worth it. And you’d like to stop popping pain pills.  
 

Physical Therapy helped right after the last fall, but then the insurance stopped covering it.  And you haven’t really gotten the old confidence back. It feels like you must watch every step you take, and this makes you wobblier then ever.
 

Maybe you try yoga or pilates to improve your balance, but always seem to over-do, and take forever to recover. You’re sick of being out of commission.
 

Working out at the gym…yeah, No. Painful and boring. It’s hard enough to do the things you want to do, much less the things you don’t. Still, you feel guilty and scared about not going, because you know it’s “move it or lose it”.  More and more it feels like you’re doomed to feel bad, in order to feel good. 
 

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  
 

What’s needed is a way to repair the nervous system, which got damaged and distorted when you got injured. Building muscle only goes so far to improve balance. In fact, Muscular holding patterns seriously interfere with balance and cause wear and tear on the joints, as well. This is why the more we fall, the more we TEND to fall…or sprain an ankle, or whatever your preferred repetitive injury.
 

But we can take advantage of neuroplasticity, the brain’s natural way of healing. Doing gentle movements, with focused awareness, creates new neuropathways…literally re-maps the brain for better function, balance and stability. It can be relaxing, easy…even blissful.  Many of my students think of these lessons as a moving meditation.
 

In 2009, I could no longer walk or work. My professional chef world came crashing down, and I had no idea what I would do to support myself. The Alexander Technique and The Feldenkrais Method got me back on my feet. To dancing, walking…Living. I received professional certification in Mind Body Studies, the work of Moshe Feldenkrais. My purpose now, is to help people regain stability and confidence, by releasing the patterns that block their natural balance and Flow.
 

I designed the Balance for Boomers specifically for women over 50 who struggle with balance and stability. They simply can’t do the “no pain/no gain” thing anymore…there’s already more than enough pain. They long to get back to doing what they love, keeps them fit and optimistic about their future.
 

I’m offering a series of 3 Balance for Boomers workshops this Spring: April 27th, May 18th, and June 15th. Each 3-hour class provides a safe environment to experiment with gravity without pain or fear of falling. To find out more, click here