Ease Your Neck & Shoulders – Live Online
Easy and effective relief from neck and shoulder pain without drugs or surgery, in the comfort of your own home. 6-weeks, 12 sessions, with replays. No equipment needed. Starts January 11th learn more
Better Balance Over 50 – Live Online
August 27, 2020 by
Better Balance Over 50 – Live Online
Improve balance, agility and core strength with no stain/no pain. This series starts November 16th. Please click here to find out more.
Balance for Boomers Late Summer
August 9, 2019 by
Balance and Stability for Boomers
Sundays – 10 – 11:30 am
Semi-private classes, on-going through December 2019
Click here to find out more
Late Summer-Night’s Dream
August 9, 2019 by
I hope you got a chance to check out the perseids meteor shower and the spectacular full moon this week!
Last week I announced a new series of Optimal Movement classes, and many of you have asked about specific dates…after all, Labor Day is coming up. So this missive is to clarify, and also to say that I’ve extended the series! All the details are below.
These classes are specifically designed for over-50 folks who want to quit falling and getting hurt. By this age, we’ve had our share of that.
And that’s the problem. Pain and damage from injuries lead to the very compensating patterns which interfere with balance and lead to more falling.
You may have worked out at the gym or done PT to get stronger, but still feel like you have to look down at your feet all the time when you walk.
The thing is, there’s more to balance than strength. Walking requires muscles to tense and release in a particular sequence, rhythm and timing.
What’s needed is a way to address the part of us that coordinates nerves, muscles and bones for all movement. Using Neuroplasticity, the brain’s way of healing, we can do that.
Optimal Movement classes use small, gentle movements, along with focused awareness, to give our brain the sensory feedback it needs to mend the connections for better balance and stability.
I’m offering classes on Sundays through October, with the exception of two in September: 9/1, which is Labor Day, and 9/22, when I’ll be out of town.
Here are the dates we are ON:
Sundays 9:30 – 11am
August 18, 25
September 8, 15, 29
October 6, 13, 20, 27
Summer Comfort
July 24, 2019 by
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
Mobilizing for Spring
April 16, 2019 by
Balance for Boomers Workshop Series begins Saturday, April 27th, Balance for Boomers Workshop Series begins Saturday, April 27th, For those who want to walk with more confidence, less pain.
Balance and Stability for Boomers
April 15, 2019 by
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
Why Optimal Movement
March 6, 2019 by
Introduction to Optimal Movement: As we age, we may find ourselves dealing with stiff joints, a sore neck, an achey back or less stability than before. We may stop doing what we love, or rely on pain-killers more than we would like. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can tap into the brain’s natural way of healing to improve balance, stability and ease of movement. Regardless of your age or physical condition, more ease and comfort are possible. Learn more
3 Keys to better balance
March 5, 2019 by
For Boomer women who want to walk their walk with confidence, ease and safety. Saturday, March 20, 2019 – Optimal Movement Basics 11am to 1pm Learn more
How Much is Enough?
September 19, 2017 by
I worked for many years as a free-lance chef, and it was, in many ways, a crucible for learning about “enough-ness”:
It was easy to fall into the habit of overdoing when there was work. ‘Make hay while the sun shines”! But I often felt overwhelmed… “just one more thing” would put me over the edge. In fact, I actually fell and broke bones. When I couldn’t do any more, that’s when I stopped.
When times were slow, could I rest, remembering that business ebbs and flows in cycles? No. After the initial rest and recovery, worry quickly replaced relief. How would I know if I had enough? Seemed like I should feel good. Safe. Secure. Maybe if I worried enough, I’d figure it out. Right.
I really loved cooking for people and having the freedom of self-employment…but this problem with enough-ness was seriously raining on my parade, and ruining my health.
Do enough, have enough, be enough. How does one measure “enough”? My own gauge was pain and limitation. And I’m not the only one…our cultural maxim seems to be “no pain-no gain”. Why are we afraid to stop? And why do we always feel somehow, unsatisfied?
Life does not have to be so hard.
Pain and injuries were what lead me to Mind Body Studies. I learned that the more balanced and secure I felt in my body, the more safe and confident I felt in my mind. It was an actual physical sensation which felt blissful and at the same time, energized. As if I might actually be capable of handling what came next.
I learned that by backing off of the outer limit, I had better balance, stability… and leverage. (Dancers and martial artists know this). Being able to leverage power in the moment felt… the opposite of helpless.
Optimal Movement classes are a fun, empowering and relaxing way to escape the strain/pain cycle, into ease and enough-ness.
Two new Optimal Movement class series start this week: one on Thursday and one on Saturday. Both are in Shoreline and require pre-registration. I’d love to see you on the floor at either or both classes!
