Ellen Barrett Mindful Movement

Like a Well-Oiled Machine

Symmetry is honest to God so important yet often ignored. Alignment gets more play, and while alignment is just as crucial, function and flow need both. When bodies are misaligned and asymmetrical, they feel strain and unease, like a sliding door with a wonky track. If you’d like to move like a well-oiled machine, here are five things to do that facilitate the one-two punch of symmetry and alignment:   We all have some specific nuances within...

ELLEN BARRETT

The Serenity Prayer & You

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things I canand the wisdom to know the difference.” Somewhere, somehow, I bet you’ve heard the opening line of the  “Serenity Prayer” which is written above. Apparently, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous started incorporating into into his program is 1941, and it goes even further back than that. I love it. I love everything about it. I saw this...

ELLEN BARRETT Mindful Movement

I’m a Big Fan of Freedom

There are two things I really scratch my head over. One is crazy impractical foot wear. I don’t see it as much in real life anymore (thankfully) but every once in a while I spy a stiletto at the supermarket on an icy winter day, and inwardly feel pain. The second one actually is very common these days, and that’s extreme nails. Just the other day at a clothing store, the store clerk waved around...

Enthusiastic Movers

Do you remember who you were at age seven? I was a little kid that roller skated in my basement, took walks in the woods with my dog, Lucy, pogo-stick raced with my brother, and did endless loops around the neighborhood on my bike. I was an enthusiastic mover, and I bet to some extent you were too.  Of course, as adults, we’ve been on the other side of this, at times – where we...

Ellen Barrett Energy Reset

New Video Workout: Energy Reset

Solstice blessing to one and all in this unique 15minute mini-workout that combines breath, motion and visualization to eradicate the low vibes, ushering in the highest ones. All standing, low-impact, moderately paced. No equipment necessary. * This video will debut on “Let’s Move!” by 9am EST on December 21, 2023.

Ellen Barrett Mindful Movement

Your Workout’s Job

If you take note of how you typically move during an average day, not including your workout, you’ll find it to be mostly done in the sagittal plane. Walking is in the sagittal plane. Sitting down and up from a chair is in the sagittal plane. The action of riding a bike is in the sagittal plane. The spine does tend to engage in more movement variety, like twisting (transverse plane) and side bending (frontal...

The Wisest one Word Sentence?

There’s a term I heard recently that really resonated – air bathing. It’s like sun bathing but with air instead. I am, for sure, a bona fide air bather. I love love love being in an environment, ideally amongst the trees, far away from highways and other pollutants, just breathing it all in. Basically, I love air. Here’s why you should too:  Breathing is fuel. Because of breathing, you and I are able to move, talk, be, and...

Gentle Sculpt With Ellen Barrett

Let’s Move…with the Knees You’ve Got

When people come up to me before class to quickly give me a head’s up about an ailment they are struggling with, nine times out of ten it’s knee stuff. They may have injured it long ago playing soccer, or perhaps it’s a mysterious pain. (Oh, if I had a dime for every time I heard, “I have a bad knee.”) The knee is a complicated joint and unlike the elbow, the knee bares our body’s weight a lot of the time....

Ellen Barrett Blog

Off the Mat, Inside the Closet

My message to you today is – get organized.  Or if you are already pretty organized, take your organization to the next level. Your well-being and your home organization are more connected than you think. I’ve found that getting your stuff organized can propel your sense of well-being to new heights.  I recently got a closet system installed in my hallway/walk-thru closet/dressing area. It’s between the laundry room and my bedroom, so I now have an abundance of...

Ellen Barrett Go Big, Dream Big

Go Big, Dream Big

Have you noticed people looking down and keeping their arms tucked in tightly to their sides? Think of rainy day posture…eyes focused on the ground, small steps, contracted body language. There’s nothing wrong with this physical alignment in certain situations (like when you’re walking in the rain!), however, when it becomes your default mode, it’s a problem. To this I say, reach up and look up.  Go on and physically extend your arms overhead and physically turn your gaze to the space above...