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...
I really do love getting to studio spaces early – way before class starts – and settling in. A big open clutter-free sacred space is my jam. Natural light and soothing colors are like icing on the cake. It feels like a calm church. My body softens and my breath deepens, and if I was a bit fatigued or frazzled upon entering the space, now I’m refreshed and ready to flow. For many years, I taught in...
“Let’s go!” “Let’s eat!” “Let’s do it!” Let’s Move! Yes, let’s! There is a sense of enthusiasm in phrases like these. It’s precisely that sense of enthusiasm I want to convey in classes and on my website because it makes it way easier to get to your workout, and enjoy it. Workout enthusiasm is a mindset anyone can possess. Here’s how to cultivate it: 1. First off – remember it’s a privilege to have a human body, no matter what condition it is in. You’re alive...
When our society discusses the idea of “youthfulness” it focuses on wrinkle-free skin or “being able to eat anything I want without gaining weight.” Something that gets overlooked (and something we truly have a lot of control over) is youthful movement. What does that look like? Well, I’ve boiled it down to two things: it’s “capable” coupled with “ease.” Youthful movement equates to a big comfort zone. Can you sit on the floor and play with puppies? Can you run...
It always goes back to empowered wellness. Movement – which I think is a life-changing component – is still just one component. There are a myriad of components, big and small, obvious and not-so-obvious, from getting proper sunlight, to having solid relationships, to making sure nutrition levels are strong. So many things can contribute to a healthy life – the list really does go on and on. Since 2020, I’ve become a bit of a “plant lady” and...
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...
There are 33 individual interlocking bones that form your spinal column. The top 24 bones are moveable, while the lower vertebrae (in the sacrum and coccyx region) are fused together and therefore don’t articulate. This is so “yin and yang” – stable and set at the trunk, free and flowing at the crown. Did you know the spine, your spine, is a genius, sophisticated design? What a stroke of luck it is to have one! Here are 10 ways...
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....
Every once in a while an athlete really catches my eye, and without knowing any of their legendary plays or stats, I’ll ask, “Hey, who’s that?” I tend to hone in on body language, form, breathing, and other things like that. Not knowing much about the sport helps me look beyond the sport and simply see the art of the athlete. One such athlete – a true artist – is a football player on the Kansas...
Ever since I read, “The body is a sacred garment. It’s your first and last garment. It’s what you enter life in and what you depart life with, and it should be treated with honor,” I’ve been intrigued with Martha Graham, the famous American dancer/choreographer (and the author of the quote). I just learned that Martha Graham created not just dances, but also her very own, very specific, body conditioning method. I’d describe it as...
