One of my biggest goals when working with my students is to help them find balance.

Ease comes with balance.

I watch my clients move, I recognize patterns and habits and then I encourage them to move and strengthen the opposite way to help facilitate balance. Here’s a step by step approach to help you cultivate an awareness around your habits, assess your habits and find more balance outside of the studio in your everyday life.

Awareness is the first step. Notice your habits.

#1 Notice Your General Posture Have you always been tall and tend to “shrink” or slouch to meet people at eye level? Were you told to stand up straight but really you puff your chest out all the time? What things do you know to be true about your body and posture? #2 Assess Yourself What are your natural postural patterns? Stand with your arms by your sides and run through this quick checklist in your mind. If you aren’t sure, use a mirror or ask a kind friend to help you. As you assess, don’t make changes, simply be and notice. Wanna dig deep? Print this email and take notes or jot 'em down in a journal. Feet: Do you tend to roll toward the outside edges of your feet? Or do you roll toward the inside edges of your feet? Are you more weighted into the balls of the feet or into the heels? Are your feet more internally rotated(pidgeon-toed) or externally rotated (like a ballerina)? *Note that your right foot may have a different pattern than the left. If you don’t notice anything, or things seem in the middle of the two extremes, you can consider your pattern neutral until otherwise noted by a pro. Knees: Do your kneecaps tend to point toward each other or away from each other? Spine, Pelvis and ribs: Is the curve in your lumbar spine (low back) more flat or do you have more of a sway-back? Does your pelvis tend to remain forward of your ribcage, or does your ribcage tend to be forward of your pelvis? Shoulders: Do your shoulders round forward, or do your shoulderblades feel pinched together in the back? Does one shoulder feel higher than the other? Head: Do you tilt your chin up or down regularly? Is your head forward of your ribcage? Do you feel like your head is turned more to the right or to the left? *These assessments can be different according to whether you’re sitting, standing or lying down. Start to notice differences in various positions. #3 Create An Awareness Around Your Daily Duties What “occupational hazards” do you encounter on a regular basis. What position or positions do you spend most of your time in during the day? For instance: if you’re a new mom, picking up your child and breastfeeding requires a ton of endurance for the upper body and a lot of time is spent looking downward with the shoulders forward. What does your job require physically? And how does it mold your posture? #4 Move Your Body In The Opposite Direction Than Your Normal Habits Once you’ve got a sense of your habits, start to move your body in the opposite direction. If you’re always hunched over your computer or sewing machine, try working on extension exercises. If you’re always sitting and your hips are bent at 90 degrees, try moving your hips into extension a la swimming and side kick. Take half a second while you’re busy working and notice what your body is doing. Are you hunched forward? Are your shoulders tense? Relax, sit tall and continue on. #5 Create A Self-Care Routine Create a simple routine for yourself: The smartest of athletes warm up, play smart and cool down because they know that their body is their instrument. And since most of us aren’t playing major league baseball on the regular, it doesn’t have to take very long or be complicated. Start simple. If you know you’re going to be sitting at a desk for a few hours, stretch your neck and shoulders before you begin. Once you start to feel sluggish, stand up and do a sidebending stretch. Move before you work and at least once during your work session. It’s at the end of the day that I find my self care routine to be the most effective. It’s a wonderful time to lay down a mat, unwind, stretch, align, and strengthen, even if you only have 10 minutes. Set the mood and make it fun. Light a candle and put on some of your favorite tunes. If you need some inspiration to figure out what to do, check out my youtube page and scroll along my blog. I have quick exercises and longer series’ of movement for you to play with. If you have specific questions in regard to your body, email me! Here’s to changing habits and feeling good. Have an awesome Thanksgiving! Aloha,

With Holiday Season upon us, try the single leg kick to open your shoulders & hips and combat that belly bloated feeling we get from eating a little too much! This is truly one of my favorite mat exercises for so many reasons. If you're feeling this exercise, let me know in the comments below. Aloha,

What comes to mind when you think of the word Fear? How often do you find yourself in hesitation of doing something because fear slips in? What if we flipped fear on its head and thought of fear as a friend and ally? A supporter of your life and your dreams? In a recent interview, writer Elizabeth Gilbert discusses fear and how it’s always going to be there. It’s not going anywhere. So rather than trying to beat it, push through it and conquer it, why don’t we embrace it? She goes on to explain that fear’s actual goal is to protect us. But the issue is that fear doesn’t know the difference between a little nervousness vs. real danger. For example, being afraid to sing karaoke in front of a crowd vs. being chased by lions. Does any of the following sound familiar?

• Fear of taking a group class for the first time at a new studio or with a new teacher
• Studying privately with that amazing teacher for fear she’d see your weaknesses(but wait- isn’t that the point so you can move beyond them?)
• The fear of practicing certain exercises on your own for fear of doing it wrong

When I was doing intense physical therapy on my feet a few years back, my PT showed me the exercises one time and then I was expected to do them as homework. Until I was finished with my therapy. There were times when I was worried that my alignment was off, or I was doing something incorrectly. Over time, I learned that the clarity, the understanding of the exercises, and the progression of my healing was in the doing of the exercises. Similarly, when it comes to Pilates, the gold is in the practice.

If we can’t get past the fear, how can we progress?

Whether you’re afraid of jumping into your first group class, or you’re afraid of writing that book you’ve been dreaming of, perhaps the following tips can help::

• Become aware of how often you feel the sense of fear. Then embrace it.
• When you feel fear creep in, conjure courage. The courage to do it anyway.
• Understand that whatever your goals may be, it’s a process and a journey to get across the finish line. Think of your time working toward your goals as precious, enjoyable exploration.
• Light some candles and put on some sweet tunes to keep you inspired when you’re working on your goals.
• When you feel stuck, ask your teacher, your friend or your mentor for help!
• Sometimes we have to do something 100 times and then on the 101st try, it clicks and we get it! Don’t give up.

On the other side of fear is something amazingly awesome!

If you’re feeling courageous, let me know 1 goal that you’ve been afraid of working towards and how you plan to take steps to get there. For me, it’s planning my first online course/program. But there, I took the first step in saying it to you! Until now it’s been in my head and I simply have to act on it! Aloha, Sarah D.

How do your neck & shoulders feel in this moment? Does your head feel like it’s stacked on your spine? Can you breathe easily? Are your shoulders grounded or are they up to your ears? If you missed my interview with Pippa and her standing stretch video, click here to check it out now so you can get an understanding of what this fascia stuff is all about. It’s helpful to have an understanding of fascia before you try today’s video but- if you’re crunched for time, try today’s video now! Cause you’ll feel great really quickly, regardless of your knowledge of fascia. Today Pippa Frame is sharing a quick and easy sequence to unwind & release the neck & shoulders. Who doesn’t need a little of this? Take 5 minutes and try it now! Are you coming to Pippa’s Stretch Right For Life workshop on October 8?? Click here to find out more and sign up. Not only will you get an hour and a half of stretching and brand new body knowledge, you'll also leave with a stretch strap, workbook and discount codes for more stretch videos from Pippa. PLUS, you'll know how to stretch right for LIFE!!! There are only a few spots left. Snag your spot now before it's too late! There's more where that came from! Treat yourself to a private Stretch session with Pippa. She's available for private FST(Fascial Stretch Therapy) sessions while she's on Kauai October 8, 10 & 11. Contact Pippa to schedule:: Call 602-614-0675 or email pframe@cox.net Do you feel more grounded and more aligned from these stretches? Let me know in the comments below! Enjoy your newly opened neck & shoulders AND have an awesome day! Aloha,