One of my favorite ballet teachers is quite the task mistress and really keeps us on our toes, so to speak. I just love her, and I love her classes. If your ballet technique doesn’t improve after studying with her, you might as well hang up your toe shoes and go home. She teaches a professional level class, and I have to work pretty hard just to keep up. This means thoroughly engaging my mind as well as my body, which brings me to the point of exhaustion at the end of an hour and a half, but it’s fun. I love challenging myself. I often write down my corrections in a small note pad I keep with me at all times. Some of the younger dancers have remarked what a good student I am when they see me scribbling madly in my book. I smile sweetly and thank them, but the truth is, I can’t...

Here it is, another New Year, and already our New Year resolution guilt may be weighing heavily upon us. It doesn’t help to see all of the signs at the local health clubs advertising “A New Year and a New You!” Gee, and I kind of liked the old one. Adding insult to injury are the endless commercials for weight loss programs neatly sandwiched in between all of the commercials for junk food in anticipation of the playoffs and the upcoming Super Bowl. It’s even more difficult to get motivated to stick to those New Year’s goals for fitness and weight loss with the cold, dreary weather. Those junk food commercials are looking like a good option. What’s a body to do? Before you give up, here’s a little bit of advice which is not only helpful but practical...

About two months ago I started using the brain building games from Lumosity. You may have heard of it. You know, “build a better brain based on the scientific principle of neuroplasticity, but it just feels like you’re playing games.” Well, as a Feldenkrais Practitioner, I’m all over this neuroplasticity, and I certainly do love to play, so I thought I’d give it a try. At first I was surprised at how easy it seemed and how much fun it was. I was especially surprised to discover how well I scored at mathematical equations. After all, I have a reputation for not being good at math. Another surprise was a game called “Familiar Faces”, where you have to recall the names of customers that visit your diner. You then have to match up the right food orders...

A few days ago I was cleaning my kitchen, when I mindlessly knocked a sugar bowl off of the window sill and into the sink. I watched in horror as if it were falling in slow motion, with me unable to stop it or catch it before it hit the sink and shattered. It was my mother’s sugar bowl, and it had sat on the exact same spot for the past three years. I felt the threat of tears coming on as I picked up the broken pieces and tried to fit them back together like pieces of a puzzle. I wondered if I could possibly repair it, and if the glue would hold.  At least the bowl was empty, so I didn’t have sugar all over my kitchen to clean up. Then I started to berate myself. How could I have been so careless? How could I have been so clumsy? Why had I been in such a hurry? But then, something...

It took me a long time to embrace modern technology. Three years ago, the only thing I could do on a computer was send and retrieve emails. And even that didn’t always go well. Until a few months ago, I didn’t even know what spam was. I always thought it was ham in a can. It never did appeal to me, so it made sense when people would use that word with a look of disdain on their face. I’ve come a long way, and I am proud to report that I am completely self taught. Which means that I have made a a lot of mistakes along the way. I have unknowingly breached online etiquette, unwittingly looked like a nit wit, and have often appeared downright ridiculous as well as unsophisticated. But, I learned a lot. Early in my timid exploration of this form of communication, I was invited...

     The Pilates Method is famous for developing long, lean muscular bodies while improving flexibility, posture and core strength. This remarkable method created by it’s founder, Joseph H. Pilates, helps you stretch, strengthen and re-shape your entire body. Pilates also helps you recover quickly from injuries and prevent future injuries. The six basic principles specific to Pilates incorporate the ability to pay close attention to yourself while you simultaneously activate your core muscles, elongate your spine and precisely moving through each exercise. Here’s a closer look at these principles.          Concentration     Concentration truly embodies the mind/body connection that is the key to Pilates and why it makes it so effective and powerful. In Pilates, we move slowly...

    The other day I decided to make a quick run to Target to pick up a few things that I really needed. I figured it wouldn’t take long, especially since I didn’t need much. I grabbed what I needed and stepped up to the checkout counter. There was only one customer ahead of me so I knew I would soon be out the door and on my way home.     Her basket was full of small items, and the cashier meticulously turned each one over in his hands a few times before he scanned it. This was going to take longer than I thought, but that’s okay. I have a lot of patience and I’m pretty good at entertaining myself. I played Ninja mind games, I played with shifting my weight, and I looked at a few magazines. Good grief, this was taking forever!     I was tired, my feet hurt, and I...

I learned a lot during the four years of my Feldenkrais Training. However, the most valuable thing I learned was from one of my favorite teachers when he veered off course during a group discussion. He did that a lot. He told us a story about an incident that happened when he was a guest teacher at another training program. I love stories, so I settled on my mat in that semi comatose Felden-fog that I would get during training segments. He told us that after the first few days of teaching he was aware of some grumbling and the undercurrents of a rebellion brewing. He gathered the class together for a ‘family talk” and to give everyone a change to express their concerns. He went around the circle and listened to their complaints, most of them which were directed at him personally. My...

I went on vacation last week. I know, this doesn’t sound like earth shattering news or a life altering event, but it was for me. I haven’t had a vacation in six years. The reasons aren’t important. Let’s just say that personal responsibilities were a priority. During that time I had to leave my practice for weeks on end. Afterward, all my time, energy and effort was directed into rebuilding my practice. If you’re self employed, you know what I mean. Vacations were a distant memory, and I wondered if I would ever see a beach again. Then my youngest sister invited us to go on vacation with her and her family. I hesitated, but she said, “Aww, come on! You really need it.” It sounded like a good idea, but I worried about being away from work for that...