My Journey with Pilates

About a year ago I finally hit my tipping point with back pain.  I had been ignoring a deep pain on the right side of my low back above my butt for a long time until it started to radiate down my back into my right foot.  It was constant.  I couldn’t sit for longer then a few minutes and couldn’t stand still because I was so uncomfortable.  I found out from my amazing team of physical therapists that I had SI (sacroiliac) instability along with a compressed disc in my lumbar spine.  As I worked with some great manual care therapists I was give the green light to start some Pilates to help strengthen my deep spine stabilizers and find my pelvic floor.

When I stated Pilates with Laurie I didn’t realize how weak I was.  I always thought of myself as an athlete, but I was hit with a big dose of reality when I started to work with her.  I never really knew how to use my pelvic floor and how to engage it with movement.  Even as a physical therapist myself I struggled with these movements and had to work so hard for the smallest movements to happen.  Each deep spine movement she gave me I was shaking and sweating!  I would leave her sessions so baffled at how hard it was for me to find my middle and a neutral spine as well as try and maintain it while adding in leg or arm movements.  It was always a shaky walk to the car !

After a lot of basic sessions I was finally able to stabilize my SI joint and back and get into more complex movements on the Reformer, Wunda Chair, and Cadillac.  Laurie is an amazing physical therapist and Pilates instructor.  She finds all my compensations and teaches and educates me about them so that I can keep reeducating my body about functional movement.  Learning how to engage my pelvic floor and deep spine stabilizers has not only got me out of back pain but also has changed my life and the way I treat patients in the outpatient clinic. 

If you are looking into Pilates as a way of exercise, therapy, or breath work I urge you to try it!  It is such an amazing workout that challenges the mind, body and breathe all at the same time.  If you are super unfamiliar with Pilates like I was and are dealing with some orthopedic issues I suggest finding a physical therapist who is certified in Pilates who can give you some extra care around your injury before you go into a class format. 

Leave any comments you have below and I will be happy to answer! 

Bodywork Interview Series

This month I will be interviewing some of my favorite guru's and teachers about bodywork and their personal experience with different therapies.  The first interview is with Cindy Shaw.  Cindy is a gifted physical therapist who owns her own private outpatient clinic in Huntington Beach California (Orthopaedic and Spine Care Physical Therapy).  Cindy has worked for 37 years in the field of orthopaedic physical therapy, is a board certified orthopaedic specialist (OCS), has specialization in manual therapy and spine care as well as and visceral manipulation and has a national certification in Biofeedback.   

1.     What does bodywork mean to you?

Bodywork is a very global word that can be focused internally or externally.  For me personally it is expressed with hands-on involvement.  I feel strongly that the integration of skilled hands-on-the body care can facilitate release of restrictions within the systems and provide pathways for the body to achieve homeostasis.  Bodywork for me is working with the muscular skeletal systems as part of the whole.

2.     What are some of the ways you incorporate bodywork into your life?

I share bodywork as a Physical Therapist almost every day and take immense pleasure in facilitating positive change.  I also make sure I make the time to receive bodywork once or twice each month to lessen the buildup of day to day activities on my system.  Using bodywork in someone else’s skilled hands allows me to respond to what they discover and balance my energies.

3.     What lifestyle tips, rules, or mantras do you live by?

MAKE TIME TO TAKE TIME

Breathe deeply often

Cross “get caught up” off the list

Don’t let tasks or things get in the way of experiences

4.     Do you have any personal journey or story with health and wellness? 

I did not truly start to take the time to incorporate bodywork, healthy eating, and more adventure for myself into my life until my late 40’s as my children were older and stresses made me stop and take another path.  This has been a long consistent journey with so many rewards.  I am healthier, happier, and hopefully wiser too, a decade later.

5.     What is your favorite way to indulge?

Indulge what a great concept!  It may be an embrace full of love, a smile or laughter that appears without restraint, a slice of cheesecake, or a glass of nice red wine.  Given no time restraints, it is time with the ocean.

6.     What is your favorite way to move?

I am passionate about scuba diving.  The gift to breathe slowly and deeply underwater centers me.  Floating and observing the world of behavior and beauty in our oceans where none of the topside stresses can join me is very therapeutic.  Swimming hard when I need to or choose to serves a purpose there to add to adventure.  On the surface stretching is my choice of movement on a daily basis combining yoga poses and flow with functional strengthening.  I love to participate in Gyrotonics and Pilates to find and practice better and stronger movement patterns. 

7.     If you could tell your younger self one thing what would it be?

I would tell my younger self to start sooner, even a little bit at a time.

Consistent effort matters.

8.     Who are your guru’s, teachers, or role models and why?

I have been fortunate to work closely with Gail Wetzler, a phenomenal woman and PT as she taught and encouraged me to always take my skills to another level.  She introduced me to visceral bodywork and abilities to listen to the body’s messages.  As a complete yoga newbie, my path crossed with Sarah Reese, another phenomenal and gifted woman who opened my eyes and body to new dimensions that I use daily.  Really every single day my patients are my teachers, they all have something to share verbally or through their stories and bodies.  I just need to listen. 

9.     What is your favorite way to spend free time?

Scuba Diving with my dive buddy husband

What is "BodyWork" ?

The blog post is about the importance of “Bodywork”, and my personal experience of bodywork on my path through wellness and feeling at my optimal best. 

So, what is bodywork?  In alternative medicine, bodywork is any therapeutic or personal development technique that involves working with the human body in a form involving manipulative therapy, breath work, or energy medicine.  These modalities of alternative medicine can include physical therapy, chiropractic’s, acupuncture, massage, holistic nutrition, soft tissue work,  pranayama, healing crystals, meditation guidance and so much more.  I have found that bodywork is any form of treatment that you seek to better yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When I injured my knee and my back about 7 months ago I was down in the dumps about not being able to move as and being in a lot of pain.  I had denied my back pain for some time now and the torn MCL in my knee is what finally got me to slow down from a crazy fast moving life (40 hours in a pediatric clinic, yoga teacher, yoga classes, boxing, and way too much more).  I was referred to work on breathing with a well-known and very gifted yoga teacher Sarah Reese.  I was skeptical being that I could hardly walk because of my knee, but I am forever grateful for going to that first session because it changed my life.  Sarah saw me as an individual in my own unique, and tired body.  We worked on pranayama in a supine (laying on my back) position for an hour, and I was sweating.  

During that first private yoga session she saw my ribs and my poor breathing patterns and referred me to Cindy Shaw, a skilled physical therapist who practices in Huntington Beach CA.  The first session with Cindy was a game changer and will forever be the start of change I needed for my body.  She is called the sacral whisperer for a reason.  She works so intimately in the body and not only works the spine physically but energetically.  She and another colleague Cynthia Almonte, who is an amazing movement specialized physical therapist looked at my body in a way that no one, including myself has ever done.  With a lot of work, compliance, and self-study I am recovering from my back injury and now starting to participate in my usual recreational activities including yoga, running, and surfing. 

In this process I was also referred to a physical therapist that once worked for Cindy Shaw named Laurie Barlett.  She is a certified Pilate’s instructor who works with clients one on one.  I had so many compensation patterns and was very unstable in my SI joint and pelvic floor.  Laurie taught me how to find my “middle”, engage my “core”, and learn how to basically move again.  She kicked my ass!  Literally!  I continue to work  with Laurie on a weekly basis.  She  challenges me to strengthen my body in a way that I didn’t think was possible, while also dealing with a back and knee injury.  Every session is different and purposeful.  She brought back a spark in my desire to move that I felt was gone from being on the bench for so long. 

The "bodywork" is never over!  These ladies are helping me find a new sense of awareness in my body that I will continually need guidance with, tune ups, and ways to challenge if I ever want to prevent injuries and find optimal performance.  Not being done with this work I think is the exciting part, and I hope to find more ways to show my body some love.  So the moral of the story is to take care of your body!! Find a team that knows your body’s worth and get them to help guide you.   Be preventative!  Just because your not keeled over in bed with pain doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from seeing a team of body healers.  Do your research and become your own advocate.   Taking care of oneself is one the highest forms of spirituality and self-care.  When you are able to show your body mind and soul respect, love, and generosity it then can spread to others.