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I'd always held a curiosity for yoga and took my first class in 1994 in a basement in Queens. Ever since I have been committed to the practice. My training has entailed courses in anatomy, alignment, assists, philosophy, restorative yoga, teaching skills, meditation and essential oils. Through many years of practice and teaching I've learned a lot about the body and how it establishes bad habits. Like how as humans we often hold our breath and clench our jaws, a lot! That tension deprives us of oxygen and can cause our shoulders to hike up, even in a yoga class. Many of us have tight back muscles, hamstrings and hips which can cause pain. I myself have suffered injuries which taught me about the tension I hold in my body, so I practice releasing tension on a regular basis and I make sure to breathe. I incorporate both of these into my classes. When my body began to tell me it needed something new I began to explore Pilates. My good friend and teacher introduced me to the Tower Class and I was hooked. With its focus on the core, Pilates challenged my body and mind in a different way and I felt rejuvenated. I learned to engage the deeper muscles of the core, or the “powerhouse," and I felt more balanced. When I took part in a Pilates Mat certification I found Yoga and Pilates compliment each other beautifully, I often incorporate both into my classes. There's balance in lengthening and strengthening, in resistance and in letting go, in breathing one way and then another. By practicing both disciplines I’ve learned to connect more closely to my body and work to change habits that don’t serve. Cultivating good habits of movement serves the body well, like softening the jaw and initiating movement from the core. Just as ingrained habits of movement can be changed, we can change the way we think about our body, how it's stronger, more reslient and more capable than we believe. I do what I do because I know mindful movement IS medicine. It's great self-care of body, mind and soul. I want to share what I've learned with you so you can discover what habits of movement no longer serve you. Now is the time to make movement your medicine. It IS a cure. It's about being deeply engaged in your bodymind that your awareness can serve as change. Then you can truly see what your body is capable of,  and maybe shed some old notions of what it's not.