BrilliantBody is part of a long established field in health care called Somatic Movement Therapy. In recent years Movement Therapy has been growing rapidly, drawing widespread attention for its effectiveness in aiding individuals to achieve their unique goals in life and health, and relieving a myriad of aggravating physical conditions. But, though highly effective with them, BrilliantBody does not focus on treating symptoms. I support self-understanding, physical/emotional/mental integration, and effective action by verbally and physically guiding people in re-negotiating limiting habits, so they can discover existing and alternative beliefs, postures, and ways of moving. I draw from a toolbox of principles, helping people achieve their goals skillfully and perform in their lives with ease, comfort and autonomy. The relief that people feel is secondary to the main benefit: realizing the freedom and possibility in movement, and finding the flow of health within.
BrilliantBody proceeds from a fundamentally different starting point than many medical, behavioral, or rehabilitative exercise approaches. Rather than intervening with the body (doing something to it) I follow the body’s innate structures (the alignment of bones, the appropriate effort of muscle, the coordination among organs, glands, and nerves…) and inherent rhythms (like breath, blood flow, the fluctuation of cerebrospinal fluid, the movement of lymph…). And the body itself leads the way. The basis of the work is a profound respect for the intelligence that life reveals as it insists upon fulfillment and balance.
BrilliantBody is potentially vast and draws on many diverse traditions (like dance, osteopathy, martial arts, physical and occupational therapy, the intelligence of elite athletes…). It spans a spectrum from gently subtle to wildly vigorous. It is guided by principles that are clear and easy to articulate, and it will continue to provide great benefit to patients, artists, and others who are motivated to explore and change. Individuals feel met by BrilliantBody in profoundly helpful ways because the format of sessions, and the level of training I bring, supports adaptation. I can respond to each person’s unique needs. Clients experience:
improvement in skillfulness,
a capacity for focused awareness and stillness,
an increase in everyday flexibility and vitality, and
relief from chronic physical symptoms, the negative emotional effects of trauma, and stress.
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Take a moment to stand, close your eyes, put your feet close together and be still. You will find that being truly “still” is not possible! There is movement happening within you always. You move constantly in a symphony of micro-movements that coordinate to stabilize your body in gravity and exchange messages throughout your systems. Without this “small-dance-of-life” you would fall. Moreover, Internal Movement (how we are organized on the inside) has primary influence over how we feel, behave, and interact with each other and the world. Listening to internal movement teaches us the alphabet of our activity and provides a map of our habits and behavioral patterns. When we can feel how we shape the life-force we are born with, we can then begin to direct it optimally. (“Use the Force!”) We improve our game, our relationship, our presence, our performance; we notice more of what is important and enjoyable. BrilliantBody is about ways to help coordinate this internal world (of thoughts, feelings and sensations) with our external environment (in which we carry on activities), so that in every moment we have the option to find grace: to stand tall in right relationship with each other and live coherently in alignment with our goals.
BrilliantBody is for anyone wanting to operate optimally. Why not re-route the energy you spend on habits and obstacles, and use it instead for elegance, effectiveness, and comfort? BrilliantBody is different from many other approaches in that it truly coordinates the mind and the body: helping people understand how to use the body gracefully while clearing the mind’s clutter. It’s not just about what you do…it’s how you do it.
You can’t do what you want
until you know what you are doing.
-Moshe Feldenkrais, founder of the Feldenkrais Method