Newness in Winter

Plain and simple: working out right now is like trying to get excited about heaving a bag of rocks up a hill.


However, after some mindful movement on the floor I knew I would feel more awake if I just turned on a workout I could follow. So I did. Throughout I was glad to be moving, but it was clear that my energy levels weren't at their usual. So much so that I skipped the last part of the workout, something I very rarely do. I finished with the sense that there is a ball of energy deep down in my body, but much like the seeds underground, it is not ready to emerge yet. It’s still regenerating. 

In THE NEW YEAR the fitness/wellness industry pours out messages aimed at a “New You”. Popular culture suggests we resolve to fix what's wrong by getting “back” into shape, often conflating that with the forward motion of evolution. As part of the industry we are guilty of enforcing these trends in the past, but over the years (especially the last two) it’s become more important to honor the season that we are in and the hibernation that accompanies it. It’s become more important to call awareness to the inherent contradiction that exists in the lofty expectation that fitness goals have to start in January, a time when much of nature is still underground, and remain in high gear for the entirety of the year. 

While we are always here for identifying goals and balanced ways to achieve them, the newness we want to focus on this month is identifying old belief systems that don’t serve us anymore, and begin to shift towards new ways of moving through the world that are nourishing and aligned with how we want to feel in our bodies.

Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean there needs to be a new you. You are lovely, and strong, and enough in this moment just as you are!

This doesn't mean we are against change or in denial of it. Change is constant. If you feel you need and are ready for change in your body go for it! But know we are also advocating for different types and cycles of change. The type of change that enhances your evolution from the understanding that there is nothing bad or wrong that has to go “back” and be “fixed”. 

Use this beautiful incantation to let that soak in a little more.

Moving Through the Chakras

The Group Program and Intro Workshops are ideal for those curious about the chakra system and how it relates to a mindful movement practice. All movement is restorative in nature, making it appropriate for all levels, ages, and abilities. This program aims to support each participant in opening doors towards a sustainable movement ritual and fitness routine, a better relationship with your body, and an evolved understanding of what it means to operate your day-to-day life from a place of “everything is connected.”

  • Saturday, February 19th @ 12pm to 1:30pm | Intro Workshop

  • Thursday, March 3rd - April 28th @ 6:30pm to 7:30pm | Group Program

  • Saturday, April 30th @ 12pm to 1:30pm | Intro Workshop

Use promo code EARLYCHAKRAS to receive $100 off the group program when you sign up by February 21st.

PLEASE NOTE: The MindBody app does not allow promo codes. Please use the browser version of MBO to take advantage of the promo code.

We are Popping Up Again

This time in Manhattan! Through March 31st, 2022 we are adding availability in our newest collaboration space at F Squared Physical Therapy in Flatiron. In-person private sessions will be offered as availability allows. we invite new and returning client to engage with some of our most recent offerings to see how we have been working with our clients and community. In conjunction with our thriving Virtual Studio, and Brooklyn host studio, during our pop-up you will have the opportunity to expand your wellness practice, using both online and in-person support to facilitate better awareness, connection and ease in your body.

Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. That change does not happen in a vacuum, but instead has ripple effects. In that way, we are in the business of change in the individual, the community, and the world.

This month we are highlighting the importance of acknowledging the cultures, healing practices, beliefs, traditions, and rituals that have been siphoned into the fitness and wellness industries from China, Japan, India, Thailand, and Tibet (to name a few) and separated from the people that belong to those lands, cultures, and practices.


Womankind is a nonprofit that supports those seeking help from domestic violence and human trafficking. In part, their mission is steeped in using the healing practices and traditions of the above cultures to aid in their whole-systems approach to recovery and renewal.

Holiday Lights and Their Shadows

The holiday season is a peculiar time of year. Peculiar in the sense that it seems to hold so much contradiction. The days are shorter. The nights longer and colder. And yet, it's traditionally filled with celebrations and festivals of light. To layer the contradiction more, we pass through the winter solstice – the darkest day of the year. I’m reminded of all the beautiful insights that come out of the juxtaposition of light and dark. There is the literal decrease in sunlight and increase in dark in our hemisphere. Yet, it allows for the tradition of illuminating homes with decorative lights. There is the joy and celebration of the holidays rubbing up against sorrow, loss, and pain that many people experience this time of year.

Recently, this contradiction of light and dark caught my eye while teaching a client online. As she adjusted into an exercise in her own space part are her leg and foot became out of view of the camera. Instead of asking her to adjust herself again I was able to “see” how her body was moving based on her shadow. It was such a glorious moment to experience seeing more of someone by looking at their shadow.

The idea of a shadow, our shadow, or the dark often gets a bad rap. But we’ve found in our work with our clients, and the human body, that it’s something to explore. We develop fear of moving in certain ways for good reason. That fear, that shadow, can protect us. However, it can shed light on ways we may have disconnected from ourselves and our movement - allowing us to actually see more.

Our wish for you this holiday season is that you find a balanced comfort in the light and the shadow. May your shadows illuminate something new for you!

Pilates and Mindful Movement for Better Sex

Speaking of reasons to celebrate! We are elated to share our first of several iterations of online classes and workshops. First up, Pilates and Mindful Movement for Better Sex! This class is designed to begin to guide the participant in a self-practice of body awareness and connection. Often when we are more body aware and connected to ourselves, we are more able to experience pleasure in our body. This class integrates foundational Pilates exercises, mindful movement prompts, with practical considerations for why someone might experience pain. Enjoy a segment of the class above!

We are Popping Up Again!

This time in Manhattan. From January 4th through March 31st, 2022 we are opening up availability in our newest collaboration space in Flatiron at F Squared Physical Therapy. In person one-on-one sessions will be offered to current and new clients as availability allows. For more information and access to sign up contact us!

Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. That change does not happen in a vacuum, but instead has ripple effects. In that way, we are in the business of change in the individual, the community, and the world.

The recent abortion law hearings at the Supreme Court level has sparked rightful concern about abortion rights and access to quality healthcare for women. The arguments in favor of restriction have a blatant disregard for the ripple effects of the physical, mental, and financial stresses pregnancy can impose on women and birthing people, especially if pregnancy is the result of sexual or domestic violence. FreeFrom is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the generational impact of domestic violence by not only investing in survivor health but survivor wealth.The FreeFrom team is made up of queer, trans, im/migrant, and BIPOC survivors. They envision a world in which all survivors are able to build the wealth and financial security necessary to support their individual, intergenerational, and community healing—enabling them to thrive. They put this into practice within their own organization by paying every employee within the non-profit and in their social enterprise, Gifted by FreeFrom, a living wage. Shop their online store this holiday season to support the way they are changing communities at a deeper level!

Grounding and Harvesting

“You know, the sound the wheels make on the rails…. It’s so smooth and grounding. It’s an earthy kind of sound.”

I love so much that a client shared this insight while on the reformer. It’s a timely thought as the leaves start to change color and fall to the ground. Pumpkins and mums on stoops, and a shift in produce available, signal to us that its harvest season. From the ground we are enjoying the last fruits from another season of growth and simultaneously preparing for another season of rest.

As I thought about this client insight it sparked a realization. The act of getting on the reformer and aligning myself helps me not only to organize my body, but organize my thoughts and energy. As I’m going through the exercises feeling for my alignment and center, finding my rhythm with my breath in coordination with the exercises, it allows me to clear space in my head to find solutions to problems or decisions I need to make. It is an act of cleaning, sorting, and gathering not dissimilar to harvesting.

So, here’s your reminder to take a moment to connect with your grounding process, whether that be mediation or a mindful movement practice, or both! Allow that process to reveal the fruits of your labor this year - your harvest. What has your mind, body, and soul gotten you through and how can you enjoy or show that harvest gratitude?

Join Brittany for a twenty minute movement ritual with prompts to consider grounding into your Muladhara/Root chakra, and how it can support you in feeling pleasurable and safe in your body. Find stability at the start of your day, or use as a clarity break in place of a midday coffee.

Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. That change does not happen in a vacuum, but instead has ripple effects. In that way, we are in the business of change in the individual, the community, and the world.

The recent abortion law in Texas has sparked rightful concern about abortion rights and access to quality healthcare for women. This restrictive law will not only help to fuel the financial inequality gap for black, indigenous, and people of color, but also the disproportionate maternal mortality rate of BIPOC. A black or indigenous woman or birthing person is 4 to 5 times more likely to have a pregnancy related death than a white woman, and the US is ranked 55th globally in maternal mortality rates across demographics (and in last place compared to 10 other similar countries such as Germany). Blackswell Birth Foundation, founded by Hillary Lopes, seeks to eradicate this disparity by offering pre- and post-natal doula services to black women and birthing bodies. It takes approximately $1600 to fully support the process of one pregnancy and birth. Please join us in donating to Blackswell to help achieve the goal of generating funds to support one new birth!

"A Strong Spine and An Open Heart"

I heard this quote by Pema Chodron and it made me think about Pilates. And the sayings:

  • You’re only as old as your spine

  • Get a backbone

  • That person is spineless

It’s striking the meaning having or not having a strong back can communicate. Not having a strong spine has been used to convey a deficiency in character. Without a strong spine you cannot hold yourself up which can lead to a narrative that says you aren’t strong emotionally/physically/mentally/spiritually. Or you cannot defend yourself thus you are helpless. Having a strong spine would imply you can withstand a lot – that you are powerful.

I love a good anatomical metaphor, and I can see how those phrases came into use and acquired their meanings, but I think there is a lot of beautiful nuance to be explored by unpacking the generalizations and typical uses in the bulleted phrases above.

We’ve worked with many clients with chronic back pain and debilitating neurological conditions and can testify to the amount of character, strength, and power each of them have despite not having the standardized “strong spine”. To us, showing up curious, with an “open heart” each week to be active participants in their own healing conveys loads of strength. Understanding, and radically accepting, that the definition of strength in each body is going to evolve over time and circumstance demonstrates resiliency and centered character.

Coming back to the essence of Pema Chodron’s quote, it seems to convey being aware and connected to your center, which anatomically is the heart and the spine. But dive into the metaphorical meanings connected to the heart chakra and having a strong spine and you uncover the concepts of self-love, self-esteem, self- confidence, and self-acceptance. Possessing these subtle energies is truly powerful and trickles into our physical being in magical ways.

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Instructor As the Student

Our very own instructor, Molly, shared some thoughts this month on the stories we tell ourselves regarding limitations.


How can we differentiate between working within and honoring our limitations due to injury versus the limitations we place on ourselves because of learned narratives from the past (or worse, cultural norms that are often baseless)? Navigating between the "I can't do this" and the "I don't want/like to do this. This isn’t for me” ideas we learn can make moving in our bodies freely with pleasure very difficult. Recently, in a reformer class I took there were sequences I have previously deemed not right for me (and therefore everyone) because of preconceived notions about my body, and bodies in general. I felt surprised to make it through the class in one piece, but fully expected a sore lower back and debilitating hip pain on my "bad side" the next morning. I was shocked to feel neither. It made me re-evaluate what I may have been holding myself back from - both in Pilates and in life. I feel like a lot of the limitations we place on ourselves are fear based. It is a way to keep us safe. But at what point can we pause, realize where we are, acknowledge we are alive and well, and get curious to challenge ourselves in new and different ways?

Ritual Repertoire

Join Brittany for a six minute movement ritual with prompts to consider all the ways your spine can be strong and your heart can be open. Let it serve as balance to feelings of overwhelm, anxiousness, or a small breath break in a busy day.

Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. That change does not happen in a vacuum, but instead has ripple effects. In that way, we are in the business of change in the individual, the community, and the world.

This month we are continuing to honor the importance of acknowledging the cultures, healing practices, beliefs, traditions, and rituals that have been siphoned into the fitness and wellness industries from China, Japan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Tibet (to name a few) have been separated from the people that belong to those lands and cultures.

Bali has been one of the hardest hit places since the beginning of the pandemic due to its borders being closed to tourist. In normal times, tourism accounts for 80% of the island's economy. Over a year with no travelers has devastated its people who give so much to those who visit. I personally know people around the world who have sworn by Bali's healing magic, and have experienced it myself. Especially if you have been to Bali before, please considering contributing to the Bali Life gofundme campaign.

Move Slow, Heal Things

We aren’t in the business of moving fast and breaking things. We are in the business of moving slow and healing things.

Our clients often express frustration in their attempt to understand a movement, achieve a goal, figure out a personal or emotional issue, or heal physical pain. Those things are often tangled up in each other, though, and they don’t really respond to a linear approach. That means that “solving” these problems usually needs to happen in small incremental steps – not in one fell swoop.

I share in the frustration of not being able to “just be efficient,” deal with something once and be done. Why can’t I just plow through this? Sweat it out and be over it? Figure out the choreography the first time I see it and master it the first time I try it, so I can move onto the next thing?

Ahhhh, the beauty of unattainable perfection and all the chaos it causes!

I thought about this recently as I watered a delicate plant in a small pot. I had to slow down and dose out the water in small increments. Fine tune my attention to be sure I gave it just enough and didn’t spill the water everywhere.

It made me think about the tech industry’s approach to innovation and growth, coined by Mark Zuckerberg: “move fast and break things.” How hilarious would that be if that was our motto? Our approach to movement work is actually the exact opposite, “move slow and heal things.” In Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brown perfectly describes the essence of this approach:
“We would understand that the strength of our movement is in the strength of our relationships, which could only be measured by their depth. Scaling up would mean going deeper, being more vulnerable and more empathetic.”

To me, this applies to relationships with others AND ourselves. Relationship building takes practice. Being vulnerable and empathetic with others and ourselves is the antithesis to the myths of perfection and efficiency; it takes practice. For us at The Co, we see our role as practice facilitators for wholeness – not perfection, not absolute symmetry, not mastery.

Don’t worry about replicating how we look when we do the movement; how does the movement feel in your body when you do it? What would be possible if we shifted the feeling of reward on the process of practice and not solely on the outcome?

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Summer Pop-Up at The Floor

Join us for our Summer Pop at The Floor On Atlantic in Brooklyn, which runs through September 30, to embrace change and evolution through movement and engage with some of our newest offerings. In conjunction with our thriving Virtual Studio, during our pop-up, you will have the opportunity to expand your wellness practice, using both online and in-person support to facilitate better awareness, connection, and ease in your body.

This past year has really moved us to view normalcy, change, growth, and expansion in a different light. Holding that new perspective deeply in our hearts, minds, and bodies, we recently shifted our work to focus on physical and energetic healing. We now offer intelligent movement programs based in foundational Pilates theory as well as intuitive movement programs that integrate energy work for a more embodied approach to healing. Our goal is to use this bespoke approach to help you navigate change in your body so that you can show up more powerfully in your life (and in the world).

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Sweet Summer Deal

If you’re interested in experiencing more of what The Floor On Atlantic has to offer, use our special code to get 20% OFF your first class or class package: SUMMERFUN20. Note: These classes are not hosted by or affiliated with The Co Pilates. Offer expires on September 30, 2021 at 11:59pm ET.


Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. Both the change that just inevitably happens in life and the change they are choosing to make in themselves by coming to work with us. In other words, we are in the business of change – in the individual, the community, and the world.

In the name of change, this month we are continuing to honor the importance of acknowledging the cultures, healing practices, beliefs, traditions, and rituals that have been siphoned into the fitness and wellness industries from China, Japan, India, Thailand, and Tibet (to name a few) have been separated from the people that belong to those lands and cultures.

Indiaspora is a group of Indian leaders from around the world who have created a massive donation platform to get money to impactful nonprofits on the ground in India. At the end of April, they raised a million dollars in 48 hours to support families whose primary earners have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, help vulnerable migrant populations, and have made efforts to build makeshift hospitals.

Referral Program

A referral is the kindest compliment you could give us. If you think we would be a good fit for anyone you know, please consider spreading the word about the work we do together. For any new clients that may come our way as a result of your kind words, we would love to gift you an additional session to any current package you have with us. They can always schedule a call using the link below.

And, if you are part of or know a social justice organization looking for wellness support and collaboration for their clients or employees, please consider connecting us.

Our Power to Evolve

Seven years ago this month, I decided to name my pilates studio The Co. It landed for me as simple yet flexible, something that had the potential to evolve.

Evolution and embracing change have always been foundational for me. Change is always happening, all around us and inside of us - physically, emotionally, energetically. When things change, it can create a sense of loss of control or absence of stability. At a very basic level, accepting and working with change in the body can give us back a sense of power and agency. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
“You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.” – Glinda the Good Witch

It got me thinking about how we learn our power for ourselves, how that process aids in our evolution, and how movement is inextricably linked to this. If last year has taught us nothing else it's that we cannot, and do not, exist in a vacuum. Often learning the lesson of our own power comes from being in relationship to others, as well as developing a deeper relationship to ourselves.

As I celebrate 7 years in business, I find myself in a new space in Brooklyn, teaching in a new way, fostering new partnerships and collaborations - that’s a lot of movement and change! I cannot say that it was my exact intention a year ago as I closed down our Union Square space, or 7 years ago as I started this business, to be in the exact place I am now. However, it’s always been my intention to keep moving and evolving. There is a lot of power in that.

Summer Pop-Up at The Floor

Join us for our Summer Pop at The Floor On Atlantic in Brooklyn, which runs through September 30, to embrace change and evolution through movement and engage with some of our newest offerings. In conjunction with our thriving Virtual Studio, during our pop-up, you will have the opportunity to expand your wellness practice, using both online and in-person support to facilitate better awareness, connection, and ease in your body.

This past year has really moved us to view normalcy, change, growth, and expansion in a different light. Holding that new perspective deeply in our hearts, minds, and bodies, we recently shifted our work to focus on physical and energetic healing. We now offer intelligent movement programs based in foundational Pilates theory as well as intuitive movement programs that integrate energy work for a more embodied approach to healing. Our goal is to use this bespoke approach to help you navigate change in your body so that you can show up more powerfully in your life (and in the world).


Sweet Summer Deal

If you’re interested in experiencing more of what The Floor On Atlantic has to offer, use our special code to get 20% OFF your first class or class package: SUMMERFUN20. Note: These classes are not hosted by or affiliated with The Co Pilates. Offer expires on September 30, 2021 at 11:59pm ET.


Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. Both the change that just inevitably happens in life and the change they are choosing to make in themselves by coming to work with us. In other words, we are in the business of change – in the individual, the community, and the world.

In the name of change, this month we are continuing to honor the importance of acknowledging the cultures, healing practices, beliefs, traditions, and rituals that have been siphoned into the fitness and wellness industries from China, Japan, India, Thailand, and Tibet (to name a few) have been separated from the people that belong to those lands and cultures.

Indiaspora is a group of Indian leaders from around the world who have created a massive donation platform to get money to impactful nonprofits on the ground in India. At the end of April, they raised a million dollars in 48 hours to support families whose primary earners have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, help vulnerable migrant populations, and have made efforts to build makeshift hospitals.

Referral Program

A referral is the kindest compliment you could give us. If you think we would be a good fit for anyone you know, please consider spreading the word about the work we do together. For any new clients that may come our way as a result of your kind words, we would love to gift you an additional session to any current package you have with us. They can always schedule a call using the link below.

And, if you are part of or know a social justice organization looking for wellness support and collaboration for their clients or employees, please consider connecting us.

What Is Your Body Trying to Tell You?

So, it finally happened... I recently “threw my back out.” What happened, you ask? Oh, it was this wild thing where I was meditating, I stood up, and “uh oh”... something wasn’t right. I got down on the floor to address the old injuries I knew were the culprit, and it just got worse. I was actually stuck on the floor for a bit.

Picture it. A mindful movement instructor who has been teaching Pilates for 16 years… stuck on the floor. Poetic. Hilariously ironic.

I share this for several reasons. One, no matter what kind of expert any of us may be, we are all human! Two, your body will almost assuredly talk to you. Do you listen? Three, sometimes it’s helpful to hear that you’re not the only one experiencing pain from something seemingly silly. Sometimes we can create a narrative that isn’t true. A “how fragile am I that I just stood up and now I can’t move my neck?” type of narrative.

If this sounds familiar to you, please don’t spend much time there. Instead, might I lovingly suggest that you circle back to point number two. When your body is trying to tell you something, do you listen? And do you know how to have a conversation with it?

For me, I realized that I wasn’t taking enough time to more slowly and intricately address old injuries that have been exacerbated by my new way of teaching virtually and less walking in the city.

Another way my body told me I needed to slow down was in my own movement practice. Sometimes that slow down means taking more time to warm up, and more regularly doing a couple of alignment exercises throughout the day.

I’m inviting back into my routine the ritual of settling into my body by laying down on the floor and finding some stillness (reminder here that stillness is an action), as well as actually scanning my body and asking it, “What do you have to tell me? What are my messages for today?”

Intuitive Movement Healing

Big news! We are dipping our toe back into physical space again! From July 10th to September 30th, we will be offering a Pilates pop-up series at The Floor on Atlantic.

When we can't think our way through a problem, crisis, or trauma, sometimes we must go to our body to help us feel our way through it. What happens when we consider our energy system and our greater intuition as guides when we seek answers or healing in relationships, career, spirituality, loss, or our purpose in this life?

In our new offering, Intuitive Movement Healing, we get to experiment with exactly that, perhaps even calling on ancestral/familial stories and lineage, inner child work, and chakra balancing.

This session combines intuitive reading, mindful movement, and Reiki healing for a powerful mix that deepens your intelligent and intuitive understanding. In this 90-minute container, held virtually or in-person, we explore together what your body, your energy system, and your spiritual guides/board of directors have to tell you, and then use core principles from Pilates and Reiki to integrate that information into your body and mind.

If you're ready to dive in, click below to book your Intuitive Movement Healing session. If you want a bit more info first, click below to schedule an Intention Setting Call.

We’re really excited for these sessions!


Client Spotlight

We recently finished up the first round of our group program, Moving Through the Chakras. Listen to Brittany share more about how that experience went!

 
 


Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. Both the change that just inevitably happens in life and the change they are choosing to make in themselves by coming to work with us. In other words, we are in the business of change – in the individual, the community, and the world.

In the name of change, this month we are continuing to honor the importance of acknowledging the cultures, healing practices, beliefs, traditions, and rituals that have been siphoned into the fitness and wellness industries from China, Japan, India, Thailand, and Tibet (to name a few) have been separated from the people that belong to those lands and cultures.

Indiaspora is a group of Indian leaders from around the world who have created a massive donation platform to get money to impactful nonprofits on the ground in India. At the end of April, they raised a million dollars in 48 hours to support families whose primary earners have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, help vulnerable migrant populations, and have made efforts to build makeshift hospitals.


Referral Program

A referral is the kindest compliment you could give us. If you think we would be a good fit for anyone you know, please consider spreading the word about the work we do together. For any new clients that may come our way as a result of your kind words, we would love to gift you an additional session to any current package you have with us. They can always schedule a call using the link below.

And, if you are part of or know a social justice organization looking for wellness support and collaboration for their clients or employees, please consider connecting us.

Our Body Is Intelligent and Intuitive

Is the winter or summer solstice a moment in the calendar year you are aware of or keep an eye out for? Not to bring up one of the metaphorically darkest winters many of us have ever experienced before… But hang with me here a second.

Can you remember where you were or how you felt leading up to and on the day of winter solstice, December 21, 2020?

I ask because we are fast approaching the longest and lightest day of the year and it dawned on me recently how they are different sides of the same coin. I often find myself pumped about the long summer days and drabby drab drab about the short, cold, dark days of winter.

But what if I look at them as balancing each other? What if I connect them more and appreciate the whole coin? Like a shiny memento I keep in my wallet as a reminder of a beautiful vacation to another country.

To me this feels so similar to the cycles of pain/discomfort and pleasure that we’ve explored in recent newsletters. Currently, we are working with many clients to formulate their practice in a way that calls on them to remember what pleasure feels like in their physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies – not just the absence of pain or discomfort.

This is the mindful movement equivalent of a shiny memento in your wallet. It creates an opportunity for a client to more regularly feel empowered and to more actively participate in their own microsteps of healing outside of their sessions with us rather than feeling as though “fixing the cause of pain” is totally out of their hands.

(It’s important to add that, yes, sometimes it is out of a person’s hand and an expert or doctor is needed. We are speaking about those in between times where pain can cloud simple options available to anyone.)

Exciting New Offering

Our body is both intelligent and intuitive.

When we can't think our way through a problem, crisis, or trauma, sometimes we must go to our body to help us feel our way through it. What happens when we consider our energy system and our greater intuition as guides when we seek answers or healing in relationships, career, spirituality, loss, or our purpose in this life?

In our new offering, Intuitive Movement Healing, we get to experiment with exactly that, perhaps even calling on ancestral/familial stories and lineage, inner child work, and chakra balancing.

This session combines intuitive reading, mindful movement, and Reiki healing for a powerful mix that deepens your intelligent and intuitive understanding. In this 90-minute container, held virtually or in-person, we explore together what your body, your energy system, and your spiritual guides/board of directors have to tell you, and then use core principles from Pilates and Reiki to integrate that information into your body and mind.

If you're ready to dive in, click below to book your Intuitive Movement Healing session. If you want a bit more info first, click below to schedule an Intention Setting Call.

We’re really excited for these sessions!

Events & Community

Our face is full of tiny muscles that are just as prone to less-than-ideal movement patterns as our hips, feet, or back can be. (This is especially true after a year of increased time on devices for many people.) At-home facial massage can be a great way to address the physical manifestation that stress can create in our facial muscles and fascia.

Recently, Brittany joined her friend and colleague Jaime Carson of Carson Skin Rejuvenation for a tutorial on facial massage using the Gua Sha tool. They discuss the history of the Gua Sha stone, its medicinal use, and the benefits of how it can be appropriately used outside of its medicinal origins for facial massage.

Head on over to Jaime’s Instagram to check out the video @carsonskin.

Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change. Both the change that just inevitably happens in life and the change they are choosing to make in themselves by coming to work with us. In other words, we are in the business of change – in the individual, the community, and the world.

In the name of change, this month we are continuing to honor the importance of acknowledging the cultures, healing practices, beliefs, traditions, and rituals that have been siphoned into the fitness and wellness industries from China, Japan, India, Thailand, and Tibet (to name a few) have been separated from the people that belong to those lands and cultures.

With that in mind, we are really energized to highlight Womankind, a nonprofit that supports those seeking help from domestic violence and human trafficking. In part, their mission is steeped in using the healing practices and traditions of the above cultures to aid in their whole-systems approach to recovery and renewal.

Referral Program

A referral is the kindest compliment you could give us. If you think we would be a good fit for anyone you know, please consider spreading the word about the work we do together. For any new clients that may come our way as a result of your kind words, we would love to gift you an additional session to any current package you have with us. They can always schedule a call using the link below.

And, if you are part of or know a social justice organization looking for wellness support and collaboration for their clients or employees, please consider connecting us.

Sowing Seeds of Potential

I’ve been watching the transition of spring closely this year. Seeds falling from trees like little helicopters spiraling down – little pockets of potential growth grounding themselves.

It occurred to me that, while every single seed has the potential to be a huge tree, the ground they are falling into doesn’t have room for every single one of them to become a tree and the environment they are in will also prevent many of them from growing beyond a seed. Some will become food for other animals, some will start to grow but will get removed and discarded, some will just disintegrate into the earth as fuel for the established trees around them.

It reminded me that there is not just one way to actualize our growth potential.

The movement of growth is not always straightforward or linear. It is not always a cycle of: seed falls, grows into a tree, drops seeds, repeat. And yet, each seed has its own role to play in the ecosystem as a whole.

We often use this idea of planting seeds when working with clients to identify movement patterns and/or body stories that no longer serve them. The “seeds of potential growth” are things we work together to introduce into their body – a new way of moving and relating to themselves.

Client Spotlight

We are right in the middle of Moving Through the Chakras, our first 9-week group program that explores how to heighten our awareness and intuition by combining the Chakra system with the alignment principles of Pilates while moving the body. We want to take a moment to celebrate all the participants who are showing up every week, moving their bodies in a more mindful way.

In our most recent session, we worked with the solar plexus chakra (Manipura Chakra), exploring the innate power, self-esteem, self-worth and deservedness that flows through that energy center. What do we need to literally and figuratively digest in order to fuel our power potential? What are the steps we need to take to not only recognize that we have worth and are deserving of what we want, but also to fully claim what we want?

In the coming weeks, we’ll keep building on these principles and seeing the ripple effects that come from this work.

Call to Action in the Name of Change

Growing up, I knew an altar to be something I could be in a room with but couldn’t interact with – so special and holy that only a few (men) were allowed to approach it and interact with in the name of healing. Through travel and studying other practices and traditions within and outside my ancestry, I’ve had the chance to re-examine and evolve my belief systems over time (it’s still ongoing) and learned that an altar doesn’t have to be reserved for a few. It can be in my home, full of symbolism, ritual, honor, and serving as a reminder that I am a healer.

As we pass over a month since the shooting in Atlanta, it’s on my mind how the cultures, healing practices, beliefs, traditions, and rituals siphoned into our industry from China, Japan, India, Thailand, and Tibet (to name a few) have been separated from the people that belong to those lands and cultures.

I have to be part of making my industry fair, equitable, and truly honest… healing while not harming. A portion of the proceeds from our current Moving Through the Chakras group program will be donated to Stop AAPI Hate. Please join us in doing the same.

If there’s an organization you think we should know about or would be open to partnering with us, please let us know and send us an intro!

Referral Program

A referral is the kindest compliment you could give us. If you think we would be a good fit for anyone you know, please consider spreading the word about the work we do together. For any new clients that may come our way as a result of your kind words, we would love to gift you an additional session to any current package you have with us. They can always schedule a call using the link below.

And, if you are part of or know a social justice organization looking for wellness support and collaboration for their clients or employees, please consider connecting us.

Moving From Pain to Pleasure

Oh April, sweet sweet April! Hello spring! Hello longer days with more warmth and sunlight. Hello to more naturally made Vitamin D, more fresh air in the lungs, smells of new leaves and blossoms in the air – a feast for the senses.

To me, in the cycle of the seasons, April signifies proof of life after death. It is the first of several segments of transmutation in the spring and summer. We are seeing signs that the fall of the leaves and decomposition of vegetation (death and decay) have made the ground ready for seed planting and reemergence (birth and rebirth).

Each year, it seems like this moment can’t come soon enough. Often, I experience a feeling of discomfort around this time that I just can’t wait anymore – like this moment I’ve been describing will never come. The discomfort is an invitation to trust. Trust that what’s percolating underground, unseen, will show itself. Inherently, I think trust, surrender, and vulnerability are all entangled with each other. Mixed with a dash of intuition and bravery, we get a magical tonic that serves as medicine to carry us from pain or discomfort to pleasure.

As with most things, this seemingly intangible experience with the seasons and cycles also shows up in the physical and in our work here at the studio.

When someone decides to seek out a gym, yoga studio, spin class, or Pilates instructor, they are putting themselves in a place of vulnerability – allowing themselves to be in the unknown and to be led by something or someone else. That can elicit a feeling of discomfort.

They were also likely sparked to move to that place of vulnerability because of physical or emotional pain or discomfort. Each time they have a breakthrough, shift, or change in their experience, it can lead to that moment of pleasure.

When we experience pain in our bodies, it's common for feelings of frustration at why we can’t figure the pain out or “how do I make it stop?” to come up. It can consume us in such a way that thoughts of feeling good seem ridiculous. Perhaps in using the idea of the cycle above, we can shift to a place of conversation with the body that looks like awareness of discomfort followed by a question like, “What is my body trying to tell me? What do I need (to do) to feel better?” Once we experience a moment of feeling good in our bodies, we are likely to choose it again.


Moving Through the Chakras

The core of something is the absolute center. In the physical body, we are referring to the center of gravity, torso musculature, spine, guts, reproductive organs. In the energetic and emotional body, we are referring to our identity, sense of comfort and connection with ourselves, home base, truth.

Our body is our first and last home. Awareness, connection, conversation, and appreciation of that home is vital for thriving and growth. What are the stories we have about our body/ourselves when we look at an external mirror? How do those stories integrate into our body? How is the way we look at and interact with our external environment impacting us in our physical, emotional, energetic bodies - our internal environment, so to speak?

In this 9-week group program, Moving Through the Chakras, we use gentle aligning movement based in foundational Pilates principles, along with guidance from information the chakras provide to heighten your kinesthetic, emotional, and energetic awareness, connect to your physical, emotional, and energetic bodies, and build an internal mirror for continual reflection.

We start April 21st and enrollment closes soon.

Client Spotlight

We are really grateful to be a part of every client’s healing process. This month we are bowing down in awe of a client who continues to amaze us with her positive energy as she navigates leukemia recovery in the midst of a pandemic.

She is so strong and steady in her understanding about the role movement and feeling good in your body plays in her wellness, no matter what stage of her treatment or recovery she is in. After being hyper aware of her blood – her life force running through her – she recently shared how much more deeply she understands the importance of “getting your blood moving every day.”

Call to Action in the Name of Change

As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change.

Taking that devotion and commitment to being active participants in positive change for our clients and industry and applying it towards our community and world, we are taking a moment each month to highlight partnerships we are part of or movements we are in support of so you can check them out, donate, volunteer, or connect however you can.

  • Stop AAPI Hate and Chinese Progressive Association: The recent shootings in Atlanta and the astronomical increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans in NYC in the last year have brought to light another layer of hate and lack of understanding that has deep and dark roots. As a business in the health, wellness, and fitness industry and as individuals that have benefited greatly from practices that originated in India, China, Japan, and Tibet, it is imperative to hold ourselves accountable and connect the dots between the people and the practice. We ask you to join us in learning more, advocating, and supporting these communities.

If there’s an organization you think we should know about or would be open to partnering with us, please let us know and send us an intro!

Referral Program

A referral is the kindest compliment you could give us. If you think we would be a good fit for anyone you know, please consider spreading the word about the work we do together. For any new clients that may come our way as a result of your kind words, we would love to gift you an additional session to any current package you have with us. They can always schedule a call using the link below.

And, if you are part of or know a social justice organization looking for wellness support and collaboration for their clients or employees, please consider connecting us.