• Embody Strength

Move and Live from your Center

  • Do you feel tired and weak and without energy on a day to day basis?

  • Do you feel it’s difficult to stay upright while sitting?  Do you have to shift weight often from one side to the other when you stand for extended periods?

  • Are you getting full 360º movement when you breathe?  Are you able to breathe consistently through your nose?

  • Have you been injured and need further recuperation, or do you have chronic pain issues in your back, hips, neck?

  • Do you deal with anxiety or lack of confidence?

What is the Embody Strength method?

Our bodies have a richness of wisdom and strength to be able to deal with daily challenges. However, most of us experience life almost outside the body, with very little sense of where we are in space (proprioception) or of the interior contours of our body (interoception).

My Embody Strength classes are, as everything I do, a mix of techniques and movements I personally use to keep myself feeling balanced, strong and free in my body.

The original foundation of my classes was Classical Pilates.  Later on, as I began to delve into the world of Gyrokinesis®, I added movements and sequences from that modality.  There are other strengthening, stretching or functional movements or exercises I use from other modalities to enhance the body’s capacity to meet everyday life with strength, mobility, grace, adaptation and freedom.

My desire is to bring a well-rounded exploration of the body to my students.

To live well in our bodies, pelvic stability and balanced muscular strength are key, but joint mobility and fascial fluidity are also paramount!  We want to move from a responsive center, with a mobile spine – the key to staying young!

As within, so without.  The work starts by consciously increasing your notion of your physical self, which then translates to your external world.

Students report feeling stronger, more centered, more aligned, with better posture and breathing mechanics, translating into more confidence, less anxiety, more capacity to take things slowly and be present.

It’s your strength – Embody it.

Contrology is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, in the way you play, and in the way you work.

The further embodied we become, the more coherent and the more at ease that we become.

You’re perfect as you are. The perfection is in your starting. Just because you are starting, you are already perfect.

  • What about levels?
  • At the moment the Embody Strength classes are open level.

    Most movements and sequences can always be adapted to different levels and body shapes.

    If someone is completely new with movement classes, I will give them simpler ways to approach more difficult exercises.
    If someone is more capable, I will push them with details their body has been ignoring, or with a more challenging version of an exercise.

    Additionally, I stress in class that everything we do is merely a suggestion from me, and each student should take responsibility for their own body, to know if a certain exercise is not for them that particular day, or if they need to do fewer repetitions.

    We often have feedback moments at the end of class where students can tell me what they felt and how things went, so I can adapt as necessary for future classes.

    The goal is for us to learn to appreciate and love our bodies and feel good living inside them!

Principles of Pilates

Originally called “Contrology” by the creator of the system, Joseph Pilates, the Pilates method’s goal is complete coordination between body, mind and spirit.

Classical Pilates exercises are for awakening muscles that are potentially “asleep”, working both sides of the body equally to create balance.

The goal is to develop the body in a uniform way, where no muscle groups are more dominant than others, so that there is a fluidity in the body.

Bringing awareness to our movement creates a more refined sense of where we are in space and how we exist in relation to the energy of the earth and our weight.

During exercises, we pay attention to parts of our body that are being activated, creating a better sense of efficiency of movement.  Concentration also puts us in the present moment, the key for movement to be more fluid and for us to be more aware in our lives.

The more control we have in our movement, the less effort we use to move ourselves, avoiding excessive muscular tension.

Focus helps us to activate the right muscles to create better control.  Movements should be a choice and not simply a reaction to forces around us.  In that way we move what should be moved, and stabilize where we should be more stable.

In Pilates this is called the “powerhouse”, and it’s where our life force energy comes from, the place where all of our coordinated movement is sourced.

Sometimes you may hear the word “core”.  We’re speaking about the center of the body, just below the belly button, including the muscles of the abdomen and back, the diaphragm and the pelvic floor.  Working well together in a coherent way, these muscles create stability and strength for everything we do in life.

This is the first and last thing we do in life and should be full and fluid throughout our life and our movement!

Each exercise has it’s own pattern of breathing to help mobilize the body or stabilize the center, depending on the focus of the exercise.  Breathing properly gets your blood flowing and creates internal space.  In class we explore the parts of our body involved in breathing, and work to raise our capacity to oxygenate the body and the mind.

As we get more precise in our movements, we create more options and choices in our bodies, and in our lives!

Precision is the fruit of conscious and regular practice.  With repetition we gain the ability to choose range of motion, speed and strength.  We don’t get stuck in our muscular habits or the unconscious mind.  We become freer!

The goal is to have continuity of movement which is smooth and uninterrupted, to live with elegance and grace.

Romana Kryzanowska, protegée of Joseph Pilates said that this method was:  “Flowing motion outward from a strong center”. The objective is movement that doesn’t start and stop and hiccup, but rather has a deliberate and elegante flow.  Imagine what it is to then translate that into living with fluidity!

What is Gyrokinesis®?

Gyrokinesis® is a method of movement created by Juliu Horvath, originally called “Yoga for Dancers.” The entire body is opened, including pathways of energy, through stimulating the nervous system and increasing range of motion in the joints and the fascia.

The sequences are rhythmic, flowing and circular, always respecting the spirals of the body, which reflect the spirals that we see throughout the universe, a continual flow of energy.

Coordinating breath with the movement in a physiologically natural way is key.  We use various types of breathing techniques, in order to open space in the body and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.

So as we work the whole body and gain in supple strength, we also work on  a sense of calm, well-being and mental clarity.

The practice is done on a mat or a chair, and without equipment.

What’s my movement background?

I’ve worked in the area of dance and movement since 2007, helping students find their center and understand the mechanics of movements, aligning their bodies to be more efficient.

In 2020 I finished my certificate in Classical Pilates at Shift You with Bruno Rodrigues – a 250-hour course certified by DGERT and IPDJ which included work on the Mat and the equipment: Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, High Chair, Spine Corrector and Ladder Barrel.  Also included was a study of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology.

In 2021 I did my certification as a teacher in training in the Gyrokinesis® method from Bernarndo Gama in Lisbon.

Additionally, I’ve got personal experience in recuperating from injury and chronic pain, living with osteoarthritis.  Through conscious movement and a more intimate relationship with my own body, I’ve found a new strength and capacity within myself to live with more mobility than I previously had, leading to better quality of life.

Try out an Embody Strength class!