As I was growing up, my head was always in a book, day dreaming of being a heroine and going on fun adventures. While I was always reading and engrossed in other worlds and fantasies, I was a very active child and never stopped moving. I loved playing sports and musical instruments and being with animals. I would whistle everywhere I went. I loved so many different things and could never choose a favorite. I participated in choir, marching band, guitar, piano, theater, dance, cross country, tennis, soccer, horseback riding, and gymnastics growing up. Eventually, I had to choose a favorite.
Once I chose soccer, it became my whole life and passion. While I didn’t become a professional athlete, I did play collegiate soccer. After graduating, my athletic career was over, and I had to begin my new journey. The adjustment and transition from playing soccer for hours every day to entering the real world was very difficult. Instead of going into my future feeling promise and excitement, I felt a sense of loss and anxiety. What was my purpose in life? I spent the next ten years struggling to answer this question.
The next chapter of my life seemed to pass very slowly. Patience is not one of my virtues, and the unknown of the future was particularly unsettling. I made plans to do many things; however, years passed by, and I continued to watch my peers move up the career ladder, get married, and start having children. I felt I was disappointing my parents and myself in a dead end job with very little gain. Miserable and depressed, I knew something needed to change. I wanted to find passion and fulfillment in my life and future career.
Over time I found myself exploring the alternative modalities. I discovered reiki, reflexology, yoga, massage therapy, holistic nutrition, homeopathic remedies, and many more. I was fascinated by the entire mind-body soul connection. Focusing these new interests and likes into a career proved to be a challenge, and my next steps were to find out how. These explorations led me to expose my own rigidities and pain. I never realized how much pain I was in and would always block it out. Due to low funds, I was limited in my choices, so my mother suggested I go see her yoga teacher. And so it began.
Traveling to the yoga studio, I had no idea what was about to happen. But unbeknownst to me, I had my first Alexander Technique session. During this time, I felt transformed, rejuvenated, and I never wanted it to end. For the first time in my life I was given an invitation to be free, to release unwanted tension, stress, pain, and encouraged to listen to who I was and what I wanted in that moment. I wanted to run around jumping and shouting it out to the world. This one moment started such exciting changes in the next chapters of my life.
Brimming with purpose and filled with hope, I looked into training that very afternoon, yet sadly the closest training course was too far away. Obstacles formed before me with glaring speed, and making it happen would be near to impossible in my current situation. So, I went back to work and continued on with life. I went into a severe depression and was so angry with myself. No house, no savings, no life partner, no career, and just debt… I was a failure.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t and wouldn’t give up. Two years later, I was laid off from my job, and it was a blessing in disguise. Not finding any new jobs, I applied to the Alexander Technique training program without any clue as to how it would work out. One week later, I received my second Alexander Technique session and began my new and exciting journey as a trainee of the Alexander Technique Training Center in Charlottesville.
The training course was an intense, challenging, painful, wonderful, beautiful, engaging and amazing experience. I felt I knew absolutely nothing, and yet I was where I needed to be: discovering habits old and new, pealing layers of bound fascia and digging up memories and emotions while learning a new language and a way of thinking. I began the journey of reeducating my mind and body through a learning process that allowed me to regain my coordination, balance and return it to its natural perspective. This had a profound influence in my life and allowed me to heal and transform and live authentically. I will forever treasure my experiences during this time.
During my training, I began coaching soccer. How do you begin to introduce the technique to athletes in a training session? How do you bring it to the athletes, coaches, and parents? I was a bit overwhelmed of the thought of taking on the entire soccer and possibly athletic community. I wanted to be able to improve their freedom, coordination, speed and mental strength. Luckily, I was able to share my fears, my passions, and my desires with my teachers and started the scary prospect of introducing the technique to the athletic community.
After I completed my training, the next chapters of my life begin with my desire and passion to share my knowledge and passion for undoing harmful habits in the mind and body that interfere with our most authentic, natural, and efficient selves. It is scary to give up old thoughts, old habits, and resist the temptation to continue on the same path. But, that is the lesson I am learning at the moment. I have to stand in my own power and follow my own guide.
I desire to work with athletes because I understand how much they strive for excellence. I want to give athletes a program where they can excel at their sport and do it with freedom, ease, coordination, and to their highest potential. I want them to have a choice in how they push themselves. By gaining greater body awareness, coordination, freedom of movement, and strengthening the relationship between mind and body it can have a profound and positive effect on the athlete. I look forward to bringing out each and every authentic self.
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