“If she could, she would.”

The other day I was asked why I chose to learn structural integration. After all, I had a successful practice teaching classes and working with clients one on one with movement and breathing exercises. And while my clients were experiencing profound improvements in range of motion and general well-being, what I realized is that specific hands-on structural integration bodywork made more and longer-lasting changes.

One of my teachers tells a story of working with her client and her client’s physical therapist. The physical therapist was taking her client through standard ranges of motion, in this case with her shoulder, and the client was having trouble - because she was running into restrictions in her tissue. The therapist kept pushing her client until finally my teacher put her hand on the therapists shoulder and explained, “if she could, she would.”

And what I have found to be true is that with hands-on releasing of adhesions of connective tissue and facilitating people to become more kinesthetically and neurologically aware of specific areas of their body (and relationships with other areas), they then can replace habitual patterns of doing things with new and improved ways of moving (and living).

I have been amazed personally how after receiving the 11 series by a quality practitioner, I have returned to familiar activities such as yoga, running, plyometrics, hiking, and really anything I pursue with what feels like a brand new body. My range and ease of movement are fun and inspiring for me and I enthusiastically share what I have learned both professionally and through my personal experience with my clients.

I facilitate people getting back to and more fully enjoying their favorite activities with an 11 series process of hands-on structural integration bodywork and movement lessons. If you are interested in learning more about how I work and why my work is unique, please call to schedule your introductory session.

Stephanie Fish

Founder of Alignment First

Structural Integration/Fitness, Bio-optic Holography, Aston for Yoga

htttp://www.alignmentfirst.com

What does Love have to do with Alignment?

Love is particularly potent in my life this month. And yes, Valentine’s Day is in February and I am excited for all of us who are celebrating love this month. A real highlight for me is my work, which I can call “my joy” because of how much I love what I do for a living. If you know me, you know I am excited and committed to serve my community with valuable and essential tools for well-being. After many years of traveling far and wide, and studying with brilliant teachers, I am happy about how everything is coming together. I am proud of myself and deeply appreciative of the support I have received from my family, friends, teachers, and clients. And I know my love, my appreciation and my gratitude are signatures of my being in alignment.

Why do I care so much about alignment? Well - I feel great when I am in alignment. And as one of my favorite group of teachers, Abraham-Hicks, say, “A person in alignment is more powerful then a million people who are not.” Being in alignment is a direct source of empowerment for me.

What am I aligning with? We each have our own descriptions and unique expression of alignment. Many of my clients use words such as true power, highest potential, optimal blueprint, dream life, ideal vision, creative source, core self, inner being, God, deep knowing, I am that I am - whatever works for their belief system. In structural integration bodywork, we are aligning with gravity. Buckminster Fuller - who coined the term "tensegrity" which is the model of structural alignment - where all the connective tissues (muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons) are balanced and aligned wrote, “Gravity is Love.” Whatever words we use, I know I am in alignment based on how I feel - a warm buzz, as if every cell of my being is singing, “Yes!” and “Thank you.” I am a physical person, and I feel strength, support, balance, vitality, fluid resonance, and a deep connection when I am in alignment and I enjoy being fully and completely present in what I am doing.

Are you in alignment? In my practice, Alignment First, I help people come into alignment - physically with structural integration and fitness - and also in their thoughts, emotions and belief in themselves. If you are unsure of the connection between your physical alignment and your emotions, imagine someone who is depressed. Perhaps you are envisioning - rounded shoulders, lowered gaze, slumped posture. And there are also the folks who overly compensate to “be happy” - they struggle to force their shoulders up and back and “hold their head up high.” What is the common denominator - “strain.” You can actually be present, powerful, confident, enthusiastic, and joyful in your life - with a sense of ease and harmony. And this is what we call Alignment.

Alignment comes first. Then action.

In honor of the "month of love", I invite you to give yourself a precious gift right now. It will only take a few seconds. Find a comfortable, relaxed, supported position - if you are sitting put something underneath your buttocks so your hips are higher then your knees. You can roll your pelvis forward and back gently to find an easy neutral position, where your weight is slightly forward on your sitting bones, your feet are under your knees, and you feel weight down your legs, feet and into the floor. Breath into and enjoy the sense of support you receive from your chair and the ground below you. Close your eyes (after you read my instructions) and imagine yourself in your full health and vitality. Only you know what that means for you, and perhaps you are engaging in one of your favorite activities. Are you in doors or outside? How is the weather? Who is with you? What are sensations do you notice in your body? What smells are in the air? What are you hearing? What are you feeling? Be in your picture and be as specific as you can. Allow yourself to bask in your well-being. And when you are ready - slowly open your eyes and allow a few deep breaths to move through your body.

Feel better? I invite you to do this for a few minutes every day.

Enjoy the rest of February, the month of love. And remember to bring awareness to your Alignment, so you have the space to give love, and receive it.

At Alignment First we take a journey of exploration to your best self and your best life. Together, we discover the patterns holding you back, and we teach you powerful tools and techniques to bring you to greater and fuller Alignment.

As an expression of my choice to partner with and improve the well-being of our community, I am offering a special gift to new clients - half-off your first session. Call today to set up your appointment - (858) 229 - 1384 or e-mail: alignmentfirst@gmail.com.

Love,

Stephanie Fish

Holistic Body Work and Structural Alignment

htttp://www.alignmentfirst.com

Flip-flops and Knee Pain

My good friend, a skilled yoga instructor, told me she notices how she gets knee pain in the summer with so much wearing of her “slippers,” (what I call “flip-flops). I explained to her that her ‘slippers’ do not allow the healthy functioning of her foot. Specifically, her toes have to curl and grip to keep her shoes on her feet, even when they “should” be spreading out and push off during phases of her walk. She ends up altering her walk and overusing some muscles in her feet and legs, and underusing others.

How is her knee pain related to her shoes?

Many of the muscles that attach to aspects of the feet, create our arches, and determine the alignment of our knee work together in the lower leg. Some “shin” muscles such as the peroneals, tibialis anterior, and tibialis posterior together create a “stir-up” effect to form the arches and can determine the health and vitality of our feet, ankles, knees, hips, back and further on up the line. The reason their effect can be so global is how everything is connected via “connective tissue,” specifically connective tissue surrounding the muscles often referred to as “myofascia.” Myofascia in the backs of our legs, surrounding the calf muscles for example, also contributes to the health of our feet and knees. One of the calf muscles, the gastrocnemius crosses the knee joint to effect the femur (the thigh bone). Some of the hamstrings cross the knee joint and attach to the tibia and fibula (the shin bones) - and also determine the alignment and health of your knees. The myofascia directing these muscles can be chronically held tight, or locked in a long and weakened position, or bound to surrounding layers and tissues.

A great way to “neutralize” the effects of your flip-flops (or high heels) is first to take them off when you can and walk around barefoot. Another is to massage your feet and toes - especially sticking your fingers between your toes. Lastly, a tennis ball or golf ball can act as a great release for the soles of your feet, calves and hamstrings.

To feel how the backs of your legs are connected to the soles of your feet - do a forward bend in the direction toward your toes (bending your knees to protect your low back) and note how far you hang, what holds you back, and what else you feel in this “stretch.”

Standing up - place the tennis or golf ball under one foot - if you require help with balance set-yourself up with a chair or wall for assistance. Spend some time with the ball in front of your heel - allowing your body weight to melt on the ball (breathe!), then moving the ball to behind the front pad of your foot (at the front of the arch), and finally under the toes - reversing their curl/scrunch. You may notice the sole of your foot being quite tight and remember to work in a way you can keep breathing and stay relatively relaxed.

Before you switch over to the other foot - do another forward bend towards your toes and notice if there is a difference between the foot and leg (you may feel the effects all the way up your back and neck) on the side you worked with the ball. Do you bend further on the side you just worked? Do you notice even a release up into your back and neck? Walk around a few steps and notice how your foot and leg interact with the floor, especially as you push off the back foot in your walk. Then return to do the second side. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading and please be in touch.

Stephanie Fish

Holistic Body Work and Structural Alignment

htttp://www.alignmentfirst.com

Health Care Is...

A few months ago, I walked out of a doctor’s office crying and as I pushed the elevator button and had a few minutes to pull myself together before the door opened - I checked in and asked myself what was going on. I was not technically sick and yet the whole ordeal I had just been through had me convinced, “this is neither health, nor care.”

And then I wondered, what is health care? What are the feeling tones, visuals, sounds, smells, that I associate with my dream vision of health care?

One of my teachers has helped me see the benefits of a “negative” experience as a “contrast” to guide me to more satisfying experiences. Instead of getting stuck on “I don’t like that thing,” I turn to find and create a better choice for me.

Now I am working with a practitioner whom I respect and from whom I feel respected and supported in my personal health plan. Part of my satisfaction with my current experience is the contrast with the doctor before.

To set yourself up for success - before you meet with your practitioner, I encourage you to imagine yourself living and enjoying your health. Have fun with your dream, get specific and use all of your senses. Then, coming from your deep place of knowing what is your health care, empower your practitioners to help you live your dream.

To your health.

Stephanie Fish

Holistic Body Work and Structural Alignment

htttp://www.alignmentfirst.com

Why Structural Integration?

I have considered enrolling in school for structural integration for 9 years, ever since falling in love with connective tissue in my yoga teacher training and massage school. Fascia truly is amazing and the more I learn, the more I believe the foundation for our health is in the fluidity and space of our tissues.

We store memories, thoughts, emotions and physical traumas in our tissues. While many modalities can provide temporary relief, only when we touch, stay, breathe, and feel the “issues in their tissues” as they come up, can we really allow for their resolution and a return to more full vitality. I have learned the importance of working in layers, seeing how until there is space and fluidity in superficial layers, there is no room and opportunity to create lasting change in deeper layers. A series of usually ten sessions is how structural integration is designed to address each of the layers.

The reason I delayed in going to school was my personal experience of “being Rolfed,” was more aggravating then relieving. I experienced pain in my rib cage and neck for months that I did not have before paying for and going through 10 sessions. I also found the “how can I fix it,” lens to be less-then-respectful of our bodies innate wisdom. When I enrolled in school and watched a 10 series I realized my practitioner did not follow anything close to the original recipe laid out by Ida Rolf and added to by her successors. The series can create lasting change.

The degree to which someone’s body can make lasting changes corresponds to the degree to which they feel safe, relaxed, and can receive the new stimulus. For example, I did not “receive” structural integration. I braced. I found “the work” painful and aggressive. Through my studies with Emilie Conrad in Continuum movement, I have refined my sensory capacities and my ability to evaluate and work with tissue organization in breathing and physical structures. I provide my clients with sounds, movements, and effective dialogue to receive our work together while allowing their nervous system to stay relaxed.

Their participation is key to the success of the clients with whom I work. I ensure my clients feel empowered to speak up and we use conscious communication. Alignment First is more then lining up a stack of joints, my clients choose what health truly means for them and we work together to realize their potential.

Facilitating people to engage with what is going on in all their different layers is a privilege and a joy for me. We can hold so much in our tissues, and I believe the more embodied, fluid and resonant we are as people, the healthier our society and planet. Feeling greater ease and vitality in my body has made my life more fun. Thank you for reading and please be in touch.

Stephanie Fish

Holistic Body Work and Structural Alignment

htttp://www.alignmentfirst.com