“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

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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