ReForm Somatic Yoga Therapy

09/08/2026

Fluid Stability, part 3. Two people go to the Fair for the day. One stands in one position all day, going further and further into that pattern. The second has done the work of Somatics and Breath Re-education, has done work to decrease the chronic tension patterns in their body, and pays attention throughout the day, to make sure they move their torso, and almost continually shifts how they're standing. Person 1 reaches for something the next day and ends up in back spasms. Person 2 feels good the next day and enjoys their day. The difference: Fluid Stability, and learning the work of Somatics and making their body their priority by paying attention to how they're standing, sitting, moving and breathing throughout the day. Just like we pay attention to how much we eat, how much we drink, if we need to brush our teeth, take showers, etc., we can pay attention to HOW WE MOVE. It takes some learning and persistance at first, and then it becomes second nature, automatic.

Check in with how you stand, are you moving your core throughout the day? Do you feel tight/stiff as the day goes on? Then notice - are you locked in at your core muscles, or are they able to move? You CAN CHANGE this.
How you hold yourself and whether you move or not will affect you, one way or the other. Make it a positive effect!

09/01/2026

Fluid Stability, part 2. Do you have those places in your body, maybe between your shoulder blades, your neck, your low back, one of your hips or shoulders? Reflexive patterns can cause some of our core muscles to overwork. All. The. Time. Even when you sleep. If they're always "on" and overworking, you're NOT going to be able to move through the full range or motion, and you aren't going to be able to find good connection/strength in some parts of your body, usually the opposite places.

Ever been told you need to strengthen your "core" when you have back issues? Well, that's not wronge, but ir'a not the whole picture! If you don't learn to release the back muscles BEFORE you try to strengthen the front core, you're never going to change them. One of the things I talk about a lot in my sessions is that we want our core muscles (by the way, that's all the way around the torso, not just the abs) to work like a hand-off. This means one muscle relaxes and lengthens while the opposite side contracts. If we don't release the side that's stuck and overworking and try to contract the opposite side, it results in a tug of war instead. That might relieve the pressure for a while, but it isn't fixing the issue! Somatics teaches us how to do that!

Check in with your posture - are there muscles that are overworking/tight? Check in with how you breathe - are you holding your breath? You CAN CHANGE all of this by learning first how to turn off, disengage, or release/lengthen tight muscles.

How you hold yourself and whether you move or not will affect you, one way or the other. Make it a positive effect!

08/25/2026

Fluid Stability. I talk about this A LOT! We've been taught to want to have core stability and pelvic floor stability, and what has happened is that it's caused a lot of people to get "stuck." So many of my clients feel stuck, and at the same time, are doing what they've been told, which is to pull something/muscles in or up, causing them to feel more stuck! Our bodies are meants to move. Let me say that louder - OUR BODIES ARE MEANT TO MOVE! What we're after is being more NEUTRAL in our posture. Once we achieve that, we want to move our bodies in all directions, from the core - fluid stability - the ability to shift and change to adapt to whatever direction we want to move, and to take any load that is needed. I compare this to how we build houses, even skyscrapers. Some movement has to be built in, or the building can't withstand the forces of nature. We need to reframe this for our bodies!

Check in with your posture - are there muscles that are overworking/tight? Check in with how you breathe - are you holding your breath? Then notice - are you locked in at your core muscles, or are they able to move? You CAN CHANGE all of this. How you hold yourself and whether you move or not will affect you, one way or the other.

Make it a positive effect!

08/25/2026

Stacy is putting together a fantastic series for teenage girls! I'm happy to be part of this. See her post for more details!

ICYMI:

This fall, Radiate Light is creating a supportive space for middle and high school girls and the caregivers who love them to learn about the nervous system—together.
Radiate Within is an experiential series designed to help girls better understand their bodies, recognize early signs of stress and overwhelm, and develop practical tools to feel more grounded, connected, confident, and supported.

Caregivers won't simply observe—they'll participate alongside their girls, learning about co-regulation, communication, connection, and ways to respond with greater understanding during stressful moments while also becoming more aware of their own nervous systems.

Throughout the series, local holistic and wellness practitioners will introduce age-appropriate experiences including movement, breath work, grounding, mindfulness, sensory regulation, creativity, body awareness, and other evidence-informed practices. Participants will discover what works best for their unique nervous systems while building skills they can use in everyday life.

Together we'll explore:
🌿 Understanding the nervous system and stress response
🌿 Recognizing body signals before overwhelm
🌿 Self-regulation and co-regulation
🌿 Breath, movement, grounding, and sensory tools
🌿 Emotions, friendships, school, sports, and everyday stress
🌿 Healthy boundaries and communication
🌿 Creating personalized regulation strategies
🌿 Building stronger connection between caregivers and girls

This isn't about expecting girls to stay calm all the time.

It's about helping them understand what their bodies are communicating, giving them tools to navigate life's challenges with greater confidence, and strengthening the relationships that help them feel safe and supported.

Our hope is that girls leave with skills they'll carry into high school, college, relationships, athletics, careers, and adulthood, while caregivers gain practical ways to foster connection, resilience, and emotional safety at home.

Because imagine how different the next generation could be if we taught nervous system awareness before they spent adulthood trying to understand why their bodies respond the way they do.

08/24/2026

CollaborationNOTCompetition - it's been a while since I've done one of these! I know, and work with, a handful of amazing Massage Therapists, and I recently met Bianca through another LMT and a few of my clients. It's always great, as a practitioner, to get a feel for the work someone does, so you can speak to it well, refer to them well, and have a deeper understanding of how we can best work together. I got to receive a massage from Bianca last Friday. I wanted to experience visceral work (working on the internal organs which is a deep technique - not deep in pressure, but connecting deep in the tissues and body,) as it's a real speciality, and because I've had some recent issues that I felt it would be helpful. I also have had a little left shoulder pain, and told Bianca that I have a tendancy to draw my L shoulder down and in. She addressed all of these issues, and I could feel the energy and connection deep in the area of part of my intestines, my spleen, and my left ribcage. If you're looking for someone who can do deep work (again, deep inside, but actually soft touch) I recommend Bianca! Other LMT's I know are .sargent among others. What we have learned, is that pairing their deep work with Somatics and Breath Re-education helps people ReForm themselves quicker, deeper, and is much longer lasting. I'm looking forward to sharing my work with Bianca later in September! We are better together!

08/14/2026

07/30/2026

This is a large part of the work I do! Breath re-education and Somatics go hand in hand. Posture affects breath and breath affects posture (well, ALL the body systems.) I love pairing this training with all the other tools of Yoga. If you haven't had an assessment of how you breathe (this doesn't mean doing a breath "practice"), you should. It changes everything. Literally. For the better, or poorer.

07/22/2026

Enjoying looking at the photos of this past weekend, the last weekend of this 500 hour cohort..... Sade doing the last practicum, Public Clinic on Saturday, a celebration gathering at Ellen's house and an introduction to Papusas, ending with an amazing Ceremony to send this cohort out into the world to do this work. Ending the cohort as we know it, and carrying with us all the memories, sharing, connection, and support. This group has changed me. This group is going to do amazing things. I am humbled and grateful.

07/22/2026

A quiet ending to teaching the Yoga North 200 and 500 hour trainings since 2019 in Des Moines. That 500 manual has seen 2 cohorts now in Des Moines, and I have loved teaching them and being part of their journey in Therapeutic Somatic Yoga. I'm also looking forward to all the things that come next......... looking forward to supporting those who have learned this work, expanding what I am doing, and seeing what else the universe has in store for me. Cheers!