ALIGN, Functional Movement & Massage Therapy, LLC

06/17/2026

If you are good at it right away, either you’re the 1% that everyone hates 😂 or you’ve done it before.

When we are trying new things, especially new exercises, it’s hard! Our body doesn’t know the patterns yet and most likely, we’re working muscles we haven’t in a long time. So… we look weird, feel weird and it can be frustrating.🧡

But if you keep up with it, you’ll get better.

You’ll get stronger.

Stay the course, give yourself some grace and your body will thank you a few weeks from now.

06/13/2026

Getting your glutes to activate can be tricky business, if you don’t know where to start.

What I see in almost every client that comes in reporting “weak glutes” and grumpy knees is an overly upright, wobbly squat.

When the torso stays stacked straight up, the effort shifts forward. The knees take on a big work load and the quads take over. In this shape the hips never really get a chance to show up to the party. 🥲

Instead, allow a hinge at the hips. Let the torso tip forward with the shins. This allows space for the hips to move back. Now, your squat becomes more stable and the glutes finally have something to work with!🎉💪🏼

Different bodies will look different. All hips and legs are not created equally.🫶🏼This is a variation that targets hip activation, there are others that target the quads (upper leg).

06/09/2026

The Levator Scapulae does exactly what it sounds like: elevates our scapula (or shoulder blade)!

It is not the only muscle that contributes to this movement but it can be a repeat offender when it comes to discomfort and over activity in the upper shoulder and neck.

I loooove this ball release to help bring some chill to this low chill muscle. 😂

If you don’t have a therapy ball for this release a lacrosse ball works great! I’ve even used my nephews bouncy ball before.🙋🏼‍♀️

I like to stagger my feet, one foot a little more forward than the other and remember, the further away your feet are- the more pressure! Slight core engagement is good to have to aid in support as we get into position.

I recommend this release if you’ve got that nagging ache right between the top of the shoulder and neck and also if can’t seem to be able to get this area to turn off when training! It can temporarily give us the space we need to train in better alignment and build balance! 💪🏼🎉

All my plans come with a Self-Release video library to assist you through your process. If you’re ready to build more balanced shoulders check out my Shoulder Deep Dive Plan!

👉🏼Learn More Button on my page !

06/08/2026

No one is immune to injury. You can do everything “right” and literally teach body mechanics for a living (🙋🏼‍♀️) and stuff just happens.

I never thought I would spend a year trying to listen to my body’s needs and still feel stumped. Sometimes we just have to roll with the punches, and that’s ok. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong or that you deserve it.

Having MRI’s and X-rays come back inconclusive has been a huge part of why I do what I do. Sometimes our body is just asking for more support and its not an injury. But, sometimes it is. In this case, it sure looks like an injury and we will just have to see where it goes from here.

If you ever think you might be injured, please see your doc! I had 8wks of physical therapy before I put myself through my own programming. But don’t be like me and put imaging off for a year if you can help it.🧡It obviously did not pay off.😂

If you’re dealing with an injury or unanswered questions, you’re not alone! Hypermobile fam, I know you know the feels.

06/07/2026

06/07/2026

If you’ve been told you have winged shoulder blades or even heard you might have scapular dyskinesia, all is not lost.

It cannn be a sign that our shoulders could use some support and if you also have neck and shoulder tension, it’s possible it could be linked.

Studies are all over the place here. I keep reading yes, there appears to be correlation but “the evidence is very low”. lol thanks guys. But the body is a complex place and this makes sense.

I work with people every week with this pattern and we often find as we increase mobility and balanced strength they feel much better. 🙌🏼🤗 and the risk vs reward here is very low. Move more = feel better? Amazing.

Also, building balanced strength can help our posture and in turn, we might enjoy that side profile a little bit more. 💁🏼‍♀️ However, everyone is different and esthetic results are always variable.

If you’re ready to build balanced strength and awareness in your upper body comment Shoulders below and I’ll send you the link to my Shoulder Deep Dive plan.🧡💪🏼