The foundation of the training you'll get from me is from the Your Pelvic Matters program, a pelvic floor rehab system that works with alignment, strengthening, and stretching to improve pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD).

Spoiler alert- MOST of us have SOME kind of PFD, at least sometimes.

In my full body approach, I work with people who deal with: 

• Stress incontinence
• Abdominal separation 
• Early stage prolapse
• Hiatal hernia or reflux
• Hip and low back pain from poor posture or muscle weakness

Oh, this sounds like you? And you want to fix it? OK! Here's a list. In a nutshell, you need to:

• Sit better (if you must sit, or vary the way you sit eg floor sitting)
• Stand better (I teach you how to do this in every class setting on my timetable, so no excuses)
• Walk and move more (but you need to learn how to stand better for you to be able to move and walk better, so you can sort of see how these things are indeed connected)
• Strengthen your glutes (a huge role in relieving pelvic pain, sciatica and sneeze wee is building yourself a strong butt, which incidentally is linked to walking better - you see - I can find a tenuous link to everything!)
• Release your hamstrings (particularly if sneeze wee is something you suffer with - it tells me your pelvic floor is possibly too tight)
• Teach your core to switch on reflexively (which means you don't "draw it in" all the time, or at all - you let it anticipate and adapt to the load you're asking it to bear), and finally
• Learn to breathe better (because you can't get a reflexive core, if you're not breathing into your ribs, and breathing better can also help pelvic floor/core synergy too)

 
And, there you have it! 
 
That's quite an extensive list as you can see, but if you've ever asked me a question along the lines of:
 
"What exercises are good for....?"
 
I rarely if ever answer it by listing my "go to" exercises, because I look at the body as a whole unit, and just sending you away with 4 movements to do in isolation isn't going to relieve your symptoms.
 
You've got to take some responsibility for your pain and actions going forwards too, you see.
 
If you're concerned that any symptom you're suffering with is not going away, it's probably time to get in touch with me, don't you think?

I teach 1:1 clients all the time, and next month the next round of my semi-private program the Foot to Forehead Fix opens again.

It's a frequently asked question: 

But aren’t you an herbalist? Or are you a movement teacher?

My philosophy is simple- if it helps you be well, it’s fair game to include in my whole body approach to wellness. Boom.

Lymph is a super simple example (this is all the body fluid that’s not actively in your blood right now. It’s in and in between cells, and in lymph vessels and nodes, washing away waste products like old cells and dead bacteria. But the lymph system doesn’t have a pump like the heart in the circulatory system, it relies on the body moving for it to move.)

Lymph can be supported materially by:

• Drinking enough water
• Herbs that can support or stimulate movement
• Reducing inflammation and stress

It can also be supported manually by:

• Dry brushing
• Hot and cold shower rinsing
• Massage
• Correcting posture to straighten out the channels
• Aerobic, bouncing, or functional exercise to add movement

My practice integrates the manual and the material- I’ll teach you to move, stand, and sit right AND how to support your body from the inside. It’s a whole body approach that’s really, actually holistic- inside and out, physical and herbal, consistent and persistent. 

Check out my services here and get to work with me to feel better yourself

Not only does this allow your digestive organs to practice contracting down to their smallest size, the emptiness allows time for any needed repair and construction work to happen. 

​Give your digestive organs a break, and a chance to change sizes. Give the lymph fluid and connective tissue around your organs some space, and some fresh blood flow. And give all the tissues a chance to heal: the GI tract really has a lot of constant damage to repair, so a pause gives all this a chance to happen.

Herbal remedy? Aperitif? Morning bowel stimulant? Yes! 

The bitter taste is an amazing actor in our bodies- not only do our tongues taste bitter, but we have those same bitter taste receptors in all kinds of other body tissues too (like our lungs and kidneys). When we TASTE bitter, all sorts of things happen all over the body.

Specifically regarding digestion::

• Smooth muscles relaxes, so there's less tension in the gut
• Digestive juices like saliva and bile are stimulated
• Peristalsis (movement of the intestines) is stimulated
• Sweet cravings are often diminished
• Circulation is stimulated, improving digestion, metabolism, and healing of inflammation
• and more!

You can find alcohol-based bitters 3 main ways.

1. In little bottles at the liquor store, like Angostura, Peychaud's, and many small batch brands
2. In big bottles at the liquor store, like Campari, Aperol, Fernet Branca, and again, many artisan brands
3. In little bottles at the health food store, like Swedish Bitters, Urban Moonshine brand, and many small herbal makers brands

The rule of thumb is if it's in a big bottle you can sip it neat, if it's in a little bottle it's for flavoring or small dosages

Food based bitters include liquids like Coffee and greens like Dandelion, Escarole, and Radicchio, as well as Chocolate and Cacao nibs.

Dandelion root, Artichoke leaf, Bitter Orange peel, Gentian, Blue Vervain, Angelica, and Horehound are all bitter herbs you may see on some ingredient lists as well. 

Practice these 4 exercises for your Digestive System, and let me know how you're feeling! And Learn more about exercising your insides and outsides, for structural and systemic health, in my Foot to Forehead Fix program.

Can you lift your big toe- without using your hands? Why should you care?

This is important because tension in your feet is a good indicator of also having tension in your pelvic floor, neither of which is good for us.

In my experience, almost all of the aches and pains we deal with are somehow connected to the hips and pelvis. A healthy pelvic region requires a balance of strength and mobility, and VERY often the clients I see don’t have either of these. 

Simply put, your pelvic floor is the very foundation of how you move- and how you feel when you move. Not having good strength and mobility makes for a messy chain reaction up and down the body, and this is why I’m always working with clients on the feet from day 1, regardless of what else we’re also working on.

P.S.- You’ll probably also see some other improvements up and down the chain too. Everything’s connected, after all.

P.P.S.- Want some extra help? I can do that! Sign up for a private session with me.