I’ve been studying different forms of movement and somatic practice for the past 12 years. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my impulsive entry point into movement practice began when I needed it most.

 

At age 15 I was probably the most stressed out I’ve ever been. Being a teenager is stressful enough, but on top of that I was a closeted gay kid in a conservative environment, didn’t really have a passion, and was an academic overachiever! I was a walking contradiction of wanting to hide and achieve a lot at the same time, both of which are stressful! This stress showed up in my health through anxiety, restless nights, and lots of distancing myself from people. All symptoms I tried to ignore.

 

No matter if it’s being a teenager, having a stressful job, or honestly just being alive in today’s world, stress will slowly sink into our lives, until it shows up in our health, and we are forced to come to terms with it. In fact, chronic stress is so prevalent that it’s the number one cause of issues related to people's physical and mental health.

 

One reason this correlation is happening is because stress gets activated through our nervous system! And our nervous system dictates so many of our bodies' conscious and unconscious processes. If we have a nervous system that is full of stress and dysregulated, there are a whole cascade of issues that can come from that. It’s got too many important jobs to be left uncared for.

 

At the same time I was collecting all this stress at 15, I also found my greatest passion. DANCE!

What started as an intuitive need, turned into a healthy obsession that was changing the way I acted and felt on a daily basis. These feelings of calm, joy, flow, energy, connection to spirit, people, and purpose filled my life. I still look back at that version of myself and feel inspired. 

 

I was at a crucial fork in the road where I could have continued to ignore how much stress I had, or pursue practices that, for some unknown reason, made me feel whole and alive. I went on to train in dance and many other somatic movement practices for 12 years and now I’m here with more clarity on how to help others recover from chronic stress and related conditions.

 

While I knew I loved to move, I didn’t see the full picture of what was happening in me physiologically. I’m not here to pretend I’ve never been stressed for the past 12 years. Dance training was actually very challenging and quite stressful at times. I’m here to help you understand that stress is something that can be managed and even leveraged so that it doesn’t show up in our health or dictate our lives. I just got lucky to have fallen in love with the best solution research has found. MOVEMENT.