Before I dive into all of the fun educational knowledge in the upcoming blogs I thought it might be nice to get to know me, who I am, where I came from, and all the education I have gathered.
I grew up outside of Buffalo NY. I am a hometown girl and I will always remember my roots. My immediate family, although living coast to coast now, is small, tight and loving. From the beginning I was instilled with this need to care and support those I love. My parents worked hard to give my brother and I the best life they could imagine. As a happily married mom of two... plus the fur pup of course, I can now honestly say I finally understand them, well mostly. I hope that I am able to provide the same level of love to my family, friends, students... that they showed me.
I studied dance from a young age and loved the technique. I loved the rehearsal. The practice. The strive for perfection. The details. God I LOVED the details. I remember performing in the my first Nutcracker with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and then that same year with Ballet Arts and being Puck in a Midsummer NIght's Dream. These stick out the most to me because I loved the rush when I performed. Looking back I loved the determination to understand what someone wanted my body to do.
Many things came easy and other were flat out hard. As I've grown in my profession I can say that the exploration of trying things a million different ways has given me a wide eye and a broad scope to view from.
Life has a way of guiding you toward your passion without you really knowing that’s what is happening. I auditioned for several colleges and universities. Some in person but most were via VHS. That makes me sound old! I was “encouraged” by my parents to go to a state university where I could study dance in addition to something else. Gosh they are so smart!
They had a way of delivering the message without it sounding negative. They were right. I attended SUNY Brockport and after my first year I was in a terrible car accident and had to put my curriculum on hold. Since I was still enrolled I had to change gears and take other classes because I couldn't fully participate in the dance classes. I decided to add Exercise Physiology to my degree.
While all of this was happening I was approached by a dancer from José Limón. She asked me more about my accident and told me to try "Horvath" technique. Now if you come from a dance background you'll know that a technique is often named after a person, their style of dance and choreography. Honestly that's what I thought she was talking about when I learned the spinal motions and what I now know as the basic principles of the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®.
I graduated with a dual Bachelors Degree in Dance and Exercise Physiology concentrating in Injury Prevention and Somatics Sciences. I was also lucky enough to go through the classical Pilates program through the school while recovering.
After graduation I worked at a Physical Therapy office, providing exercises to both everyday individuals as well as the dancers from Rochester City Ballet. Suzanne Callan-Harris was a wealth of information and encouraged me to pursue Massage Therapy. So I did! I graduated from Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage and used my flex hours studying Pathophysiology. I became licensed in New York State and eventually moved back to Buffalo.
While working at a wellness spa I went to Manhattan to visit a friend who was auditioning, She told me about a class she was going to take and told me I would love it. So, I went. It was at GYROTONIC® Manhattan. The first exercise, arch and curl, spiral, side arch, wave. I could NOT believe it. It was what I had done years prior. It wasn't Horvath technique. This was the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®.
I came back from Manhattan and went to take a pilates class at a former dance instructor's studio. Low and behold, a pulley tower. That was my sign. I began traveling back to Manhattan via train to complete the coursework to become a certified instructor in GYROTONIC® and then GYROKINESIS®.
To learn more I took day trips to study with Lisa Lansing in Cleveland Ohio. The first time I went I got in my car and drove three and a half hours to Cleveland, OH and then three and a half hours back after doing 2 hours of a lesson with her and her other instructors on a Friday night. Looking back, that was totally insane but goodness if I didn't do that I would certainly not be where I am today the bond, friendship, companionship, camaraderie and most importantly the friendship that I was able to make with her is something I hope everyone has an opportunity to have. Lisa was my first true mentor. She's always inspiring me to be a better person, inspires me to take risks, inspires me with her new ideas and her new journeys throughout her own life. She exposes me to things that I never even knew existed. She's a close friend of mine now and I'm grateful for all of the knowledge she shared with me and continues to share with me.
I began teaching in a small pilates studio south of Buffalo and then decided to venture out on my own to focus solely on the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM®. I opened Breathe Movement Studio in February of 2011 within a colleague's Chiropractic practice, Zelasko Soft Tissue and Spine. Once the studio opened I travelled all over the world studying GYROKINESIS® with Juliu and the Specialized Equipment with other amazing Master Trainers. Skipping ahead I met my husband and moved to Westchester, NY.
It a running joke between my husband and I that his family wasn't quite sure I was actually moving, because as soon as I landed and unpacked I left to participate in GYROKINESIS® level 2, in Bali, with Juliu. I was always planning on staying but too k the opportunity to travel and learn even more. When I returned to my new home I searched for what seemed like forever to find a new space to teach, but we finally did and reopened Breathe in March of 2016 in Mamaroneck, NY.
I am always learning and wanting to learn more and never settling for knowing enough. I mean the questions keep coming! I'm so curious and I crave the knowledge. So in true form I decided to get my Masters Degree. While opening my studio, in a new city, where I didn't know anyone, or that my love was going to propose. hahahaha. On October 13, 2017 we got married in the same place we met five years prior. A year and a half later, I graduated with my Masters Degree from A.T.STill University in Kinesiology with concentrations in Sport Conditioning, Corrective Exercise and Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Spring of 2019.
In 2020 when the world shut down I threw myself into the movement. I took virtual classes daily and taught virtual GYROKINESIS® daily. I felt amazing. This is also when I became pregnant for the first time. I taught my first GYROKINESIS® foundation while 6 months pregnant, during a pandemic, after a hurricane hit, without power. I mean really what was I thinking! Well anyway it all felt great!
After I delivered my son I spent time focusing on myself and learning about my body after baby with a great team of therapists and movement practitioners. Something that I "didn't need" according our US standards, but something that I think everyone should have the opportunity to do. Then our little man got COVID on his first birthday. A couple weeks later I was pregnant again. Again my husband and I joke that there can be no more pandemics in our house. After my daughter was born I did the same rehab with the same people and added more of what I felt I needed.
This is where I started to think I should share this! All of this! Injury rehab, self care, pre & post natal, and oh so much more!
So here I am and here you are. I hope that my educational journey was not boring, but rather refreshing and inspires you to join me as I share videos for you to practice in your own comfortable space, evidence based blogs that you can read for even more information on the topics you are interested in, and a community you can grow with.
I hope to meet you in person, if not virtually.
Please reach out when you have questions, comments, or concerns. I'd love to help.
Always remember to breathe, move, and be well.
🖤
Meghan
Comentarios