It’s no secret that actors need to have flexible, supple, strong bodies. Our craft demands that we be malleable, able to mold our bodies almost like a shape shifter into the uniquely different life and physical expression of each character. Can you do this? Can you also undo this and get back to your own, personal uniqueness? 

The actor’s body does not need to look like any particular thing. Actors do not need to have the ripped physique of Wolverine or the speed and agility of Lara Croft. It doesn’t matter what your body looks like, but it does matter how accessible it is to you. Do you have access to your body’s full expression? Gyrotonic can get you there, and it can get you back to neutral as well.

Getting Back to Neutral

When I was younger, I was in a production of West Side Story. In one scene, the character Anita is attacked by gang members and I was on stage for the action. I remember running off stage after the scene and feeling how tense the entire cast was. We were all so young and we didn’t know how to release the intense feelings and body tension brought on by witnessing the staged reenactment of a brutal attack.  It was difficult to move on to the next scene and many of us were in tears backstage afterward, all momentum felt lost. We carried that trauma in our bodies all the way through the curtain call and most of us probably took it home with us, too.

Imagine playing Richard III – Shakespeare’s famous hunchback character – and holding your body in a hunched over position for hours during rehearsal and performances.

When your role on stage or screen embodies imbalance, how do you bring your body back to its natural, flowing, balanced energy state?

The Gyrotonic Method can give you the tools to rid your body of the after-affects of being in contorted positions.

Tips for Recovering the Flow of Energy

After performing a physically challenging or emotion-laden scene, try these easy maneuvers to restore the state of peace in your body.

Relax the Whole Body

Lay down (or, if you’re in a public space, just sit and lean against a chair for support). Feel the fatigue in the soles of your feet, in your toes and your shins. Feel the tension in your thighs and then let them relax. Allow your belly to open and expand gently. Let your ribs fill with air. Go from the bottom of your feet through the crown of your head, imagining deep relaxation in each body part.

Give Your Shoulders Some Love

Squeeze your shoulders up toward your ears tightly. Slowly let them drop back down and take a deep breath.

Keep a Joyful Image in Mind

Before you step into rehearsal or performance, keep an image in your back pocket that makes you smile. Maybe it’s the big wet kiss your dog gave you last week, or the mad dash your cat made for the catnip yesterday. When leaving the performance, take a moment to recall this joyful expression of life and let the tension of the scene slip away.  

Through Gyrotonic exercise, you can learn how to be relaxed with strength. Every single Gyrotonic movement is designed to incorporate core strength because you can’t move freely if you’re not strong.

If you’re ready to free your body and explore your creative movement, call or email me to get started with your first Gyrotonic session.

"Over the river and through the woods" was more than a line from a holiday song to me growing up. For my family it was part of the Christmas ritual as we drove up to my Grandparent's farm in Northern Wisconsin. Frequently we were driving in heavy snow and there were many trees to see and rivers to cross before we crunched up the gravel drive and were welcomed by the lights of the farmhouse kitchen.

Even before the car stopped the dogs would be barking their "Hellos" and I would dash out of the car to rub their wagging tails and receive their sloppy kisses. If there was any light left in the day I'd run to the barn to visit the cows in their stalls munching away on their hay and corn. I loved the barn with it's earthy smells and steaming pails of milk! I would stay in there for hours, talking to the cows, scratching their itches and rubbing behind their filed down horns. If I got too close to their nose though, I'd end up with a long strip of gooey green hay slime on my sleeve (or worse, my face!) when the curious bovine licked me with her long tongue.

Those days on the farm and hours in the barn with the cows, dogs, cats, sheep and chickens were some of my happiest childhood days. It was also where my healing skills were first nurtured and my desire to help any and all creatures in pain gain strength. It wasn't all play and petting the pretty (pretty dirty!) cows though. Visiting the farm meant helping with the milking and the feeding and the barn cleaning (the endless barn cleaning!!) and whatever else Grandma and Grandpa needed help with. It made for a strong body and great sleep at the end of day. Long walks in the woods, through the fields and along the river taught me a love for nature that remains with me today.

It's a Southern California Christmas for me this year, but no matter whether you're sledding in the snow or surfing in the sea this Holiday season, may you be blessed by the warmth and love of dear ones, keeping them in your hearts joyfully and with good cheer!

Big Holiday Hugs,

Susan

P.S. Share a favorite Holiday memory in the comments section below :D

Walking is an ideal form of exercise.  Our bodies are designed to walk! A walk of just 10 minutes will refresh you and get your blood flowing, 15-20 minutes will reduce your risk for heart disease and diabetes and 30-40 minutes of regular walking will help your liver burn fat and improve the cognitive function of your brain, plus all the well known benefits to your lungs, muscles and bones.

Well, all that is true and good, but thinking about taking a walk because you HAVE TO EXERCISE makes it seem like a CHORE.  Anything thought of as a CHORE it will definitely get relegated to the 'NOT FUN' and the 'NOT DONE' category.

What if we turn that around and think about walking as a mini-vacation in the midst of your busy day?  If you 'walk for wonder' it can be just that … a mini-vacation.  

Guess what? You already know how to Walk for Wonder and you've done it before, probably many times.  For example, while walking to the coffee shop something catches your eye that makes you smile. Maybe it's the sloppy chocolate-smeared face of a child with an ice cream cone, a large exuberant puppy pulling it's owner along the sidewalk, or the first buds of green on the trees in springtime.  That momentary glimpse of beauty or sweetness stops your whirling brain, settles your breath deep into your belly and, Voila!, an instant moment of relaxation.  You buy your coffee and go back to your tasks refreshed, re-balanced and feeling in harmony with the world around you.  

So…how does one Walk for Wonder and not merely for exercise? 

Start walking. (natch)

Open your eyes and look around.  Yes, yes, I know, your eyes are usually open when you're walking.  But where are they focused?  Looking at your feet while your brain swirls the day's events about?  Staring blankly ahead of you as you barrel through the lunchtime crowd?  Even in the busiest cityscape there is something to 'wonder' at.  So…eyes open. 

Check your shoulders.  Are they relaxed?  What about your neck?  As you walk shake your shoulders a bit, roll your neck slightly, yawn.  Yawning will help relax your jaw and draw in more oxygen to your lungs.

Pay attention to your feet.  Feel your feet spread slightly with each footfall.  Think of the soles of your feet like a drain in a sink and just open them up in your mind's eye.   Imagine all your tension and stress draining out, pouring into the ground as you walk. 

Check in with your senses - aka Get Sensual Baby!
I mean it...now that you're walking and your body is relaxed check in with each of your five senses:

Sight:  Look around, notice how brilliantly orange that flower looks as it's caught in last rays of the sun. Take a moment to really look at it - yes, you can stop! Walking for Wonder doesn't require that you go barreling down the street.

Touch:  Focus on the feel of the sun on your face, or the mist or the rain.  Is the air warm, balmy, sharp, cool, cold, frosty or freezing? 

Sound:  Listen to the wind in the trees, the birds chirping, the sound of the cars as they pass by, the crunch of the gravel beneath your feet or the gentle bump of your neighbor's swing against the big oak tree.

Taste:  Does the air have a taste to it, however mild?  or maybe you're sipping water, pay attention to that, identify it, give it a name - sweet, crisp, refreshing.

Smell:  There is always a smell - that crisp, fresh "after the storm" smell, the exhaust of a passing bus, the earthiness of your neighbor's freshly mowed grass. 

Come up with your own descriptions as you walk and tune into your senses…go on, wax poetic for just a bit.

Now that you've relaxed your body and checked in with your five senses you can do a bit of brisk walking if you like.  If not, save your brisk walking for another time, remember, this is Walking for Wonder -- Not for Exercise!  

One last step.  Just as the flower has graced you with beauty and the breeze has brought you to your senses, now I ask that you pay the favor forward and smile at a passerby. Just a simple acknowledgement of their presence.  Make a connection, however brief.  Appreciate the joy that simple human interaction might bring to somebody in the middle of their busy day. 

That's it, you're done!

By the way, the sneaky thing about Walking for Wonder is that it also gives you the benefit of (drum roll please) … exercise. 

May all your walks be filled with Wonder! Then share the Wonder by leaving a comment below describing a moment that woke up your senses or fed your soul. 

As I walked (yes, walked!) to the grocery store this evening, fog from the Pacific danced in the headlights of rush hour traffic and softened the glare of streetlights. To us in LA, this is winter. Time to put on sweaters and extra covers at night, even light a fire in the fireplace and say silly things like "boy is it chilly." Especially silly as my relatives back in Minnesota and Wisconsin have recently endured weeks of arctic temps multiple digits below zero. Wherever you live though, this time of year can seem a little low energy. The Holidays are over, the thrill of newly made resolutions has faded and spring is oh so far away. That's why I put together this short list of five simple things that can make a big impact on your energy and give you just that little extra boost.

Some of these tips might feel like no-brainers, but are you actually doing them? Here’s five easy things you can build into your daily life that will put that extra pep in your step.

Get Enough Sleep

Do whatever you can to get the sleep that you need. If you need nine hours of sleep, you must be vigilant about getting nine hours of sleep. Yes, occasionally we just can’t get what we need, but if you go months at a time getting less, you’re hurting your body. You’re not giving it time to heal and recuperate, which is what happens while we sleep.

Every once in a while situations come up and we have to make exceptions one way or another. It’s important to make sure we build in a day or two just for ourselves to relax after periods of less-than-optimal sleep times.

Limit Stimulants

If you want to have more energy, limit sugar, coffee and alcohol. This may seem counter-intuitive, because coffee is generally thought to give people energy. One or two cups in the morning is fine, but if you find yourself drinking coffee later in the day you’re depriving yourself of precious rest time during the night.

Some friends and clients have told me that they can drink coffee and go right to sleep. This tells me that either they are so exhausted that it doesn’t matter how much caffeine they imbibe, or their body is so accustomed to stimulants that it’s almost immune to them. Either option is not ideal. Try cutting down on caffeine to a level where your body is still receiving benefit. 

Drink Plenty of Water

Hydration keeps your body functioning properly, simple as that. Water helps flush out toxins and lubricate all our movement, and is especially important if you do drink coffee or alcohol.  How much water per day?  It is suggested that you take your body weight, divide it in half and drink that many ounces per day.  So, if you weigh 120 pounds, you should drink about 60 ounces of water per day.  At 10 ounces per glass, that would be 6 glasses of water. 

Go for a Walk

Move that body! Our bodies are designed to move, especially to walk. In these days of cars and computers we don’t walk enough, so try adding even ten minutes of walking into your daily routine. A walk around the block will get the energy and blood flowing again.

A fun alternative to this is to take a five minute dance break! Bop around to your favorite tunes for a few minutes and your brain will feel sharper, you will feel energized and you might not even need your coffee.

Absorb Sunshine

Get at least 10 minutes a day without sunscreen, as it blocks some of the natural benefits of the sun.  If you’re worried about getting a sunburn, choose carefully the hours you sun: before 9 am or after 3 pm is ideal for those with fair skin (10am to 4pm during Daylight Saving Time).  Aside from the well-known benefit of helping our bodies make Vitamin D, getting some sun helps regulate your circadian rhythms, which will help you sleep better at night. 

Implement these five little things into your daily life, and in no time you’ll be feeling much more energized and centered!