Lahela’s PILATES AND BODYWORK class, launching at Harmony Pilates and Physical Therapy

LAHELA’s PILATES AND BODYWORK CLASS: 

Launching in October, 2019, at Harmony Pilates and Physical Therapy!

Learn some self-treat techniques to feel more flexible and aligned, and reduce aches, while enjoying Pilates in a Mixed-Equipment group class with a variety of LIGHT and PORTABLE tools.  This is a combination of Pilates and Bodywork (which you are doing on yourself).

Manoa Studio (Manoa Marketplace, 2752 Woodlawn Dr., Suite 5-211)

• Saturdays at 11am

Kailua Studio  (Straub Building, 602 Kailua Road Suite 202)

• Thursdays at 5:30pm

Would you like to FEEL:

• More spring in your FEET?

• More comfort in your HANDS — WRISTS — and ELBOW?

• a SPINE that is more FLEXIBLE?

• HIPS that are BALANCED… and a happier BLADDER too?

• Release of tension in the NECK, and SHOULDERS?

• More control over a HEADACHE, or a clicky JAW?

• Relief for a tight or achy LOW BACK?

• Better COORDINATION and BALANCE?

• More relaxed throughout your body in a 2 minute exercise?

COME JOIN US — we will be working on these and much more.

 

I’m launching a brand new class, at Harmony Pilates and Physical Therapy.   Note: this is a different studio location from the one attached to my website.  This is not a massage therapy training class.  It’s an exercise class — influenced by my background as a Licensed Massage Therapist, as well as exercises I have learned and figured out while improving my own spine.  (I was diagnosed with Scoliosis at age 10.  And my wellbeing improved immensely with a combination of Pilates (updated with Osteopathic Sciences) and different types of Bodywork.

I will show you some simple self-treat techniques, and you’ll get to play with different props (various balls, bands, circles, jump boards, etc.), while also doing Pilates on the Cadillac/Tower or Reformer.  Each class will be unique, and will have different themes (like neck and jaw, or the foot, or flexibility training).  Some will include Franklin Method® — which teaches you how to FEEL your body, BREATHE and MOVE in a more functional way  —  it’s based in Anatomy, and Osteopathic Sciences.   Other classes will reveal exercises taught by my Osteopathic Physician  — which I hope you love as much as I do.  And some classes will target aches and tightness with Myofascial Release Techniques.

Fascia and “Myofascial Release” have been big buzz-words in the Health and Fitness world in recent years, and the Scientific/Therapeutic world keeps discovering more about Fascia.  Fascia connects everything to everything in the body in a vast webwork. It’s even being labeled a “new organ.”    Here’s an example of how Fascia “works” — Let’s say we have a chronic low back ache.  The source is often elsewhere in the body, yet we feel it in the low back.  So definitely look out for a low back class in the near future to help you identify potential sources of low back tension in the body and how to start changing that!   

Here’s another developing theory which is exploding in the massage and movement world:  If we have a *kink* somewhere in the body, it affects the whole body.  Why is this so?  —  Because the human body is a Tensegrity system.   Joints (bones) provide the structure — and they are held in position by the soft tissues (muscle, tendon, ligament), which provide tension.  In a way, the muscles are playing tug-of-war.  If they are balanced, the joints stay in a good functional position, which allows for movement that is EASIER, LIGHTER, and MORE COORDINATED.  And we are less prone to injury.   If there’s something slightly “off” in one body part, the entire body shifts.  And that creates unnecessary tension — which then affects your flexibility, strength, stamina, and more.

The Sports Medicine and Therapeutic fields are increasingly using techniques to release adhesions in the fascia, to help restore normal range of motion, reduce pain, and they can even include it in an athletic conditioning program.    This is not addressed with self-care or a group class — and there are far better approaches in my own observation and experience, than endless foam-rolling on a chronically tight and painful area.  Thus, I will at times, explain how specific types of Bodywork — such as Graston Technique® and Haase Medical Myotherapy ™ — can help.  For example, if you have some common complaints — like  “Runner’s Knee” which involves the IT-Band, Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles Tendinitis, Golfer’s Elbow, Tennis Elbow, or “Carpal Tunnel”, there are specific manual therapies that can be done by a qualified Therapist, and I can help you find one.

Now we get to one of my most important points, which I say all the time …

Releasing chronic tension involves way more than *stretching* – and stretching IS NOT the whole answer to our chronic aches.  How do I keep this tension from coming back? Here’s the answer:  A tight muscle is a weak muscle.  And when we have muscle imbalances, we will also have joint imbalances, which can make us more prone to discomfort and injury.  So,  By combining Bodywork with mindful movement (including Pilates), it can help balance the muscles and help improve the way we FEEL in our bodies, and can help us MOVE in a better way.

Got aches?

Here’s the good news:  CHANGE IS POSSIBLE.   I’m excited to show you how, with this new class at Harmony Pilates and Physical Therapy.

 

With Aloha,

Lahela Hekekia

• Pilates Method Alliance, Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher
• STOTT PILATES®  fully certified Pilates Instructor
• Franklin Method® Level 3 Movement Educator
• Licensed Massage Therapist (MAT#6286, NCBTMB #307766-00)
• Certified Haase Medical Myotherapist™
• Certified Graston Technique® Specialist