We were sitting on a hillside in the Atlas Mountains, my husband and I, our Amazigh guide, Omar, plus a cook (also Omar), and two muleteers — sharing a meal after a long day of hiking. The conversation had turned to weddings, and our guide was describing how Amazigh weddings in his region are three-day festivals. Entire surrounding villages come. The men do the cooking and serve the feasts — enormous spreads for enormous crowds.

I asked why the men cooked for the wedding when, on a daily basis at home, it’s usually the women cooking in Morocco.

His answer floored me.

In the 1980s, fascia was called “inert tissue.” Filler. Surgeons cut through it to get to the structures that mattered. Anatomy professors pulled it off cadavers and threw it away.

A few decades later, we discovered it has more sensory nerve endings than muscle. It’s critical for proprioception, pain signaling, and structural integrity. Some researchers still deny it.

I’ve been thinking about what else we might be throwing away right now.

During World War I, a German-born fitness trainer named Joseph Pilates found himself interned in a camp on the Isle of Man. His fellow internees were bedridden, deconditioned, and losing hope. He didn’t have a studio full of gleaming equipment. He had hospital beds.

So he took the beds apart.

Fifteen years into my dance career, I was sitting in an orthopedic surgeon’s office listening to him tell me—with the casual certainty doctors sometimes have—that he’d see me back for surgery after I tried physical therapy. My back injury had stopped me cold, and according to him, the knife was pretty much inevitable.

In October 2023, my Morocco retreat group was set to arrive less than two weeks after a devastating earthquake. Friends and family were worried. A few people asked if we should cancel.

Canceling never crossed my mind—but changing our approach did.

The first thing I did was reach out to my friends in Morocco—people I’ve known for years through decades of performing and from traveling there—and ask the only question that mattered: How are you? How are your families?

New Year's resolutions: about 80% of Americans make them, but only about 8% actually achieve them. That's not because we lack willpower or commitment—it's because we're setting ourselves up for failure from the start.

After 40 years of teaching movement and working as a behavioral change specialist, I've seen this pattern play out hundreds of times.

Here's something I notice almost every week in class: a student tries a movement, I offer a gentle tip to help them refine it, and they immediately apologize. "Sorry!" As if learning something new were a failure.

It breaks my heart a little, every time.

It’s January, and for many of us, that means it’s time for a new fitness adventure. Whether you're a seasoned yogi or a total newbie, it feels better when we know what to expect. Let's dive into everything you need to know to thoroughly enjoy your first class!

When people think of Pilates, they often picture slow, controlled movements. But here's something that might surprise you: in its original form, Pilates was fast, dynamic, and built for dancers, boxers and other athletes.

The path to habit change is not a beautifully lit straight shot, but it’s likely you are holding yourself back with this one self-sabotaging belief…

Are you curious about the secret to a healthy spine and better posture? Look no further than the multifidus muscles! These deep back stabilizers play a crucial role in your body’s function and therefore in both my Pilates and mobility stretch classes. Let's explore why these muscles are so important and how you can strengthen them.

What if I told you that focusing on just four types of habits could transform your entire life? Not dozens of new routines, not a complete lifestyle overhaul—just four foundation habits that act as catalysts for everything else.

These are called Keystone Habits…

Have you ever heard the phrase "use it or lose it"? Well, it's not just a catchy phrase – it's a fundamental principle of how our amazing bodies work! Whether we're talking about strength, flexibility, balance, or even our brain's ability to adapt (AKA neuroplasticity), our bodies are constantly responding to the demands we place on them.

On my first time leading a culture and wellness retreat in Kenya, I had an eye-opening realization. Despite our Land Rovers having high clearance and excellent shock absorbers, that first game drive revealed just how physically demanding safaris actually are. We think we're in for relaxing, sitting all day, but the truth? We're using our CORE all day long, and we better have packed our sports bras…

Whether you're a regular in our Pilates sessions or you're stretching it out in our Mobility classes, there's one golden rule that applies across the board: technique trumps range of motion. Let's explore why focusing on proper form and stability can transform your workouts and boost your mind-body connection in all our classes.

After learning some valuable lessons from past retreats about the importance of on-ground partnerships, I believe in experiencing locations myself or working only with trusted partners I know well. For new venues or those undergoing changes, a personal site visit is essential so my guests can simply relax and enjoy. That's why I visited our Roatan retreat location personally – and I'm so glad I did!

Let's be honest: the phrase "wellness retreat" can trigger immediate visions of 5am wake-up calls, kale smoothies three times a day, and judgmental looks if you even think about that sunset glass of wine.

But here's what I've learned after leading retreats for the better part of a decade…

After over 25 years of bringing joy to audiences through cultural dance, I'm stepping into an evolution that feels like the most natural improvisation of my life…

Discover how the Maasai's traditional jumping dance aligns with modern science's findings on bone health, offering insights into natural movement for stronger bones at any age.

Ready to move better? This tutorial teaches foundational mobility techniques, including physical therapy-inspired core compression breathing and spinal stability work, which we use as warm-up for my Mobility Stretch classes. Perfect for beginners or anyone looking to enhance their movement practice with proper breathing and stability techniques.