“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
— Dolly Parton

I think I’m still figuring out who I am. Although when I look back at the life I’ve lived thus far, I definitely have done a lot of it my way—and a lot of it on purpose.

I am, and have always been, a big fan of Dolly Parton, so I was pretty shook up to hear that she had passed. And to be honest, my reaction surprised me.

I spent more than two hours scrolling, listening to her songs, watching people sing her songs, and bawling my eyes out. And somewhere in there I realized—it was exactly what I needed. A really good cry.

The renditions of I Will Always Love You, Light of a Clear Blue Morning, and Shine got me good.

My daughter fell in love with Jolene when she was seven years old, and we have been singing it at the tops of our lungs ever since.

What does Dolly’s passing have to do with movement and embodiment, you may ask?

Well, death has a way of reminding us of the preciousness of life.

And life is lived through your ...

 What Is Strength, After All?

I've been thinking a lot about this lately.

Strength isn't just about muscles.

There is strength of heart.
Emotional strength.
Spiritual strength.
And yes... physical strength.

Have you ever met someone who, the moment you're around them, you immediately feel at ease? I would call that strength.

Or perhaps you know someone who has been through unimaginable challenges and yet still smiles, approaches life with wisdom and curiosity, and keeps lightness in their heart. That, too, is strength.

When it comes to physical strength, there are two things that matter most.

The first is learning how to appropriately load the body.

And guess what? That doesn't have to mean spending hours in the gym lifting heavy weights.

Strength can be built through bodyweight exercises (my personal favorite), mobility work, resistance bands, carrying groceries, lifting bags, hiking hills, getting up and down off the floor, and so many other forms of meaningful movement.

Th...

Happy Middle of Summer, Everyone!

One day it's cold, the next it's hot, and then it's cold again... welcome to a Bay Area summer! 😊

Whatever the weather is doing, I hope your summer has been filled with belly laughs, long walks, lingering dinners, and meaningful time with friends and family.

I have some exciting things coming up that I'd love to share with you!

September Strong is here!
By popular request, this workshop will be held on a Saturday, and I couldn't be more excited. We'll spend the morning moving, learning, getting stronger, and exploring how to build a resilient body from the inside out. I always leave these workshops feeling inspired by this community, and I hope you'll join us.

I also have some wonderful news...

I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be leading a Love of Movement Retreat in beautiful Mallorca, Spain, next fall! Registration opens this August and closes in December, so yes—this is one that requires a little future planning. 😊

One of my favorite ideas i...

 Grieving the body you once had—and accepting where you are now—is a challenge, to say the least.

But acceptance does not mean giving up.

If you are part of this community and reading this, I know something about you: you are not ready to park the car just yet. In fact, you are the opposite. You want to keep moving, keep exploring, and keep living a full life for as long as you can.

You are willing to try something new—even if it feels a little “weird” at first—in order to stay on the field of your life.

In a recent class, one of my clients, now in her 70s, shared that one of the hardest things has been grieving the body she once had. She said that at a certain age, some people are told, “Well, that’s just how it is now. Time to park it.”

But not her.

Since working with one of my colleagues and now with me, she has decreased her pain from a 10 to a 2. She is not giving up on feeling better. She is continuing to learn, experiment, and show up for herself.

I am learning this too a...

Happy June Friends,

I recently returned from a visit with my 97-year-old grandmother. What a gift it was to sit with her, listen to stories from her life, and simply be in her presence. It was a meaningful trip that I will hold dear in my heart.

My grandmother grew up on a watermelon and tobacco farm without electricity or running water. Imagine that for a moment. No screens, no notifications, no constant stream of information. Life moved at a different pace. The days were shaped by the seasons, the weather, the land, and the work that needed to be done.

As I listened to her stories, I found myself reflecting on how much our environment shapes us.

At one point I asked her what her secret was to living such a long life.

She paused for a moment and said, "I'm not sure. I just focused on the good times."

I loved that answer.

Not because her life was easy. It certainly wasn't. Like all of us, she experienced loss, hardship, and challenges along the way. Yet when she tells stories, s...

“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”

-Mary Oliver

It’s almost summer.
Graduations, weddings, vacations are upon us.

I hope you take some time to sit by a river or the ocean and let your mind and body soften in the sun.
I hope you make time for long evenings and long walks where you forget your phone.
I hope you play and laugh until you cry.

And I hope—somewhere in all of that—you remember to feel your body.

To notice your breath.
To notice your feet on the ground.
To let yourself actually be in the moments you’re moving through.

I hope you let your eyes follow the birds as they move across the sky.
That you look far and wide.
That you let your eyes soften into the distance and begin to take in the world all around you.

Because when we allow our eyes to look into the distance, it can signal to the nervous system that it’s safe to move and explore.
The body often softens when we do this.
And letting natural light into the eyes helps reset our inter...

“Feel the fear and do it anyway.”

There was a moment, years ago, when a coach said to me,
“Lila, you are successful in spite of yourself.”

I sat with that for a long time.

At first, I didn’t get it. And then… slowly, I did.

Because I don’t follow the straight line.
I never have.

I haven’t stayed in one modality, one method, or one way of thinking. And when I’ve been told to follow a clear path—do A, then B, then C—I’ve felt something in me tighten. Almost like a quiet rebellion… or a near meltdown.

For a long time, I thought this was a flaw.
I wanted to fit in.
I wanted to be like so-and-so.
I wished I could just stay in one lane—yoga, Pilates, something clean and defined—and not stray.

But that’s never been my way.

There’s always been a deeper pull to understand more. To see the body from many perspectives. To question what’s being done, especially when it becomes trend or dogma. To stay curious. To keep listening.

I just returned from leading our spring retreat—and I found m...

Dear ones,

What does it actually mean to feel “safe” in your body?

This question comes up often—
How do you learn to feel safe in your body?
And how do you know when you’re not?

In the neuro world, we look at safety through outputs—what the body is expressing.

Things like:

• anxiety
• fatigue or low motivation
• tension or stiffness
• pain

These aren’t random—they’re signals.

Your nervous system is constantly asking a very old question:
“Am I safe?”

And it answers that question through a few primary inputs:

• Vision (what you see)
• Vestibular (balance + where you are in space)
• Sensory (touch, pressure, texture)
• Proprioception (body awareness)

All of this information comes in quickly, gets compared to past experiences, and the brain makes a prediction:

→ Is it safe to move forward?
→ Or do I need to protect?

The Threat Bucket

Think of your system like a bucket that holds perceived threats—both known and unknown.

Different inputs are constantly flowing into the bucket:...

“How human of me…” — Judith Lasater

Last week I was speaking with a friend. She was sharing her frustration and anger about a situation she’s been navigating. As she spoke about how upset she became, she also shared the guilt she felt for getting so worked up.

I immediately felt compassion for her. I could relate to the anger, the frustration, and even the shame that can come after.

And then I remembered the sage advice of one of my teachers, Judith Lasater, who said that when you find yourself in your emotions—often after they’ve run their course—you can gently say to yourself,
“How human of me.”

I shared this with my friend. She smiled, we both laughed, and something softened. Just repeating those words, we could feel a shift.

How human of me.

Emotions are part of the deal. Getting triggered, worked up, worried, angry, sad… even losing our “cool”—it’s all part of the human experience.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely someone who already reflects on how to respond in a tho...