Movement... Duh. Uhm... What Is It?

Movement is a type of therapy that is also one of the three pedagogues of actor training, the other two being acting and voice training.  Movement is used to help the body become more free.  For example, if a person has slumped shoulders with her head jutting forward, she will not be able to play royalty until she creates the option of upright posture.  Often, habituated patterns do not allow for the body to simply spring up and be upright if the pattern of slumping has been in the body for a long time.

What do you DO? 

First, I like to understand your goals and what you want to address.
  Past clients goals:

• behavior awareness to succeed in the workplace
• opening of the body because of limited posture (like the example of slumped shoulders)
• increased breath capacity
• fuller range of motion throughout the body
• enjoyment of each area of the body rather than disliking one (belly, legs, arms, etc.)
• to decrease anxiety

What might we do as experiments in the session?  Second, applied learning might include:

• behavior examination and practice
• guided relaxation or imagery
• gentle range of motion exploration with all moving parts
• sensory awareness experiments
• passive and active stretching
• mask work (so you use your body to communicate rather than face)
• field trip to mall to observe and discuss behavior

If you would like to try Movement, which I call Moment Awareness Development, I am offering a workshop on Saturday May 15 from 9:30am -1pm in Altadena.  If you would like more information, please visit my website www.BodybyHeather.com.  Class size is limited.  Cost is $30 - space will not be reserved until payment is made.  Or feel free to email me or call me at 626-421-6296.

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

 

Plants Clear the Air

Plants.  Are they just for nurturers and green thumbs?  Some relationship experts like Patti Stanger, CEO of the Milliionaire's Club, believe if a person does not tend to something like a plant or an animal over time, the person's ability to tend to a relationship can be questionable.  This is not to say that if you kill your plants, you kill your relationships - some people just are not good at reading plants. 

When I flew out to California to meet up with my now husband, I looked around his apartment and noticed he had NO plants.  Feng Shui was not in his vocabulary.  Now, this is a man who would over-commit and cram meetings or events in every available moment of his life.  Because he also suffers from allergies and has an extreme sensitivity to airborne irritants, I gifted him with two plants that are very clear when they need water - because they droop.  Ideally, they don't get to the drooping stage, but hey, nobody's perfect.

Plants help clear the air.   So which are great houseplants that communicate?


"Commonly used in shopping malls and office buildings because of the low level of care it requires, the Pothos is a vibrant, green plant, often with white and yellow variegation. It will tolerate low light and irregular watering. More plants can easily be grown from its cuttings." (read more)

"As far as watering is concerned, Peace Lilies prefer an evenly moist soil. Most people find that they can water their plants once a week, depending of course on light and temperature conditions. At lower light levels or cooler temperatures, any plant will use less water than when it is more actively growing. Use room temperature water. Soil should never be soggy, and plants should never stand in a saucer filled with water.  Peace Lilies do exhibit a sensitivity to chlorine in the water, so in metropolitan areas where it may be heavily chlorinated, it's best to allow the water to stand overnight to allow the chlorine to dissipate before watering the plants." (read more)

You may not grow an indoor garden, but these two plants are a great start.  They are often sold in supermarkets.  Give it a go!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

Allergies. Can they be stopped?

I tell you what, my nose running or my throat dry irritates me.  Here in L.A., it's almost a sure thing that I'll have one or the other at all times.  So what can I do about it?

• drink plenty of water, 8 8oz. glasses are recommended per day (hydration can help your body function better to avoid full-blown allergies)
• include local honey in diet (honey is a mixture of all the flowering plants in your area, ingesting honey has proven to decrease allergic reactions to these plants)
• sleep (rest allows your body to regenerate, which encourages good immunity)
• low stress 
• humidifier (the Vicks UV Germ free is my favorite pictured below - I've tried MANY)

All of these actions will also help you have a healthier life and possibly live longer - and these actions have all been proven to decrease the likelihood of you suffering from allergies.
Happy Breathing!!!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

Guilty Pleasures

I like to think of myself as an intelligent, focused, and successful woman.  So guilty pleasures don't always fit in my model of who I think I should be.  For the sake of this argument, I'm defining a guilty pleasure as something that I would not offer as information to someone whom I have just met.  For some people, they love pro wrestling, for others tabloids, and others love video games.  Who says these things are wrong if you love to do them?

The truth?  I LOVE romance novels!!!  There I said it. I love the formula of girl meets boy, boy annoys and intrigues girl, conflict ensues, and they triumph together.  I don't have to wonder if I'm going to feel good at the end of the story - I know I'll feel good.

When I'm stressed or I am facing a big life transition, my go to is romance novels.  These novels calm me down and get me out of my own story.  I get to think about people who often fear love but decide to fall nevertheless.  My favorite trilogy of all time is Nora Roberts Three Sisters Island Trilogy.  Now, I happen to enjoy magic and the idea of it.  If you have a problem with it (you were against reading Harry Potter) don't even think about reading this trilogy.  If you do enjoy a little magic and romance, you can thank me later.

Let me know what you think!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

Behavior Defines You

I grew up with "actions speak louder than words."  That phrase is something I cling to when I'm unsure of how to proceed in a variety of relationships.  Sometimes, a person will try to confuse me with saying very kind things to me when he is behaving insincere.  Do you know that feeling?

Now, as I get older, I'm really savvy about this sort of thing - almost to the point of splitting hairs.  When I was younger, I would take someone at his word whereas now I lead with behavior.  Behavior never lies.  I sometimes mistakenly put how I would behave onto another; everyone operates differently.  You may have already experienced a sweet talking jerk.  A friend who embodies vastly different priorities then mine confuses me.

For example, I was thrilled when a new L.A. friend invited me to join her book club.  I wanted to be both in a book club and develop more friends; an exciting avenue to build community!  We had gone to one book club meeting together and I had promised to ride with her to the next - when I became engaged to be married to my wonderful man.  My new mother-in-law decided to make the 5 hour drive to see us the same weekend the book club was meeting.  Consequently, I canceled on my friend and the book club (about four days out).  My friend surprised me by being very upset that I was canceling plans when I had promised to go -- regardless of the reason.  I was shocked she did not share my sensibility regarding priorities and we had a falling out.

She could have written me off and/or I could have written her off, but we both chose not to do so.  Instead, I learned her very clear boundary of NEVER committing to something fully with her; I now give her a very probable maybe when agreeing to attend something.   It works for both of us.  She also is very aware of my stance that family comes first.  We're much better friends for it, and no other conflict has arisen in our few years of friendship.  Bottom line?  Every relationship has hiccups.  You determine if the areas you don't agree on are a deal breaker.  I was surprised to find a great learning about myself and my friend in the conflict.  Today she's a person I count on without hesitation.

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

Thinking Creates Action

Do you ever hear in your head the judge who is trying to stop you from succeeding?  A great teacher, Alexandra Billings, calls them your parrots.  These are the collected voices from your past that haunt you when you are making decisions, small or large, that include risk.  Well, life is a risky business.

I'm sure there are many wonderful books out there that inspire people.  However, the only one that I've been told to read from people in my life who

• I admire
• have created success for themselves (CEO/Owner of company, Artisitic Director and phenomenal actor)
• I consider to be inspirational

all suggested reading  Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  It's a small book and easy to read.

You don't have to, but it will give those damn parrots something to chew on!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin

Laughing Matters

There are times that I just need to laugh.  I'm hoping you agree with me that levity sure does make life easier - and creates memories that last for years!  Do you have a great laughter filled memory where you laughed so hard you couldn't catch your breath?

I remember times like these and they often become inside jokes.  For example, a very wonderful and dear friend of mine and I were going to a wedding of another friend.  As we drove from the city to the suburbs, we spotted a hot man driving a car (we were both single), so we were playfully trying to catch up with him.  When we did, he was picking his nose.  That started the hilarity - but that's not where it ended.  It turns out, when we happened to catch up with him again, that we knew him! He was also attending the wedding because he was a great friend of the groom whom we had known for years.  Plus, my friend had had a crush on him over a decade prior.  Awesome!  The profile didn't give him away, and the nose picking was very distracting.  We almost had to pull over from laughing so hard.  Later that night, we joked often about "digging for gold" and couldn't stop the giggles.

Real moments with surprises are often what make me laugh - and I love to laugh.  May your day be filled with many real moments, delightful surprises, and tear-filled laughter!!!

Copyright 2010 Heather Corwin