
Hello, I'm Denise
I am passionate about supporting people on a one on one basis, who need to recover from stress & pressure, both actively through movement & passively through massage therapies. I have been working with the human body for 20+ years as a Massage Therapist and 10+ years as a Pilates and therapeutic movement & flexibility teacher. This is enough time & experience to know that conventional orthopedic care, in an allopathic container, is limited. My mission to help people feel really well in their bodies so they can live happier lives through the embrace of more natural and holistic ways.
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Comprehensively Trained Pilates Instructor through Balanced Body
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Certified Fascial Therapist through Taylor Techniques
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New York State Licensed Massage Therapist
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Certified ELDOA™️ Trainer
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Certified Low Pressure Fitness HypopressiveTrainer
Professional Inspirations
I began my Pilates practice as a young girl, on the living room floor mimicking my Mother as she did her Pilates videos. I went on into young adulthood consistently doing Yoga and Yoga Nidras, the Basi mat Pilates system, as well as Ana Caban's Pilates as a way to supplement my strength training. Anytime I could attend a mat class in local gyms, I did. Feeling the benefits of the system, I went on to do a complete 488 hour comprehensive training on the apparatus through Balanced Body. The mat work is key to a solid foundation in Pilates, and the apparatus can take you to the next level with spring resistance, some of the closed kinetic chain work it offers, and the new ways of improving your balance, coordination, and flexibility.
The physical demands of being a Massage Therapist shape the way I really listen into holistic wellness. I love learning about elements that empower me to help myself and others by learning how to use food and movement as medicine.
My interest in health led me to the knowledge of our fascial (connective tissue) system. This started with learning Myofascial Release, taught by Carrie Taylor of Taylor Techniques, a RMT, formerly a teacher at NYC's Swedish Institute. Being so impressed by this new way of seeing/feeling the layers of body, I have since taken every one of her courses that cover several pathologies within our fasciae that can be effectively treated with this form of manual therapy. Conditions such as whiplash/cervical/thoracic outlet pain, and lower back/pelvic floor pain can be relieved with Myofascial Release. Receiving this form of manual therapy relieved my own whiplash from an auto accident.
Education on the fascial system spilled over into my movement therapies, by studying fitness based on european osteopathy- Guy VOYER's ELDOA/Soma training with Ilaria Cavagna & Wendy Shubin, as well as Low Pressure Fitness Hypopressives with Becky Keller, Alexa Marine & Tamara Rial. Both Low Pressure Fitness and VOYER’s paradigm have in common the work of Françoise Mézières, a European Osteopath who introduced the importance of flexibility of the posterior chain at a time (1940s) when the focus of PTs was more around bodybuilding. Mézières is known as the Mother of postural rehabilitation..
The unconventional knowledge from these sources of professional inspiration has enabled me to help many clients make deeper connections & improvements within the head to toe core of their bodies in ways traditional/conventional Pilates and fitness training may not always . I continue my education through the SOMA VOYER training program as well as with LPF hypopressive therapy.
Personally, I’m very inspired by getting outside & connecting, reading, star gazing, learning new things, hanging out with friends/loved ones, cooking, and hand building clay sculptures. Travel has always been a passion, even if it my current focus is on those under my care. I work from my heart, and being trusted to help create wellness is a privilege I truly love.
Contact
You may email me with any inquiries Denise@pilates-eldoa.com