Ease in Motion

03/22/2026

When most of us think of "strengthening," we probably imagine big movements and heavy weights.

But strengthening our STABILITY MUSCLES looks and feels different, and these are what we target in my Friday Stability & Balance class (9-10 am)
(register at https://ease-in-motion.offeringtree.com/offerings/stability-balance)

Your muscles have different jobs:

-Mobility muscles create movement (think big, visible muscles like the hamstrings and biceps)

-Stability muscles support movement and are located deeper in the body. While they may not be as noticeable as larger “movement” muscles, they play a crucial role in how your body feels and functions-- including the experience of chronic pain!

Our Stability & Balance class targets the stability muscles. When these muscles are strong and responsive:

-Your joints are better supported (avoiding injury or re-injury)

-Movement feels more controlled and less effortful (increasing your energy)

-Balance and coordination improve (supporting your posture and confidence)

-Pain and stiffness decrease over time (enabling you to do the things you love!)

There are six main areas of stability that we target in class: the feet/ankles, calves, hips, core, shoulders, and neck-- enabling you to truly build stability from the ground up!

Importantly, strengthening stability muscles looks and feels very different from training movement muscles.

Movement muscles are designed for short bouts of use. They respond to heavy loads, like weightlifting, which break the muscle down so it can rebuild stronger.

Stability muscles are designed for endurance. They don't need more mass-- they need more blood flow. We train these muscles differently than traditional strength training. You might notice:

-Slower, more intentional movements

-Smaller ranges of motion

-A focus on alignment and control rather than intensity

-Use of props to create gentle, targeted challenge

-Exercises that connect different parts of the body (like feet to hips to core)

-Focus on breathing into the lower ribcage

We’re not just “working out”—we’re teaching your body how to organize itself more efficiently.

Over time and with consistency, this kind of training helps you build a foundation that supports everything else you do, both in and out of class. Whether it’s walking, gardening, balancing, doing other workouts, or simply feeling more at ease in your body, stability strength is what makes those things feel better.

See you in the studio!

03/16/2026

The green arrows are pointing at your lumbar spine (not the whole thing... it's cut off at the top!) and your leg bones. These are the parts of the picture that MOVE. The pelvis is pretty stable-- doesn't move much at all.

Your lumbar spine is designed for stability and small amounts of movement, NOT big motion. Your leg bones/hip joints are designed for bigger movements like bending, squatting, and walking.

When your hips don't move well-- because of stiffness, weakness, or a lot of sitting-- the body still needs to create that movement somewhere. Usually, the lower spine starts moving more than it's meant to, creating a compensation. This means that the small joints of the spine end up taking on more motion and more load than they're really designed for. The lower back doesn't love these extra demands!

For example, when you bend forward, most of that movement should come from your leg bones moving in the hip sockets. Think about the pelvis tilting forward and gliding over the top of the leg bones; as the pelvis moves over the leg bones (and the leg bones therefore move in the hip sockets), the spine can stay happy and neutral! If your leg bones don't have this range of motion, your low back might have to bend more than it's designed to on a regular basis-- especially when you add load, like picking up a heavy object from the floor.

So, part of what we're working on is helping your hips move better. When the hips take on their share of movement, the low back doesn't have to compensate.

Ready to get your hips moving better (among lots of other parts)?!

I would LOVE to see you in my weekly Back-Ease class, Wednesdays 9am-10am at the Ease in Motion studio in Northborough (38 SW Cutoff).

Register at https://ease-in-motion.com/group-classes/

02/27/2026

The idea of yoga helping back pain seems kind of obvious, right? Yoga involves lots of stretching, and stretching helps pain. And yes, that's TRUE... to an extent. Stretching CAN relieve pain, but the relief is usually temporary and short-lived. That's why you can feel fantastic from a regular yoga class or stretching session, only to be right back where you were time after time (don't get me wrong, I LOVE a good stretch! But stretching didn't fix my back, even with 25 years of yoga practice).

The therapeutic yoga I offer at my studio-- Ease in Motion-- is different. It goes beyond stretching, with a focus on:

1) Mobility of the hips, shoulders, ribcage, and spine

2) Awareness of your movements, sensations, and breath

3) Alignment of your body to position it for strength

This is important because where the pain is isn't the problem! This is often true even if you have diagnosed spinal issues or have even had surgery.

Pain is your body's way of telling you that something, somewhere, needs your attention. Something is compensating. Something isn't moving as well as it should, and your back is having to literally carry the load.

Mobility creates clean, uncompensated movement patterns-- so that your back doesn't have to fill in for tight hips, sticky shoulders, a stuck ribcage, or a braced core.

Awareness allows you to discern your body's "whispers"-- so you don't have to hear its "screams."

Alignment ensures that you're strengthening the muscles that are supposed to support you-- rather than just adding to your current imbalances.

If you haven't tried my Back-Ease class yet, I warmly invite you to join us on Wednesdays from 9-10am. Classes are held at YogaPlus studio, 38C SW Cutoff in Northborough.

Come for a drop-in session, or commit to weekly classes-- we have options for each to fit your schedule. I would be honored to work with you to help you feel, move, and live better 💛

Register at https://ease-in-motion.offeringtree.com/offerings/back-ease-cdb4c661-11a6-4988-bb0e-85a687750079

02/25/2026

02/25/2026

02/20/2026

I'm offering FREE 45-minute 1:1 sessions. You'll work with Kendra to map your pain, assess your current movement patterns, and leave with 1-2 therapeutic exercises tailored to YOUR body, so you can begin to make change. Claim your spot at https://ease-in-motion.com/11-private-sessions/

02/19/2026

So true in the mind AND the body! So often, my students notice their whole demeanor changes as their physical tension reduces. At its core, physical pain-- especially when it's chronic-- is often a form of tension. It's the nervous system bracing for what's next. And when we ease that tension through therapeutic yoga, we get to see who we are, in both body and mind.

02/18/2026

NEW CLASS ALERT! Stability & Balance coming in March-- Fridays 9-10am.

Will it let you tightrope walk like this guy? Maybe...? (probably not.)

It WILL help you improve your balance and feel more confident and stable in your body! This class uses strengthening movements, yoga poses, and targeted coordination exercises to develop a stable base and improved balance. The gains you make in this class will enable you to avoid falls and enjoy your activities and/or workouts with more confidence and ease.

$25 per class, or save with our class packages.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT at https://ease-in-motion.com/group-classes/

02/17/2026

I often ask the question, what could you do if your pain reduced? For me, these smiling faces say it all! I went skiing yesterday, for the first time in two years, WITHOUT PAIN. And I'm sore but still pain-free today! A year ago, skiing would have caused debilitating pain in my low back and shoulder. How I did it...

I identified that my hip joints weren't moving as well as they should (even 5 years post-hip surgery!)... and improved my range of motion.

I realized that my shoulders and ribcage were bracing when they didn't have to... and learned how to soften them.

I located persistent tightness in my low back that I wasn't even aware of... and tuned into releasing throughout the day.

And I did all this through therapeutic yoga. It wasn't strength work, and it wasn't willfulness. It was tuning into my body, refining my movement patterns, and doing LESS rather than more.

I LOVE helping others to reduce their pain-- just like I did-- and I'd LOVE to work with you. Right now I'm offering a free 45-minute 1:1 session over Zoom. Claim your spot at https://ease-in-motion.offeringtree.com/offerings/free-45-minute-private-therapeutic-yoga-and-movement-session

02/17/2026

Taking an afternoon to fill my cup! And speaking of cups... how gorgeous is this Winter Warmer tea?! What are you doing this week to fill YOUR cup?

02/17/2026

What about strength? Don’t get me wrong, I love a strong muscle. But piling strength on top of compensation patterns and bracing does one thing—it reinforces compensation patterns and bracing… and doesn’t address the cause of your pain. If you’re in pain and want to get stronger, your time at the gym will go much farther if you address your movement patterns first. Dare I say, you will actually GET STRONGER if you build efficient movement patterns. This is what therapeutic yoga does… it allows you to FEEL what’s happening in your body and use that awareness to make your movement more efficient and easeful. It lays the foundation for building TRUE strength, rather than compensated strength. And most importantly, this work enables you to do the things you love in life without wondering if your body will hold you back!

02/16/2026

To recap… you’ve learned that compensation patterns happen when a group of body parts doesn’t move as well as it should, and that pain is an indicator to us that these patterns aren’t working for us anymore. I’ll say that in another way (because it’s THAT important…) pain DOES NOT mean something is inherently wrong with you, but it IS an indicator that something needs to change. It’s a messenger from the body, tugging at your attention. You’ve also learned that the bracing that unknowingly happens as a result of this pain can make you hurt even more over time. So, getting OUT OF PAIN requires 1) becoming aware of your movement patterns, 2) becoming aware of where you tend to brace, and 3) working from small movements to big ones to develop more efficient, pain-free movement. This is what therapeutic yoga helps you do.