I grew up in Golden, Colorado, constantly in motion. I played soccer and basketball, ran track and swam competitively while growing up. I played soccer in college and continued to play in recreational leagues for 20 years. I also ran road races and triathalons. In addition, I coached my daughter, Annie, and her soccer team for many years. During this time, Annie developed a benign tumor in her knee that went undiagnosed for a couple of years. Knee pain was a common occurence for athletic girls so her physician reassured us that it wasn't anything to worry about. However, during this time, she formed habits of movement to avoid bending her knee too much so she could continue to play. She became much stronger on one side of her body. Once the tumor was found and removed, she continued to move in this unbalanced way and continued to have pain. Although physical therapy was important to rebuild muscle, it didn't address the strong habit of movement that she had developed. It was Feldenkrais that retaught her to move in an easy, pain-free, balanced way.
During the many years of sports that I enjoyed, I had my share of injuries. Many of those injuries, even after they were "healed", seemed to have left a residue in my sense of self, in a slightly altered or restricted ability to move. I began to practice Feldenkrais to restore myself to ease and grace in my movement. I began to feel younger and was able to widen my range of options in my life since I could move freely again. Wishing to share the benefits I gained, I studied the Feldenkrais Method with Movement Educators in Sante Fe, completing the four-year practitoner certification training. I am committed to working with clients to help them learn to move easily, without pain or restriction.
I graduated from UC Boulder in Finance and UC Denver in health policy adminstration. I worked in health policy and research, working for the Colorado Governor, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and a private health research firm. After raising my children, I knew that influencing people's health more directly was the natural step in the evolution of my passion for health, my energy, and creativity.
ABOUT NICKI