Lara's Integrative Movement

I was diagnosed with scoliosis soon after birth. This condition was extremely painful and limited
my ability to function normally. My parents were desperate to help me and sought out the finest
practitioners including osteopaths, chiropractors, orthopedic surgeons, accupuncturists, and
massage therapists in an attempt to resolve the chronic pain of my condition.

After a visit to one of these health practitioners, I would feel pain-free for a short period of time,
ranging from an hour to a day or two. I loved the relief I would experience, yet I grew frustrated
that none of these therapies produced permanent changes that would prevent the pain from
coming back. I was enrolled in a Russian Ballet school and was told I would need to quit because
of the threat of injury from the scoliosis. At that point, I committed with my head and my heart,
to find a way to obtain ongoing relief.

My self-healing became a passion for me, and it was during this intense exploration that I found
and began to study Pilates and Feldenkrais®/Anat Baniel Method. It was as if a light bulb came
on when I saw how habitual movement patterns would restart the whole pain cycle. I began to
see that how I was moving actually created the pain. With this awareness, I began the process
of re-educating my movement, and subsequently, my whole nervous and musculo-skeletal system
began to change. As these integrated systems changed, and re-patterned, I finally began to
experience the ongoing pain relief I so desperately sought.

My own experience of deep, lasting healing through these movement therapies led to my
professional training and development. Ultimately, I opened and have owned a full time practice
since 1992. In addition to my certification as a Pilates teacher and Feldenkrais®/Anat Baniel
Method and Anat Baniel Method for Children Mastery Program teacher, I studied the healing
process at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing®, a four-year energy-healing program. I have
also continued my training with Craniosacral and Scenar.

I am fortunate to have had a happy resolution to my chronic condition. Because of the lasting
relief of these movement therapies, I was able to graduate from the eight-year Russian-style
classical ballet school, Boitsov Classical Ballet, allowing me to pursue my heart's joy of dancing. I
am co-director, dancer, and choreographer of Wings Dance Company, a lyrical modern dance
troupe. Additionally, I graduated with a BS in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at
Chicago.