I started watching Classical Stretch in May of 2015. I liked the show and I thought the host, Miranda Esmonde-White, was great. At the time I was teaching lots of Ballet and Balletone classes. Essentrics® was a different workout and it made my body feel good. The series was well done and easy to follow along, and it occurred to me that it would be a nice addition to Albany Dance & Fitness.

With my interest peaked, I took a look at their website to learn what the steps were to becoming an instructor. I decided to attend a live teacher training in New York City in June 2015.

To my great surprise, Miranda Esmonde-White led part of the workshop. This was a fortunate stroke of luck as she was in New York City  to promote her first book, Aging Backwords.

Miranda is one  of the most positive and supportive people you will ever meet. She wanted to hear about each attendee, why we were interested in the program, what other workouts we did, and if we suffered from any injuries. I shared with her that I had been dealing with pain in my hip for almost nine years, as a result of a car accident. Miranda looked me in the eye and assured me that if I did Essentrics®, the pain would go away.

I have to admit that I was skeptical and didn’t believe that my bursitis was going away anytime soon. I had seen the testimonials of Essentrics® devotees that claimed their various pains had disappeared after regularly doing the workouts. The root  of my skepticism was the fact that I was already very active, so how could more movement help relieve pain? It made sense to me that someone who was historically sedentary would benefit greatly by starting a well designed program like Essentrics®. But would it really work for me too?

So by now, most you know that I went on to get my Level 1 certification in 2015, and began teaching Essentrics®. Those classes have been growing steadily in popularity. I’m not sure when, but at some point I decided I wanted to become a better Essentrics® instructor. So I continued my training, and a few days ago I received my Level 4 certificate in the mail. It’s an extensive certification process, but well worth it. I’ve learned throughout my studies how the Essentrics® workout is designed to re-balance the body. And by eccentrically lengthening the muscles as you use them in a series of dynamic range of motion movements, you increase the muscle flexibility while simultaneously strengthening the muscles.

Miranda, you were right!, I no longer have terrible pain in my hip, and I’m convinced it’s due to these wonderful workouts. I have noticed other benefits as well, a flatter more defined waste, and an improved posture allowing me to open through my chest more. I can see an improvement in the height of my arabesque, and I feel much stronger when I’m dancing. My balance is better, my flexibility has improved, and my body alignment is right on. These are benefits that stay with you outside the studio. I feel more healthy, have more stamina, have better posture, and am no longer suffering from hip pain.

And to top it all off I received other wonderful news a few weeks ago. My latest DEXA scan showed improvements in my bone density! I haven’t changed my diet and am not taking a prescription for my bones. My doctor told me to keep doing what I’ve been doing. So I’ll take her advice and keep doing Essentrics®. Thank you, Miranda!