A message from Lee

Here is a comment from Lee with lots of great information. I thought I would post it so that you all would be sure to see and read it! Enjoy...

Reading Elisabeth's wonderful and robust words, I was inspired to reestablish a deeper connection to one of my idols who inspired me greatly as a young dancer; even though she was very old at the time. To quote a passage of Martha Graham..."Many times I hear the phrase 'the dance of life.' It is an expression that touches me deeply, for the instrument through which the dance speaks is also the instrument through which life is lived-the human body. It is the instrument by which all the primaries of life are made manifest...Dancing appears glamorous, easy, delightful. But the path to the paradise of the achievement is not easier than any other. It takes about ten years to make a mature dancer...The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted."

I want to add that this is the very same truth in achieving sustained, elegant, movement through the STL program. The practice and application of discipline, consistency, focus and commitment nourish and strengthens the soul WHILE achieving a fit, pliable, elegant, graceful body.

Ms. Graham goes on to say - and this is a FUNDAMENTAL aspect of the STL philosophy - "Then comes the cultivation of the being from which whatever you have to say comes...and there is grace. I mean the grace resulting from faith in life, in love, in people, in the act of dancing. (and I add)...in the act of MOVING...which in itself, can be a beautiful dance."

To me, building this program is an act of faith and love. An act of BELIEVING in the power of moving to create health and vitality. To NOT move would be death to me. To move with strength, grace, power, dignity and purpose; is the essence of living. Then the soul can shine, the heart open, and the spirit, no matter the trials and challenges of the moment, can sing; if even for a brief moment; it is a moment that can and often will, sustain.

Yours in elegance and health,

Lee Vallely
Founder; Director
Corporate Wellness Solutions

For more on Martha Graham go to: www.marthagraham.org.

**Update**
Everyone should be aware, but just in case... the Monday 7:00 p.m. class will not be held for the next few weeks do to a schedule conflict at Mecca. This week, we will meet instead on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., February 10, in the Mecca studio. Hope to see you all there!

“Use it or lose it,” a lesson from the Gods of dance...

That old cliché “use it or lose it,” in the case of both physical and mental activity, continues to prove true. A recent study from Queensland Brain Institute illustrates that the deterioration of a person’s skills occurs from their disuse. On the flip-side, practicing those skills, even just a bit daily, can prevent much of the decline in strength and stamina that is usually attributed to aging.

Whether it is exercise, dance, foreign language or social skills, activities are carried out through a series of nerve cell interactions in the brain. When you engage in activities, the neurons grow microfilaments to connect to one another. This produces what is called an aborization, a treelike branching of nerve fibers. When you learn new skills, (such as deep TVA engagement, postural and alignment cues, or movement patterns), your neurons secrete growth hormones that cause the nerve fibers to arborize, or to branch freely and repeatedly, stimulating their growth and the growth of neighboring nerve processes as well. Just think of activity, mental and physical, as the needed water for your tree of knowledge. Without continued practice and maintenance, the branches and connections of that tree wither away.

So, feel empowered! We do have some control over the aging process after all – giving us all the more reason to continue to strengthen our muscles, develop our mind-body connection, and work to improve our balance, core stability and posture!

Lee mentioned a perfect example of this principle in motion during one of last week's STL class, Eartha Kitt, the famous American singer, actress and dancer who performed well into her 70s.

In her 2008 obituary, the New York Times reported:

“As Ms. Kitt began the sixth decade of her career, she was still active. In 2000 she received her second Tony nomination, for best featured actress in the musical “The Wild Party.” Branching out into children’s programming, she won two Daytime Emmy Awards, this year and in 2007, as outstanding performer in an animated program for her role as the scheming empress-wannabe Yzma in “The Emperor’s New School.”

All the while she remained a fixture on the cabaret circuit, having maintained her voice and shapely figure through a vigorous fitness regimen that included daily running and weight lifting. Even after discovering in 2006 that she had colon cancer, she triumphantly opened the newly renovated Café Carlyle in New York in September 2007. Stephen Holden, writing in The Times, said that Ms. Kitt’s voice was ‘in full growl.’”

The videos of Ms. Kitt's performances and interviews, show her continued vitality and strength, even in her final years. What an inspiration!

As another amazing woman who understood and exemplified this philosophy, the famous Goddess of modern dance, Martha Graham, once said, “We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same.”

Welcome to the new Strength Through Length (STL) blog. Thanks to all of you for your interest in the program! We hope this new forum will help you to enhance your understanding of the STL principles, voice your questions about STL exercises and practices, and most importantly, to develop a community in which you all can share information, experiences and encouragement with one another.

So ... what is exactly is “Strength Through Length?”
STL is a series of group exercise classes, developed and produced by Corporate Wellness Solutions, which fuses essential principles and exercises from Pilates, Ashtanga or Power Yoga, classical ballet, and strength and fitness training. By incorporating the most fundamental and effective components of each of these practices, STL creates a unique synergy of muscle execution that results in a longer, leaner, stronger body.

All classes are very hands on, similar to working with a personal trainer, and in each session, detailed instructions are provided on the importance of correct exercise execution, breathing techniques, elegance of movement, and joint safety.

STL classes progress through four levels, from basic to enhanced. As clients evolve through these levels, resistance bands, lightweights, plyometric exercises and stability balls are incorporated to continually challenge the muscles and increase the body's tonicity, strength, stamina and alignment. Each class session ends with stretching exercises and a guided visualization to relax the body and integrate the work.

With continued participation and effort, students can master all levels of the program and see substantial improvements in posture, range of motion, poise, confidence, overall strength, and a much leaner physique.

For more information on the new class schedule or to learn how to set up your over-the-phone assessment, which is conducted on all new students prior to class enrollment, visit the CWS Web Site.


What is the STL blog all about?
Focus: Each week, a particular principle or exercise (such as lateral breathing, upper back stability or proper plank alignment) will be featured in this blog. Correspondingly, this item will be the focus of all STL classes that week. Hopefully, by learning about the significance of these various principles, studying provided alignment cues, and discussing your questions and comments with one another prior to your classes, you will be able to come to sessions with a deeper understanding of the work, a stronger focus on specific weekly goals, and new insights on how to best achieve those goals.

Knowledge: Links to interesting, credible articles on wellness and fitness will also be posted weekly to help you further your health knowledge without having to wade through the massive amounts of (often unreliable) information on the Web. Topics will range from noteworthy fitness and exercise blog posts to exceptional articles on women’s health, global health and mental wellness.

Community: This is a space for you to engage with each other, share advice, give new ideas and provide encouragement regarding the STL program, or health and wellness in general. We hope all of you will feel free to leave questions, comments or feedback (on both classes and blog posts) on the discussion board. We will do our best to respond to your questions in a timely manner. All comments must be approved before they appear on the board, so please be patient, we will process them as quickly as possible!

As, always, your questions, comments and feedback are more than welcome. Enjoy, and thank you again for interest in the Strength Through Length program!