Page 26 – Cheryl Ilov International

Feldenkrais®: Bats, Butterflies, and the Middle-Aged Pole Dancer

Written by Cheryl on April 27, 2015. Posted in Uncategorized.

After 6 months of pole dancing, I am now officially a Level 3 Pole dancer. Not bad for a woman who decided to start pole dancing to celebrate her 58th birthday. At the rate I’m going, I may actually hit the professional level by the time I turn 60. There probably isn’t much of a demand for 60-year-old pole dancers, but it’s more about the journey than the end result. Once I graduated from Level 2, I got the OK to start taking Level 3 classes. I was ready to step up to the plate (or the pole) and start the next chapter in my pole dancing pursuit, but I was also really nervous. Especially since Level 3 is all about inversions. You know, where you hang upside down on the pole. I guess that explains my nerves. I walked into my first Level 3 class with a belly full of butterflies,...

The Power of Words, and Permanent Damage

Written by Cheryl on March 23, 2015. Posted in Cheryl's View.

I love working with people, and I love helping them recover from injuries and chronic pain. I recently worked with a young woman who was experiencing persistent neck pain from an auto accident. Along with her neck pain, she also had frequent headaches, numbness in her hands and arms, decreased cervical range of motion, difficulty keeping up with her job, and her home life was suffering. However, after just a few weeks of gentle therapeutic movement, her neck pain dramatically decreased, her headaches were gone, the numbness in her hands and arms were a distant memory, her cervical range of motion improved, her energy increased, and she was able to return to work full-time. Even better, she got a spark in her eye, a spring in her step, and her remarkable wit and sense of humor returned. We...

Feldenkrais®, Volleyball, and Reciprocal Motion

Written by Cheryl on March 2, 2015. Posted in Uncategorized.

My absolute favorite Feldenkrais® lesson is called “Movement in Opposition.” Or, “When Something Goes Forward, Something Goes Back.” It might sound intuitive, but it’s not, especially when it applies to a challenging or complicated movement pattern. This one single lesson helped me get rid of my chronic headaches, healed my low back pain, and made my ballet technique easy and almost effortless. But, my most satisfying application of this lesson was when I shared it with my adorable niece. She called me last month for a phone consultation regarding an onset of back pain she was having during volleyball practice. When she reported it to one of her coaches, she told my niece that it was common for girls to have back pain with volleyball, and it might go away if...

Why Feldenkrais® is better than stretching….

Written by Cheryl on February 2, 2015. Posted in Fit Tips.

When we experience tight muscles or stiff joints, we stretch them to improve our flexibility and increase our joint range of motion. Unfortunately, most of the time, stretching does not correct the problem. As a matter of fact, stretching may actually make it worse. There is a simple physiological explanation for that. Muscles do not become tight on their own. Tight muscles and stiff joints are a result of faulty alignment of our skeletal structure. Poor posture, prolonged sitting, static standing, working at a computer, or sedentary lifestyle interferes with the natural forces of gravity going through our skeleton. As a result, our normal muscle balance and tone is interrupted, resulting in some muscles becoming short and tight. If you do not correct your faulty structure, you...

Why is Feldenkrais® so effective?

Written by Cheryl on January 19, 2015. Posted in Uncategorized.

There are many reasons why The Feldenkrais Method® is so effective. However, the most significant reason is because Feldenkrais is a learning experience, not a treatment modality. The focus is on exploring and learning new patterns of movement through your own personal experience of movement lessons. Feldenkrais allows you to discover for yourself how to move more easily (and even effortlessly) without pain, stress and strain. The emphasis is on learning, but not in a cognitive or scholastic way. The learning that occurs during a Feldenkrais lesson is organic and visceral, and occurs at your own pace and time, while your nervous system integrates the information it receives from each lesson. In traditional therapies, the emphasis is placed on the practitioner to “correct, fix, or heal”...

Feldenkrais® Your New Year

Written by Cheryl on January 2, 2015. Posted in Uncategorized.

Here we are, at the beginning of another New Year. Everything is new, fresh, and we get to start with a clean slate. Anything is possible in a New Year, including keeping our New Year’s Resolutions. However, the resolutions which sounded quite reasonable during the festivities and over-indulgences of the holidays are now staring us in the face. The let down after the holidays, the cold weather, demands of work, family, and the reality of time constraints might defeat us before we even get started. Before you feel overwhelmed or out of control, let some of the principles of Feldenkrais help you get started on your New Year’s Resolutions, and help you meet your goals with ease and grace. 1). Organize yourself. Put your goals down in writing to allow your nervous system to begin...

Feldenkrais® and the Middle-aged Pole dancer….

Written by Cheryl on December 21, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized.

I celebrated my 58th birthday a few months ago. Since I am now living on the South Side of 50, and the big 6-0 is right around the corner, I decided it was time to start engaging in more age appropriate activities. So, I started pole dancing. When I took my first Level 1 class, my arms were so sore I couldn’t lift them over my head for four days. After the second class, my arms felt stronger, and they only hurt for three days, so I knew I was making progress. Indeed, I was making progress, and after only four classes, I was promoted to the next level. I was now officially a Level 2 pole dancer. Ha! How many middle-aged ladies can put that on their resumé? I was really excited to learn more advanced moves. At least, I was until I experienced my first Level 2 class. Our first exercise...

Ahhh, the effortless movement of the skeleton….

Written by Cheryl on December 8, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized.

This beautiful video demonstrates the effortless and elegant movement of the skeleton in motion. moving from our skeleton and finding the connections and relationships through our structure is one of the basic principles of The Feldenkrais Method(R). Feldenkrais….it makes everything easier. You just have to try it to believe it!

Feldenkrais(R) , chocolate, and professional bonding

Written by Cheryl on November 9, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized.

As a proud member of several different professional groups, I am fascinated by the rituals that develop among the troops. As a respiratory therapist, my colleagues and I started and ended each shift by passing around a tube of heavy duty hand cream to soothe our chapped hands. As a physical therapist, my co-workers and I would palpate each other during breaks. My dancer friends and I still prepare for class by comparing foot deformities. My fellow ninjas…well, I’m not sure about that one, because we’re either hiding, disappearing, or playing tricks on each other. In my Feldenkrais training we bonded through chocolate. Every day, new and different types of chocolate bars would appear on the lunch table. There was one common denominator; it was always dark chocolate. I watched...

What is Feldenkrais?

Written by Cheryl on October 20, 2014. Posted in Feldenkrais.

What is Feldenkrais, anyway? And why should you, or anyone else for that matter, care? Quite simply, because it can change your life forever. Feldenkrais is a highly sophisticated form of neuromuscular re-education based on the scientific principle of neuroplasticity, which simply means that our nervous system is capable of changing and learning new patterns during the course of our entire lifetime. Feldenkrais’ unique approach to neuroplasticity accesses our nervous system in a very gentle, but powerful way, through movement. We all have habitual patterns of moving, sensing, feeling and thinking that help us move easily through our day. However, some of our patterns may be harmful and destructive, resulting in chronic pain, joint dysfunction, headaches, neck and back pain, anxiety,...

All of her experiences, training and practice contribute to a truly customized workout/core-strengthening program for each of her clients.
-Claudia D.
She not only helped alleviate the pain, she helped me regain flexibility and got me back on my center.
-Misti M-K
She gently guide you so that ultimately you understand your body better and are able to move with greater ease and less pain.
-Gwendolyn P.
Some of the numbness around my knees has subsided and I’ve regained some feeling as well as had deep joint pain reduction. Flexibility and overall strength has increased.
-Melinda C.
Her gentle, loving approach is just what my body needs to fully recover from a recent car accident. I leave each session with a slight tingling sensation and movement seems much more fluid.
-Shannon G
Cheryl’s background in physical therapy, dance, Pilates, Feldenkrais, and martial arts make her very capable of not only understanding movement but helping others achieve their goals!
-Sheila S.