strength – Page 3 – Cheryl Ilov International

Teaching Bullies Better Manners

Written by Cheryl on January 11, 2016. Posted in Ninja Notes.

I detest bullies. In my humble opinion they are sniveling little cowards with no manners or sense of human decency. They pick on those they perceive as weak, vulnerable, or helpless. If only we could teach bullies better manners, I do believe that the world would be a better place. And I believe we can. I recently taught a self-defense class for women and girls. There were several grown women as well as two petite and quiet teen-aged girls attending the class. Well, at least one of the girls were quiet. The other one was a lot more verbose and outgoing. They were sisters, and they were adorable. They were in the class accompanied by their grandmother, who thought it would be a beneficial experience for all of them. She was right about that! Although it usually takes awhile for ladies to...

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...

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...

Sword cuts, patience, and a powerful teacher.

Written by Cheryl on August 6, 2012. Posted in Ninja Notes.

I bought a sword last weekend. I hadn’t planned on buying one, and I certainly hadn’t been looking for one. We have been working a lot more with sword cuts in my martial arts class, and I have a nice white oak wooden sword. It’s light weight, it’s really pretty, and it serves it’s purpose. But last weekend my husband and I took a drive up to the mountains just to get out of town, even if it was only for a few hours. I was in the mood to go exploring, so we drove up to one of the popular mountain towns just to walk around and check out the shops. We walked past a store front, and I said to my husband, “I have to go in here”. He looked at me like I was crazy, but he followed me in the store anyway. It was a knife shop, exactly the type of store I...

The gift…. of three little words.

Written by Cheryl on April 23, 2012. Posted in Ninja Notes.

I’ll never forget the first time I looked into the eyes of a man I barely knew and heard three little words that helped change my life. It wasn’t what I was expecting, especially from a man I had just met. We were brought together by a strange twist of fate. I remember standing close to him while he murmured those words in a soft, silky voice that nobody else could possibly hear. But I heard them. I still remember them. And it’s not what you think. It was in the early days of my martial arts training. That means I was in the first six months and still not sure what I was doing there and wondering how soon I would quit. But, I was learning a few things, so I kept going to class. Somehow, I was talked into attending a seminar. I was assured that it was great fun, low key,...

Surrounded by brilliance….and neuroplasticity.

Written by Cheryl on January 30, 2012. Posted in Cheryl's View.

Don’t you just love it when the gifts keep coming? Just as I am still marveling at my Sensei’s brilliance two weeks ago in martial arts, I got another blast of brilliance from my ballet mistress. Dancers are visual as well as kinestetic in our learning experiences. We use our eyes as well as our bodies to learn choreography in our technique classes. We look in the mirror to check our placement as well as our movement patterns. However, sometimes we depend on the use of our eyes and the mirrors too much. For example, if we know we can look in the mirror and follow the other dancers, there is less pressure to learn the combinations. We can become complacent, and fall into the habit of watching each other instead of paying attention to the choreography. Last week our teacher gave...

And the journey continues….

Written by Cheryl on December 12, 2011. Posted in Ninja Notes.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage for a woman to walk into a testosterone infested Dojo and begin training. It also takes an enormous amount of trust. I had neither. I was scared to death for the first two years. However, the guys were incredibly tolerant, gentle and patient with me. Most of the time I was the only woman in class, and they dutifully took turns working with me. I thought that was awfully magnanimous of them. I soon discovered that it was because I was prettier and smelled better than any of the guys, even on my worst day. They had plenty of opportunities to work with each other, and they seemed to enjoy tossing me around for a change. Even though I was enjoying the classes, I was still incredibly intimidated. I was a good student, not because I was interested in going...

Strong arms, soft shoulders.

Written by Cheryl on June 29, 2011. Posted in Feldenkrais.

Here is a wonderful exploration for finding the connection of your arms through your shoulders and spine. 1) Sit on the floor with your knees bent out to the sides and the soles of your feet facing (but not touching) each other. You may need to place a folded towel under your sit bones for comfort. Place your hands on the floor behind your pelvis and lean into your arms and hands. Play with the placement of your hands. Do you prefer your fingers pointing away from yourself? Towards yourself? Somewhere in between? Take a few minutes and very slowly explore where your arms and hands can be so you feel your arms can easily support you. Stop. Take your hands away from the floor and rest. 2) Return to sitting with your knees bent, soles of the feet facing each other and place your hands behind...

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.

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