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Blog, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Refined Pilates, Reiki, Yoga

Refined Pilates • Yoga • Reiki • Cranial Sacral Therapy. 
How these practices awaken our full human potential

INTELLIGENCE  MOVEMENT AND MULTI FACETED AWARENESS


Some years ago, a fascinating experiment was conducted at Middlesex University in England. The goal was to identify which students had the highest IQ. Surprisingly, it was the dance students who scored highest.
This challenged a belief I grew up with — that intellectual achievement was the only true marker of intelligence. Over time, and through nearly 50 years of working with the body, I’ve come to understand that intelligence expresses itself in many forms — not just through words or numbers, but through movement, awareness, presence, and subtle sensitivity.
A friend recently sent me a list of famous people with high IQs — among them were many actors and performers. One of the highest scorers? The actor behind Mr. Bean! This only further confirms the deep intelligence involved in creative, embodied expression.


Subtlety Is Power: Why Detailed Instruction Matters


There’s a current trend in teacher training that encourages giving students only short, simple cues — quick sound bites. While this might suit fast-paced commercial settings, I believe it diminishes the profound intelligence that conscious movement can cultivate.
When we slow down and offer detailed, subtle instruction, something magical happens. We engage attention, we stay curious, and we begin to co-create with the body’s wisdom. Subtle awareness is not boring — it is profound and fascinating. We awaken the intelligence of every cell, and begin to listen deeply to what the body needs in each moment.


🧘‍♀️ The Brain’s Natural Role — And the Gift of Ease


True embodiment gives the brain a chance to rest. It allows us to step out of the constant overuse of thinking and drop into something quieter, deeper. When we are over-tired, the brain suffers. But when we move consciously — with breath, softness, and intelligent attention — we activate the whole system in a balanced way.
It doesn’t matter who you are — young or older, a truck driver or a dancer, new to movement or deeply experienced — when you give yourself permission to move with sensitivity and presence, you enhance your ability to do many things at once. You awaken joy, resilience, and healing.
This kind of integrated awareness helps us:
🌬 Float on the breath
🌊 Surrender to gravity
🦴 Soften the joints
💫 Let go of effort and move with kindness
And yes — it’s fun! We laugh when things don’t go as planned. We delight in discovering a new sensation in the spine. It’s joyful, it’s playful — it’s life.


💥 The Power of Awareness in Healing


As awareness grows, we begin to heal trauma stored in the body. This doesn’t mean the process is always easy — but it becomes meaningful and alive. We begin to apply what we’re learning, and the transformation becomes real.
For some, this might mean:
🌟 Standing upright with ease
🌟 Letting go of chronic back pain
🌟 Releasing tension headaches
🌟 Feeling balanced and emotionally steady
These are life-changing shifts, and they emerge not from pushing harder, but from becoming more aware, more sensitive, more in tune with ourselves.


🧬 Intelligence of the Cells: A Cellular Awakening


If you’ve been attending my classes in recent years, you’ll know how passionate I am about awakening the intelligence of the cells.
Why wouldn’t we listen to them? We have trillions of them, each one carrying information about our development, our health, and even our ancestral lineage. This isn’t just poetry — it’s biology and lived experience.
At one time, I thought my deep sensitivity was a problem. I even tried — briefly — to make myself less sensitive. But I now see that this sensitivity is my gift. It’s what allows me to teach, to heal, and to connect on a profound level.
Being sensitive does not make you weak or less intelligent. It makes you attuned. And attunement — to self, to others, to movement, to breath — is a gateway to our full human potential.


💖 Final Thoughts


Whether through Refined Pilates, Yoga, Reiki, or Cranial Sacral Therapy, the intention is the same:
✨ To awaken awareness
✨ To move with joy
✨ To heal, transform, and live fully
If this resonates with you, I invite you to explore with me — to move, to learn, and to discover just how intelligent, vibrant, and alive you really are.

Explore more on my YouTube channel — here’s one video to get you started: https://youtu.be/Y0ExvY0anLk

I’ve written many blogs over the years. One explores the importance of leg alignment — essential for all movement practices. You can read it here, and feel free to explore the others too. https://jennycolebourne.com/good-leg-alignment-is-essential-for-everyone/

Blog, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Refined Pilates, Reiki, Yoga

CONNECTING WITH THE WISDOM OF THE BODY THROUGH THE CELLS

In the pursuit of physical wellness and personal growth, it’s crucial to understand that the way you connect with your body can significantly impact the results you achieve. Whether you’re practicing Pilates, Yoga, receiving Reiki, or exploring Cranial Sacral treatments, the way you connect with your body can make all the difference. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of connecting with your body in a more profound and harmonious way.

Details and Subtlety are Important

No matter what is your level when you exercise, whether you are a professional dancer or someone wishing to improve their posture, it is the details about how you connect with your body as you move that will make your practice more effective. The details are many. These details, as we hone our ability, become more and more subtle. You cannot avoid the fact that moving or exercising well requires concentration and continuous subtle connection with the body. This level of focus calms us. We may come to a Pilates or Yoga class, tired from a demanding day at work, but we will leave feeling energised, feeling “clean”, like someone washed our aura.

There are so many aspects, so many details, that are both fascinating and essential. This attention to detail is what keeps our practice alive. This is what makes it interesting.

What is of paramount importance is connection, and the quality of that connection, with your body. It effects your entire, not just practice, but life.

We choose a detail to focus on. We give it time (something else we are not very good at. We are always in a rush!). We get better and better at that detail, and then we layer it with more and more detail. This experience is wonderful. As human beings we are potentially so intelligent and have so much wisdom at our fingertips. We have access to so much knowledge. This opens us, to be curious, to receive the knowledge, helps us LIVE in our body, enjoying it, experiencing it’s pleasure and doing those beautiful movements, we always wanted to do, with grace and ease. We heal injuries and open up to our movement potential. We can do that advanced exercise we thought was impossible for us to achieve. Not by pushing, forcing and abuse, but through the body’s own innate intelligence (huge intelligence) and love. Caring for our body. Respecting our body.

In order to do this, we need to be ready to LISTEN to our own body wisdom. How lucky we are! 

We need to give up being the dictator, pushing our body around.

How to Deal with Fear

We are often afraid of our body. Afraid because we may have passed through various illnesses, done operations, injured ourselves or had accidents. And who knows what is imprinted  in our ancestral memory.  We have been body shamed. We are afraid because we think, if we stop pushing, we will never achieve any thing. 

We are afraid that we will fall into pieces. YES, we will, and in the ashes, we will find those golden nuggets that will make us into a better person, not just physically but we experience the physical body is not somehow isolated from our psychology, our way of thinking, our feelings and our spirit. Each affects the other. It is impossible to separate them out. 

Being kinder to ourselves, we are happier, and in turn, we are kinder to others.

Being more connected to the beauty of our body wisdom we recognise that beauty in others. If you are a teacher this is essential.

Enjoy, enjoy the magnificent gift of your body. Float up into the “Teaser” with ease, experience the true grounding of the “Warrior Pose” and walk your path.

From Force to Ease of Movement: My Personal Journey

I, like many, grew up with the idea that achieving physical goals required sheer force and determination. I used to watch beautiful dancers from the outside and tried to copy them. This approach led to a lot of physical tension, frustration, and even injuries. I thought that “trying harder” was the way forward. However, I’ve learned that this is not the case.

As I reflect on my journey, I realise that true progress came when I began to unlearn these harmful habits. It took time, but the transformation was worth it. I was fortunate to have exceptional teachers who guided me along the way, reshaping my practice and my life. The path to connecting with your body in a healthier way is an ongoing process of growth and self-discovery.

 The Wisdom of The Body Cells

Our bodies are intricate systems composed of approximately 37.2 trillion cells, each containing the vast repository of ancestral memory and knowledge. From the intelligence within these cells, our bodies were formed, from the spinal cord to every intricate detail. It’s a fascinating that the knowledge of how to create our bodies still lies within us.

The logical brain, which often acted as a dictator in our lives, should now take a step back. It’s not about eliminating logical thinking entirely, but rather allowing it to find its proper place within the magnificent system of our body.

 Moving Beyond Judgment

When we embrace connecting with our body directly through the cells, we shift from judgment to being open to receiving information. We enter the realm of experiencing and sensing—a world filled with new possibilities. In the mind body approach, the left side of the brain connects with the right side of the body and vice versa, creating a crossover effect. However, when we tune into the wisdom contained within the cells of our body, there is no need for this crossover. We receive information directly from the cells of the area we are focusing on.

But to do this, we must be sufficiently relaxed. The magic of this process is that, once we open ourselves to the possibility of connecting with our cells, it happens naturally. It’s as though our cells have been patiently waiting for us to listen.

 The Power of Breathing Maintaining a Connection with the Cells of the Lungs.

One effective way to explore this connection is by practicing cellular breathing. By focusing on the cells of the lungs, you’ll discover a breath that originates from a much deeper space within you. Remember to remind yourself to relax your mind during this process.

The attention you give to the area of your body you want to connect with should be wholehearted and nurturing, akin to the loving attention a mother gives to her baby. It’s possible that emotions or realisations may surface during this process. While it can be a bit scary to establish an entirely new connection with your body, the results are consistently rewarding.

 My Gratitude to Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen

I am deeply grateful to Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, whose teachings on “cellular breathing” completely transformed my approach to practice. I first encountered her wisdom at a seminar in Patras, and it has since been an integral part of my journey. Bonnie generously shares her knowledge, and you can find numerous free videos of her teachings on YouTube.

My Refined Pilates and Yoga Classes Incorporate Accessing the Body Wisdom Through the Cells

Incorporating the cellular approach into my classes has yielded remarkable results with students of all levels. It’s a reminder that our bodies hold the key to our well-being, and by nurturing this connection, we can unlock the true potential within ourselves. As we continue to learn and grow, let us remember to listen to the wisdom that resides within the cells of our body.

Please visit my You Tube Cannel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2h6-nH_DKi6nVJ9Vn7FZ8w

You are Invited:

FREE EXPLORATION

Saturday 7 October 2023 17.00 – 17.45 EET

45 MINS

Live and On Zoom

Shifting Your Awareness of the body. Connecting to  the Body’s Cellular Wisdom.

Breath. Meditation. Curiosity. Exploration. Free Movement.

DM me for details.

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