When teaching the Paula Method to new students I often find myself debating whether to teach another exercise or direct them towards free form work. You see, the exercises feel like an anchor. They are more predictable in a way. There’s an action and an outcome of that action. In contrast, free form is abstract; it’s completely unpredictable. It requires establishing trust, developing self-confidence, and allowing self-expression.

Looking closely at something, allows us to learn about it. When we study phenomena, record our observations, and draw conclusions, we can anticipate certain behaviors and prepare accordingly. This is particularly true regarding our bodies. When we pay close attention to the body’s constant changes, we notice our own patterns and unique tendencies.

Through recording our monthly cycles, we become aware of our personal tendencies and how life affects our bodies. It makes it easier for us to notice changes and to reflect on the previous weeks and months. This helps us find balance during unstable times and allows us to provide our bodies with the extra care they need.

In our daily lives, we women are very sensitive to the environment around us. Our hormones constantly change during the month, and each cycle uniquely reflects our emotional and physical states as well as the effects of our environment.

These days, it seems we think we can control everything. And if we don’t have enough control over ourselves, we are told that we should develop it.

Although the method has many different exercises, and the exercises are powerful and effective (and can even feel magical), they are only the portal to more meaningful work.

As it is International Women’s Day, I would like to take the opportunity to write about a woman whose life and work have had a major impact on my life.

The Paula Method is unique in that it is based on the knowledge and understanding of a special biological system of muscles in the body called ring muscles

I don’t know if I was born asthmatic or if it began during the first year of my life. In any case, until I was 40 I was medicated daily to stay alive.

Childbirth is one of the most important events in life. (More important, I dare say, than a wedding.) Your birth experience-whether empowering, traumatic, or somewhere in between- will have a lasting effect on your future, your baby’s future, and the future of your partnership. People tend to spend a great deal of time (not to mention money) on preparations for their wedding day.