I came to meet ö-Sel after stumbling about various Pilates’s
studios looking for a great teacher.
I had just moved back to NYC from Seattle where I had the great
privilege to study Pilates with some very well known and accomplished Master Instructors. And I had just
spent many months in physical therapy due to an accident where I had been a
pedestrian and was struck by a truck.
I vividly remember the EMTs and the subsequent doctors and
therapists I worked with all saying that if it hadn’t been for all the Yoga and
Pilates I had been doing, I probably would’ve broken my back. Instead, I got up and limped away. That accident changed my entire
life. It changed many of my
personal relationships, for a time it changed my daily activities and it
changed my view of fitness and health forever.
Up until that point while I had been very fit, having been a long time student
of Dance, and Yoga and Pilates, I had never lifted a handweight in my life
and I had only ever briefly belonged to a gym. And even though I had completed the Yoga Alliance teacher
training course…I had only half-heartedly considered teaching. I never took any
of these physical gifts I had very seriously. Once I had my accident those
words I kept hearing from all of my physical therapists rang repeatedly in my
head. I knew it was true and I
wasn’t going to take my body for granted anymore.
I gave up smoking. I changed my diet. I began a serious Pilates-based physical therapy regimen. I was back at Yoga. And I was longing
to start taking dance classes again but wasn’t quite strong enough. Once I was
cleared for take off and back in NYC, I began looking to take my fitness to the
next level. One problem: no one
wanted to touch me…everyone kept treating me like a victim and wouldn’t let me
progress. It was very
frustrating. I was gaining
weight. I was becoming depressed
and anxious. Then one day I showed up to a private Pilates session and this
beautiful English woman was reading my chart/client history. She looked up at
me with such clarity and light in her eyes that I knew something was different
about her. To this day I laugh because it is such a dichotomy for someone to be
so serene and proper and English and yet be such a bitch of a trainer! Needless to say, we clicked
immediately. She understood
exactly what I was having trouble with.
She completely put me back together again. I was getting stronger everyday with a combination of
Pilates and Feldenkrais treatments from ö-Sel. Eventually we began to work together in my home. I had no idea what was in store for
me. I had never had a “personal
trainer” it sounded so masculine, like something a bodybuilder would have. We really began to create these amazing
workout sessions together. And I say we because she was instructing me but I
kept wanting to be pushed further, in fact I’d try so hard not to grimace if
something was difficult because I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of
knowing it was a challenge so we could keep going further. We actually had a lot of fun together
and it felt like old friends hanging out and sharing advice and bonding over
Clint Eastwood and James Bond movies rather than another dull workout on the
treadmill. I lost weight. And while my body was changing, so was
my mind. I felt calmer in situations that I used to find stressful. I felt like
I had a glow. A friend I hadn’t seen in a long time jokingly referred to me as
“Benjamin Buttons”. And I was literally getting stopped on the streets and
asked what I did to get those arms or that butt. And I’d try to explain the workout to people but it was
really personalized to me so it was hard to sum it up…it was different every
week. I remember telling this one
stranger that I was doing Pilates and Tibetan Yoga and that it’s these
exercises my trainer has me doing and she said “oh, you must be an actress”
like it would be unheard of to have a trainer otherwise! And all I could ever
say to people was you have to call ö-Sel…She’s a witch, a healer…call her
immediately!
Eventually ö-Sel moved back to England and I got married and
we drifted apart for a short while as she was obviously no longer training me
and we were no longer in each other’s living rooms. As someone who loves being fit, I definitely kept up my workouts
but everything was different. Life
happens. I had a hernia that
needed abdominal surgery and a year later I had a baby via c-section…another
abdominal surgery. I gained 70 pounds while pregnant with my daughter, and I’m
not a huge girl. I was desperate
to lose the weight and get fit but after two abdominal surgeries in a row, my
doctors wouldn’t clear me for real exercise for 12 weeks. That’s three months! I was allowed walking but nothing more. When the time came, I knew there was
only one person who could get me back to where I was. Yes partly because she knew me and knew what my body had
been capable of but also because she is truly gifted at creating unique fitness
programs for people. So via skype
and the internet, across the Atlantic she began creating workouts for me once
again. And I’ve lost the
weight. And more importantly I’m
feeling strong and confident again.
And I now have the honor of being her protégé! After years
of us talking about doing it, ö-Sel has put me through the ringer to teach like
she does. And it is wonderful to finally be able to give back to others what
was given to me…healing through exercise. Together with our various disciplines
and trainings we’ve created an amazing Method of Fitness that is very whole
body and whole mind. And the best part is it can be adapted to any level and can benefit anyone. We hope you enjoy it with us!
Carolyn DeFir-Hunter @thegirleats @enlightenedmove