Mindfulness, Movement, and Exercise

This one only requires you and a little imagination. It's a drill I use with clients across a wide range of ages and abilities — and because there's no equipment involved, it's easy to scale on the spot. The goal is speed and directional change, which are the two things that actually make something an agility exercise. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers...

The third and final exercise from Spinal Intelligence is deceptively simple: move from hands and knees to seated, and pay attention to what your spine is doing along the way. That’s it. No special equipment, no particular shape to achieve. What makes it interesting is the middle part — where you get to try rounding your back through the transition, then arching it, then finding what feels easiest....

There’s a word that gets thrown around a lot in lifting: leverage. People say it constantly, but the way it’s used often doesn’t match what’s actually happening mechanically. So let’s slow it down. When you pick something heavy up off the floor, you have three variables in play: your load (the bar), your pivot point (your hips and knees), and your effort (the posterior chain doing the work). The l...

Most people think of hand balancing — or even just pressing into a surface — as a hand and shoulder problem. It isn’t. It’s a spine problem. This two-minute wall drill will show you what I mean. You’ll start with your pinky finger edges against the wall, ribs dropped toward the floor, and then slowly draw your ribs up toward the ceiling. As you do, notice when your hands start to take weight. That...

A listener question about how to explain Pilates to students who ask whether it “counts” as strength training sparked this short but clarifying episode. The answer? No — and that’s actually great news. Jenn breaks down why Pilates and yoga don’t need to be strength training to be valuable, why strength training doesn’t need to borrow from Pilates to be complete, and how these practices genuinely c...

Most people think of their hands and their spine as separate things. This two-minute wall drill makes the connection undeniable — you’ll feel exactly when your hands start to take weight, and why it has almost nothing to do with your hands. All you need is a wall. Start with your pinky finger edges against the wall, feet stepped back, and let your ribs drop toward the floor. Then slowly lift your...

Most of what we’ve been told about “good” and “bad” posture doesn’t reflect how the body actually works. Your spine is constantly adjusting based on your feet, your shoulders, what you’re carrying. Posture is transitory, not fixed. This video walks you through exactly how that works, with demos you can try right now. These ideas come directly from my new book, Spinal Intelligence — link here. This...

There’s a piece of squat history I find genuinely interesting, and it changes how you think about the whole exercise. The back squat — the version most people mean when they say “squats” — was essentially invented by a man who loaded the bar in the bottom position. He’d get under it from below, set himself, and stand up. The movement began from the floor. That’s very different from what we do now:...

When you’re feeling scattered, tense, or just a little disconnected from your body, the answer isn’t always more effort. Sometimes it’s less — and a different kind of attention. This is a short guided practice you can do anywhere, standing or seated, without any equipment. In about five minutes, we move through heel lifts with sensory awareness, foot circles, a bit of skin-rubbing (which sounds od...

Here’s something most coaches won’t tell you: your body is not symmetrical, and it was never meant to be. You have a dominant side, a preferred direction, a natural rotational bias — and rather than trying to erase it, you can harness it. This week’s video breaks down a simple but underused technique for the Bulgarian split squat: using your inherent asymmetry as a balancing tool instead of fighti...

This follow-up core exercise uses stall bars — but a gym rig, a beam, or even a pole will work just as well. Lying on your back, you’ll actively pull the bar toward your face to create tension, lift your feet, and alternate bringing your knees to each elbow while controlling your hips up and down with intention. We cover both pointed and flexed foot variations so you can feel the difference in how...

Ever wonder why squatting with weight feels so different from squatting without it? In this quick tutorial, we break down the biomechanical differences between weighted and bodyweight squats — and why understanding them can make you a better mover overall. When you’re holding a kettlebell, barbell, or any other load, your arms have a job, your path is more defined, and gravity does a lot of the or...

Most core exercises are symmetrical and linear — but that’s not how you actually use your body day to day. This short sequence intentionally incorporates offset and rotational movement to help you connect more deeply to your center in a way that translates to real life. You’ll move through two variations of a staggered plank hold, then a rocking sequence on the floor that asks your torso to stay s...

This variation on a classic hip mobility exercise adds an isometric element — pressing your hand against the side of your head — to enhance body awareness and grounding as you move through full knee circles. Try pausing at different points in the circle to really feel each position. A simple but effective upgrade to your movement practice. Interested in the philosophy behind these techniques? Lear...

If you’ve ever felt your knees screaming on a steep downhill stretch — whether on a trail run or a long hike — you already know that going down is a different animal than going up. It demands a specific kind of strength, coordination, and body awareness that most people never train for directly. Here are two simple exercises to help you build exactly that. Exercise 1: Slant Board Single-Leg Balanc...

If you’ve been struggling to build up to a low kick-up, this drill might be the missing piece. It starts in a deep squat — feet wide, heels off the ground if needed, get as low as you can. From there, the move is simple in concept but surprisingly rich in body awareness: rotate your entire body to one side, let both heels lift as you pivot, and transfer your weight into your hands before coming ba...

Most of us never think about our wrists — until they hurt. If you spend hours at a desk, on your phone, or doing any kind of manual work, your wrists are quietly accumulating tension. This short reset is a simple way to give them some attention before that tension becomes a problem. In this video, I walk through a few gentle movements designed to reintroduce sensation and mobility to the wrists an...

We spend so much of our lives either running on empty or completely wired — and rarely anywhere in between. This quick standing practice is designed to meet you exactly where you are. Whether you’re dragging through the afternoon or buzzing with too much coffee and not enough calm, this nervous system reset works both ways. Tired? It’ll gently wake you up. Overstimulated? It’ll bring you back down...

There is a surprisingly effective trick for staying on the bar longer, and it has nothing to do with grip strength. It’s your legs. When most people hang, their legs just … dangle. Inert. Waiting. But your legs are heavy, and how you hold and move them has a direct effect on how your hands, arms, and shoulders are loaded. More importantly, moving your legs gives your grip something to negotiate wi...

There is a certain kind of gym culture that insists everything must be optimized — the perfect grip width, the ideal scapular position, the precisely calibrated hang duration. It’s well-meaning. It’s also, quite often, the fastest route to a practice you abandon by February. This tutorial is not that. This is the other thing: permission to play. “Give yourself permission to play. Don’t worry about...

Unlock Your Hips: A Two-Part Mobility Flow for Deeper Range and Strength We often think of mobility work as purely passive stretching, but the most effective hip mobility comes from combining relaxation with active control. This tutorial walks you through a simple yet powerful sequence that does exactly that—first teaching your nervous system to relax into new ranges, then building the strength to...

In this introduction, I share the core framework that guides my work as a mind-body movement specialist: sensory input drives how we move. I explore proprioception (your unconscious body awareness), interoception (your internal sensations), and how these systems influence everything from chronic pain to mental health. You'll learn about the difference between top-down and bottom-up processing, why...

If you spend long hours at your computer, you’ve probably experienced that familiar ache in your wrists, elbows, or shoulders. This simple wall stretch can help address the tension that builds up from repetitive keyboard and mouse work. How to do it: Start by standing next to a wall. Place your hand flat against it—or if that’s difficult, get your fingers to the wall first and then reach the heel...

Most of us rarely explore the full range of motion our hips are capable of. This seated hip mobility sequence offers a gentle, accessible way to wake up your hips and improve their function—no special equipment required, just a bit of floor space (and optionally, a helpful puppy). The Foundation: The 90-90 Position Start in a seated 90-90 position, with both knees bent at approximately 90 degrees—...

You’ve warmed up your hands. You’ve explored rotation on the pull-up bar. Now it’s time to move. This dynamic floor flow integrates everything from the first two videos, showing you how hand rotation creates smooth, coordinated transitions on the ground. It’s where sensory awareness becomes embodied movement skill. The Pattern: * Left hand reaches across your body → weight rolls from pinky side to...