Julia’s Story

When I was a young professional dancer, in my mid twenties, I was starting to be in a lot of pain. I was doing very challenging, very physical work everyday, all day and I was hurting . A lot. I thought I would have to quit and “get a real job”. I thought I would have to be done with dancing and worse, done with moving my body.

But then I was given some brilliant, generous and wondrous teachers. Teachers who showed me a different way to move; through alignment, breath, and spirit. At first I was ashamed and a little angry at the implication that I, a highly trained professional dancer, did not even know how to stand, sit, or walk. But then as the pain slipped away, I found pure delight in my true moving self, joy in a functional relationship to gravity and freedom with the full articulation of my spine. I was shown ways to create a mindset that accepts my body each day for its gifts and not to punish myself for its shortcomings. I am still dancing today. Pain free.

Since that first eye opening experience, I seek out and collect methods to expand this wondrous feeling of being in my body, being at the centre of my very self. I collect practical and poetic movement ideas and experiences that expand my universe.

In 2013, I founded Upward Spiral as a platform to share my learning and promote this wondrous feeling of being fully alive in your body.