As Minnesota was going under sheets of ice, I lost my Gyrotonic studio and all of my equipment to a bad marriage. It was the beginning of one of the longest winters of my California bones and one of the most spectacular resurrections of my life.
I tumbled hard. Losing the marriage was not nearly as hard as losing my studio. A few months into the crash, for the first time in my life, I began experiencing low back pain. I found myself often putting my hands on my abdomen when I spoke of the loss. The body is more than a metaphor: losing the studio was losing my baby. I felt it in my gut, in the root of my spine. For a day or two, I cancelled my clients and curled up in the fetal position.
But no one let me stay down for long. Clients, friends and family helped me financially, emotionally and spiritually. One client paid me a year in advance for twice-a-week sessions, enabling me to buy a Jump Stretch Board. I moved that into my condo and, for six months, that is what my students worked on. Their advances were inspiring. And not one of them left me. Some new ones joined, showing up to my home as if it were the most natural place in the world to learn Gyrotonic. I had a fire going most of the time. I was never alone. Every client met my son. My home and studio were one. Students became family.
By April, winter was still on. I’d done the training and acquired a Gyrotoner, another piece of specialized equipment, again through the generous support of family and students. Now my condominium was getting crowded. And we’d all been indoors too long. That’s when I discovered a gorgeous studio space while searching for possible locations for Embody, a name that seemed to have been there the whole time, waiting for me to hear it. The space was for sale, and I wasn’t in the market for buying. But I was smitten. I sent messages to a few people, saying, “Isn’t this beautiful? Wouldn’t it be great if we could buy this?” Then I let it go. That is until Morgan Luzier, owner of Balance Fitness, emailed me: “Susan, a little bird told me you were interested in the space on Aldrich. Guess what? I bought it! I would LOVE your studio to be there.” We got together the next day. She looked at me, reading my mind: “It really can be this easy, right?” The rest is part of the magical birth of Embody.
As of mid-May, Embody has inhabited the light, energized space at 3041 Aldrich. We are separate, complimentary businesses that include body workers, personal trainer Rich Bluma and chiropractor Chad Hendrickson. I now have a fully equipped Gyrotonic studio with two Pulley Towers from Germany, a Jump Stretch Board and a Gyrotoner. I fell hard and bounced back high. The vision for Embody had apparently been there always, hunkering down in the wings, only waiting to come into the light.
It is spring. There is room to move again. I am celebrating, grateful for all that my body can do and inspired every day by what yours can do. Gyrotonic is that celebration. See you soon!