Body Breakthru with Lauren Roxburgh! Transforming the inside and out.

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We met Lauren Roxburgh when she and Mary were waddling around the pool at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, both 9 months pregnant.  Synergy kept bringing us together socially (turns out Lucy knew Lauren's husband from years ago), and we became great friends.  And then we popped into Lauren's studio and had our minds and bodies blown!  Walking out of our 90 minute sessions (solo) with Lauren, we felt calm, centered, taller and leaner.

1.  Can you describe what you do?

Absolutely! I have developed my own signature technique called Body Breakthru.  It's based on a form of body work called Structural Integration that is designed to align your entire body and improve your relationship to gravity while massively enhancing your posture and energy levels, which is done in a 10 session program that works through different parts of the body.  This holistic and transformative technique deals with an incredibly important but little-known system in the human body, called fascia.  Fascia is the thin layer of connective tissue that lies just under the skin and actually wraps around all your muscles and organs. In my private sessions fascia is manually smoothed out to realign and balance the body and help reduce pain, tension, stress and even pockets of puffiness (Like “muffin tops” above the hips). What is really unique about my system is that is goes beyond just private sessions and expands into a program you can do at home on your own though enhanced body awareness, movement lessons and exercises on my secret weapon: the foam roller.

For us it feels like the most amazing (reshapes our body/reconstructive) massage, yet we know it has health benefits as well as making us literally taller and leaner!  How do you work this magic?

Since Body Breakthru is a transformative program consisting of 10 sessions, it will literally change the way you carry yourself through life by re-connecting you to parts of your body and awaking neuromuscular connections lost due to aging and gravity.  By releasing built up tension that occurs from everyday life, your body and mind will feel more free and lighter from the inside out.  It is amazing because the work actually changes the way you carry yourself and that change ripples out into everything in your life. It also helps you feel more aware of your body and calms your nervous system by removing the tension.  And while most of my one-on-one sessions with clients are quite hands on, what is really exciting is that I have created a way for people to get a lot of these benefits on their own with the foam roller.

2.  What are things we can do outside of your office to help maintain looking and feeling longer, leaner and in alignment?

Aside from using your foam roller every day, honestly just simply walking is a great way to help you feel taller and more youthful. You want to practice walking with fluidity and a sense of ease. You should feel your ribs rotate in opposition of your hips which is called transverse motion…I call it the “supermodel walk” for women (just channel Gisele on the catwalk). We walk on average 5000-10,000 steps a day so it’s a great opportunity to tone your core and ring out your organs.

I would also say side bend, twist and invert everyday…You can even do these movement in bed!

3.  What is your personal fitness regimen?

I like to view my fitness routine as a fun part of my lifestyle. I change it up by going hiking, swimming, surfing, taking a sauna, or jumping into a yoga or Pilates class.

4. You are passionate about foam rollers!  Can you tell us why?

A foam roller is also one of the most valuable, inexpensive, and versatile pieces of fitness equipment out there.  Foam rollers are traditionally designed to release the tension that exists in the deep connective tissue, called fascia, and help the body return it to a normal healthy alignment.  The great thing is that fascia shapes our bodies and it is highly adaptable; it can tighten, harden and become thick in response to the general effects of gravity on the body, ongoing physical stresses, negative attitudes and emotions, and physical traumas.

What I have discovered is that the foam roller can be used as a strength-training tool, targeting your intrinsic muscles you want to tone, like your arms, abs, thighs, and butt. Because the foam roller is a curved, unstable surface, it can replace stability ball in many exercises to improve your balance and fire up your core muscles. And the roller can even be used to mimic some of the same moves done on the Pilates Reformer to tone and stretch muscles and improve posture, giving you that long, lean, sculpted look.

So combining the fascial re-shaping and the muscular sculpting is the true breakthrough of my technique and you can do all of this in your own home!

 Reshape, melt tension and smooth out your body with these moves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHiMJKN8lUM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdklKvN3Jww#t=119

5.  Off subject, what is your favorite place to travel to?

My husband is a Kiwi and we always love getting back to New Zealand but I'm totally in LOVE with Italy, especially the Amalfi coast - Positano is heaven to me...

6.  Favorite hotel?

I also love Paris – Plaza Athenee Hotel is magical.

7.  When you're traveling, what do you do to stay in alignment physically and emotionally?  I take time to be present and have gratitude, plus taking a long walk each day in new places helps me see explore breathe in the air. Plus, walking provides my body and mind a way to stay strong, aligned and helps me manage and reduce stress. I also ALWAYS travel with my yellow mini Pro-Tec Travel size roller, http://www.pro-tecathletics.com/57038/586627/Massage/Pro--Tec-Foam-Roller-4Dx12L-Travel-Size.html It fits in my carry-on suitcase and rolls away any tension from traveling and helps keep me toned in just a few minutes a day!

Thanks, Lauren!!  We love you. xxo

MIND & BODY