What changes
In their own words.
People arrive with stiff backs, old injuries, hips that don't feel like they used to. What follows is what they noticed once they began working with the whole body rather than against it.
Less pain
Old injuries, chronic aches and the pain that had stopped feeling changeable.
I came with a bad hip — I'd had corrective surgery that went terribly wrong — and a stiff lower back. I have a lot more mobility in my hip and less pain, my back feels less seized-up and all my other little aches and pains, shoulders, neck, the usual, are gone. I could practically feel my body rearranging itself.
When I got my first fascia massage from Saskia, I had been experiencing knee pain on and off for a year. After her massage the pain was gone. Anyone experiencing Saskia's teaching or touch will be forever changed.
Thank you for all the help you've given me over the last weeks to overcome migraine and sleep problems. Having searched for over 25 years for help to overcome migraine I can only express my deepest gratitude to you.
More mobility
Hips, spines and shoulders that started moving again.
I feel so much more integrity throughout my body. I got frozen around my baby and I'm feeling more fluid in my day-to-day movements now that I'm practising. It's so much more interesting than the mainstream postpartum offerings.
I have made improvements in my flexibility that I didn't think were possible. I believe that one of the reasons I can train so hard and remain injury free is down to the regular practice I have been doing with Saskia.
I finally understood that the standing leg has to work evenly when the lifting leg is working — this makes a huge difference on both sides. Feeling this diagonal into the sacrum helps me with everything else.
Confidence in the body
Trusting yourself to move, train, travel and keep going.
As a new practitioner with physical injuries, Saskia took the time to understand my current state and limitations and helped me with a tailored approach that let me begin without causing injury. She knows how to help me really feel when I was properly aligned and when I was not when to push a little harder and when to soften.
After every class I felt stronger, calmer, had more balance in life — not simply physical ability. Even as an athlete, I found a new appreciation for movement and have continued my practice ever since.
After yesterday's session I can feel every cell of my body. I also realised I have a lot of tension in my lower belly that I never noticed before. It felt powerful and releasing at the same time.
As a beginner, Saskia has been the most amazing teacher and mentor. My posture has improved and my body mechanics enhanced. I also noticed that my body has become more sculpted.
The teaching itself
How the work is taught, and what it's like to be in a class.
She is supportive, fun, but at the same time very vigilant — she has the eye of an eagle, even a little finger won't be left out of alignment. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, she transmits this and it is received.
Saskia combines body and mind beautifully, adapting practice to one's needs. She continuously opens the doors for learning and improvement, and I feel my own practice has grown a great deal.
The mixture of exercises, partner work and meditation was a brilliant combination that all participants — regardless of level of fitness or familiarity — really enjoyed.