My experience with EDS has been subtle and sneaky for a long time... until it suddenly was not. I have always been a movement lover, and have found so much joy in all kinds of movement throughout my 30 years of life. Often, movement felt uninhibited, unrestricted, and with the right kind of training and diligence, movement seemed limitless. Of course it was joyful, of course I wanted more.

I unexpectedly forged a career in movement, after about a decade of practicing yoga and feeling like I had enough experience and ability to teach others. Quite frankly, I felt that I was a 'natural'... aka GOOD at it. We know this is not the intention or foundation of yoga, but it certainly seemed to click, and I loved it. Embodying the poses well was so satisfying. As I continued to practice and began to teach yoga, I was exposed to the Pilates Method, and initially had the same impression: "this is like yoga and I can be good at this." (more or less). I started practicing, and then training to become an instructor. Pilates training and certification is much more involved, in depth, and closely related to the science of anatomy and movement. Of course, there are plenty of yoga approaches that have similar potential and focus, but it was my experience that yoga training brushed the surface, and the Pilates Method was fundamentally life changing on so many levels. I quickly learned that my perceived flexibility and mobility was an imbalanced relationship between my muscles and my joints. In other words, I did not have so much strength and flexibility within my musculature, I had a laxity in my joints and ligaments that gave me the false impression of functional, strong, intentional movement patterns in my own body. Yoga exacerbated this pattern, while Pilates worked very well to help me correct and align this imbalance over time.

I labeled it "hypermobility" for myself and felt that I managed it pretty well. I took up strength training and that seemed to help secure my joints and strengthen the muscles around them even further. I experienced only a few strains or injuries over several years of lifting weights -- again, I thought I was doing pretty well.

Fast forward to a great day -- I met Jaime! She took some of my classes that were a combination of yoga, Pilates, and strength, and we quickly connected. She expressed her own issues and experience with EDS, and I could empathize to a point. She began working with me on the Pilates equipment to help strengthen muscles, secure joins, and essentially balance the imbalance. Through working with her, I began to identify more and more similarities between her patterns and my own, and I recognized that the EDS label was one that fit my body just as well.

Fast forward again, this time to a not-so-great day -- I was in a car accident -- hit from the side by another driver, and though fortunate enough to walk away seemingly unscathed, my bendy body took the impact and started to show signs soon after. The auto collision yanked my spine one way, tugged my shoulders another, and tilted my pelvis to the point where I experienced pain, dysfunction, and even further imbalance between tight tight muscles, and out-of-place joints. Now I needed Jaimie.

Over the course of nearly a year, regular treatments from Jaime went from quieting pain in the short term to completely relieving it overall. She helped me to regain muscle function that was lost due to chronic tension and misalignment, and she essentially realigned my body over time. She used a combination of acupuncture and cupping to help resolve such suddenly severe issues, and underlying EDS-related imbalances, too. Of course, much of this is her job, but it was her specialized insight and well-rounded understanding of EDS and related conditions that truly helped me. From her assessments and treatments, to her conversations and advice, Jaimie's expertise has improved my quality of life immensely since I have been her patient.

Keep in mind, movement is still my job. Navigating the imbalances between muscles and joints, damaging movements and restorative approaches, too much and not enough... all of these dynamics seem to be muddy water within the experience of EDS. Jaime continues to offer insight and relief when it comes to embracing and living with this condition. It is an ongoing process of chasing pain, reorganizing alignment and engagement, you name it. Though I would love to assert that the Pilates Method can solve it all, I don't believe that the scope of EDS can be remedied with movement alone. That is exactly where a very skillful and knowledgeable practitioner like Jaime is essential.