Zoe Birch
I used to hate movement. Really. I was the last kid to be picked for kickball and I hid at the end of the line during softball. Yup, uncoordinated and terrified, that’s me.
Fast forward to grad school in Washington, D.C., where, not unsurprisingly, I was in tons of pain. I was told to join a gym, which I did, but it didn’t help. Back in New York I had a stressful corporate job and I struggled just to get through the day. Often I couldn’t walk two blocks without getting a cab.
After years of trying everything (you know the drill—doctors, PT, orthotics, medication, acupuncture, massage, private yoga, private pilates, and crying a lot), I found a workshop on Feldenkrais.
It was so slow and incremental and surprising that even I could do it! I felt successful. More confident. Happier. I began attending weekly classes on the Upper West Side. I felt better, but I had no idea why.
So I joined a professional four-year training with Dennis Leri, who trained with Moshe Feldenkrais. I started to fine-tune my life because I could see options open to me that weren’t there before.
I made choices based on empowerment and inspiration instead of stress and struggle. I was hooked.
Now I’ve been dedicated to human learning and sensorimotor development for over twenty years.
Who I work with
I’ve seen hundreds of people just like you change their lives for the better after becoming aware of how they move.
I help everyone from high-performance athletes to stroke victims; people born with cerebral palsy to people worried about falling; people on their tenth spine surgery to desk workers who want to feel better at the end of the day.
(I know I’m supposed to have a niche, but my niche is everyone who’s ready to take back their life, no matter where or when you start. If that’s you, then I’m your gal.)
In New York City I taught at Chelsea Piers, Bridge for Dance Studio, Tribeca Feldenkrais Center, and more. Later, I moved toLondon, UK, where I managed a natural health center. Now, I live in Boulder, Colorado, with Eppie, my amazing service dog from Canine Companions for Independence.
In addition to my (now!) love of movement, I love language. My background includes degrees in Arabic and linguistics from New York University and George Washington University. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to over eighteen countries and live in Morocco, Tunisia, and the UK, as well as many cities across the U.S.
Literature is my first love. I worked in publishing in NYC for many years before becoming a Feldenkrais practitioner.
(Ask me about the language and movement, but only if you have several hours to spare!)
Certification
Feldenkrais is taught only by Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioners® who have completed 800-1000 hours of training in a four-year program regulated by the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America and the International Feldenkrais Federation in Paris. Feldenkrais practitioners must be re-certified every year.
In addition to renewing my certification annually, I have completed over 400 hours of additional training in sensorimotor development as well as run advanced trainings and mentor groups for many years.
“A bend in the road is not the end of the road...unless you fail to make the turn. ”
