“The things I learned from Cheska's coaching are super useful: sometimes I feel a lack of energy, tired and I can easily fall into negativity. In these times, I retrace all the principles I learned in my sessions (core, breath, energy, diet etc.), and doing the Sun Salutation I find again my alignment and equilibrium. So thank you again for everything."

 

Andreas - Actor

Italy

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"Cheska's coaching is really amazing. She taught me some strong foundations for so many things, especially voice and character work. I can really feel a difference with concentration, and am now connecting my body to my mind without even thinking about it. It is now just a natural continuation from what we were doing in the sessions"

 

Lara  - Actor

Ireland

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"Congratulations on the successes you are having with a coordinated approach to physical and mental health, it's impressive that you are managing to achieve these results with your international clientele!"

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Ed Bullmore - Head of Psychiatry

Cambridge University

United Kingdom

'Feet on the ground: 

 

One takes standing for granted. It’s something we learn at a very early age and then with any luck continue until our final moments. I could stand. I could walk. I could even (unwillingly) run. But standing and being grounded are two very different things as I have recently discovered. I was born 10 weeks premature with a host of issues. One of them being a club foot on my right side. A common birth defect that causes the foot to twist inward and downward. This was surgically corrected and I lived for 29 years with extremely limited mobility in the foot and ankle. I thought as it, as a lost cause from a traumatic birth. 

 

However, my work with Cheska has shown me differently and through this work I discovered the huge emotional barriers I had been living behind; that are now beginning to lower due to my new found ability to ground myself. Through a series of stretches, manipulation, forking and tracking I have discovered that on the end of my right leg is indeed a foot and ankle (who knew?!) 

 

While the physical change has been extraordinary and has happened in the span of a few weeks I want to focus on the mental and emotional changes. I have always been an anxious person, at times cripplingly so. With a nervous disposition I have struggled in many walks of life. As I’ve got older it has eased but still lingers. A few days ago something changed. I felt calm. I felt still and for one of the first times in my life, I felt safe. What had happened? My feet were on the ground. I could feel the ground beneath me and my connection to it. I felt strong. Rooted. My lifelong fight or flight siren was silent. 

 

The beauty of this moment transcended my body and allowed me for the first time to feel the world around me, not from behind a locked door, but from beyond the veil. With my feet on the ground I feel ready to tackle life."

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Jack - Actor and Voice Artist 

United Kingdom

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"In 2019 I suffered a severe knee injury. I worked with a team of specialised physiotherapists, GPs, and orthopaedic surgeons for 18 months to no avail. I was informed that the damage to my knee was permeant and little could be done other than pain management. Determined to overcome their verdicts I approached Cheska for help. She soon realised my problems stemmed from ingrained patterns of muscle weakness, imbalance, and lack of body awareness and proprioception. We started with deep breathing exercises, targeted core workouts, and basic stability techniques before moving on to strengthening my injured knee. It has since recovered to a degree I never thought it could, and enabled me to pursue  – while still cautiously but with renewed excitement – my favourite outdoor exercises, hiking Tasmanian mountains and surfing the Southern Ocean. Cheska’s integrated approach to rehabilitation helped tie together the qigong, acupuncture and yin yoga I  am now doing alongside her work. Her focus on overall well-being, specifically movement, diet, and mental health have been integral in my rehabilitation journey. I have no doubt that I would still be stuck in the same place had it not been for Cheska incorporating alignment, posture, and meditation into my training. As of late she has also been teaching me ballet for further strengthening and balance which I find playful and joyous. I admire how she can effortlessly tailor a set of specific exercises, choosing from a broad range of movement traditions to help maximise your recovery."

 

Kat - Lightsmith

Tasmania​

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"As a psychotherapist I have always been curious about the complex and subtle ways in which the brain and body systems interact with one another. My  own journey  of discovery began with Pilates  and has now found its way to the  Melt Method,  Yoga and now breath work. Cheska’s breathing course has been transformative. I discovered I was a shallow breather, which prevented me from doing things well, eg: drinking, eating, walking, self-regulating, and yoga. By learning to breathe correctly, I can now oxygenate more efficiently, identify when I’m stressed, meditate properly, and engage my body’s core strength. My new understanding of how to breathe informs the way I work with my own patients as a psychoanalyst. Cheska's integrated breath-work programme is life-changing and life-enhancing.” 

 

Cecilia - Psychotherapist

United Kingdom

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"I began working with Cheska during lockdown, initially because of a bad back and knee problem. However, I learned that these problems  stemmed from poor core activation. I battled with the notion that I needed to re-learn to breath properly in order to activate my core. As a musician who relied on their breath I found this a bit discombobulating. However, Cheska's approach to breathing correctly was simple and effective and within a couple of weeks I could do it. Not only did this new found breath help with my core strength, it also helped with my oboe playing. I discovered through my work with Cheska that the breath really is the foundation of everything."

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Joel - Musician | Stress Management & Resilience Consultant

Australia