"At 84, I discovered the joy of Rosen Movement with its slow music, head to toe involvement, dance moves, emphasis on balance and fun. That was 10 years ago, and I try to never miss a class. I believe my Rosen participation is a huge factor in fall prevention."

"Rosen Movement has changed the way I carry my body. Lifting the sternum relaxes my shoulders and neck and I have less pain each day. I love the progression of the moves to get to the stretching, makes sense!"

"Rosen Movement has proven to be the most effective 'medicine' for my pain management. The simple yet effective movements create a sense of gratitude for my personal range of motion. The class is a joyful 'work in' nourishing the nervous system and uniting a community of holistic well being."

Rosen Movement

Moving from the Inside Out

List of Rosen Method Movement Classes in the U.S.

Marion Rosen began teaching movement classes in 1956. As a physical therapist, she was asked how to prevent aches and pains and future injuries. She thought about all the exercises she had given private patients because they got stiff, had pain, or couldn't move. She organized a class around these same exercises as "physical therapy in reverse". Recognizing that music helps people move, she set the exercise sequences to music. Rhythm as well as moving in time with the music can be rehabilitating.

One of Marion's primary aims with Rosen Movement was to create space for the diaphragm to swing more freely. The movements allow the diaphragm to find more ease so the internal organs experience a type of massage and this creates more oxygenation throughout the whole body. Movement also stimulates the production of synovial fluid in the joints. When we fail to move our joints, this fluid which is like WD40, diminishes and fails to lubricate the joints adequately.

A video prepared by the Rosen Method Center SW

One-hour classes are low impact and include the following benefits:

Increased range of motion
Lubricating all the joints in the body
Improved balance, flexibility, alignment
Relaxed diaphragm for ease of breathing
Preparation for more strenuous exercising
Rehabilitation for injuries

Rosen Movement is an awareness process that encourages people to feel movements on the inside, bringing full attention to the joints being moved. Greater results are achieved when this awareness is present. Participants leave feeling relaxed, joyful and more in touch with their bodies.

Sally's free Rosen Movement Class is on Thursdays, 8:30-9:30am, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church Parish Hall in downtown Fayetteville. For more information about classes, call Sally at (479) 442-0002.