Seedling Strength
Cultivate body trust & grow stronger
Starting is the hardest part, amiright?
We all deserve to have a relationship with movement and our bodies that serves us.
And, the reality is: crafting a life-long movement practice requires support. It requires community - so we don't have to go it alone - and it requires building a line of communication with our bodies that we can trust.
We've been told for so long that in order to get it "right" we need to hire a personal trainer, or if we can't afford that, then somehow we should be able to maintain a joyful routine on our own because it's "just" exercise. Simple, right? Except it's not.
But there's another way.
And that's what I'm so committed to offering you in Seedling Strength. Together, we'll focus on creating a movement practice that is deeply rooted in self-trust and community support.
This program is for you if…
you have never done strength training or weight lifting before
it’s been a million years since you did anything like weight lifting but you’re ready to start again
You’ve been doing strength training for a long time but feel ready to learn a more intuitive way to train
you desire to re-introduce yourself to exercise as a whole-ass concept after setting it down (as we must) when we opt-out of diet culture and anti-fat bias
you are ready to reconnect to your body after a long time of not being in connection
you are re-orienting after a Major Life Change that wildly affected your physical capacity (like pregnancy, a chronic illness onset, chronic pain, a mental health diagnosis, a period of deep grief, etc)
you are not “a gym person” and never hope to be
you want to be able to walk into any weight room in any gym in the world and feel confident knowing you know how to handle your own damn body
Inviting in more strength requires that we spend some time at our edges.
This can be very confronting and exquisitely uncomfortable.
It often means that we feel physically incompetent, as we are trying to gain new competencies. This is a necessary reality of acquiring strength that isn't very well supported by most strength training offerings I've seen.
And so, I crafted this container to hold ALLLLL of this.
The physical training AND the emotional experience.
How do we do it?
We spend 8 weeks together.
We meet 2x a week for live sessions, and in between I’m available to coach you via text or voice note.
We keep the group small and intimate.
This program is designed so that I can coach each person on each movement in each session. It feels like small-group personal training, but you get to do it in the comfort of your own space with me guiding you via zoom.
We move & we process.
I’ll be holding space for the feelings that come up as we go along, as well as offering the strength training program. We will engage in conversational un-learning of the anti-fat bias that is slathered all over exercise science. Together we will unravel the toxic Fitness myths that are strangling your inner strength seedlings.
Some Loving Permission Slips
-
That’s ok. And that’s a tough emotional cookie to swallow. See if you can notice the difference between present day you and past you with compassion and curiosity. Feel free to name these moments out loud, if it would feel good to get it out of your brain.
-
Sometimes our thighs run into our bellies. Sometimes our arm flesh squishes against our sides. In certain positions, our chest tissue might try to swallow our necks. All of this is common, perfectly normal, and doesn’t NOT mean you don’t belong in this group. And it can bring up emotions, which are super valid. It can also be physically uncomfortable. This is why I keep these group small — I want to make sure I have time in each session to adjust the movements to meet your unique body. It’s important to me that you feel comfortable enough to engage with the intended purpose of each movement.
-
The body stores feelings. When we move and connect to our bodies in ways we haven’t in a while, it can unlock those stored feelings.
I invite you to feel them, as much as feels safe for you. I also invite you to share them, either with me 1:1 or in the group, depending on which container feels right for you.
-
“I didn’t want to make it about me and my issues” is a common feeling in group learning settings, especially with body stuff.
Lemme offer you FULL permission to make it about YOU!
This session is here to serve each and every one of You. And odds are, your “this is just me” question will be helpful for someone else to hear. Even if the question itself wasn’t relevant to them, your bravery in asking will role model what is possible, and might give them the exact permission they needed to ask THEIR “just for me question.” Win-win!
The Details
-
Not at all. It’s more like personal training in a small group. I keep the groups this size so that I can give each person the attention they need to attune the movements to their unique body. You might be doing a slight variation on the move, or a different movement entirely depending on what feels right. Everyone will be able to move at their own pace, and ask questions throughout the session.
-
8 weeks, meeting twice a week for live sessions. Sessions are 1 hr, which will be about 45 mins of moving, and 15 mins of checkin in, learning, and reflection.
-
All sessions will be recorded and shared with the group. They will be available for the 8 weeks that we are working together.
-
You’ll need some open floor space, at least a yoga mat’s worth. We’ll work with very minimal equipment (yoga mat, yoga block, a sturdy chair). Substitutions are welcome! Don’t have a yoga mat? A folded towel or soft rug will be just fine. Don’t have a block? A thick book that isn’t precious will work just as well.
-
1:1 Coaching from me (Hannah) in between sessions via text/voice note. Ask that question you didn't feel comfortable asking in front of the group, reveal the mean thing your brain says to you about your body so we can transmute it together. I am always open to receiving messages, and will respond when I have capacity (usually within a day or two.)
-
They probably will, and I welcome that. Our bodies conveniently store emotions, trauma, and memories and those sometimes bubble up to the surface when we move our bodies, or spend time being present IN our bodies. I view this as a natural, expected part of our process together.
-
$800 US (payment plan possible - let's chat!)
Usually when we consider signing up for a fitness program, we are trying to decide if it’s something we can afford *forever*. Seedling is not meant to be your Forever Fitness Plan.
It is an intervention to re-orient your relationship with your body and with movement. You will graduate with internal tools that will transform your experience of any movement class or fitness program you decide to explore next.
Want to join a seedpod?
If you’re ready to deepen your body-trust roots and grow strong with us, drop your deets below
I’ll be in touch once we have enough people to start a new pod
If you have questions — and especially if you are wondering if this is a good fit for you and your unique body — Let’s talk it out!
If now isn’t the right time but you’d like to stay in the loop for future pods, join my email list. I send weekly-ish Body Liberation Love Notes to support in befriending your body and re-writing your relationship to movement.
SEEDLING STORIES
what seedling graduates are saying
-
“I came to Seedling with some hesitations: fear of being seen in my fat, disabled, senior body; not having my needs met for safety, accommodation, inclusion, acceptance, not knowing how to communicate with/listen to this body that has aged and become disabled with arthritis and chronic pain, and feeling shame about the not knowing, fear of throwing good money after bad in the pursuit of feeling better in my body.
I can honestly say that there hasn’t been a day since my Seedling series ended that I haven’t used something from my movement pantry; it continues to grow.
My movement practice has become so much more consistent because I remember to center it in joy and gentle love for myself and my body. And I’ve learned there is no value in beating myself up if I haven’t met my daily movement goal because I am in pain.
I’ve learned to listen to and trust my body in the moment, rather than “working the metrics” and feeling uncomfortable, hopeless, and frustrated.
I feel stronger and more optimistic about life in this body, as it is and as it is becoming.”
-
“Seedling Strength was the program I had been dreaming of without even realizing it was possible. I had been craving more strength, but had no idea how to approach that without reengaging old harmful patterns.
Hannah is amazing at holding space for the tender, beautiful, challenging, bittersweet experience that is re-connecting with your body. She has taught me so much about building a relationship of respect and consent with my body.”
-
“Seedling Strength was such a breath of fresh air. Both from the expansive permission to experience it in the way we each needed it, and in the really gorgeous way Hannah held/created space for our individual journey and situation.
I joined Seedling to support my own confidence and skill in listening to my body. Being post-menopausal and disabled from a scooter accident, most typical exercise programs don’t seem to mesh well with me, but Seedling was an introduction into a movement practice that I could dictate and direct myself.
The individual feedback we each received during sessions, the chat container to encourage each other in between sessions, and the option to “time travel” and review recordings was all such a beautiful combination of an experience!”
-
“Hannah’s created a revolutionary space to notice, name and re-write internal stories about fitness in addition to building physical strength.
Hannah welcomed our messiness and cheered us on enthusiastically every step of the way. All exercises were adapted to meet the needs of the individual. We were encouraged to tune into sensations with curiosity and follow our intuition.
Through this process I clarified my motivation and dramatically increased my body awareness. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to befriend their body and build a pleasurable, sustainable relationship with movement.”
-
“Hannah is a living embodiment of "all bodies are good & welcome," and Seedling reminded me what it can be like to have a strength & movement practice that is slow, spacious, and based on consent. They hold a very accessible space for a variety of bodies & neurotypes, and encouraged us to do what felt best for ourselves on any given day.
I appreciated so many things about this program, especially Hannah's deep passion and knowledge about anatomy and WHY we are doing what we're doing. They really took the time to explain the reasoning behind the strength moves, and encouraged us to honor our own internal wisdom around what was possible for our bodies each day. I'm coming out of the program with more knowledge of how different body systems work, feeling stronger, and reconnected to myself.”