Educator Highlight: Dr. Diedra Manns

Polestar Educator Dr. Diedra Manns of Monarch Wellness in Santa Monica CA shares her musings on Pilates, the Butterfly Effect and the “End of the World”. My Hometown / About Me Although I live near Santa Monica, CA now I was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. Go Mounties!  Woman of a certain age, physical therapist, scientist, entrepreneur, speaker/lecturer, content developer, dancer, coach, compassionate people lover who improves lives through movement.   What is your favorite things to teach your clients? One of my favorite tips is to teach my clients how to use the wrinkles in their shirts as a guide to postural awareness. For instance, if the shirt they’re wearing has a lot of wrinkles in the back and not many in the front, they are likely standing in a hyper-lordotic posture (excessive spine extension) which can lead to compression of the facet joints in the lumbar spine, pain and stiffness. However, when the shirt wrinkles are smoother and more symmetrical from front to back it can signal better spinal alignment and can often result in ease with movement as well as standing. Tell us an “aha!” Moment One of the most impactful moments of my life was during my adventure with cancer. During that time, I made the conscious choice to experience the journey as a chrysalis moment and integrated lifestyle adjustments and approaches that created an environment for growth into my next form. This is the time I discovered the “butterfly effect.” The butterfly effect is a term coined by Edward Lorenz a meteorologist, mathematician and one of the major contributors to the chaos theory. The theory can be pretty technical if you choose to go down the rabbit hole but to quickly summarize it says that small, nearly imperceptible changes made in a complex system can have a massive impact on that system over time. The concept is imagined with a butterfly flapping its wings in the U.S. causing a typhoon in the Philippines a few weeks later. I often refer to the butterfly effect when coaching clients. My primary goals are to help them recognize that they may experience some internal and external environmental chaos because they’re creating change. And to generate an awareness that the smallest fluctuations they make in their life (i.e. postural awareness) will likely result in a positive difference in moving towards a life with less pain. For more on the Butterfly Effect check out – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect What are you Currently Reading? I’m on my third read of Explain Pain by David Butler & Lorimer Moseley. What is your Favorite Way to Wind Down? A sunset walk on the bike path at the end of the world (also known as the Santa Monica Beach). Learn more about Dr. Diedra Manns, Pilates and Monarch Wellness at: Monarch Wellness Inc. Santa Monica, CA monarchwellnessinc.com       www.facebook.com/MonarchWellnessInc        @monarchwellnessinc