Clients of Alexander Body Dynamics have reported a decrease in pain and discomfort, greater freedom of movement, improved posture and balance, appropriate control of muscle tension, and an overall sense of well being.
JOYCE DIDONATO
OPERA SINGER, WORLD RENOWNED MEZZO-SOPRANO
2012 & 2016 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER - BEST CLASSICAL VOCAL SOLO ARTIST
"Sensing that I was in drastic need for some deep conditioning work on my body, but not knowing where to turn, I stumbled upon Fumi Sasa's website and immediately sought her out. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made, for she has helped to completely revamp my body, and as a result, the effect is showing up in my voice.
As an opera singer, my body is my instrument, and through her passion, expertise and unbridled joy in her work, she has helped me to rebuild my instrument to a more natural, poised, and free state. I cannot recommend her services enough."
Photograph: At the San Francisco Opera, as "Romeo" from The Capulets and The Montagues by Vincenzo Bellini
© Cory Weaver
ERIC VERDIN, M.D.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, BUCK INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON AGING
"Before coming to Fumi, I tried nearly everything to heal my chronic low back pain. Massage, yoga, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medicines, but nothing helped in the long term. Fumi taught me that poor body use was the cause of this problem. Over the course of the past 4 months, Fumi identified a group of postural problems that contributed to my back pain. She taught me how to consciously use my body with less strain to perform everyday activities like standing, walking, sitting, using my computer, driving, brushing my teeth.
I am astounded at the power of this approach. Medical school never taught me, and still does not teach, anything about posture and body usage.
The Alexander technique is an amazing tool that addresses directly the root of the problem. Fumi is a superb teacher, an attentive listener and a patient guide. Thanks to her help, I am finally looking at this back problem as a problem that can be solved."
ALAN KREMEN, M.D., PH.D.
ARGENTINE TANGO DANCER & SURGEON, UCSF
"I have a passion for tango, philosophy of art and science, and rehabilitation from complex illness, including cancer, trauma, vascular disease, and psychosomatic illness. I strongly endorse Alexander Technique and Fumi’s work.
In her hands the Alexander technique is an excellent method for dealing with musculoskeletal stress, - both physical and psychosomatic -. It is effective for pain management in neck and back pain syndromes. It is also great for performing artists to attain optimal function and peak performance.
The Alexander technique enables attaining ergonomically correct use of ligaments, joint, and muscles; it aids rehab from injury in ways that optimize function and protect from future trauma, and promotes neuromuscular learning, working with integrating breathing, strength, and balance. These areas are medically and philosophically of vital importance to health, beauty, and happiness. This work is a complement to Pilates, Gyrotonic, Yoga and Feldenkrais Method.
Actors and dancers, shooting for peak form, refined kinesthetic sense, and beauty in performance, regularly and successfully have worked with Fumi, as have I. She is intelligent, caring, and effective. I endorse her work."
BOB WOLF
FOUNDER, CONVENTIONFORCE - SAN FRANCISCO, CA
"I came to Fumi after suffering from chronic shin pain for several years. The result? She helped me become completely free of the pain. Within a year I had learned to walk and stand using proper body mechanics which relieved the stress I was putting on my shins everyday. She taught me how to recognize harmful habits and correct them myself. I take the lessons with me and apply hem every day, even as I walk down the street! She's a wonderfully talented teacher, customizing each lesson to address my particular problems that day with corrections that make sense. I'm forever thankful I found Fumi and will keep coming back to improve my technique!"
JENNIFER GORDON, M.A.
REHABILITATION THERAPIST, UCSF MEDICAL CENTER
"Fumi is a fabulous teacher of Alexander Technique. I always leave her sessions feeling a few inches taller and enjoying greater ease of movement. She offers very specific postural and body usage adjustments that are tailored to reduce physical strain in each individual’s daily activities. In addition to being perceptive and precise in her instruction, Fumi is warm, personable and fun to boot!"
KAREN ZINDARS, M.P.T.
OUTPATIENT ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST & BALLET INSTRUCTOR - SAN FRANCISCO, CA
"Since working with Fumi and the Alexander Technique I have had a gradual and significant reduction of symptoms of lower back pain and sciatica. My postural awareness has improved dramatically and I am breaking the habits of holding patterns and overuse of certain muscle groups. The Technique has immediate practical application. Most importantly I learned how to move and how to avoid movement patterns that contributed to my chronic pain, which has been invaluable."
MICHAEL MCCLOSKEY, PH.D.
PROFESSOR OF NEUROSCIENCE AND CELL BIOLOGY, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
"Since I began Alexander practice in 2000, it has provided physical and psychological release as well as pain relief. It involves acute body awareness, which is compromised by my surgeries and connective tissue disorder. Here is where Fumi’s experience has proven invaluable, as she too has dealt with serious injury using Alexander methods.
Fumi and I began work in 2005 ― on my visits to SF or at-a-distance, and she helped me relearn how to “walk, sit, and stand” with minimal self-interference and pain. One notices immediately that she is an astute observer, and that her touch is light, just enough to catalyze one’s own awareness of overdoing. Slight adjustment of head-spine alignment can make a huge difference in ease of motion, including stride.
In addition to canonical Alexander instruction, Fumi has helped by giving me particular exercises to rehab muscles imbalanced though sustained misuse though protectionist tendencies. Her own Argentine Tango experience and her work with numerous athletes and performance artists no doubt inform this element of her practice.
If you suffer from physical pain, ataxia, or a raw voice, or just are curious about the Alexander Technique, I suggest that you make an appointment with Fumi. You cannot go wrong by working with Fumi Sasa."
JACQUELINE CARROLL
MANAGER, MARKET RESEARCH - NEW YORK CITY, NY
"Fumi gave me my life back! I was miserable and in constant pain both at my desk and while driving. I came to Fumi desperate after nothing at the doctor, massage therapist, yoga class, trainer, etc seemed to work and she knew exactly what to do to help me get better. She was the first resource that really had staying power. Massage felt good but then the injury would just come back. Given all the resources out there it can be overwhelming caring for yourself when you're in pain. I got such good results after my first session and second session with Fumi that I really trusted her expertise. She completely fixed my injury over the course of a few months and helped teach me proper posture sitting, driving, walking etc. She also is a nutritionist and always gave me great advice on supplements and her grandmother's special tea recipe for when you have a cold (I still use it to this day, and affectionately refer to it as 'Japanese grandmother tea'). I still do my regular Alexander practice regularly (Monkey, legs up the wall, and others). I started seeing Fumi almost 5 years ago. Initially I saw her on an intensive schedule due to the urgency of my injury. After fixing the injury I continued to see her monthly as a way to maintain my proper posture and spine. I now live in New York and return to San Francisco a few times a year. Even though my trips are always very busy I make sure to see Fumi because I think that it is an important investment in my long term health. I want to be strong and active well into my senior years and I do believe that working with Fumi and learning Alexander Technique early in my life is doing that for me."
EMILY SANO, PH.D.
DIRECTOR EMERITA - ASIAN ART MUSEUM AND ART CONSULTANT
"I met Fumi Sasa at a Japanese New Year's party when I was in pain in my neck, shoulders, and back. Fumi quickly put me on the floor and gave me a 15 minute session. I was amazed that I felt better, even after 15 minutes, so I called Fumi the next day for an appointment!
Fumi has done wonders to help me with several issues that seem to come from poor posture, both sitting and walking. She has help me manage my bodily stress through hands-on work, easy exercises, and correct shoes! I heartily recommend Fumi, and the Alexander Technique, for treating pain at its roots."
TINA D'ELIA
"PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS" ACTOR, SAG-AFTRA
"My life has changed in wonderful, healing, and magnetic ways since I started studying and learning the Alexander Technique from the incredibly skilled and empowering Fumi Sasa three years ago. When I cam to Fumi, I was suffering from chronic back and neck injuries, and my overall posture needed improvement. As a professional actor, my body felt stressed, and I had much less energy.
Fumi's wisdom and teachings have transformed my life and helped me heal from repetitive strain injuries. Learning about the Alexander Techniques with Fumi has given me more confidence, stronger alignment, and posture, and key ways to embody character and movement in my profession. I am grateful for the muscle releasing techniques, compassion, and personable style that Fumi embodies."
GUILLERMO C. ELKOUSS, M.D.
M.D., F.A.C.S - CHERRY HILL, NJ
"In April 2012, my fiancee and I, visited San Francisco, California for about 10 days. We were in need to rapidly prepare our bodies for a dancing event. We are both passionate about Argentine tango dancing. We had both been inundated with a multitude of physical issues, by having developed undesirable patterns of motion over the years, that had made our dancing less than what we wish it to be.
We contacted Fumi Sasa in advance, we met with her in four different occasions. It was a crash course in improving body mechanics, not only for dancing, but also for many activities of daily living. We both have had prior experience in Alexander Technique with our local practitioner, so we knew the principles and foundations. Fumi worked with us at a feverish pace, displaying a vast knowledge of not only the Alexander Technique, but also of detailed body mechanics. She adjusted her schedule more than once, so we could meet with her on a daily basis for therapy. Her tireless efforts, added to her unrelenting enthusiasm, enabled us to understand a lot more about our dance movements, and make them much more facile and graceful.
We developed an improvement of our body kinetics, we increased muscle flexibility, we improved our ability to keep our balance even during complex movements, and by doing so, now avoid many of the pains and discomforts that accompany dance practice. We continue to apply Alexander Coaching Techniques on a daily basis for just about everything we do.
In our dealings with Fumi, she always behaved as the highly trained practitioner that she is, at all times going above and beyond the call of duty, further enhancing our own abilities. I have no hesitation in recommending Fumi to anyone in need of her services."
ALLYSON BARTMAN, M.S.
GET HAPPY RIDING SCHOOL - SACRAMENTO, CA
"I have experienced symptoms of fibromyalgia since early childhood. As I have aged, it has become increasingly difficult for me to maintain the active, athletic lifestyle that I enjoy due to increasing pain and fatigue, and five years ago I finally became bedridden. In the continual (and increasingly frantic) effort to regain my strength, endurance and energy and to relieve my constantly aching body, I have tried with limited or no success- many different modalaties and treatments, including antidepressants and other pharmaceuticals, supplements, diets, chiropractic (several modalaties), Acupuncture, massage, Rosen Method, Feldenkrais, meditation, Chi Gong, Ayurveyda, Psychotherapy, medical intuitives and others. I have spent countless hours and many thousands of dollars.
Since beginning Alexander lessons with Fumi Sasa in January of theis year (5 and half months ago), the improvement I have experienced has surpassed any other modality I have tried-with substantially less effort than most! I feel as if my body has been given permission to return to its most comfortable, most natural state: permission to be the way it is really supposed to be.
My pain levels have reduced dramatically, and I am amazed at how much more energy and stamina I have and how much better I sleep. My general level of anxiety has noticeably dropped as I now no longer worry so much, first about the pain I am experiencing and second, about having sufficient energy to fulfill my obligations. These are burdens I've been carrying for most of my life, so it should not be hard to understand that I feel like a different person. People frequently remark that I look younger, thinner, happier.
I still have a long road ahead of me before I "get my life back", but I am more confident than ever that I will succeed. I am only disappointed that I did not find the Alexander Technique much, much sooner. I could have saved endless pain, misery...and money!"
MAYUMI FUJIO
ARGENTINE TANGO INSTRUCTOR - PALO ALTO, CA
"I am a tango dancer/ instructor, and I’ve been having severe lower back pain for the last couple of years. I met Fumi during the night of tango when I was in pain I could not dance. She gave me a simple instruction how to release my back and that was the first encounter to the Alexander Technique.
Since then, I’ve been learning more about the Alexander Technique. It certainly helped me realize about my sitting/ walking position and being able to deal with my back pain. Now I am able to control my body and moreover, my mental status to control the stress and strain in body."
SARAH MOSER
ACTOR, AEA
"Fumi has totally changed the way I move, stand, and breathe. She is a master Alexander Teacher, and she's been incredibly helpful to me as an actor/performer. I would go to her even if I weren't a performer, though. I've been encouraging all of my friends and family members to see her, because she's so familiar with the ways we compromise our bodies on the computer, at a desk, in a car, etc. She is incredibly knowledgeable, and you will see improvements almost immediately. She's amazing!"
SYLVIA GUDE
ENVIRONMENTALIST/OUTDOOR SPORTS ENTHUSIAST - SACRAMENTO, CA
"I first came to Fumi to help recover from a very painful case of sciatica that stopped me from enjoying outdoor activities, especially ocean kayaking. Through the Alexander lessons, I am more aware of how I stand, sit and move and how this can cause muscle tension. Now when I feel a muscle tense, I can stop, do the "Monkey" or other Alexander exercise and get instant relief from tension and pain. What a wonderful feeling!"
TESS FRAZIER
PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN, VIOLA PLAYER - SACRAMENTO, CA
"I have had WONDERFUL success in using the Alexander Technique. I am a musician and have played in pain for many years. I now not only play without pain but the quality of my playing is free and spontaneous. An extra added bonus is that I have gone down three dress sizes! Thank you Fumi."
PAUL AKMAJIAN
ARGENTINE TANGO INSTRUCTOR & PRESIDENT, TANGO CLUB OF ALBUQUERQUE
"Working with Fumi and experiencing the Alexander Technique through her has given me new insights and approaches for teaching tango, as well as helping me with my own dancing. Fumi helped me become more aware of where I was holding unnecessary tension and gave me techniques to relax, reduce muscle strain and improve posture. Iʼve been able to share these ideas with my classes and my students have responded very well. The principles of the Alexander technique fit seemlessly with the foundations of tango. Fumiʼs clear, generous instruction gave me (and many others who took her workshop here) much to think about and work on, and we look forward to her return!"
SUSAN VAN PATTEN
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR - SACRAMENTO, CA
"My shoulder, neck and sciatic nerve pain was so bad my doctor was concerned I would not be able to continue working. After only three weeks of diligently following the Alexander Technique, my pain had decreased so much the fear of losing my job was no longer a concern. I was amazed at the improvement. I had suffered over two and half years with no lasting relief until my doctor recommended Fumi Sasa and the Alexander Technique. I am very grateful."
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