My Body
Jill Miller On Living Peacefully and Playfully Inside Your Own Skin
Jill Miller is an Omega Institute faculty member and the Creator of Yoga Tune Up®
When I was eleven, my mother brought home two videos: The Jane Fonda Workout and Raquel Welch Yoga. I became obsessed and raced home every day and did both videos. I had an eating disorder, it kind of went hand in hand. I was a fat kid and a nerd and the TV type kid, so the awakening that happened through those videos was tied with a lot of other physical personal issues.
I went to Northwestern at 17, and I went into theater arts and performing arts, but I saw a poster for shiatsu massage school, and even though I was busy with college, I decided to enroll. I was still stick and throwing up and bulimic, but I noticed that when I touched people or when they touched me I felt silence inside myself. The chaos would just cease.
The peace of mind I got through connected contact with other people was a clue to me about what I needed for completion. What completed me was actually connecting with others and not continuing to isolate myself. I did heal. I've healed profoundly. I had to go through the work myself to overcome my self-hatred and my great dislike for my body. And the style of yoga I've created — self care and body work is part of what we do.
Teaching other people and making other people feel good every day fills my well. Yoga Tune Up® truly helps people. I just did a private with a guy with MS, and because of our work together now he can zip his fly and cut his own finger nails.
My personal practice right now is heavily reliant on unstable surfaces, whether that means some type of sliding device or physio balls, walls, corners, or ledges. When you use unstable elements, the body has to stabilize. I'm working on a new video around this. I just want to continue to teach embodiment, the underlying understanding of the way you move. My mission is to share with as many people as possible how to live peacefully and playfully inside their own skin.
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Comments
Thank you for sharing your story.
Submitted by michlny on 04.28.10 at 09:38.
Jill's dvds and teachings (especially Hip Helpers and Shoulder Shape-Up) have given me so much insight into my body -- can't wait for the "unstable surfaces" one!
Submitted by berlinesque on 04.28.10 at 12:04.
Thanks Charity!!!!
I am a Jill Miller groupie. I used to go to her core and yoga workshops... and I am a big fan of Yoga Tune Up.... I still have the original balls!!! I am going to use the balls on my tight quads!
Submitted by sandella on 04.28.10 at 09:29.
Thanks for sharing!
Submitted by janko on 05.26.10 at 01:24.