Kris Desjardins
Physiotherapist – medical – B.Sc.P.T.
Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher® (NCPT)
Feldenkrais Teacher Trainee ATM ®
I graduated from the University of Toronto in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy. In 2003, I earned my certification with Stott Pilates, soon to be followed by certifications with Body Harmonics, Polestar Pilates, and the Pilates Method Alliance. I am currently a Feldenkrais® Method Trainee, certified to teach Awareness Through Movement® classes.
As a lifelong learner, my areas of interest and study include natural movement and mechanics, functional medicine, fascia, the indivisible link of mind and body, nervous system regulation, and pain. I specialize in working with people with orthopaedic, musculoskeletal, and neurological issues.
My current approach is a reflection of my experiences in Physiotherapy, Pilates and the movement world, and my current Feldenkrais training. I chose to call this approach Adara, which means elegant, because when we restore natural, coordinated movement, it looks and feels elegant. Not only that, but this is how we harness our strength and power.
Through my Physiotherapy education, I built a firm foundation in anatomy, pathology, and biomechanics.
I found Pilates after I had 3 children in 4 years. That really took a toll! Despite all of my training and knowledge in anatomy and biomechanics, I had herniated a few discs in my back caring for and
carrying the children. I loved how effective Pilates was as a rehabilitation tool. I did treat my own back pain effectively with Pilates, but it took a long time and didn't happen until I adopted more of the Polestar philosophy which focuses on principles of movement as well as the exercises.
In the Pilates world, I experienced how movement is a healing modality in and of itself. I began to have a sense of myself relative to the forces of nature such as the ground and gravity, and how much better I could move when my effort was in proportion to these forces or loads. I saw how often I was forcing and moving too quickly and that this was having a negative impact on me not only physically, but emotionally and cognitively.
At the beginning of Covid, I participated in the Feldenkrais Feel Better, Move Better Summit online. I picked up the book Body and Mature Behaviour, written by Moshe Feldenkrais in 1949 and felt like the Feldenkrais people were speaking my language about moving with ease and how it translates into feeling better both physically and emotionally. I had been struggling with difficulty focusing, and as I began to explore Feldenkrais I started to feel better and regained my clarity of thinking. I am also running more comfortably now in my 50's (and getting more joy out of running) than I have at any other stage in my life.
Feldenkrais is a mind-body or somatic practice that is essentially a method of observing ourselves. Through our sensations of movement we begin to notice when we are straining or forcing and how this is different than working. We realize that nothing that we do is in isolation. That is, every movement is reflected through our whole body.
Our movement is also related to our emotions in both a feed forward and feed back way. Our ability to think clearly is related to the organization of our bodies, and in our ability to sense ourselves.
Learning the Feldenkrais method has enriched my life and my work. It is my hope that I can teach others how we all have the capacity to move better and feel better, no matter how old we are.
Recognizing the relationship between healthcare and fitness, I have shifted my focus from the performance of exercise towards the conscious attention in the body and all its benefits.
A holistic perspective recognizes how our movement affects our entire body as an interrelated system. The shift from exercise as a dreaded task to moving for sheer joy is what I hope for you to experience.
Kris is my Holy Grail of therapists. She is Amazing, Brilliant, Caring and Dedicated. She is very easy to work with and so genuinely concerned with my recovery. Even my 6 year old granddaughter comments on my noticeable improvement.
Larry –– Lawyer