Buffy Owens
EXPLORE: Story Core Values Credentials
How it all started
My own healing journey
How did I get here? That’s a question I get asked fairly often, so I wanted to give you all a little background on my healing journey and what has brought me to this moment.
Just like you, I have a story.
My personal journey through childhood illness ignited a passion for holistic practices like the Feldenkrais Method, meditation, and whole-food nourishment.
Today, after nearly 30 years of personal and professional studies, I’m still in awe of the Feldenkrais Method's transformative power and unique capacity to help people live more comfortably in their bodies and minds. I invite you to join me on this path and uncover the true potential of your body and mind.
My Story
I'm Buffy Owens, and I thought I'd begin by sharing a little about why I do the work I do.
You see, as a young child, I had these episodes where I would start crying and say that the monsters were coming. And the monsters were actually this experience of feeling like I couldn't think, I couldn't control my emotions, and my body wasn't my own. And when things got really, really bad, I'd cry even harder and say that I had bucket-head.
My Childhood Monsters….
were actually this experience of feeling like I couldn't think, I couldn't control my emotions, and my body wasn't my own.
Now, bucket-head was really my way as a child of conveying that my world was getting smaller.
✘ My hands would shake & my knees would give.
✘ I was losing my hearing.
✘ I was starting to get tunnel vision.
✘ And if it progressed any further, I'd end up in a full-blown blackout.
✘ I'd pass out.
And those moments, those monsters, were horrifying.
And what caused those monsters was really that I had hypoglycemia. If you don't know what hypoglycemia is, it's having these moments where your blood sugar isn't regulated, and you end up with really low blood sugar. But I also developed food allergies to the point where I'd have hives, my hands and feet would swell, and there was a threat of my throat closing.
I didn't just have hypoglycemia. I also had chemical sensitivities. If my parents used the wrong laundry soap, or if I was exposed to any artificial sweeteners, I'd break out in a rash.
Fast forward to becoming a young adult, and you can add monthly migraines into the mix.
In the early nineties, I was entering my late teens, and I was desperate to feel better and start healing myself.
I'd already been controlling my diet since I was a child.
I had no choice.
I had to be very mindful of what I ate. But I really wanted to find a way to heal.
Looking back, I can also see that I scored high on the ACE test. If you're unfamiliar with the ACE test, it is a test for adverse childhood events. Typically, individuals scoring high on the ACE test tend to have a host of health challenges due to dysregulation in their central nervous system.
But I'll tell you. It was much, much more than just my health challenges, especially as an adult.
Those early experiences built up a baseline of quiet trauma. And it was so gradual, so much less intrusive than my symptoms, that it felt completely normal. It was my baseline of existence.
Those early experiences built up a baseline of quiet trauma. It was so gradual and so much less intrusive than my symptoms that it felt completely normal. It was my baseline of existence.
That quiet trauma, that subtle fear, really diminished my belief in myself. It was like I was always in a state of waiting and anticipating the return of the monsters for another hostile takeover. There was this whisper of distrust in my own body.
Now I know that my story pales compared to many of the stories I've heard and seen. But still, I know in my bones how it feels to live in a body you can't trust. And I also know what it's like to be on the other side of it.
Fast Forward….
I know in my bones how it feels to live in a body you can't trust. And I also know what it's like to be on the other side of it.
✔ My migraines are gone.
✔ No more blood sugar issues.
✔ My childhood allergies are no more.
✔ My emotions are in check.
✔ I feel safe in my skin again.
✔ I trust my body.
✔ I trust myself.
When new health challenges strike…
I have some lingering chronic Lyme from a summer of many tick bites. And a couple of years ago, I had an incident where I worked really hard and then traveled. The moment I landed where I was going, my knee swelled up the size of grapefruits. Now, historically, I would've been horrified by that. But at this point in my life, I trust my body. I trust my awareness. And I trust my skills & my knowledge to be able to work with myself wherever I'm at. I did some gentle movements to help bring down the swelling. I also brought in some lifestyle changes to help calm the flames of inflammation and settle my immune system.
That's my hope for you. In our time together, you can develop the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary to move beyond your pain, even if you have a flare. And that you can navigate the changes that come with life, from menopause to aging, with curiosity and ease.
But more importantly, you learn to trust your body again. You learn to listen to the subtle cues that it's giving you, and that you feel comfortable and alive in your skin.
Today…
Health-wise, the metabolic and chemical dysfunctions are resolved. However, I am sensitive in ways that most aren’t, as my radar for toxins and imbalances is refined to the nth degree — but I consider it a superpower.
My lifestyle supports my well-being and my purpose, but it doesn’t feel like a burden or a ‘have to.’ Instead, I derive immense pleasure from eating delicious food and moving in a way that evokes ease and sparks joy! I delight in the beauty around me, and I revel in the softness and power of my body.
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The first law of ecology is that "everything is connected to everything else." Humans are not separate from one another, plants, animals, water, or the Earth. All living organisms are interconnected and impact each other. We are all part of the great web of life. This deep connection also resides within us. Each of us has the potential to move through life as an integrated whole—physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically.
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I wholeheartedly believe that we continue to learn, grow, mature, and evolve until the day we die. This is different from continuing studies and learning because deep down, we feel we're not enough or we're stuck in lack. Instead, it's the type of soul-inspiring growth that brings us more presence, soulful understanding, and an ever-deepening experience of life and love.
And we do it in relationship — always!
There's no getting around it. We are a species that depends on one another and on the welfare of this planet. Our healing, wholing, and growth only happen when we engage with life. When we reduce the violence and suffering within ourselves, we reduce the violence and suffering in the world—there is no separation.
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We're all simply practicing. We can exchange judgment and shame for curiosity and compassion. Curiosity offers a sense of play, and it keeps the possibilities boundless. Compassion gives us the inner softness we need to be with imperfection and embrace the mess.
Both compassion and curiosity nourish a sense of freedom. They allow us to shed the past, release the future, and connect more deeply with ourselves and others — faults and all.
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Moving beyond the dualistic, narrow-minded, right-wrong paradigm that keeps us stuck. Acceptance allows us to soften and release the resistance from dualistic thinking and access resourceful solutions that only exist beyond right-wrong constraints. It enables us to explore possibilities, savor diversity, and experience more of life.
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Diversity gives us opportunities for delicious growth and experiential expansion. We need variations in movement, we thrive on an array of nutrients and flavors, and our differences are our richest resources for growth. Oneness does not equal sameness.
My Credentials + Education
Click on the credentials below to read more about my experience.
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I’ve studied the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, founder of The Feldenkrais Method®, for over a decade and have gone through a 4-year intensive Professional Feldenkrais Teacher Training Program®. I have a private practice in Troy, NY, and teach people around the world via my online studio..
Dr. Feldenkrais’s principles about neuroplastic healing and Awareness Through Movement are a BIG part of my online teachings, in-person sessions, and personal movement practices.
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I put in some serious hours studying the principles of Functional Medicine & nutrition, mind-body medicine, and positive psychology coaching.
The pillars of Functional Medicine Coaching are in total alignment with my work as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and my studies in the BioPsychoSocial Model of addressing pain. The Functional Medicine Coach Training Academy was founded in collaboration with the Institute For Functional Medicine, so all of my training prepared me to partner with you and your medical team.
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I started my academic years a wee bit later than most, as I spent the first few years after high school studying and practicing massage therapy. But eventually, I traded in my massage table for more academic pursuits—earning a degree in Kinesiology with a special emphasis in Psychology & Neuroscience from CU Boulder.
It was at university that I was fortunate to take classes in Biomechanics, Brain & Behavior, Sensory Motor Neuroscience, Mind-Body Medicine, and so much more. This degree's emphasis on whole-body function and its applications to human health played a crucial role in my professional interests and development.
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Power of Embodied Transformation: 2022 Continuing Education
Sounder Sleep System with Michael Krugman
Certification I Chronic Pain Rehabilitation via the Retrain Pain Foundation
Certified Institute of Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
Life Coach Professional Training via Accomplishment Coaching
Child’Space Training
Mommy and Baby Yoga, Itsy Bitsy Yoga
Certified Prenatal Yoga Instructor, Janice Clarfield
Certified Personal Trainer, NASM
200-Hour Yoga Teacher Certification
Labor Assistant (Doula) Training, ALACE
Get the fruits of my 25+ years of experience.
Rather than seeking degrees in kinesiology and psychology or attending hundreds of hours of professional and personal development as I did, you can glean what I’ve found to be the essential pieces for personal growth and well-being so you can feel good in your body and live to your fullest potential.
How I Can Help:
MEMBERSHIP
The Embodied Well
Find your community of like-hearted people and discover how to move well and live well by committing to five minutes a day and one hour once a week.
1:1 COACHING + VOXER SUPPORT
Somatic Coaching Session
Take a deep dive into the art of tuning into the cues your body gives you and design a program that helps you make the most of your current lifestyle.
GROUP + PRIVATE COACHING
‘Pause Well Program
Fall back in love with how your body feels with this hybrid group and 1:1 coaching program, designed to help you reframe your menopause mindset and metabolic health.