Margy Verba is a Californian computer nerd turned pilates instructor who now identifies as a rehabilitative movement specialist. You’re in for a treat because Margy is one of the most knowledgeable people I’ve met in the world of human movement.
Margy works with folks in-person in her local community (the small village of Mono City), and online to help them with movement and pain related problems. She is a huge believer in giving people tools to help themselves through better understanding how their body’s are set up to move.
She teaches for Anatomy in Motion as well as teaching her own movement workshops for non-movement professionals. Her attention to detail and ever-questioning mind makes her an incredible movement educator. Her desire to understand anatomy, and her commitment to exploring movement to support her own body continues to impress me, and is why I wanted to interview. her.
Whenever I have a biomechanics question, Margy’s the first person I think of to ask because I know she’ll be able to answer in the level of detail of a PHd, even if her conclusion is “I don’t know”.
Margy and I have collaborated on some teaching projects online and in-person for the AiM community, and I’ve also had the pleasure of spending quality time with Margy as a guest at her home (although she did once make me sleep outside in her unheated caravan in October in the freezing cold…).
Margy has witnessed me getting the worst, most embarrassing sun-burn of my life. She took my pilates reformer virginity, helped me a lot with my foot pain back in 2022 when I couldn’t walk, and she’s taken me on some of the most breathtaking hikes in the Sierra-Nevada and Yosemite park. I’ve been inspired watching her as a role model of a woman who takes care of her body and, into her 60s, still can hike mountains in minimalist footwear.
In our conversation, Margy and I discuss:
What is massage therapy good for?
Her experience with a total knee replacement.
What makes knee replacements so challenging to recover from compared to other joints?
Switching from “muscle-centric” to “bone-centric” thinking
Marg’s transition from the computer world to pilates and movement
How to start taking ownership of your body’s needs if you’re on a budget
And so much more.
I really enjoyed speaking to Margy, and I hope you do too.
Where to find Margy online:
Instagram: @flowmotioneducation
Youtube: FlowMotion Education - YouTube
Website: www.flowmotioneducation.com
Here’s a little more about Margy Verba:
I am fascinated by movement and the body’s capacity to heal. Always a mover, I grew up studying dance, playing sports, and backpacking as much as possible. While in college, in the mid-1970s, I started teaching dance and fitness classes (remember leg warmers and shiny leotards?). In the early 1990s, I discovered Pilates, and went on to complete internationally acclaimed Madeline Black’s teacher training. Madeline first introduced me to therapeutically oriented Pilates, and I have never looked back. Continuing my education in a therapeutic orientation, I have a diverse range of training with world renowned instructors/researchers (see education below).
In 2005 I was hired by the U.S. Men’s and Women’s U.S. Ski Teams to develop a custom Pilates program. Today my clients are primarily people in chronic pain and athletes who are stymied by injuries. I offer both private appointments, as well as a series of self-care courses for pain alleviation and prevention. The focus of my practice is knowledge and awareness, achieved through biomechanics education and movement exploration. This focus empowers my clients to practice self-care and be informed consumers of healthcare. In short, I enable my clients to take ownership of and actively participate in, their own healing process.
The primary influence on my practice is Anatomy in Motion (read more about AiM here). I have studied extensively with AiM founder Gary Ward, author of “What the Foot”, and as of 2021 I am an official AiM Instructor. AiM is based on the premise that gait (AKA walking) uses every joint in the body in all three dimensions. By analyzing gait and its component motions, we can address non-optimal movement at both a global (full body) and focal (individual joints) level. I have also been focusing my studies on pelvic floor and breathing dysfunctions (hint: they are not unrelated!). My clients get individualized corrective exercise programs, which provide lasting results, rather than simply providing symptomatic relief.
