We are indulged this month to have a guest editorial from a woman who has been a powerful mother figure in my life, Dr. Judith Welles. Please enjoy and make this mother-of-a-month of mothers a celebration of everything creative about you and your gal pals.


Seen in public, you inspire a nearly universal smile of approval and a slew of unsolicited advice. Suddenly famous, everyone approaches you with easy familiarity.  You have noticed the quick glances for a while, but now you are showing, and have achieved a cultural celebrity. Your privacy is effaced by the giveaway of your delicate condition.

Glimpsed in shadow or in silhouette, your rounding outline conjures rolling downy hills and abrupt valleys. You carry tomorrow and sometimes you feel that the rest of you is eclipsed, for now, in this eternal iteration of life.          
         
Perhaps you welcome this attention, basking in the world's celebration of new life and your new power. Possibly, you have never been so utterly alone, so preoccupied with the primitive internal terrorism of this tiny alien your body wants to reject as your mind and soul scramble to adjust and produce the proper attitude of lifelong devotion. Few of us are neutral in pregnancy; we love it, or we don't. Pregnancy takes some of us by surprise. Some of us suffered lengthy, expensive, and painful procedures to achieve this irreversible state. Some of us had a brutal, terrible decision to consider. Still others, lucky in circumstance, bolstered by support, moved through the stages as easily as through water. Seen in motion, your burden is evident in your shifting center of gravity and a slightly splayed approach. Yours is the beautiful clumsy exit from the seated position. Pregnancy has been glamorized lately, but few of us have the clothes, the lighting effects, the airbrush to match the fecund sexy glamour girls.  Our shoes do not fit, our foods do not satisfy, and we'll be damned if we buy any more maternity clothes - we want back the body we had before. You are in the ritual of infinite transformation.  This initiation is long and slow. It is decidedly different from ceremonies of confirmation, graduation, and marriage. This transformation is measured in months rather than in hours.  As every bodily fiber you once knew prepares itself for the task you cannot know, yet were born to complete.
         
Those close to you are likewise altered in time with your progress. They try out the names of their new status - “I am an uncle. I am a grandmother.” Somehow your abundant estrogen inexplicably inspires in even the baby's father measurable, magical hormonal changes: to become a Father, and to share the weighty mystery you contain. You carry for two, you carry for three.

You partake of the birth ritual, and its crude facts and dark myths become your unique experience and now you know and you, too, will have your own story to tell, and your own approving smile to share. Each of us arrived here by a singular path, and we are the common result. Happy Mother's Day. We salute you. You are one of us.
- Dr. Judith Welles

My worship of the mother goes far. Let yours spread to the ends of the Earth.

With a Big, Fat, Luscious hug,

Every year, in the middle of May, all attention turns to mothers - our own mother, grandmothers, mother-in-law...and, should we be so blessed, ourselves.  Flowers and candy and other girlie gifts are bought, reservations for special brunches and dinners are made, all to honor the mothers in our lives... and man, do they deserve it!  But even if a woman hasn't given birth to or raised a child, there still lies a mother within her that needs to be expressed...and honored.  It's universally acknowledged that the female of the species is blessed with a very special gift called a maternal instinct which is, in fact, a two-fold gift because when we nurture other people...animals...plants...ideas, we also nurture ourselves (just think of how warm and satisfied we feel inside).  Talk about a win-win situation!

Have you listened to your maternal instincts lately?  Acknowledged them...fed them...honored them?  For those of us who have children, a resounding “yes” goes without saying.  For those of us who don't, why not make a conscious choice to help someone or something else flourish?   Plant some seeds in a pot and watch the beautiful flowers or sweet-smelling herbs grow.  Take a puppy to the park and play with it!  Ask an elderly neighbor if you can pick up something for them at the grocery store the next time you go.  Bake cookies and take them to a friend who's been feeling a little low.  

Whether motherhood beckons, is in effect or not in the cards, this is a perfect month to also celebrate our womanhood and the myriad of gifts it bestows upon us.  We get so caught up sometimes, with caring for everything and everyone else in our life.  Being an S woman is about taking time to care for you and to celebrate the spectacular feminine creatures that we are.  Below are some ideas for simple ways to indulge ourselves and our femininity.

Wear something colorful and feminine, that welcomes Summer.  Elicit the flirty flair of a sundress and sandals.

Borrow or rent a convertible, put the top down and let your hair fly in the wind for an entire day.

Sit in your back yard (or front) and paint your toenails. Make it a fun, relaxing pleasure.

Pick up a satiny eye mask and wear it while you nap or meditate.

Indulge in a glamorous pair of sunglasses. Put them on and emote Jackie O when you need a little lift.

Flirt with your sexy waiter.

Find the highest pair of heels you can walk comfortably in and wear them all day long, to work, to the grocery store, to the dry cleaners.

Get a golden glow with out any dangerous rays... try an airbrush or spray tan! 

Schedule a makeup overhaul or an application at a department store.  Get a whole new look in less than a half hour!

Try a new class or workout DVD that gets in you in touch with your female self in a relaxed environment... like the S if you have not yet, or Tai Chi or hula dancing, or maybe workout your mind by learning a romance language.

Be aware of the present moment. Try not to think about what's going to happen tonight, tomorrow, or even 10 minutes from now. For a few minutes, simply turn your attention to the details of your life...the way the sun feels on your face, the way your scalp feels when your hair blows in the wind, the satiny feel of the skin on your legs, the warm curve of your stomach.

Amy Danielson is an intriguing dichotomy of tranquil calm with fiery verve - you'll feel right at home in her class because she puts you at ease immediately.   Born in San Antonio, Texas, Amy started dancing when she was 9 years old, taking ballet, jazz and belly dancing, as well as performing in musical theater.  She studied dance performance at Oklahoma City University and, afterwards, moved to New York where she performed and choreographed with small dance companies.  After several years in the Big Apple, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her love of acting and dance - we're so glad she did because that is when she first learned about Sheila Kelley's S Factor. 

In 2005, Amy spent her summer volunteering in Bosnia, where she taught dance to children at a summer camp.  Upon her return, the self-discovery she experienced through her volunteer work prompted her to pursue further self-exploration through Sheila Kelley's S Factor.   She immediately fell in love with the movement and the liberation she experienced.  “I love how cathartic the whole process becomes,” says Amy.  “It's very visceral - it comes from within and works its way out during your S Factor journey.”  She describes Sheila Kelley's S Factor as a therapeutic, emotional, physical, mental and spiritual journey that fully encompasses your entire being. 

Amy loves teaching because it enables her to help other women have as full and rich of an experience as she has with Sheila Kelley's S Factor.  It gives her a huge natural high every time she teaches - she says that when she leaves class, she's better than when she came in, just through watching and encouraging women on their own journey.  “Watching and helping women break through and realize a part of themselves that that they had not been in touch with before is the most amazing experience,” says Amy.

Amy teaches classes at both Sheila Kelley's S Factor Encino and Los Angeles.  You will love the experience she shares with her students and her wonderful teaching style. 

Hello Sheila:

I am the student who introduced myself at the San Francisco open house and gave you my business card. We spoke briefly about the need to allow flexion/extension/rotation in all planes for spinal health. I very much agree with you and I believe fitness will catch on soon as well. There is a severe lag time between research and the general fitness population. Strength training or fitness concepts such as maintaining a "neutral" spine at all times are starting to be questioned again. Along the same line, we are beginning to question whether we should be instructing people to consciously change their form during exercise motions or if we should trust that the body "knows" what's best for it most of the time. These are very interesting ideas, very new ideas, and I would love to discuss them with you some time.

I myself had a reoccurrence of lower back problems in the past year that I hadn't had since I was in my late teens. I worked with various professionals to heal (chiropractors, massage therapists, physical therapists, MAT practitioners) and then one day I was working with a Pilates instructor and we discussed my lack of spinal articulation. It was something I was aware of but, after years of "maintaining neutral" in an attempt to ward off back problems, it is difficult to regain the motion. As a former student of the theater, I had taken dance regularly and was very aware of the articulation required by dance and believed that, if I could get back into dance, I would improve my back's health. I have been consciously training my spine to regain articulation and with the eight-weeks of S Factor, so far I am feeling noticeably more limber.

In January, I left my job in Connecticut at ESPN's Corporate Health and Fitness Facility to take a job with Club One as a Fitness Manager. My move to San Francisco allowed me to finally take classes at Sheila Kelley's Factor. I have been following the evolution of S Factor since your inception. My undergraduate work was a combination of exercise science and psychology and I have always been interested in women and body image. As I mentioned, I studied theater for many years. In fact the reason I left theater (and in turn found exercise science) was that my entire adolescent years were spend dealing with agents, casting directors, and teachers telling me I needed to lose weight. This is why I am so glad to be a part of S Factor and its philosophy of supporting each woman and providing them with tools to feel comfortable and beautiful with themselves, their sexuality, and the power we posses.

When I took my introductory class, I spoke with my instructor after class and shared some of my background, etc. She asked if I had considered trying to teach for Sheila Kelley's S Factor. I hope to try out in your next round of auditions as I believe my background would suit your program perfectly. However, I truly wanted this experience for myself first. I spend all day helping others feel better about themselves physically, as well as mentally, and my weekly two-hour S Factor class is my meditation, my refuge, my time for me. It has truly been enlightening, in more ways than I can express. I have signed up for Level 2 and am raring to go!

Thank you, Sheila, for creating this movement. I look forward to meeting you again.

Healthy Regards,
Heather N. Husmer