The ordinary manner in which we carry ourselves physically, our automatic gestures, and the accustomed comforts of our bodily habits inadvertently reinforce fear's hold on our lives. What Are You Afraid Of? explores how our fears often arise from physical and mental triggers that have been learned over the course of our early lives-and can be un-learned. Fear, explains award-winning movement teacher Lavinia Plonka, is not the product of intractable psychological demons; instead, it often revolves around repetitive body/mind cues. By teaching the body new habits through a series of...

In every movement of our bodies, we express a world of emotions. But our movements don't just reflect our emotions-they directly affect them.
In Walking Your Talk, Lavinia Plonka explores the connection between how we move and how we feel. Our movements and body posture are more than just simple expressions of our feelings-they are a powerful factor in our well-being. And changing them can be a crucial first step in altering our emotional behaviors.
Drawing from her years of experience as a movement teacher and Feldenkrais Method(r) instructor, Plonka provides simple...

Lavinia Plonka grew up as the oldest child of Holocaust survivors trying to figure out what it meant to be American. Starting with mandatory accordion lessons, she went on to become a street mime in NYC and has continued her unconventional life teaching the Feldenkrais Method(r). Meditating With My Hair On Fire weaves together autobiographical stories with weighty philosophical questions in a uniquely hilarious way: Are aliens stealing our time? Can one find enlightenment at Sam's Club? Are nail salons a galactic conspiracy? This compilation is a fraction of the monthly columns Plonka has...