This story is part of the Comox Valley Record鈥檚 spring edition of Trio Magazine, published quarterly and available throughout the Comox Valley. The spring edition is available at the Record office (407D Fifth St.) and at businesses throughout the Comox Valley.

鈥� 鈥� 鈥�

Scott Stanfield

Special to the Record

Rebecca Halls is a wellness practitioner who likes to help people feel good in their bodies using movement methods that open energy pathways, stimulate the nervous system, and increase range of motion and strength.

These holistic methods 鈥� Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis 鈥� employ spiraling, circular movements that offer cross-training for activities such as golf and tennis.

鈥淭he wonderful part about this work is that it鈥檚 gentle,鈥� Halls said. 鈥淧eople can exercise without creating any stress on the cartilage or the joints.鈥�

The Comox-raised Halls studied contemporary dance at Concordia University in Montreal, where she started a dance career, though she had been working professionally before starting the program.

鈥淚 wanted to develop my skills as a choreographer and go a little deeper into different methods,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he training was incredible. We learned not only dance, but different release methods, and that鈥檚 how I discovered the Gyrotonic method and Gyrokinesis, along with many other methods that I plan to bring to the Comox Valley.鈥�

After graduating in 2009, Halls moved to Berlin to focus on a performance/choreography career. She also undertook projects such as music videos, and travelled throughout Europe.

From there, she wanted to shift into a career in wellness. While in Germany, she became certified in teaching the Gyrotonic method. She then moved to Los Angeles 鈥� the 鈥渨ellness capital of the world鈥� 鈥� where she continued to perform and completed further certifications in Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis, to increase her capacity as a teacher and trainer.

She worked with various celebrities in L.A., including actress Natalie Portman, whom Halls helped through her pregnancy.

鈥淚 was going to her house, and she was coming to mine, and at the studio. We became quite close, working all through the Gyrotonic method. She had her baby 鈥� that was her second child 鈥� and then we did the post-pregnancy work together as well.鈥�

Halls then accepted a job at a studio in Paris, where she worked with legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve. And she continued to work with Portman, who moved to Paris with her husband, who is French.

The Paris studio afforded Halls the luxury of doing everything in one place 鈥� which is what she had in mind for her centre called Unfolding Body, which she opened Jan. 3 in Cumberland. Hall and other practitioners offer osteopathy, the Gyrotonic method and more.

鈥淚鈥檓 happy to be back in the Comox Valley,鈥� Halls said. 鈥淚 want to bring many of the things that I鈥檝e learned from these international experiences to provide opportunities for other people to experience, in terms of movement, the body, and just well-being and feeling good. I think we all need that right now.

鈥淲e鈥檙e here also to support the health care system,鈥� she added.

Unfolding Body is located at 3276 2nd St. in Cumberland.

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