The Healthy Body/Mind Connection

by Sophie Devore

MAYA LOMASK BEGAN DANCING age 5, but it wasn’t until the first week attending SUNY Purchase, over a decade later, that she got her first injury. This ankle injury led to many others, which in turn inspired her to create and implement an injury prevention program. After her BFA in Modern Dance, Maya pursued massage school and became a licensed massage therapist.

Maya formulated a regimen that kept her body free of pain, free of recurring injuries as well as workouts that kept her strong. Witnessing this very detailed and inspired approach to working out, a gym manager suggested she consider becoming a personal trainer herself. After her certification with NASM in 2006, Maya has transitioned her practice from massage therapy to personal training, working with clients in Brooklyn for the last two years.

Maya LomaskHer approach is a well-rounded one. Maya starts everyone with the same question: what injuries have you had in the past, or are you currently experiencing? She trains you in proper body mechanics, including stabilization work, strength training and power training. And what I find most precious, Maya’s clients become involved with their own bodies. She encourages them to listen and respond to what they are feeling. She teaches them to automatically find the correct alignment, to be aware of when they are tense and finally to use certain movements to relax that muscular tension.

Maya has clearly understood how linked the body and the mind really are. “The body is fascinating. It’s a series of levers and pulleys as well as a mirror for the mind. It’s a machine for locomotion and yet there is an interaction between the body and our thoughts, fears and emotions. According to Maya, “a person’s body and state of mind can be transformed with the right training.”

All of Maya’s clients have homework. Since they see her maybe once or twice a week, she encourages them to establish a dialogue with their bodies as often as they can. She gives tailored stretches and movements to cope with the aches and pains of daily life, to avoid recurring injuries and prevent future ones.

In Maya's words, here is what personal training should really achieve. "It is a training course in your body. It should give you the self-sufficiency and the tools to avoid and minimize your pain, most of all to learn about and to transform your body. The field of fitness and personal training is getting better and is evolving with the body/mind influences of methods such as yoga and tai chi. There is also an increased importance in stability and core work. Trainers can lay out a plan that will work and will do it in the least amount of time. Trainers are a consultant in effective and safe ways to transform your body. An appointment with a trainer is a priority on people's to-do list, it holds them accountable for their bodies and their health."

Currently studying homeopathy, Maya is constantly pursuing education in ways that can help her clients. Maya is unique in the sense that her method is tried and true. What she gives to her clients is what she gives herself, with a touch of intuition, fun and motivation. Another feature that sets Maya apart from others in the fitness industry, is the hope to give people self-knowledge, self-understanding and self-reliance. Her clients are stronger in body and mind, and have the tools to stay that way. Some of her clients have scaled back to meeting once or twice a month instead of weekly, to check-in with Maya and to keep their workouts evolving with their changing needs and goals. This can also keep them connected without being overly concerned about time and money.

You can reach Maya at (917) 837-3705 or by email at maya.lomask@gmail.com.

Group classes and gym memberships are other ways of staying fit in this age of stress and recession. The neighborhood is full of these opportunities.

Crunch gym (61 Fulton St.) and Pratt's gym (On Classon Avenue, end of the Pratt campus) are just two local gyms on opposing sides of the neighborhood. Just like working with a trainer, the class setting will give you plenty of challenge and motivation. The energy can be really high, a natural boost. Crunch offers a large variety of classes to anyone’s liking, including yoga, Pilates, dance, cardio and many more that will keep you inspired, smiling and fit. Pratt gym at Pratt Institute doesn’t necessarily offer state-of-the-art equipment, but is fully equipped and all at a very reasonable 6 or 12 month membership.

In the spring and summer, many class opportunities will open up in Fort Greene park, including:

Boot Camp with Aja Davis is a four day a week for four weeks camp (appropriately called 4x4 bootcamp), and runs in the park from spring to fall (visit ajadavis.com for details).

Stroller Fitness with Stephanie Severe Severe offers mommy-and-me type classes with an outdoor flair (details can be found at stephaniesevere.com).

More opportunities in the neighborhood:

Move with Grace offers African dance, Yoga, Pilates and fitness classes (469 Myrtle Avenue, visit movewithgracestudio.com for class information - adults and children)

Yoga classes at Lucky Lotus Yoga (184 Dekalb Ave - visit luckylotusyoga.com for class information)

In the spring, summer and early fall months, the outdoors will offer a wonderful alternative to indoor workouts.

Take a stroll or jog around the neighborhood, or head to Fort Greene park for some tennis, Frisbee and soccer action and more walking and running opportunities. The sunshine (in moderation) will be good for your mood and energy, as will the fresh air.

Ride your bicycle around the neighborhood. More and more streets have bike lanes (Dekalb, Willoughby, etc). Or get to your destination with your bike, instead of the subway or the bus. On two wheels you can cover much more ground!

If you work from home, the walk outside will take you away from your computer screen, therefore resting your eyes and will bring motion to your body, promoting circulation and an increased oxygen intake. In the end, you will return to work refreshed, energized and much more productive!

Combined with a healthy diet, daily exercise and the outdoors have a very positive effect on body and mind. So let’s get out there and take advantage of it!

--Sophie Devore lives in the Clinton Hill Coops.