Movement Works with Sarah McAllum

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Movement Works with Sarah McAllum

Move well. Feel fabulous. Age brilliantly. Understand your body. Experience more freedom, confidence and ease with the Feldenkrais® Method.

Discover smarter ways to move so you can stay active, independent and keep doing what you love. Feel more awesome, more "YOU" with a return to easy, everyday movement and mindfulness.

04/08/2026

Client trying to explain classes:
"It's like we just lie on the floor and twitch a bit. But it feels great"
🤣🤣🤣🤣

03/08/2026

Tummy time. Do you love it or loathe it... 👀

❤️ Love it.
😬 Loathe it.
🤷 Haven't done it since I was about three

I've written a new blog explaining why tummy time isn't just for babies and how to make it more comfortable if you’re team loathe it or haven’t done it in ages!

👉 Link to the blog in the comments.

28/07/2026

Got a surprise this morning when teaching pelvic rock movement in class. Got an unexpected upgrade thanks to a 4.2 earthquake! 😆

23/07/2026

What if getting older meant getting better?

Sure, there are some things about ageing that we can't control.

But how we move and how we can learn to move, is something we can absolutely improve.

Just this week, my clients in their 60s, 70s and 80s have shared wins like these:

✨ Walking on a pebbly beach with their daughter without triggering the back spasm that would normally leave them in agony.

✨ Standing up from the toilet without needing to push up with their hands.

✨ Travelling around Europe for more than 5 weeks completely pain-free after previous holidays had been overshadowed by pain.

✨ Going days without needing pain medication after relying on it daily for months.

✨ Feeling like they "walk like a human again" after knee replacement surgery instead of doing what they described as a penguin waddle.

✨ Kneeling on the floor comfortably for the first time in years.

These might sound like small things, but when you've lost them, they're huge.

This is the work I love.

Helping people discover easier, smarter ways to move. Guiding them do the things they thought they couldn't anymore. Giving them hope as they realise that getting older doesn't automatically mean becoming stiffer, slower or less capable.

Using the Feldenkrais Method® with it's magic mix of movement and awareness, we can teach the brain and body new possibilities.

Because it's never too late to move better... and get more awesome. 😊

12/07/2026

I recently finished reading Training for Your Old Lady Body and thoroughly enjoyed it.

What I loved most is that it prioritises function over aesthetics.

It's not about chasing the body you had at 25 or trying to look younger. It's about building a body that will carry you well through the decades ahead.

A healthy heart. Strong bones. Strong muscles. Good mobility. Balance. Learning how your body works, trusting it and giving it what it needs to thrive.

Because longevity isn't just about living longer. It's about living well.

It's about being able to get up off the floor, carry your groceries, head out on adventures, move your body in fun ways, play with your grandkids, work in the garden, travel and keep saying "yes" to the things that make life amazing.

There isn't one magic solution. Longevity is built from lots of small habits that work together.

🤸‍♀️ Moving well
💪 Strength training
🥗 Eating well
😴 Prioritising sleep
🧘 Managing stress
❤️ And staying curious, connected and engaged with life.

I don't see these things as competing with each other. They all work together. And in different seasons of your life, you might have to prioritise one or two of these health pillars over others, but all are important.

Getting older isn't about slowing down or stopping exercising or doing the things you love.

It's about giving yourself the best chance to stay independent, capable and confident.

Now that's something worth training for.

10/07/2026

Mānawatia a Matariki! ✨ (Happy Māori New Year)

One of the things I love most about Matariki, signified by the rising of the Matariki star cluster (also known as the Pleiades), is that our "new year" comes right in the middle of winter. We get a chance to pause, reflect and reset when it's still dark, cold and the days feel a little slower.

Traditionally, Matariki is also a time of warmth, with fires bringing people together through the long winter nights. It's a chance to remember those we've lost, gather with the people we love, share good food and look ahead to the year to come.

However you're celebrating Matariki, whether it’s moving your body, spending time in nature, sharing a meal, lighting a fire or simply enjoying a quiet cup of tea, small moments can help us feel more connected to ourselves and those around us.

I hope too that your weekend is filled with warmth, good company and a little time to reflect on where you've been and where you're heading.

Mānawatia a Matariki. 💙

08/07/2026

Focus on the good 🩵

On my run the other day my legs were getting tired, I started wondering why the heck I was out there and it was getting cold and dark. My brain was happily serving up all the reasons to stop.

Because I'm still trying to like running. I hate it less than I used to but I still don't exactly love it.

So in a bid to make the run more bearable, I focused on the good.

I noticed that my legs were still carrying me. I thought about how far I'd already come. I looked up and soaked in the setting sun and how the light changed the scenery. And I tuned into the motivating music on my headphones.

Nothing about the run changed. But my experience of it did.

The second half of the run was so much more enjoyable (and my fitness watch told me my heart rate was also much better too!).

That's why I often talk about finding the good.

Because our brains are naturally wired to notice problems and threats. It's called the negativity bias, and while it's great for keeping us alive, it isn't always great for helping us enjoy life.

When we intentionally notice what's going well, we build positive emotions, strengthen resilience and become better equipped to deal with everyday stress. Plus, it simply feels good. And that's reason enough to practise.

It doesn't have to be anything big.

It might be the cosiness of your favourite slippers. The contented feeling after a walk. The smell of dinner cooking. The warmth of a cuppa in your hands. Your dog doing something ridiculous. A movement that feels easier today than it did last week.

The trick is not to rush past it. Or get distracted by all the stuff that still kind of sucks (constant gloomy headlines, I'm looking at you!).

And when you notice the good, instead of simply thinking, "Oh, that's nice,", really SENSE it for a few moments. Let it sink in. Let yourself experience the sensations of the “good”.

Maybe your shoulders soften. Your breathing slows. You notice a little smile. Your heart feels lighter. Or perhaps you simply feel a little more like yourself.

Give it a go.

The more we practise finding the good, the easier it becomes for our brains to notice it.

01/07/2026

Ohh, I learnt a new word today!

Glabella (gla-BELL-ah): the area of skin between your eyebrows, just above your nose.

I do love that many definitions seem to describe this area as "smooth and hairless." Umm... not always. 😂

For me, the glabella is the place where random hairs sometimes appear and those famous "11s" can make themselves at home if I spend a lot of time frowning, concentrating, squinting at screens or wondering where I left my glasses.

Here's a quick reset (that will help the 11s, you know what to do about the other one!).

👀 Gently squeeze your eyes closed... then slowly let them open wide and release.
✋ Now place your fingertips on your forehead and gently glide them out towards your temples a few times, as though you're smoothing away the effort.

Notice what changes. Is your glabella smoother? Do your eyes feel softer? Is your jaw a little easier? Has your breathing settled?

Small movements and moments of awareness can make a big difference.

29/06/2026

One of the things I talk about a lot with my clients is that relaxation is a skill.

We often don't even realise how much stress and tension we’re holding. It builds up insidiously over time and becomes our new normal. It's so familiar that your nervous system can forget what relaxed actually feels like.

So when we try to relax, we're so wired and tired that we simply can't. And the funny thing is, the more you try to relax, the harder it often becomes. Because you can't force relaxation.

But relaxation, like any skill, can be learned, practised and improved.

For those worried that relaxing means that they won't get anything done. No stress! Because being relaxed doesn't mean finding the perfect meditation cushion to sit on for hours or switching permanently in holiday mode. It simply means being able to move through everyday life with a little more ease and a whole lot less effort.

This is one of the reasons I love Feldenkrais. We slow things right down. You become aware of things you'd normally miss like those little pockets of tension that have been quietly hanging around in the background.

Want to give it a go?

Take a moment and check in with yourself.

How's your jaw?

Your breathing?

Your belly?

Your feet? (Yes, your feet!)

Are you clenching your pelvic floor or your buttocks?

Making tight fists?

Now gently tighten that area just a teeny bit more. Not much. Then let it all soften as you breathe out easily.

Notice what changes.

And do this little check in process as often as you can! The more you practise relaxing, the easier it becomes for your body and nervous system to find that state again.

Address

Movement Works NZ, 15 McElwee Street, Jervoistown
Napier
4112

Telephone

+6421996709

Website

http://www.movementworks.co.nz/

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