Buffy Owens

is a Feldenkrais Practitioner and Functional Medicine Health Coach.

Chances are, you’re reading this because you are ready for a change. Perhaps you’re struggling with aches & pains. Or maybe you’re yearning to connect more deeply with your authentic self. Whatever your reasons, you’re likely here because you want a more fulfilling and embodied life.

Just like you, I have a story. My personal journey through illness ignited a passion for holistic practices like the Feldenkrais Method, meditation, and whole-food nourishment.

Today, after nearly 30 years of personal and professional studies, I’m still in awe of the transformative power of the Feldenkrais Method and its unique capacity to help people live more comfortably in their bodies and their minds. I invite you to join me on this path and uncover the true potential of your body and mind.

LISTEN TO MY STORY

I'm Buffy Owens, and I thought I'd begin by sharing a little about why I do the work I do.

You see, as a young child, I had these episodes where I would start crying and say that the monsters were coming. And the monsters were actually this experience of feeling like I couldn't think, I couldn't control my emotions, and my body wasn't my own. And when things got really, really bad, I'd cry even harder and say that I had bucket-head.

My Childhood Monsters….

were actually this experience of feeling like I couldn't think, I couldn't control my emotions, and my body wasn't my own.

Now, bucket-head was really my way as a child of conveying that my world was getting smaller.

✘ My hands would shake & my knees would give.

✘ I was losing my hearing.

✘ I was starting to get tunnel vision.

✘ And if it progressed any further, I'd end up in a full-blown blackout.

✘ I'd pass out.

And those moments, those monsters, were horrifying.

And what caused those monsters was really that I had hypoglycemia. If you don't know what hypoglycemia is, it's having these moments where your blood sugar isn't regulated, and you end up with really low blood sugar. But I also developed food allergies to the point where I'd have hives, my hands and feet would swell, and there was a threat of my throat closing.

I didn't just have hypoglycemia. I also had chemical sensitivities. If my parents used the wrong laundry soap, or if I was exposed to any artificial sweeteners, I'd break out in a rash.

Fast forward to becoming a young adult, and you can add monthly migraines into the mix.

Now in the early nineties, I was heading into my teens, and I was desperate to feel better — to start healing myself.

I'd already been controlling my diet since I was a child.

I had no choice.

I had to be very mindful of what I ate. But I really wanted to find a way to heal.

Looking back, I can also see that I scored really high on the ACE test. And if you're unfamiliar with the ACE test, the ACE test is a test for adverse childhood events. And typically, individuals scoring high on the ACE test tend to have a host of health challenges. Really due to a dysregulation in their central nervous system.

But I'll tell you. It was much, much more than just my health challenges, especially as an adult.

Those early experiences built up a baseline of quiet trauma. And it was so gradual, so much less intrusive than my symptoms, that it felt completely normal. It was my baseline of existence.

Those early experiences built up a baseline of quiet trauma. And it was so, so gradual, so much less intrusive than my symptoms that it felt completely normal. It was my baseline of existence.

That quiet trauma, that subtle fear, really diminished my belief in myself. It was like I was always in a state of waiting and anticipating the return of the monsters for another hostile takeover. There was this whisper of distrust in my own body.

Now I know that my story pales compared to many of the stories I've heard and seen. But still, I know in my bones how it feels to live in a body you can't trust. And I also know what it's like to be on the other side of it.

Fast Forward….

I know in my bones how it feels to live in a body you can't trust. And I also know what it's like to be on the other side of it.

✔ My migraines are gone.

✔ No more blood sugar issues.

✔ My childhood allergies are no more.

✔ My emotions are in check.

✔ I feel safe in my skin again.

✔ I trust my body.

✔ I trust myself.

Today, I have some lingering chronic Lyme from a summer of many tick bites. And a couple of years ago, I had an incident where I worked really hard and then traveled. And the moment I landed where I was going, my knee swelled up the size of grapefruits. Now, historically, I would've been horrified by that. But at this point in my life, I trust my body. I trust my awareness. And I trust my skills & my knowledge to be able to work with myself wherever I'm at. In fact, I did some really gentle movements to help bring down the swelling. I also brought in some lifestyle changes to help calm the flames of inflammation and settle my immune system.

And that's my hope for you. In our time together, you can develop the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary to move beyond your pain — even if you have a flare.

But more importantly, you learn to trust your body again. You learn to listen to the subtle cues that it's giving you and that you feel comfortable and alive in your skin.

Today…

Health-wise, the metabolic and chemical dysfunctions are resolved. However, I am sensitive in ways that most aren’t, as my radar for toxins and imbalances is refined to the nth degree — but I consider it a superpower.

My lifestyle supports my well-being. But it doesn’t feel like a burden or a ‘have to.’ Instead, I derive immense pleasure from eating delicious food and moving in a way that evokes ease & sparks joy! I delight in the beauty around me. And I revel in the softness and the power of my body.

My Credentials + Education

Click on the credentials below to read more about my experience.

  • I’ve studied the work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, founder of The Feldenkrais Method®, for over a decade and have gone through a 4-year intensive Professional Feldenkrais Teacher Training Program®. I have a private practice in Troy, NY, and teach people around the world via my online studio..

    Dr. Feldenkrais’s principles about neuroplastic healing and Awareness Through Movement are a BIG part of my online teachings, in-person sessions, and personal movement practices.

  • I put in some serious hours studying the principles of Functional Medicine & nutrition, mind-body medicine, and positive psychology coaching.

    The pillars of Functional Medicine Coaching are in total alignment with my work as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and my studies in the BioPsychoSocial Model of addressing pain. The Functional Medicine Coach Training Academy was founded in collaboration with the Institute For Functional Medicine, so all of my training prepared me to partner with you and your medical team.

  • I started my academic years a wee bit later than most, as I spent the first few years after high school studying and practicing massage therapy. But eventually, I traded in my massage table for more academic pursuits—earning a degree in Kinesiology with a special emphasis in Psychology & Neuroscience from CU Boulder.

    It was at university that I was fortunate to take classes in Biomechanics, Brain & Behavior, Sensory Motor Neuroscience, Mind-Body Medicine, and so much more. This degree's emphasis on whole-body function and its applications to human health played a crucial role in my professional interests and development.

  • Power of Embodied Transformation: 2022 Continuing Education

    Sounder Sleep System with Michael Krugman

    Certification I Chronic Pain Rehabilitation via the Retrain Pain Foundation

    Certified Institute of Integrative Nutrition Health Coach

    Life Coach Professional Training via Accomplishment Coaching

    Child’Space Training

    Mommy and Baby Yoga, Itsy Bitsy Yoga

    Certified Prenatal Yoga Instructor, Janice Clarfield

    Certified Personal Trainer, NASM

    200-Hour Yoga Teacher Certification

    Labor Assistant (Doula) Training, ALACE

Client Words

Less Pain. Fewer Meds.

...I continue to experience nothing short of phenomenal growth in so many areas.

I have significantly reduced the # of medications I take/took regularly and have cut way back on the dosages of others. There has been such a reduction in pain overall that I was able to do things I hadn’t done in years, even decades, including riding my bicycle, cooking, and my main love, playing guitar.

—Bruce

Get the fruits of my 25+ years of experience.

Rather than attending weekend workshops and professional training programs as I did, I can give you what I’ve found to be essential pieces for personal development and well-being so you can move beyond pain and live into your fullest potential.