Rosemary Elizabeth Gentile
I was diagnosed with a left thoracolumbar scoliosis at 12 years old. I was terrified of being misshapen. Surgery and/or a brace seemed depressing options. My father took me to a boxing trainer friend, Blandy, who taught me overall conditioning exercises which took my back pain away. I owe him and my father much for empowering me in that way. Blandy mentioned trying yoga someday which I did in my 20’s after sedentary years of college, and after having abandoned my brace. I loved yoga immediately. Yoga has been a mainstay ever since for making peace with and balancing the pain, twists, and turns of scoliosis, and my life. Belly dancing and other forms of dance, bicycling, and being physically active have been important as well. A recent MRI and X ray showed a healthy spine and stable curvature of 38 degrees. In 2001, I completed yoga teacher training with Todd Norian and in 2005, Elise Browning Miller’s Yoga for Scoliosis certification. I am registered with the Yoga Alliance. Currently, I teach yoga and movement in Waterford and surrounding towns in Connecticut.
When not teaching yoga, I work in private practice as a Registered Dietitian, MS Nutritional Sciences, UConn, and perform as a dancer with a local masque theater company, the Mystic Paper Beasts. You can reach me at 860-437-3027. rosemarygentile@yahoo.com