As a former professional ballet dancer, I left home at the young age of ten to train at the renowned National Ballet School in Toronto and later joined the National Ballet of Canada to dance around the world. I loved how my body felt at that time in my life; undeniably strong and flexible with complete freedom of movement gained from ballet training (less the injuries and pain that came along with this demanding profession). Fast forward to my thirties: I opened a dance and fitness center at the height of the new Aerobics movement, and I was teaching it daily. After a few years, and having entered my forties, my body began to hurt; I was losing my range of motion, my joints were in pain and my muscles were becoming shorter, which inhibited my flexibility.
My students were feeling the same way and I decided to put all of my professional training and experience to work: I combined the knowledge I had gained from practicing Tai-Chi, from years of physiotherapy for my back pain, and of course from my professional career in ballet, to create the Essentrics® workout. Essentrics has come a long way since teaching my first class over 30 years ago – with 20 years on PBS as their longest-running fitness show, four documentaries, a New York Times bestselling book on aging, and an Instructor Training Certification Program that’s created a vast worldwide teaching community. I’m most proud of the thousands of students of all ages and levels, including scientists, medical professionals, and body therapists who have made Essentrics their number one workout. I hope that your discovery of my program will lead you to a lifetime of health, vibrancy, and freedom to continue doing all the things you love as you age.
-Miranda
While growing up, I loved taking dance classes at my mother’s school – although I never aspired to become a professional ballerina like her. Before I began University, I took a year off to live and work in Ireland. I would speak weekly with my mother, who began telling me about a new workout she was developing; she was excited because it made her body feel so good. When I later returned home to Montreal, the first thing I did was take her class, and I will never forget the impact it had on me. Within ten minutes I was already convinced this was the best workout I had ever done – it felt right in every way. I knew that day that my mission would be to help my mother bring her new workout to the world.
I went on to get my degree in economics and pursue graduate studies in health economics and public health – working in the corporate space and learning as much as I could about business and marketing until we were ready to officially work together to introduce Essentrics® to a larger audience. Together, we were able to show and embody the value of Essentrics at every age, and with my background in health and years of Essentrics training – I began working with professional athletes, sports teams and actors. Realizing that the fitness landscape was not very inclusive to women over 50, my passion quickly became one to support women as they age, and to help people learn how to care for their bodies in every decade of their lives. It is not only age inclusivity that I strive for – as a woman of mixed race, I sincerely hope that those of all backgrounds will see themselves in Essentrics and welcome the technique as a lifelong support system for the health of their body.
-Sahra
Our Mission
There is so much we want to achieve, and so many people we would like to support with Essentrics®. As we continue to grow, our mission expands and evolves; here are our four main areas of focus:
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For The Body
Something we all have in common is our body – muscles, tendons, joints, connective tissue, bones and organs – and we want to help you feel your best in yours. Every body can benefit from the miracles that movement can bring, both physically and mentally.
Our mission at Essentrics® is to dig into both the existing and cutting-edge science to continuously explain the benefits and evolve our technique: bringing the best of movement and education to you.
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For Aging
At Essentrics® we embrace aging – and we live it ourselves. Miranda Esmonde-White created Essentrics as she was approaching 50 and wrote her first book at 60. Now in her 70s, Miranda continues to film, teach and move Essentrics forward worldwide. We know first-hand that age should not be a barrier to achieving goals, whether they are as simple as planting a small flower garden, going back to school, or starting a new business.
Aging with agility all starts with a healthy body and a clear mind. Few, if any, fitness techniques consider the changing needs of your body as you age. At Essentrics, our mission is to supply the tools to take you through every decade of your life so that each passing decade is better than the last.
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For Women’s Health
Our mission has always been to support and empower women at every age and stage of their life. By offering the tools to build and maintain a healthy, vibrant and pain-free body, our goal at Essentrics® is for all women to experience aging more positively.
Miranda Esmonde-White is a pioneer in the field of stretching and exercise; having created a unique sustainable workout geared specifically towards the needs of women as they age. Today, women make up over 80% of the Essentrics Head Office, and most of our students are women over the age of 50 – all on a mission to age well. As a company, we are dedicated to helping improve women’s health.
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For The Brain
Exercise plays an important role in both brain and mental health. The flowing complex sequences in Essentrics® help to both rewire the brain’s motor neurons improving balance, agility and memory, as well as releasing stress hormones – leaving you with a sense of calm and wellbeing.
Cognitive function and engagement is vital in preventing neurogenerative diseases and age-related decline. Our program utilizes the science behind movement and its impacts on the brain to further educate our students on how they can use Essentrics to improve their bodies and minds.
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Giving Back
Our success is determined by the number of people our workouts reach and the positive impact Essentrics® has on their lives. We are inspired by the thousands of individuals worldwide who have shared their stories of flourishing health with us. We continue to ensure affordable access to our program through our Classical Stretch TV series on PBS, which is fully self-funded, produced and offered to the network for free. The show is then aired on public television throughout North America, which reaches 90% of households.
Ensuring the financial accessibility of our Instructor Training Division is important to us, and we subsidize it through our online streaming memberships and DVD sales. Keeping our Instructor Training Certification Program affordable means that more instructors can better reach their own communities. We also offer a free series of workouts geared specifically for women with Breast Cancer and offer programs and workshops for a wide spectrum of community groups such as seniors, veterans, and non-profits.
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