what's new?

Workshops:

ABS offers a variety of informative yet practical wellness workshops. Whether your looking how to improve your hormones, learn what foods are right for your body, understanding the fundamentals of exercise or how to increase body awareness through movement we have something for everyone.

For listing of workshops currently taking place please visit about us and book your wellness workshop today!

Body Awareness Through Stretching Series

Cost: $100.00 (4 wk. series)

Length: (4) 1 hour sessions

You will become more present in your body through our 4 week series of guided meditation & stretching. This class will consist of gentle longer holds and breath work to increase body awareness and decrease stress. Please bring a yoga mat with you.

This series will cover: Shoulders, Back Hips and Legs

Fundamentals of Functional Strength: A Hands on Workshop

Cost: $100 (4wk. series)

Length: (4) 1 hour sessions

Gain knowledge on how to build real world functional strength! You will learn the fundamentals of how the body adapts to heavy loads through a series of 4 classes with hands on instruction. The focus will be on the "Big Three" exercises: squats, deadlifts, and the bench press and the auxiliary movements that support them. You will learn how to maximize central nervous system adaptation and muscular strength through proper training design, form, intensity, frequency and application. Learn how to identify common muscle imbalances and how to correct them to gain strength and build.

• Learn why most resistance training protocols don't work.
• Learn how to maximize time spent in the gym.
• Learn how to maximize your body’s natural anabolic hormone response giving you an "anabolic edge" over other natural athletes.
• Learn how to maximize your body’s strength and muscle building response.

For more information about dates, locations and pricing of our workshops please call 408.356.7557.

our philosophy

It is at the complete and final phase of successful destruction that the nothingness from which creation begins, is born. Creation begins with destruction; the breaking down of the old and the organizing and re-building of the new. If we are going to re-create our Self we have to destroy it first. This is the journey. To pause long enough to be where we are, to collect the pieces of us we have left behind, to get rid of the “things” which are no longer of service and to then bring in the new information that shall nurture and grow us along the next stretch of road. This is the spiral of life repeating this process over and over keeping what old information still serves us and using the new information to grow into a whole and integrated Self of old and new. Antique with a modern flair, the essence of all that is with the freshness of now, Life moving through us not us moving through life. Creative destruction happens carefully. It is a strategically mapped out wildfire that takes no prisoners and defines no hero’s. It is everything and no thing all, all at once leaving only what is. It is zero organization and ultimate organization, natural chaos falling into natural order.

Nature always wins. We existed with the world around us long before humans gained consciousness of existence. We are without exception nature itself. Intelligence follows a pattern, which is exemplified by our body’s amazing natural healing ability. If you cut yourself (in simple terms) the immediate following events consist of bleeding out all impurities (resetting), white blood cells arriving creating scar tissue (reorganizing), which in turn acts as a bridge for regular tissue to form (rebuilding). This “reset, reorganize, rebuild” model exists in nature, outside the human body. Take any natural disaster, say forest fires; the fire resets the area, burning dead brush creating ash and also opening new seedpods. This reorganization of forest to ash and the deposit of seeds to forest floor is the transformation into fertilizer and new growth, which begins the reorganization of the forest floor. This will be the next forest. Reset, reorganize, rebuild. If you look, you will find this pattern in every evolution of all things. In some cases more drastic and profound than the other quiet simple examples; however none being the lesser. It is often from small places great things become real. As the inhabitants of our bodies it is our responsibility to care for and maintain the function and comfort of the space we live, no different than taking care of our house and home. Our program is designed based on the body’s natural healing patterns. By combining the power of exercise, proper nutrition, and a positive integrated relationship with Self & body we facilitate the recovery of whole and balanced living.

RESET, REORGANIZE, REBUILD

As a multifaceted and synergized facility our main goal is to reset, reorganize and rebuild you in a way that moves you forward into a better life. We are based on the understanding that life happens, and as we go through our different experiences, it is our Body that absorbs and stores the excess energy and stress. Without the appropriate management of these energies and stresses our Bodies become stiff, uncomfortable and eventually un–well. Coaching you through each step of your process allows your ABS Life Studios providers to integrate this belief on a mental, emotional and physical level. Our family-style approach to the workplace gives you a close-knit, loving, and supportive environment to grow. Come as you are, leave as who you want to be!

QUESTIONS WE ASK…

Reset (Phase 1)

• What is out of balance physically, mentally and energetically?
• What changes need to be made to bring these areas into balance?
• Which changes can/need to be made immediately?
• Which changes are progressive?
• How do we implement the immediate changes and achieve immediate success?

Reorganize (Phase 2)

• Assessing results from Phase 1; noting remaining imbalances to be incorporated in Phase 2.
• Creating Phase 2; integrating the progressive changes into day-to-day living, as well as, incorporating the remaining restructuring of imbalances from Phase 1.
• Implementing Phase 2 systems into effective day-to-day use.

Rebuild (Phase 3)

• - Observing results from Phases 1 & 2; comparing Initial intake to current, reassessing imbalances and growth.
• - Applying gathered information to create a new and revised plan empowering greater steps towards independence.
• - Revising above plan so that it evolves into a structure and system for processing growth as a new way of living including developing support and maintenance systems both in and out of the home.
• - Setting period, a moment of consistency with out direction to allow changes and growth to gel and root. “The building of the launch pad for what ever is next.”

PLACES WE LOOK FOR ANSWERS…

• Smile
• Posture
• Gait
• Pain
• Location of pain
• Muscle Imbalances
• Structural Imbalances
• Diet
• Activity level
• Skin tone
• Hydration
• Belly distention/digestion
• PMS/ hormonal fluctuations
• Fat placement
• Home organization
• Unfinished projects
• Levels of happiness and joy
• Integrity (Are you who you say you are?)
• Methods of grocery shopping
• Cooking styles
• Patterns with food/exercise/alcohol/spending/working/playing/lack of play
• Sleep patterns
• Energy level
• Overall mood
• Desire to heal and grow

Behavior patterns create muscle patterns; muscle patterns reveal thought patterns. It is through our broad and throughout approach we help you dissect, enlighten and integrate all the facets of You. Whether interested in a single service or a whole life transformation ABS Life Studios is a home for everyone ready to live better!

massage

We understand that life happens, and as we go through our different experiences it is our Body that absorbs and stores the excess energy and stress. Without the appropriate management of these energies and stresses our Bodies become stiff, uncomfortable and eventually un–well. Reviving Life Bodywork and Massage is designed to support you through your experience of being human. Thought patterns create behavior patterns, which create muscle patterns; it is going backwards through this inward spiral that allows us to identify and equilibrate the root cause of imbalances. Whether we like it or not we are Human. Being Human is a multi-faceted experience encompassing many opportunities for growth, and plenty of requirements for healing. While not always comfortable, our Bodywork sessions guarantee a revealing experience, guiding you into and through the phases of your process. Using a wide variety of modalities and techniques we invite you to slow down and feel for a minute what is to be You, today. Tailoring every session to the moment ensures you the ultimate experience of recognition and regeneration. Who am I; who do I want to be? Through a series of Full body and Focus sessions our specialists will identify inconsistencies in the body and work to release and balance the energetic, muscular and skeletal systems leaving a more whole You!

We utilize and facilitate the following:

• Deep Tissue
• Swedish
• Acupressure
• Reflexology
• Hot Stone
• Energy Balancing
• Transitional Bodywork
• Reconstructive Massage
• Wellness Therapy
• Injury & Pain management

Regardless of your needs, Reviving Life Bodywork & Massage will guide You, your Body and your Mind to the balance you seek to move forward.

Reviving Life is our provider for Massage and Body Work services. For more information or to book an assessment or free consultation please call Devon at (408) 829-6773.

personal training

Exercise is a very important component in whole wellness and it forms the foundation to overall health. It is also very personal and proper exercise can vary dramatically from person to person. Your exercise history, preference, past injuries, goals, current lifestyle and stress factors all play a part in determining what the right application of exercise will be for you. When applied properly, exercise can cause dramatic and consistent changes in your body starting at a cellular level. On the other hand, a program that doesn’t take your individual situation into consideration can cause injury, adrenal burnout, and will yield slow to no progress. Intensity is the most important factor to consider in an effective program and it is extremely personal in its application from person to person. What can be considered the right intensity for one person can be too little or too much for another. Many times our people work out too hard or too often and are left wondering why their bodies feel worse than when they started. Our system utilizes a comprehensive goal assessment to help determine what program would be best suited for you. With personal guidance and training you should expect consistent progress in how you feel and perform in everyday life. Balance is key and our philosophy is based on it. We will correct muscle imbalances, increase strength, increase endurance, positively affect hormone levels, maximize muscle recruitment patterns, and help your body become healthier and leaner.

If you have any further questions or would like to set up a fitness assessment please call 408.356.7557 or visit us on our Contact Us page.

physical therapy

Lori who has over 13 years experience in the field oversees our Physical Therapy services. Our PT services are different amongst our competitors for several reasons:

• -All sessions are one on one with you and your therapist. We don’t believe you should be passed around to share.
• -Success: Treatments are not cookie cutter and are tailored to your specific needs. We don’t just focus on the “what” is hurting you but rather the “why” therefore, correcting postural & muscular imbalances that may be contributing to your problem. Once our patients have completed their Physical Therapy services with us most of them transition to our Personal Training Services. This is key to our continued success of increased strength, decreased re-occurring injuries and prevention for our patients/clients often taking them beyond pre-injury health and fitness.
• -Treatment sessions are different each time based upon your needs. Treatment can consist of working on cardiovascular equipment, to free weights to yoga postures and much much more.
• -Evaluations are comprehensive and do not just includes the physical aspect but also looks at other contributing stressors that may be preventing or slowing down healing such as nutrition, lifestyle, hormones & digestive issues.
• -Equipment used during treatment sessions just does not consist of straps and resistance bands but rather includes free weights, free motion machines, physioballs and kettle bells that contribute to progressive exercise and overall strength not just eliminating the current injury but preventing others as well.
• -Education: We take pride in not only getting our patients well but also teaching them how to take care of themselves and their bodies in all facets of their life.
• -Time commitment: Initial evaluation is 90-120 minutes in length. Treatment sessions thereafter are 60 minutes in length.
• -Insurance: many times if prescribed Physical Therapy is covered by most insurance companies.

If you have any further questions or would like to set up an evaluation please call 650.224.6886 or visit us on our Contact Us page.

nutrition and life coaching

Nutrition is a vital key to weight loss but is also necessary for normal sleep patterns, mood, energy and hormone balancing. When any or all of these items are out of balance your goals regardless of what they are, will be difficult to obtain. Modern medicine today treats symptoms such as weight gain, anxiety, lack of energy, poor sleep patterns and skin rashes as individual ailments not looking at the larger picture. We treat the whole person not just their parts looking into gut imbalances as a cause of skin rashes and hormone imbalance as a source of anxiety and poor sleep. We offer hormone, food sensitivity, liver function and gut testing to isolate and reveal the hidden physiological imbalances; which may be affecting your overall health.

Our nutrition program, like our exercise program, is client specific. By conducting a series of personal interviews (and possible lab tests) we create a nutrition program that works for you, your body, time constraints & lifestyle. We believe that your success lies within designing a program that is “do-able” and sets you up to achieve tangible results. We insure this success by taking you grocery shopping, performing pantry cleaning and teaching you effective menu planning.

Replenishing Soul is our provider for our Nutrition Services. For more information on lab testing, one on one coaching, menu planning and more please visit Replenishing Soul or call 650.224.6886.

yoga

Being Human is a hard job. Learning how to manage stress in an effective way is essential to staying healthy and preventing illness. Having a yoga practice is a great tool for this. Yoga is a 2000-year-old philosophy and practice, created to provide healing, using movement through specific postures to release energy and process it through the body stimulating organs and increasing blood flow to all parts of the body while bringing the mind into balance and stillness.

Did you know…?

Three quarters of Americans experience stress related symptoms:

• 77% experience physical symptoms
• 73% experience psychological symptoms

Physical symptoms of stress include:

• Fatigue
• Headache
• Upset stomach
• Muscle tension
• Change in sex drive

Psychological effects of stress include:

• Irritability
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Frustration
• Lack of Joy, enthusiasm and drive

Each day, and each moment of our day, our needs become different. To accommodate this ever-changing process we offer a variety of classes and settings…

• - Private Sessions; in our studio or your home/workplace. Whether you're new and apprehensive to walking into an over-crowded yoga class or have an established personal yoga practice and want special attention to refine your skill, our private (1-on-1) yoga sessions are a good choice for you.
• - Semi-private classes for small groups who want to gather friends or colleagues and work on getting healthy together. Classes like these are fun, motivating and still allow ample opportunity for private instruction with people you feel comfortable with.
• - Group classes in our studio will teach you proper form, safe technique and the philosophy of yoga itself. Our expert yoga instructors all have high levels of experience with yoga and each takes pride in giving as much one on one instruction as needed, even in our group settings. Safety, education and prevention of illness and injury are everything we strive to offer.

Replenishing Soul is the provider of our Yoga Services. For more information about private yoga sessions, small group, current classes or corporate wellness programs please visit Replenishing Soul or call 650.224.6886.

Sal Di Stefano

Personal Training - Sal Di Stefano garnered a passion for health and wellness through exercise at the age of 13. It was then he knew it would be his life path. His passion and gift for fitness propelled him to upper management levels within the traditional fitness industry at the young age of 19. Currently with over 14 years of professional experience in the fitness and wellness industry and over 8 years experience as an entrepreneur in the field, he is an expert in applied exercise to foster correct muscle function, increased functional strength, performance, and correct program design.

Recognizing that most personal trainers and fitness facilities adopt the "train my clients until they can't move" philosophy, he set out to create a facility that understood the bodies adaptation system of increasing strength, flexibility, endurance, function, and overall heath. The body doesn't progress during the workout, but rather afterwards during the "adaptation phase." He understands that the body has an incredible ability to adapt to stressors like exercise and he understands that it's through this process that the body changes and improves. A great example of this is the bodies ability to adapt to the stress of ultraviolet rays that come from the sun. The body adapts to sun exposure by producing melanin and becoming darker thus defending the body from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. Genetics and previous sun exposure result in drastically varied requirements to stimulate adaptation. What it takes to illicit a favorable change in one person can be very different for another. You can't take someone who hasn't been in the sun recently, with very pale skin and subject them to an hour of intense sunlight and expect a favorable result. Instead the body will burn and any subsequent exposure will only increase damage to the body. In the example given, very little sun exposure would be required to stimulate a favorable adaptation response FOR THAT PERSON. This is exactly how all of the bodies adaptation systems work and applying exercise to increase fitness and health is no different. Training a person beyond their current bodies required amount of stimulation for adaptation will result in damage to the body and a complete reversal of progress. A person must be trained correctly and APPROPRIATELY to illicit proper adaptation and give them their desired result of a stronger, leaner, more fit and healthy body. His approach has resulted in incredible and efficient results, zero client injuries, and clients maintaining or surpassing their results far beyond any industry standards. He accepts people how they are and starts them at their current fitness level. Through careful application of correct exercise, his clients progress consistently with less time devotion and more energy left for the rest of their lives.

Sal has held numerous fitness certifications, his most current being through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and he is constantly attending seminars, reading books and learning ways to perfect his craft. He has a personal passion for family and friends and maintains a family friendly facility. His energy is fun, upbeat and he loves all people. He has competed in Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is currently pursing powerlifting competition.

Lori Metroka Yu

Physical Therapy, Nutrition & Yoga - Early on in my life I realized I had a passion for learning about the inner-workings of the human body: how it worked, and how I could “fix” it, which led me to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. In my final year of school I became ill. I would be freezing cold with chills and then minutes later I would spike a temperature. Blood tests revealed that I had Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, and my doctor informed me that these could have been brought on by stress. The plan of care was to manage my symptoms through medication, but I refused this course.

Over the next several years, I continued to have exacerbations of muscle aches and flu-like symptoms and I began to get night sweats and headaches like clockwork -- every day at 1pm. A good friend of mine who was a Holistic Health Practitioner certified by the prestigious C.H.E.K. Institute immediately knew to run hormone and gut testing on me. The test results showed that I had stage 1 adrenal fatigue with low levels of progesterone, leaky gut syndrome and two parasites. He explained that the level of stress my body was under was causing an imbalance that could be related to my symptoms and diagnoses.

Once a wellness plan was put into place including proper diet recommendations, supplements, exercise and stress management techniques my symptoms of “Rheumatoid Arthritis/Lupus” subsided, my headaches were gone and have not returned, the parasites were eliminated, and my digestion, elimination and PMS symptoms improved.

After ten years of working as a Physical Therapist I continue to see patients who were just not getting better, despite my advanced level of expertise. I knew that their health went beyond traditional Physical Therapy treatment. As I began to ask my clients questions about nutrition, stressors, and their purpose in life, it became clear why they were not getting better.

I was treating the symptoms instead of identifying and eliminating the causes. I felt the need to create my own business where I could fully focus on helping people heal their mind, body and spirit. I began taking several courses in Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching through the C.H.E.K. Institute to further expand my knowledge of mind and body, and established Replenishing Soul in July of 2006. As the co-owner of Replenishing Soul, I am able to provide an array of services, including Corrective Exercise Training, Nutrition & Lifestyle Coaching, and health management education. It is through this integrated approach and ongoing continuing education that I help my clients maximize both their mental and physical healing in order to move towards a Replenishing Soul.

Devon Forest Crane

Massage Therapy - I have been practicing intuitive bodywork for over 15 years. Growing up as the daughter of an Emergency Physician and Elementary School Teacher I was taught an early love, admiration, and respect for the amazing bodies we live in. It is my nature to explore and understand the perfection the body exemplifies for healing, growing, adaptation, and evolution. My desire is to better understand the relationship between Us and the Space we live in. It is my belief we need to do more asking the body what it needs vs. telling it. The human body is the most amazing machine on the planet, and it deserves our respect and humility.

I specialize in the transformation of bodies. My technique and the structure of my practice comes directly from the intuitive manifestation of my own healing path, and depends heavily on my experiences as a Chiropractic Assistant and on the time I have spent doing massage in both Chiropractic offices and Spa-type environments. I have seen everything from bad days and athletic injuries to lifetimes of trauma, and I intuitively design simple lifestyle adjustments as remediation. Both healing and growth require a repetitive process of resetting, reorganizing and rebuilding. By providing the body with the accurate environment, it will heal itself.