About Us
Shelby Koslow (LMT) | Breath & Diaphragm Bodywork Specialist
Shelby Koslow is a licensed massage therapist with a deep focus on the Feldenkrais Method, specializing in hands-on work that restores natural breathing patterns and releases tension in the abdomen and diaphragm.
Her unique approach combines subtle, intentional touch with somatic education to help clients reconnect to their bodies from the inside out. By assessing breath patterns and working directly with the soft tissues of the core, Shelby facilitates deep nervous system regulation and physical relief—especially for those experiencing chronic tension, anxiety, shallow breathing, or digestive discomfort.
Shelby’s sessions go beyond traditional massage. She helps unravel long-held tension patterns by targeting the body’s center—where emotional, structural, and visceral restrictions often live. Through diaphragmatic release, core listening, and breath-led movement, she supports her clients in reclaiming ease, presence, and functional freedom.
Whether you’re an athlete, a performer, or someone looking to restore a deeper connection with your breath and body, Shelby offers a grounded and transformative experience rooted in precision, presence, and compassion.
Free Your Breath: The Power of Diaphragm Release
Unlocking the Diaphragm: The Key to Breath, Posture, and Nervous System Health
The diaphragm, often called the "second heart," is a dome-shaped muscle that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities and serves as the body’s primary muscle of respiration. However, its role extends far beyond breathing.
The diaphragm is the most important muscle with critical structures passing through or near it. With deep fascial connections to the psoas, pericardium, esophagus, and lumbar spine, a tight or restricted diaphragm can create tension patterns that impact posture, digestion, circulation, and nervous system function.
This vital muscle not only powers breath but also contains key openings—called hiatuses—that allow important structures like the aorta, esophagus, vagus nerves, and major veins to pass between the chest and abdomen. When the diaphragm is tight or restricted, it can compress these structures, leading to reduced blood flow, nerve irritation, digestive problems, and even breathing difficulties.
The diaphragm is closely connected to the pericardium, the protective sac surrounding the heart. Tightness here can restrict the pericardium’s natural movement, affecting heart function, circulation, and sometimes causing sensations of chest tightness or discomfort.
Additionally, the diaphragm supports the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a crucial valve between the esophagus and stomach. When the diaphragm is restricted, it can misalign or compress the LES, reducing its ability to close fully. This can allow stomach acid to reflux into the esophagus, contributing to acid reflux or GERD.
The diaphragm also moves rhythmically with the abdominal organs—the liver, stomach, and intestines. Restriction reduces this natural internal massage, often causing digestive stagnation, bloating, or discomfort in the core.
The diaphragm plays a key role in the lymphatic system as well. Its rhythmic movement creates pressure changes that help pump lymph fluid through the thoracic duct, the body’s main lymphatic channel. This action supports immune function by circulating lymphocytes and helps remove waste, toxins, and excess fluids from tissues. When diaphragm movement is limited, lymphatic drainage slows, leading to stagnation and potential immune system challenges.
Finally, the vagus nerve, essential for parasympathetic nervous system regulation, passes through the diaphragm area. Tightness here can dull vagal signaling, making it harder for the body to relax, digest, and heal effectively.
In summary, a tight diaphragm can disrupt:
- Breathing efficiency
- Core and spinal stability
- Emotional regulation
- Heart function and circulation via the pericardium
- Digestive rhythm and acid reflux control
- Lymphatic flow and immune function
- Nervous system balance
Moshe Feldenkrais
Unlocking Movement: What’s the Feldenkrais Technique All About?
The Feldenkrais Method, developed by Moshe Feldenkrais, includes hundreds of specific movement lessons known as Awareness Through Movement (ATM) and Functional Integration (FI). Central to this method is the idea of overcoming the artificial separation between mind and body by integrating conscious awareness with movement. Feldenkrais emphasizes that awareness—attentively sensing one’s own movements and bodily states—is essential for growth and functional improvement. He explains that faulty or limited movement patterns restrict our ability to develop fully, and emotional disturbances are deeply connected to these habitual patterns (Feldenkrais, 1972).
In Body and Mature Behavior, Feldenkrais analyzes how basic reflexes—particularly those related to gravity and danger—and early family conditioning shape muscle tension patterns linked to emotional states. He writes that "the emotional state and pattern of muscular contraction are one and the same" (Feldenkrais, 1972, p. 14). When individuals feel powerless or threatened, these reflexive muscle patterns become habitual, and voluntary muscle control is often used to manage uncomfortable sensations and emotions. Feldenkrais argues that healing requires addressing both the psychological and physical simultaneously by reducing habitual muscular contractions, thereby enabling individuals to experience and learn new, healthier patterns of movement and feeling (Feldenkrais, 1972).
Learn More
For a deeper understanding of the neurophysiological principles behind the Feldenkrais Method, explore Moshe Feldenkrais’ seminal work, Body and Mature Behavior.
👉 Click the link below to access the book.