Intro to Embodied Strength is a two-day per week, five-week, in-person, small group training program designed and run by me, Laura Khoudari (CPT, CES, Well-Being Coach). This progressive strength training program will allow new lifters, and those returning to strength training to cultivate a deeper mind-body connection while getting stronger and learning about lifting weights.

I love to teach folks how to work with a barbell, and Intro to Embodied Strength will feature progressive programming that will focus on squat, benchpress, and deadlift along with accessory exercises. Over the course of five weeks you will get stronger and learn how to turn your workouts into a mindful movement practice. Classes will be small (capped at 6 participants) so that I can make sure you are moving well with barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells, and so participants can get to know one another while also forging a new relationship with themselves.

This program will meet Tuesday and Thursday mornings 7:00am- 8:15am at SVG Athletics in South Hadley, MA from July 11, 2023 - August 10, 2023.

  • You may already know that strength training is good for your physical and mental health but seldom are you taught how to reap all the mental health benefits from your movement practice. If you do a workout you enjoy, it will likely help you feel better in the short term; however, long term gains such as deepening your relationship with yourself, and increasing your capacity for curiosity, self-knowing, and joy, occurs only through cultivating a mindful or embodied movement practice. It is these long term gains that help you identify your values, goals, interests, and strengths so that you can make informed choices in your daily life and experience a greater sense of well-being more often.

    If you are living with trauma, contending with systemic discrimination, or coping with stress, you likely have another obstacle to contend with—you may be disconnected from your body and not even know it. This disconnect can lead to frequent feelings of overwhelm, illness, chronic pain, and injuries—even if you are trying your best to tend to your well-being.

    Intro to Embodied Strength will give participants the opportunity to cultivate a mindful strength practice through experiential learning and regular guided practice.

  • Strength training— making your muscles and bones stronger by working with resistance—will increase your quality of life. It can help you do things you love with ease (like play with your kids and grandkids or engage in physical hobbies), manage chronic pain, boost your mood, and improve your sleep. Studies have found it may improve brain health and slow decline in cognitive function as we age, and that it reduces anxiety and promotes increased self-esteem and self-efficacy which can help with mood regulation. Strength training increases your mobility, stability, and bone strength which helps prevent injuries over the course of your lifetime.

  • Intro to Embodied Strength will be a small group (capped at 6 person) in person program. This 5-week introduction to strength training program will combine physio-psycho education about mindful movement with personalized instruction on proper technique on performing the squat, benchpress, and deadlift along with warm up and cool down techniques and accessory movements.

    Participants will receive:

    *Fourteen hours of hands-on, personalized, instruction on the benefits and techniques of mindful strength training

    *A four-week progressive strength training program

    *An additional four weeks of programming that you can continue with on your own after the class has wrapped

    *A paperback copy of Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time

    *An in-person group check-in four weeks after class has wrapped to get feedback on your movement patterns and to celebrate together how your training has progressed since the class.

  • Laura Khoudari is a leader in trauma-informed strength training, writer, speaker, wellness coach and author of the book, Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time. She uses her gift of storytelling in unison with her training and expertise, to inspire and empower people to live fulfilling lives aligned with their own values, goals, interests, and strengths.

    Her work has been widely recognized by the trauma and fitness community, and she has been featured by The New York Times, NPR, Buzzfeed, UpWorthy, Outside Online, Medium, Vice, and Nike.com. She has presented her work for Somatic Experiencing International, The Breathe Network, Reebok, Les Mills, Fitness4AllBodies, and conferences, schools, and fitness studios in the US and Canada.

    Along with being a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, Laura coached novice lifters through Strength Groundwork (a foundational barbell program) at JDI Barbell in New York City, and supported their powerlifting and weightlifting athletes as well. She also served as the Director of Trauma Informed Strength Training for Women’s Strength Coalition, a national 501(c)3 and works closely with many folks in the trauma and strength training world. She blends her training in somatic approaches to trauma healing with her knowledge of exercise science to create programs that support her clients mental and physical health.