about

brigitte alcantara
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Interview: Richie Biluan
Photographs: Richie Biluan. Cameron Radenberg

What do you try to live by?

Kindness.
A health is wealth mindset.
80% clean 20% bubbles.
Making the best of what is...
When in doubt I continue to lean into people, places and things that excite me! 
A mantra that has pulled me through the darkest of times is

I am whole, I trust, I am love, I am....

Explain Body Alchemy in your own terms

Body alchemy is mindful movement....curating graceful strength......respecting the bodies natural form and it’s alignment....creating a practice that alchemizes your bodies needs and sculpts your wants into feeling your best in strength, flexibility and tone. 

Body Alchemy is an experience. The recipe is in the process. It’s not just one thing. It’s not just about strengthening. It’s not just about release.

It’s the energy of all of it coming together. It’s about moving the body as a whole and nurturing it. Honoring it as a whole. 

The spirit of Body Alchemy is to “invite” the effort in. To ”allow” the release to let go. To “allow” the body, fascia tissue, muscle, and tension to “let go” in order to detox and renew. I feel like my approach to Body Alchemy is about respect. I will always honor the body’s flow in the present moment instead of operating on how it could be, should be - or how it has in the past. 

How you integrate the experience of exercise in your body is important. People are used to looking at just strengthening their bodies in very literal one dimensional ways: one body part or muscle group at a time. What I’ve learned in the past 25years within my own practice and designing for others is that multi-dimensional movement and release work builds a sustainable stronger healthier foundation for the body. 

...it’s physical but it’s also about creating full self clarity within mind. body, spirit

Body alchemy is about compassion, self-acceptance and holding space for yourself to curate and develop movement and release skills to care take of where we are in the present moment. That’s why people feel so good after a body alchemy session or body alchemy barre class - because they’ve moved their bodies multi-dimensionally, released toxins from their fascia system, woken up the nervous system and sculpted their bodies with empowering movement.

Body alchemy is by design. Sessions are never the same.

As a body alchemist, I love to share the eloquence and wisdom of Pilates and the deep release and regenerative spirit of fascial release body work.

This is when the magic happens…

~ body alchemy ~

Who are your greatest influences?

I was born into the music world - the Latin music world, through the bud and lens of my father. Music was his greatest love. He could play every instrument and wrote music for his band with my uncles. My grandfather was the lyricist in the family and wrote many of my family’s hits. Music is in my blood. 

My mother’s heart was centered around dance. She lived for it as a youth and was devoted to it. Studying dance gave her direction, purpose and discipline. Until she created a family, dance was her centerpiece, a grounded connection within.....she was loving to to share her gifts with me....growing up, music and dance became my centerpiece with piano lessons, record albums, building a disco in my grandmothers garage, going on music tours with my dad and uncles (their band), my performances on stage and screen and modeling beginning at 14…..all of these adventures and loves are who I am today……

The maternal women in my family, my grandmother, my mom and my aunt have been my greatest influences in my life....being the example of love and kindness to others, their resilience through life’s adversities…making ends meet, working hard, taking the high road, doing the best they could as mothers and with what they had at the time...having to be fathers when there wasn’t one to rely on....Being in the company of their womanhood gave me the backbone I have today.

What is your path?

I was born to lift hearts…it is what most brings me joy. I think I was born into this path…music, dance, performing was a given…Teaching others, giving others hope and space in their bodies : it’s inexplicably gratifying.

What was Body Alchemy’s greatest influence? How did it become?

Body Alchemy’s greatest influencers have been the movers I have had the honor and privilege to study and work with...they are dancers, choreographers, Master Pilates Instructors, Fascia scientists and experts….Joseph Pilates, Viktor Manoel, Jillian Hessel, Rael Iscacovitz, Anna Rahe have given me their  time, grace, tools, wisdom and a deeper appreciation of the art and science of movement…..

Things you love in no particular order.

Music

Dance

Kindness

Beauty...in nature...flowers...beautiful spaces....self care....

Fashion

The way music and dance can always lift my heart 

Feeling at ease, peaceful, not rushed.....

Quiet time, 

Writing in my journal 

Inspo’s from new Spaces

Nesting on Sunday mornings with cooking shows, coffee and something sweetly delish

Curating playlists for my BALA Digital babes, sashay’s+ Pliés, yes please

Candlelight 

…after a full week...a glass of bubbles and giggles with my friends + fam

Sunday morning drives in LA 

Feeling my vitality through dance, movement, hiking, walking my dog on the beach

Watching my dog run and play ball

Smiling at a stranger, especially when I sense they might need it...

I love being silly 

Paris...anytime…Living from all my senses

Feeling well....supported within.....spiritually, physically, emotionally..*morning coffee time *my self care rituals....*Moon juice! *my gadgets for self care...infrared wraps, pressotherapy boots, my new vibration platform! *GST *learning how to take care of my fascia and helping others to do so! *a sensual evening *candlelight always *fresh flowers in every room!*Loving passionately *honoring my feelings, values and what’s most important to me…

Giving myself a body alchemy sesh! I love when my body feels empowered...