Save your seat for the free live workshop
Learn why tightness can keep returning even after you relieve it—and how to begin catching the buildup earlier.
After submitting, you’ll get the workshop details and reminder emails.
FREE 40-MINUTE LIVE HIPCORE WORKSHOP
Your body feels tight more often than you'd like.
Sometimes it eases and comes back. Sometimes it feels like it never really leaves.
And even when you're doing all the things that are supposed to help, your body can still seem to be working harder than it needs to.
There may be something happening before you ever feel “tight” that's worth noticing.
NEXT LIVE SESSION: Saturday, September 19th
12:00pm Central Time • 6pm UK
Live online via Zoom
Rather start now?
Watch the most recent 40-minute workshop instantly.
MAYBE THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR
You notice the tension.
But usually after it's already there.
Your shoulders are up. Your jaw is gripping. Your body feels heavy. Movement takes more effort.
Or you suddenly realize you've been holding yourself tight without even knowing when it started.
It eases… then returns.
Massage, stretching, exercise, yoga, rest or a sauna may help. Then everyday life starts again and the tension seems to find its way back.
Or it never really leaves.
Maybe you wouldn't even say your tension “comes back.” It simply becomes a little quieter sometimes before building again.
Stress seems to land in your body.
An email, traffic, a conversation, being rushed or even a long to-do list can suddenly make your body feel like it's doing more.
THE PART I FIND INTERESTING
What if the tightness isn't actually the beginning?
We usually notice the problem once something feels tight, stiff, uncomfortable or tired.
So naturally, we try to get rid of the feeling.
Stretch it. Massage it. Relax it. Strengthen it. Breathe through it.
And those things can absolutely feel helpful.
But what if your body had already started adding
a little extra effort before the tightness ever
got your attention?
That gives us a different place to become curious.
Not simply: “How do I make this tension go away?”
But: “What might my body already be doing before I feel it?”
NOT JUST DURING EXERCISE
It can happen in completely ordinary moments.
Your body is constantly responding to what you're doing, thinking about, anticipating and trying to get through.
Sometimes the amount of effort it brings to the situation may be more than the moment actually needs.
That's one of the things we'll explore together during the live workshop.
Getting stuck in traffic
Reading an unexpected email
Trying to figure something out
Running late
Working at the computer
Cleaning or trying to get things done
Having a difficult conversation
COME EXPLORE THIS WITH ME LIVE
Why Your Tightness Keeps Coming Back
And how to begin catching what may be happening before it builds.
This is a free 40-minute live HipCore workshop.
We're not going to spend 40 minutes doing stretches or trying to force your body to relax.
Instead, I want to help you look at tension from a slightly different angle.
- Why relief doesn't always change the pattern underneath your tension
- How extra effort can begin before you consciously notice yourself getting tight
- Why ordinary stress can show up so physically in your body
- A different way of noticing what's happening without turning it into another thing you have to “do right”
No workout. No stretching routine. No complicated protocol.
Saturday, September 19th
12pm Central • 6pm UK
Live online via Zoom
WHO THIS IS FOR
Especially if you're functioning… but your body seems to be carrying more than it needs to.
You're getting things done. You're living your life.
But you're tired of feeling like your body is making everything just a little harder than it should be.
Your tightness keeps returning
Even though you've tried things that help temporarily.
Stress shows up physically
You catch your jaw, shoulders, stomach or other areas gripping when pressure builds.
You're tired of constantly fixing yourself
You'd rather understand what's happening before you're endlessly responding to the symptoms afterward.
FROM A RECENT LIVE WORKSHOP
Sometimes the shift doesn't have to be dramatic.
“I realize that I can influence my tension, and most importantly, I don't have to have it turned off, but slightly influence it.”
”Just knowing someone out there (you) understands what I'm going through and knowing there is a solution made me feel better. More comforted somehow. And the other viewers also being there made me feel less alone.”
“I now understand that physically trying to relax isn't relaxing at all.”
WHY I KEEP DOING THIS LIVE
Understanding the idea is one thing. Exploring what your body actually does is another.
You can learn a lot from a video. That's why I'm making the most recent session available to watch instantly.
But there's something different about being together in real time.
You can hear what other people notice. You can ask a question. You can recognize something in yourself because somebody else described it.
Or you can simply listen.
You don't have to perform. You don't have to get anything right.
The goal isn't to become better at “relaxing.”
It's to become more curious about what your body
is already doing.
HI, I'M JAMES
I've spent nearly 30 years helping people move and feel better.
I'm James Ko, a physical therapist.
For much of my career, I looked at persistent tension through the things physical therapists are trained to look at: mobility, strength, movement, posture, tissue and mechanics.
Those things matter.
But over time I became increasingly interested in the extra work our bodies can quietly begin doing underneath movement, stress and ordinary life.
What happens before the body starts demanding our attention?
That's much of what I'm exploring through HipCore.
And if you're new here, the live workshop is where I'd recommend starting.
A DIFFERENT PLACE TO START
Before you try harder to get rid of the tension…
Let's look at what your body may already be doing before you feel it.
Saturday, September 19th
12:00 pm Central Time • 6pm UK
Free · Live online via Zoom