“I had trouble running. Sometimes it was okay, and sometimes my knees hurt so much that I could barely make it up the stairs to my apartment.”

That was very strange, because I never had any problems during dance practice—not with my back, knees, or feet. I realized why that was—or still is—in the summer of 2010.

When I was in Switzerland for two months that summer and my knees were hurting quite a bit again during the race, my mother gave me some advice. She had seen Benita Cantieni on a TV show, where she had talked about things like, “You can train yourself to have good posture.”

“A hunched back isn’t a natural condition—it’s self-inflicted. Knee pain is caused by poor technique …‹.”

“Ah,” I thought, “that’s exactly what I need!”

After the first lesson, I walked to the tram stop and, while standing, focused my awareness on the center of my heel and the joint behind my big toe, just as I had just learned to do, and lo and behold … I was standing differently, and I noticed how my body straightened up, and the stiffness in my knee was gone.

I signed up for the summer program right away, and then again the following summer. In total, I took 20 hours of classes, and these lessons have enriched my life immensely. So much so that I completed the CANTIENICA® Body in Evolution basic training and now teach at the Zurich studio.

Thanks to the CANTIENICA® method, I’ve gained a better understanding of dance and movement in general.

The sport was “Cantianized.”

My singing voice has also improved. When the body is balanced and everything is perfectly aligned, the breath can flow and the voice can unfold. A purring kitten becomes a singing tiger.

Four years ago, I added yoga to my list of activities, and I am currently training to become a complementary therapist in yoga therapy.

The clarity of the CANTIENICA® method and its incorporation of bodily intelligence give my asana practice that special something.

It forms a wonderful foundation on which the soul can dance. The C exercises unfold from within—from the bones, from the deep muscles.

The motto here is: Less, but done right, is more!

And that is incredibly valuable for any yoga practice—I would almost say it’s essential! Less is more.

You can never do too much foundational work. That’s my biggest insight. I’ve always known that strength lies in the small things, but I didn’t truly experience it until I started CANTIENICA® training.

Self-awareness through perception.

Learning to listen to your body. Recognizing the wisdom of the body. My voice teacher said, “If you have the wrong idea of how a note should sound, no matter how many physical exercises you do, the note will still be off.”

In this training program, the body and mind form a single unit, and that is what sets the CANTIENICA® exercises apart from many other approaches.

I now approach life differently, with greater awareness. I stand tall in life; no matter which way the wind blows, I move with grace and never lose my center. “

Marco Stahel, Gossau, Canton of St. Gallen, 48 years old

Musical theater performer, certified music and dance educator, CANTIENICA® instructor, KT yoga therapist (in training)