1161 foster road, iowa city, iowa
Movement for All
Studio and Offices
Meg Eginton photo of Ironman winner and former client Pete Tabor.
Chronic Pain Practice
Meg Eginton has helped me immensely. My back pain had become quite severe when Meg began working with me, helping improve my body awareness, my core strengthening and gait. Working with her was the most effective therapy I tried. She also tuned up my exercise program so that it is more effective and much more efficient. Overall she has an excellent approach to addressing issues related to chronic pain, stiffness, mobility or balance. Very highly recommended.
Terry Wahls MD
Author of "The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine"
I met Meg professionally in my real estate practice and then was injured and looked for someone that could help with my recovery. My injury was with lower back vertebrae and sacral adjustment. I found Meg is not only highly skilled in this area but has absolute integrity with her advice and business practice. She set up a program of both physical manipulation followed by some simple exercises for me to follow at home. This type of injury does not have an easy solution as it is a combination of soft tissue, ligaments and skeletal misalignment. Meg was able to diagnose this and set a personalized course of action that was perfect for me and was very effective. My life is better because of Meg and I wholeheartedly recommend her for this type of therapy.
Jeff Edberg
Owner of IC Commercial Real Estate
M. Eginton is a wonder. She helped me overcome physical hurdles that were negatively impacting every aspect of daily life. She not only addressed my body’s issues (improving my strength, mobility, and balance) but she shared her wisdom and technique in a way that made me feel safe and later courageous on my journey.I attribute her work and intuitive connection for my improved quality of life both physically and emotionally. I can’t recommend her enough! She IS a wonder! Years later I still use her Daily Dozen.
C .Whitlock
Mother of Five
At the age of 72, with arthritis in my knees, hips, and lower back and overweight, I came to Meg for an evaluation and exercises to help relieve some of the pain I was experiencing. After four sessions with my everyday determination, I have regained mobility and flexibility and have reduced most of my discomfort. My biggest challenge was to reduce my hip and knee pain while driving.This past six months my wife and I have gone on four road trips where I have done all the driving. We spent last October canoeing and hiking in Minnesota and this past January we downhill-skied for three weeks. I will never be twenty again, but I am doing and enjoying things that a year ago I thought I was going to have to give up, thanks to Meg’s expertise and patience. I will be checking in periodically for re-evaluations.
Dick Javes
Age 72
When I met Meg I was transitioning from being a rock climber to a triathlete, I was very strong in certain parts of my body and very weak in others. and this coupled with my career as a home builder had made me into a bit of a mess. Through work and "play" I had developed 40 years of movement patterns that worked for me most of the time.but became none of the time as I found myself with knee pain that had me sidelined for 18 months. I worked with Meg for several months and still to this day I believe she was my silver bullet. MD's, PT's, LMP's, Acupuncturists, no one could figure out what was so out of balance. Meg started her work by teaching me about the strings and pulleys that our bodies are built with, and since then I have had many athletic successes: 5 Ironmans, mt bike stage racing, nordic ski and biathlon. Through education and hands on body work I truly believe Meg gave me my body back.
Pete Tabour
Ironman Athlete, Homebuilder, and Artisan Woodworker
I am a 91-year old emeritus flute professor still performing successfully in public. Thanks to Meg, I got rid of the dowager’s hump I inherited from my mother, recovered quickly from several falls, freed and strengthened my shoulders and arms for flute playing, can now stand for an hour without tiring, can play phrases at least 50% longer than I could five years ago, and have the energy and looks of a 70-year old.
Betty Bang Mather
Emeritus Professor of Flute at the University of Iowa
I have had a lot of bodywork done over the past 15 years, but it wasn’t until being seen my Meg that I have been able to take control of my frequent headaches. Meg’s treatments and at-home-work have reduced my headaches from days-long events every week to a couple of short ones a month.
University of Iowa Faculty Member
Name withheld for internet safety
I came to Meg a couple months before I was to perform as a soloist in a concerto competition. I had been experiencing pain in my forearms and palms which prevented me from practicing the cello, as well as using the computer for graphic design work at my high school newspaper. Meg taught me how to think about my body holistically; working on my shoulders, fingers, arms, and posture. Her patient and clear instructions while doing strengthening exercises helped me regain pain free movement in my arms and hands. As a result of our work together, I came back to the cello with a much freer form and sense of musicality.
Catherine Ju
Cellist and College Student
I want to start out by saying thank you to Meg for hearing me. Years of withholding my emotions and carrying undeserved shame placed defensive tension and tightness throughout my body. Eventually something gave; pelvic pain coupled with unmanaged celiac disease, food sensitivities, irritable bowel, and weight gain took control of my day to day living. I first addressed my celiac disease with Dr. Julia Buchkina at Upstream Functional Medicine. However, she could see that my problems where much deeper than celiac disease. I needed a holistic body and mind approach so she sent me to see Meg Eginton.
Anonymous
Name withheld for internet safety
Margaret Eginton resolved my neck stiffness and pain. After decades of going to chiropractor(s), doing physical therapy and neck exercises, Meg was able to release the fascia supporting my neck. She achieved a permanent solution, freedom from neck pain. To me she is a miracle worker, and I and my neck are thankful that she provided a complete solution.
Kressa Evans
Artist
During my first meeting with Meg I came prepared to recite my standard 5 minute speech on where it hurt. Instead we talked in length about me rather than focusing on my pain. I thought, “this is different” no one in my life had ever asked deep seated questions about me. I’m sure if you ask Meg somewhere within our first talk I managed to fit in that speech. However, Meg sent me away with my first homework assignment; breathing exercises. Seriously?! How is breathing exercises going to help with pelvic pain?!
Throughout my time with Meg, I have learned that Somatic Therapy begins with getting to the root cause as to why there was protective tension within my body; learning to identify it, learning to release it, and most importantly learning to breathe. Years of shallow breathing allowed me to withhold or “control” my emotions but my body paid the price by storing those emotions as protective tension which lead to pain, disease, and uneven weight distribution. Deep breathing exercises aided me in releasing my pent up emotions, however the flip side is, I had to feel it (emotions) to heal it (body). Trust me, learning this lesson is way more involved than I’m making it sound. But well worth the effort it takes.
Meg’s life coach training has identified other areas of my personal life that were needing addressing. She connected me to helpful resources and other professionals within the Iowa City community. Whether it is table work, coaching, stretching exercises, or strength training; I alway feel better after a session with Meg.
L.P. Des Moines, IA
Name withheld for internet safety
When I came to Meg I was dealing with the effects of many years of chronic pain and frustration. She was the first person to tell me that my pain is not something I have to "manage", but that I can get rid of it. Those were powerful words for me to hear, and they gave me a whole new outlook. With Meg's help and my own hard work I am on the way to being pain-free!
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Better attitude- I feel like I'm in control of my body. I have tools to cope with stress and pain if it comes up.
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Less back pain, less knee pain, better core strength.
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Much better body and breath awareness. More patience with my kids.
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Getting to sleep easier- less soreness and stiffness in the morning- I'm able to get going sooner and I have more energy throughout the day.
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More creative energy because I'm using less effort in daily tasks, and because of less pain. I now have exercises that help me to be more productive in the studio.
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Less prone to pulling/straining muscles, and if it happens it heals faster.
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Better overall spinal health- my spine feels more stable, flexible, and balanced than it has in years.
Alex Ackerman
Iowa City Visual Artist and Mother of Two
I began working with Margaret 4 years ago. With her help I have been able to minimize my lower back pain and continue to play golf.
Terry Hockum
Retired HyVee Executive
Before beginning treatment with Meg, my back pain was so bad that I could barely walk without my walker. Now, thanks to Meg, the walker is in storage and the pain is much diminished.
Bill Albrecht
Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Iowa
Hope and the possibility of life without constant pain was an illusion I never thought would be attainable having had a tumor in my left knee, reconstructive lower back surgery and ongoing arthritis in both knees. Over the span of a year my boss (a client of Meg’s) continued to goad me to make an appointment with Meg claiming the results of her treatments would forever change my life. Finally giving in to the constant onslaught of praise for Meg, I made my appointment which of course I missed due to my hectic work schedule. But, I rescheduled and finally darkened the doors of her studio. Immediately, I felt a blanket of acceptance wrapped around me shoulders. Judgment did not exist within those walls, and I learned that I could let go of the judgment that I stored within my inner being from years of toxic environments, relationships and abuse. During the first treatment, I knew that my life would be different as I could literally physically feel my body changing and the pain abating within the first session.
As I continued my treatments, the shackles of debilitating pain began to weaken. With each session I became stronger not only physically but mentally and spiritually as well. What most people do not know about me is that I suffer from a severe anxiety disorder, and I had spent the majority of my adult life seeking treatments with doctors and therapists. The tools of knowledge regarding my disorder and years of mental and physical abuse were seared into my brain, yet still I kept beating my head against the metal gates that imprisoned my soul not knowing how to turn the key to freedom.
Through my continued treatments with Meg, I learned the connection of mind, body and spirit. The diamond of truth that your muscles have memory beyond mere movement but memory across the spectrum from painful abuse to unlimited happiness. Meg’s treatments based in science and medical knowledge turned on the flashlight showing me that I had the key in my hand to the iron gates of imprisonment the entire time, and all that I had to do was twist the key to freedom. Words can and will never be able to express my gratitude for Meg turned on my light of truth.
Jason Staats
Real Estate Professional and Investor
Multiple Sclerosis has deteriorated my brain's ability to communicate with my muscles. Meg is using both a therapeutic and educational approach to retrain my brain in its natural efficiencies and awareness. Rebuilding this connection is preventing further injury and mitigating my symptoms, rather than smothering them with more medication. This work far surpasses the treatment I have received in physical therapy, chiropractic and massage by restoring the body as a whole.Her work is so varied and complete, she can address the complex symptoms of disease alongside sports injuries, aging bodies and those suffering pain.
Julia Tanney
Mother of Two Girls Under 10 and Coping With Progressive MS
Posture/Alignment
Meg's work has improved my posture, reduced my chronic neck pain, and made walking easier. Opening up my body has a profound spiritual dimension, as well.
John Mann
Writer and Retired English Professor
Thank you for the gift of the Daily Dozen. My back feels better!
Alison Frost
Theatre Director
Gone is what had once been my constant companion as I'd work at my computer: the relentless hot burn attacking the back of my neck and that flowed down and across my upper back. Gone are the aches and pains of a body out of alignment. My vastly improved posture and awareness of it, attitude about my body and self, better digestion, muscle development, toning, being more limber are all results of Meg's therapy sessions and workshops. She teaches ways to continue our progress at home as well. My once coveted massages, the occasional need for chiropractic have been crossed off my list of needs that better my life. For me they don't hold a candle to Meg's healing abilities. How wonderful it is for us that she is right here in Iowa City!!
Karan Rowser
Office Manager and Customer Service for White Dog Import Auto Service & Repair
I was a printer and book artist, who had a stroke in 1998, which left me with spasticity and hemiplegia on my left side. This condition affects my walking and creates imbalances in my posture. Meg Eginton was recommended to me by one of my other therapists. I am very glad to be working with her. She provides a peaceful, pleasing environment in which to observe her clients’ movements, to identify problem patterns, and offer instruction to correct these problems.
True to her philosophy of mind/body connection, Meg enjoys conversing with her clients to get to know how they live and what interests them. I have always enjoyed this aspect of our sessions. Exchanging thoughts and ideas. Meg has an open mind and because of her thoughtful personality, we have enjoyed stimulating conversations. I always look forward to my sessions because I learn so much and come away with ideas about improving my gait and reducing physical stresses by better using my body.
Janice Frey
Stroke Warrior, Printer, and Book Artist
Going to Margaret Eginton as a young girl dreaming of becoming a professional dancer truly was the best thing that could have happened. I was discouraged because I had been told time and time again that I lacked the proper technique, and my teachers at my studio weren’t making me any better. Meg rebuilt my technical foundation from the base up and artistically developed me for two years, giving me the confidence and the capability to audition for university dance programs - and to get in to several acclaimed programs in the United States. I am now in my third year at university, working on my focus in Performance & Choreography, and the things that Meg taught me I still use every day.
Demetra Chiafos
Dancer and Ohio State Honors Student, Marion, IA
I have finally habitualized keeping my head on top of my spine! The convenience of being able to work on my alignment at home with a clear and concise set of exercises that teach Alexander Technique and more has been invaluable and I wholeheartedly recommend Eginton Alignment. It works!
Jessica Kinsella
NYU Advanced Acting Workshop Student
Thanks to 2 years of study with Margaret and Eginton Alignment, I have a clearer understanding of where my body is, day to day. Because of this work, and my dedication to it…I am an inch taller, and walk with more confidence and freedom than I ever have before.
Kirsten Franklin
Artistic Director for the Aquavit Theatre in Chicago
This work is going to wake the spine up. It puts you in touch with a lifetime of holding habits and tensions, while opening you up to greater flexibility, freedom, grace and energy. It’s a subtle work-out that energizes you. You can’t compartmentalize it. And you wouldn’t want to, because this work beautifully complements so many other techniques for movement, breathing and voice.
Dylan M
New York Actor
I have been familiar with the Eginton Alignment method since 1987, when I first met its creator, Margaret Eginton. During this time I have both observed and participated in the work as a therapeutic practice and as a foundation for all types of physical creative work, especially in my case in the field of acting. Eginton Alignment provides its students and clients with a holistic sense of their entire body and how their existence on a day to day and moment to moment basis is rooted within that body. It is a practical way to always be pursuing the health of the body, as it is the foundation of a person's interaction with the rest of the world, and it's the best tool I know for unleashing the creative expressiveness of the body. It will help the healthy stay healthy, the injured to heal, and the creative to unlock a level of expressiveness and imagination previously unrealized. I cannot recommend it highly enough to the performer and the lay person alike.
Scott Zigler
Dean of North Carolina School for the Arts and
former Director at the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre
I limped into Meg Eginton’s studio last fall (2019) reeling from a foot injury and a series of mid-life maladies. By the holidays, I strode out of my final appointment with new confidence, better alignment, and set of somatic tools to meet future physical challenges. Meg’s extraordinary body intelligence, coupled with empathy and good humor, provides a surefire path to recovery and healing.
Ann Ricketts
University of Iowa Senior VP
The subtle placement of your pinky finger, the adjustment of a lone vertabrae, or the angle of your calf. Margaret works with your body at such a subtle level that after a while you'll get to know every inch of your form so well that you are able to create subtle characters out of relative stillness. At the same time, you will have the physical intelligence to craft extreme characters while still maintaining a sense of control and precision.In the British farce, "Tom, Dick, and Harry" my director exclaimed after one very intense physical comedy scene. "Jaime, you're acting with your fingertips. I love it!" And, I thought to myself, "there's Margaret still at work."
Jaime Tintor
LA Actor and High School English Teacher
I have to say, our alignment work is really working. The last few class days, when I’ve gotten in my car at lunchtime, I’ve had to adjust my rear view mirror up (and then down a little the next morning). I didn’t really think about it…but then I realized: after alignment work I’m TALLER. My spine is lengthened or straightened or something. If that’s not proof that our alignment training works, then I don’t know what is.
Angela Sauer
MFA student at FSU/Asolo Conservatory
Classes
In Somatics classes, we improve our bodies in relaxing, subtle ways. We stretch and strengthen, not with the rushed, pushing ways of many traditional exercises, but rather by learning slow attention and patient waiting for deep change to occur. The positions and movements can be challenging or seemingly simple; we learn to feel our own alignment and ease in our bodies. Keeping our bodies in good alignment is key to our longevity and quality of life. Meg takes gentle, confident care of us with her classes.
Anne Marie Kraus
Retired Iowa City Public Schools Resource Specialist
Thank you, Meg. I think your breathing work (on the audiotape) is absolutely the best I've ever heard.
Jennifer Cluff
Canadian Flutist and Teacher
I had the pleasure of working with Margaret Eginton as part of my MFA Acting training! She was instrumental in changing not just my work as an actor, but how I move through the world. I came from a musical theatre background, so not making a pretty picture or getting the move right was a challenge for me. Working with somatic movement to approach ballet, Viewpoints, and Alignment helped me to recognize how my body moved through the world and why. I learned to emotionally express through movement, not in terms of canned choreography, but in terms of impulse and action Learning to work with my whole body as an instrument for my craft, not just hitting the right steps, was a break through for me as an artist. Margaret also works with each students’ physical range and pushes you within your own boundaries. In her class, your best Grand Battement is just as good as Baryshnikov’s because her work makes you feel like a star.
Summer Dawn Wallace
Artistic Director and Teacher,
Sarasota FL
Margaret Eginton is a genius about bodies.
Sadrine Cohen
French Movie Actress, Film Director, and Photographer
I had the great pleasure of working with Margaret at the American Repertory Theater/Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. What she accomplished with students, faculty colleagues and professional actors was exceptional. Every day, Meg made my work as a teacher of voice a little easier by helping our graduate students to breathe fully, freely and efficiently. Her deep body knowledge allowed everyone she worked with to experience themselves physically in a new, optimal and healthful way.
Nancy Houfek
Visual Artist and Retired Head of Voice and Speech at the
Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University
Meg Eginton offers a deep journey to her students through layers of compensating external muscles into the subtler, yet more powerful kinesthetic sense of core strength and range. In contrast to many body strengthening approaches available and in vogue, Meg balances all strengthening work with lengthening and range. Access to the deeper core activates and liberates movement flow, breath, and range of motion. From the perspective of this as a vocal coach, Meg’s body work is comprehensive and coherent – it is key work. Also, Ms. Eginton is a glowing, free spirited, and wise woman, having performed for many years, she walks the talk, lives and laughs with gusto and is just plain cool to be around.
Katie Bull
Jazz Vocalist and Broadway Theatre Voice coach, NYU professor