Géraldine Fasnacht

Snowboard Champion and Wing Suit Flyer

When I met Tania Cotton and Dr. Finn Mahler, I had lost all hope. When I was told that I had a herniated disc, that meant to me – the end of sport, the end of my mountain exploits, the end of my passion! This was a very difficult moment for me because I believed I simply had to accept this and live with it. I was then shown how everything could change if I were to understand my body and my posture better. With Tania I had to relearn simple every day tasks such as walking, carrying my rucksack, running, climbing – in order that my body could move without being overloaded. I re-found hope. Today I have returned to all my mountain activities, freeride snowboarding, wingsuit flying – to a high level of performance and I do not have any pain any more. My herniated disc has been completely resorbed but the most magical outcome of this experience is that today I have a real connection with my body and I understand how I can progress with it.

Dave Parkyn

Aeronautical Engineer

Within our family, we have had many different and difficult health challenges over recent years.  The journey we have each been on as individuals has helped us find a ‘new normal’ as a whole family.  Working with Tania Cotton and her MovementWise team has enabled us to embrace the expertise that is out there.  We have been able not only to overcome specific health issues but also to work towards performance goals that have taught us how to combine moving correctly, eating healthily and enjoying the benefits of a work life balance.  Our health threats have been turned into performance opportunities and we feel as if life is not longer restricted by limitations but has now open up to a world of exciting possibilities.
“When you hear the words cancer you immediately associate it with death.”  This is exactly what I felt when I first heard Dr Kholic, our ‘cancer’ doctor, say those words…But I realise now that with the right help, you can recover from such an apparent, desperate situation.

Fiona Morrison

International Actuary

Tania is one of the best health experts I have ever met.  She has a sixth sense: her power to analyse an issue and identify the solution, together with her infectious belief that you can succeed, is quite extraordinary.  We live in a world of science, not miracles, but Tania’s science makes miracles happen.  She helped me to completely change my posture – turning a slouching, timid chrysalis into a tall, confident public speaker to audiences of 800, 1000, 1300….  Thank you Tania.

Penny Hamer

Executive Coach

I am 60 years old.  I am Executive Coach working with clients in business and other large organisations in both the public and private sector.  I had a successful corporate career for 30 years working as an HR Director.  For 50 years of my life I enjoyed very good health but in my fifties I had an early diagnosis of breast cancer (DCIS). This was treated by a lumpectomy and radiotherapy. Four years later I had a second occurrence where a small tumour was detected in the same breast. I had a mastectomy, reconstruction, chemotherapy and over a year of Herceptin. The reconstruction was a DIEP flap which utilises tissues from the abdomen. This was successful but I was in a stooped position for sometime after surgery.

I have always had poor posture and have worked on this with various physios and yoga teachers throughout my life.I met Tania when I was recovering from a freak accident where I had a complex compou nd fracture in my right leg. I was non-weight bearing for 6 weeks and partial weight bearing for a further 6 weeks. My shoulders really bore the weight on crutches and this did not help my posture at all.

My previous physiotherapy sessions had often been limited to 30 minutes and were always confined to a treatment room.

Barry Lynn

Businessman turned International Mountain Leader

I have been treated by Tania since 2004. I was introduced to her whilst I was on holiday in Chamonix. My left knee was deteriorating, fast. In 1992 I had a fall while rock climbing solo which resulted in a fracture/dislocation of my left knee. Added to that was a condition from birth on my left arm – I have only 30% use of it due to birthing complications. In 1992 I had had three operations to repair as best the damage to the knee.

In the intervening years I had been able to climb and mountaineer to a reasonable level but in 2005 it was giving me some concern. The left knee was beginning to just suddenly give way – not a good thing at any time. I had had an arthroscopy – it’s a bit like a clean-up and inspection of the knee joint. I knew that an artificial knee joint beckoned me with increasing certainty. So, I met with Tania. She was introduced to me as a physio – but a physio who had strong views on balance and posture. At the time I thought that posture was all about standing like a soldier on sentry duty. Tania, when I met her, was not like the other physios. Other physios had basically pulled and pushed the joint and given me some exercises.

Tania took a much more mechanical view of what was left of my body. She explained how a particular muscle group governed another part of the body and if you didn’t control it or stand or sit correctly then it would cause problems and pain. At this point I had been very lucky in not having any real pain. I have friends who have had proper pain from joints – the sort of pain that wakes you up during the middle of the night.

At this time as well I was carrying some excess weight, to say the least. The expansion of my corporate career had also expanded my waistline. In a very constructive manner Tania urged me to lose weight – excess weight only adds to the existing problem. But she was savvy enough to realise that modern life has its habits – but savvy enough again to tell me to make the choice for the best of my knee.

Tania showed me the real need to good posture and body carriage at all times. And it worked on me.

In 2006 I registered as a candidate for an International Mountain Leader – in France this is an Accompagnateur de Haute Montaigne. This involves a big logbook of over 40 mountain routes, two formal training programmes and two demanding formal assessments involving speed and navigation tests over high mountain terrain. It is usually a three year term.

Tania was a major reason why I passed both summer and winter IML assessments. I passed in just over 18 months from start to finish. She showed me how to position and carry my body to get the best results from what I had left of it – which was a fair amount in all fairness. After all, I still have four limbs.

It is now 2014 and I am still monitored by Tania, although with a bit less frequency – just to ensure that I am doing what I need to be doing to get the most out of my left leg and arm. Tania is a mixture of having a great knowledge of the subject; great pragmatism & practicality as to how best adapt your body to your sport or everyday life; and all with an engaging coaching style.

The fact that Tania had had a few injuries herself also lends itself to a great amount of sympathy – she knows the pain!!!

I live in London but travel to Tania in France – that is my mark on the excellence of her treatment, advice and coaching.