About Me
My business name, Oryx Worx, comes from the title of a book, Antonia Saw the Oryx First, written by a family friend, about a western medical doctor named Antonia, practicing in Africa. I am not a doctor, but I do believe movement is good medicine.
Antonia (Toni) Small
Specializations
Yoga for 50+
Interdisciplinary Movement + Somatics
Mindful Strength
In 2003, I took on a caregiving role for my father, who was nearing the end of his life. It was a long and life-changing process; in its wake I have turned my attention to movement practices for the second half of life. As caregivers, we need to move. As an aging body, we need to move. Dying bodies also deserve tender attention and care, which we can learn long before our day arrives. Movement is medicine.
My classes are taught with a curiosity for the body's wisdom. As we age, that curiosity is just as valid, if not more so, but there may be fewer opportunities to practice with the kind of respect an older body deserves.
I aim to create opportunities for older adults to enter a practice that stimulates body mind and spirit.
After earning my 500-hour Yoga Teacher certification in 2016, I set to furthering my studies for teaching aging bodies. In 2017, I was certified as an Integrative Yoga for Seniors instructor through Kimberly Carson and Carol Krucoff's Yoga for Seniors Professional Training at Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. I completed the year-long Interdisciplinary Movement + Somatics Training with Kaila June and the SomaKinese School in 2019, and Kathryn Bruni-Young’s Mindful Strength Teacher’s Immersion in 2020 and 2022. I am currently enrolled in the Strength and Conditioning in Rehab Certification with Dr. Scotty Butcher.
Additionally, I am a Hospice volunteer and work with FishAbility, a USDA program to keep farmers, fishermen and loggers in their industries as they age.
Long before these studies, I was a student of dance and mime. My most well-known teacher was Marcel Marceau, but there were many others who contributed to my love of movement and physical theater. I attended my very first yoga class at age 17, invited by then nearly 70 year-old Marge Champion. If I had to point to a formative influence on my teaching today, it would be the memories I hold of Marceau and Marge, as vibrant movers and storytellers. From the same generation as my father, they both continued to practice and perform long into their lives. Movement as a way of life.
I enjoy the science of movement, yet remain hungry for a return to the spirit of play, the poetry of postures, and the depth of our human mystery.
I am married to a fisherman; I enjoy time with John and his daughter and mother on the water. We live with my mother and three delightful dogs; we grow a bit of our own food on land and are growing an oysters and kelp in our neighborhood.
If I can be of service to you, please be in touch.
