Yveline Semeria, like many of the specialists at Groundfloor Exercise, is a dancer. She was a member of the Paris Opera Ballet for many years before arriving in New York, where she was in the first production of 42nd Street, produced by David Merrick. She spent seven years on Broadway before doing what many dancers with a few years under their belt did: she put herself through school. She studied to be a psychotherapist and set up a practice in DC. While spending two years practicing psychotherapy, she also decided to learn more about bodywork after experiencing severe migraines. "I couldn't understand why my head hurt - compared to the life of a gypsy I was living before, my life was so easy.” She went to a shiatsu, and began to feel her headaches disappearing. “This was before ‘Body-Mind Movement’ was a thing,” Yveline explained.
When Yveline moved back to New York with the idea of pursuing a career in bodywork, she received her certification through the Swedish Institute, a license from New York state, and fell in love with the science of medical massage. She has always been especially interested in “deep work,” specifically for dancers and athletes. After spending a few years in an office with a Chinese acupuncturist, Yveline was introduced to Joie Gregory of Ground Floor Exercise. She was impressed with the community that Joie had developed. “The networking is beautiful,” she said, “and it’s all done from the heart.” Joie invited Yveline to work in a room off of the Pilates studio. “She told me, here are the keys, come whenever you like," Yveline explained. In 2015, thirteen years later, she has never looked back.
On paper, Yveline’s history and training already sound impressive, but I can attest to the power, or shall I say, the magic, of her hands. She is truly an expert at her craft, understanding how every part of the body moves, and she is able to release all of the pressure that I experience in my back or legs whenever I book an appointment. Honestly, there is no one else that I would allow to manipulate me the way that she does. On a day that I had the Manhattan Sideways team visit, Olivia was treated to a five-minute session, as we were photographing Yveline at work, and came out confirming what I had told her. She was feeling, “tingly – like my body parts are all finally aligned as they should be.”