My name is: Anna Zahn.
I live in: LA, with quality time spent in NY, London and Cayman.
I’m known for being:
I never know how to answer this question! I think most know me to be eccentric, creative and unconventional. I never felt comfortable declaring a “job” for myself because I’m always pursuing, developing and growing different projects and endeavors. Even as Ricari has grown, my role has shifted, evolved and changed over the years. In a less literal sense, I feel my job as an individual is to foster connection, creativity, curiosity, compassion and vulnerability in myself in others.
I’m talking about:
The Ricari Method, which employs a tech-forward approach to conditioning skin, connective tissue (fascia), boosting fluid mobility (lymphatic drainage and blood circulation), activating collagen production and relaxing the nervous system. Our technology amplifies and refines traditional approaches to stimulating skin and connective tissue for a more gentle, but deeply effective treatment that is relaxing, rejuvenating and intersects beauty, well-being and recovery benefits.
You can find it at:
Ricari Studios in Los Angeles, New York, London and Cayman.
Before I started doing this work, I was:
I’ve always been a creative person, curious and provoking change in my environment. I have worked in dance, theater, film, photo, hospitality and wellness. Rather than look at this work as singular or separate, I try to create a synthesis of my experiences that allows for innovative approaches or different perspectives to the work I’m doing now.
My interest was sparked when:
I was first introduced to fascia as an extension of performance work, which led to an in-depth exploration of Rolfing and complimentary bodywork pursuits. Rolfing (and involvement in movement, Pilates, gyrotonic, theater and dance) fundamentally changed my perspective on the human body and sparked curiosity that continues to call to me today.
The idea behind it is:
You can think of your fascia and connective tissue like a three-dimensional spider’s web, holding our body together through a network of collagen fibers, latticed with adipose tissue (fatty deposits), interstitial fluids (like lymph and blood), organs, bones, joints and more. The tighter or more fibrous this metaphorical web becomes, the less fluidity, flexibility and fluid circulation you’ll experience. This can make the body more prone to muscle pain, poor circulation, cellulite, fluid retention, reduced mobility, stress, sluggishness, lax skin and general fatigue. Conditioning your tissue and fascia (ideally in more ways than one!) creates more inner mobility and optimal functionality of the body’s natural rejuvenation and detoxification systems.
My favorite lesser-known detail is:
That soft tissue and fascia can store memories—past emotional or psychological trauma, physical stress and I’d like to believe positive memories, as well. Though this can be a controversial topic and is still being studied in scientific realms, anecdotally and personally, I can attest to how opening, releasing, relaxing and exercising the fascia can release stuck, maladaptive systems adopted in trauma states, and open the body up to more pleasure, joy and flow.
Here are some interesting studies that explore this further:
Myofascial Tissue and Depression
Fascia is integral to our movement and health because:
Fascia is the inner tapestry that weaves us together, in a literal sense in terms of our body systems, but also in an emotional, spiritual and psychological sense. Liberation, vitality and freedom in our bodies can also translate to all other facets of self.
The words I live by are:
I’m always discovering, learning and opening to new thoughts and philosophies. But there’s a story I always come back to from one of my favorite books, Illusions, Tales of the Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach.
It tells the tale of creatures living along the bottom of a great crystal river, resisting the current as they had been taught from birth.
“But one creature said at last, ‘I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom.’”
That creature was at first injured and then, over time, was uplifted safely and said, “The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.”
One truth that is so important, but people don’t always realize is:
Belgian psychotherapist, Esther Perel, has a brilliant quotation about her parents that I think about often:
“They wanted to embrace vibrancy and vitality—in the mystical sense of the word, the erotic. I owe them much of my perspective on life, as well as my belief in the power of will, the search for meaning, and the resilience of the human spirit. To me, there is a world of difference between ‘not being dead’ and ‘being alive.’”
Often we can become stagnant, going through the motions or doing no more than being. I definitely struggle with this balance and try to remind myself that taking space for joy is vital and is a lifelong practice.