July 26, 2013
Lynne Marotta is a master Callanetics teacher and an associate instructor of Ortho-Bionomy®. She teaches Callanetics classes in four Bergen County towns, including at the Leonia Recreation Center. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor in fine arts degree in graphic design and industrial design. She has lived in Leonia, with her husband, Ron Rosario, for 15 years. Together, they raised six children: Ronald Ian, Deirdre, Dominic, Perry, Julia and Emily.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, an upscale suburb of Detroit. My four brothers and I are 10th-generation Detroiters. My ancestors, the Belanger’s, were among the first French families, including the Cadillac’s, who came to “New France” in the early 1700s. They were the earliest settlers in Detroit, and helped form the city. I was the first ever to leave the area when I moved East in 1982. My leaving led the way for the rest of my family.
Q: Why did you leave?
A: After I graduated from college, I was hired by IBM in Kingston, NY, and worked there for a year. I wasn’t too fond of Kingston so I took road trips most weekends searching for more simpatico cities to live. When I visited Boston, I said, “This is it!” I moved there and got a great consulting job, working with exciting and diverse companies like Nickelodeon and Joseph Abboud. I also taught at Montserrat College of Art for two years. It was there that I developed my passion for teaching. I also met my first husband.
Q: How did you go from teaching graphic design to teaching Callanetics?
A: I moved back to Detroit with my husband and infant son Perry, and taught design at the Center for Creative Studies. From the age of 17 I began to experience back pain and by my 30s, I was in almost constant pain to the point where I couldn’t even carry my baby. I heard about Callanetics, a non-aerobic exercise that strengthens and lengthens muscles in the knees, back and neck. I had tried everything else to help with my back and was almost out of options when I went to a class, did some bar and floor exercises, and felt my spine lengthen straight up! Although it took me two years to become pain-free, I liked and believed in Callanetics so much that I became a certified teacher a year later.
Q: Why did you move back to the East Coast?
A: Inspired by my healing, my mom and two brothers also became Callanetics teachers. As a family, we moved to New York City and opened a studio in Carnegie Hall. We were teaching 40 classes a week and eventually opened a second studio. After three years of intense study, I became a master teacher; my mentor was the founder of Callanetics, Callan Pinkney. I became her “ambassador,” and spent half my time traveling all over the world teaching other teachers.
Q: What was your favorite country?
A: I love Sweden, and if it weren’t for the endless dark days of winter, I might be living there now.
Q: How did you meet your husband Ron?
A: He was a student at our Carnegie Hall studio. He’s a classical homeopath, and we had much in common, including children. He had three and I had one by a previous marriage. We had two more together.
Q: Why did you move to Leonia?
A: We needed a bigger place. There were six of us: two adults, a 13-year old, an 8-year old, a toddler and an infant, living in a 2-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. One of Ron’s clients, Donna Racik, lived in Leonia, and invited us to dinner. We loved the town, and rented our house on High Street a month later. We still love it!
Q: How did you transition from Callanetics world ambassador to teaching at the Leonia Rec Center?
A: When we left the city, raising our kids became my top priority. I needed to clear my plate. For the first time, I literally stopped to smell the roses. I became a class mom, met wonderful friends at ACS, ran the Cub Scouts with my husband for three years, took walks around town, and ran a pod of The Purple Dragon Co-op. The Rec provided me an opportunity to introduce Callanetics to Leonia, and for the past 15 years, I’ve taught four classes a week. My first students were mostly members of the Players Guild of Leonia, and introduced me to many wonderful people in town.
Q: When did you develop an interest in Ortho-Bionomy®?
A: In 2001, I fell down my basement stairs and injured my spine at L5. I couldn’t stand, walk, sleep or sit in a car without going into spasms. I couldn’t do Callanetics either. I was a mess! A friend in NYC said, “I have a colleague coming in from Wisconsin who may be able to help you. She practices osteopathic-based bodywork based on the premise that the body inherently knows how toheal and self-correct, given the opportunity.” After one session, I got immediate relief, and said, “I want to practice this!” One month later, I took my first Ortho-Bionomy® class in Manhattan. I wanted to learn all I could. After four years I became the first practitioner in New Jersey. I plan to be an instructor by the end of the year.
Q: How can someone in pain learn more about Ortho-Bionomy®.?
A: There’s a great book called “Ortho-Bionomy®: The Path to Self Care” and a website ortho-bionomy.org.
Q: What do you most appreciate about Leonia?
A: Everything, but I especially love the Leonia Market, since I only cook organic, locally grown, antibiotic-free, unprocessed foods. They stock hard-to-find foods including Amish farm eggs and milk from grass-fed cows. They have fresh produce as well, but I get most of my organic produce from the Purple Dragon Food Co-op, which I ran for 10 years. Also, whenever we need a special gift we walk over to our favorite shop, “The Craft Lounge”.
Q: What do you do when you’re not teaching or studying?
A: My husband and I both enjoy garage sales, painting and sculpting with clay. We’ve donated our art to the ACS Art Auction for several years, my gouache paintings and his clay sculptures. I’ve also helped hang paintings for the ACS Art Fair. I miss being the parent of an ACS student. The ACS parent community is a wonderful force.
Q: What’s your favorite destination in Leonia?
A: We enjoy the theatrical productions at the Civil War Drill Hall Theater. Ron and I are both members of the Players Guild of Leonia. He got involved through Leonia actress and director, Dori Persson, who gave him a bit part in a play she was directing. He got hooked on acting, and for many years has considered the Guild his second home. I was in charge of hospitality. It’s something our entire family still enjoys.
Q: What’s next?
A: A life full of health challenges has led me down this obscure healing path. I want to train the trainers to work with others and learn to heal themselves, as I have done. Someday I’d like to open a healing center with my husband and my partner in Ortho-Bionomy®, and educate people on a variety of alternative healing methods. I want to train Ortho-Bionomy® practitioners, in New Jersey, to service our community.
Leonia Lives 