When people ask me how long I’ve been practicing massage & Yoga, I answer that I’ve been practicing since 1982: and yoga since 1976. I find it hard to believe that I’ve had the privilege of practicing & teaching in a career that I love so much for so long! How did I get into this, what is my experience, and what is my background, healing philosophy and strategy? That follows.

History and Personal Experience
Many years ago I was in a car accident which resulted in a bad case of whiplash and eventually led me to the massage table of a woman named Kristin. I had never had a massage before but I clearly remember to this day the sense of caring and attention that I received and the fact that I felt so relaxed afterward that I literally floated home. This experience changed the course of my life. I found the focus of alternative health care disciplines to be entirely different than anything I had ever experienced in Western medical care and I went on to study everything I could find in the field of alternative health care and Oriental healing arts.

In alternative and Oriental therapies, I found great respect for the uniqueness of each person; a focus on understanding the relationships between various aspects of the body, mind and spirit; and an effort toward understanding each individual as a whole person. I began my alternative healing journey with the study of Polarity. Dr. Randolph Stone, the originator, wrote that the relationships between mind, body and spirit are the basis of health and healing. He described something called "energy fields", which was a new and fascinating concept to me, and how disease results when these "energy fields" are out of balance.

When I received polarity sessions, I would feel remarkable shifts taking place in my body, old tensions and long held emotions melting away and then feel tremendous peace of mind after a session. Although I was nowhere near understanding how all of these changes took place, my own clients had similar experiences and loved the work as well. Each healing discipline that I studied took a different focus of action, but every one of them took into consideration the whole person, their personal concerns and how that person functioned in the world.

Strategy and Philosophy
When I work with clients now, my intention is to assist them in understanding the patterns in their lives that lead to stress, illness and disease, and to activate healing energy and the relaxation response utilizing the healing arts that are appropriate to their condition and needs (see Modalities for more info). I also give clients resources to take home such as yoga movements and breathing techniques to help relieve stress and to bring internal harmony and peace of mind. I believe, and have personally experienced, that the body has the wisdom to heal itself. Whenever a client requests it, I give the all the information that I have available that can assist them in self-healing.

If the client desires, we can create a personalized health plan which can inspire a more positive, balanced perspective on life and assist the client in reconnecting with vital healing energy. This plan might include a regular Shiatsu massage, NMT massage, Polarity session, etc.; a personalized yoga, meditation & breathing practice, nutritional suggestions and other related resources.

Yoga: History, Background, Philosophy
In teaching Yoga classes, my focus is to give each student a background in the empowering aspects of yoga philosophy and to teach Hatha Yoga in a way that they gain strength, flexibility, relaxation, inner harmony and a deeper understanding of their own way of being in the world. Yoga isn’t about doing the perfect posture. It is a journey of self-discovery and of learning what is appropriate to the individual in their own journey to wholeness.

My own practice of yoga and meditation over the past 30 years has proved its worth by keeping me exceptionally healthy and able to carry on with the intense physical demands of a very busy massage therapy practice and Yoga teaching schedule. I feel a profound satisfaction in what I do and am always working to deepen my own knowledge and skills in alternative healing arts in order to bring the best to my clients. I love the challenges that teaching yoga has brought since my first Yoga Teacher Training in 1988 and have a lifetime dedication to applying the wisdom I’ve gained for the benefit of my students.

Because I am aware of the direct connections of the environment and economy on personal and overall community health I have been involved in various community economic and ecological projects over the years. I received a B.A. in Social Ecology in 1980 and an M.S. in Community Economic Development in 2004. I have been practicing Healing Arts since 1982 and am a Certified Massage Therapist in Maryland, Diplomat in Asian Bodywork, Registered Polarity Practitioner, member of Kripalu Yoga Teacher’s Association (500 hour level), Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500 hour level), NCCAOM, ABMP and have been trained and/or certified in the following: