I remember the moment my passion for studying the body was first ignited. It was 1984 and I was receiving an individual session from Judith Aston, the creator of Aston-Kinetics. I felt her listening hands mold my body back into efficiency and ease as if I was simply a piece of malleable clay. I experienced tangibly just how willing my body was to re-align itself, self-correct and restore its optimal functioning when given the right kind of attention and listening touch.

I was intrigued, I wanted to learn how to work with the body in this way. Within a few weeks I had registered for the 1000+ hour training in Aston-Kinetics, to learn the fascial and joint mobilization methods, the movement education principles and the fitness training. After completing the Aston certification training I continued to study the works of other Somatic pioneers, especially the work of Gerda Alexander of Eutony and Charlottle Selver of Sensory Awareness. Trainings in Aikido, Yoga, Continum and Contact Improvisational Dance have also informed my practice.

At the same time I continued my studies in Manual Therapy, specifically, the Osteopathic manual therapies of Cranial Sacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, Lymphatic Drainage, Brain Curriculum and Fluid Dynamics. I was lucky to study with some of the great teachers, John Upledger DO, Frank Lowen, Rachel Brooks MD and Bruno Chikley DO. From these very amazing teachings I further developed my palpation skills and the understanding of the body as one flexible piece with everything connected to everything else.

Then one day I discovered the classical teachings of Qigong from China and in particular the Qigong system of Mantak Chia. It was surprising to recognize how many of the Somatic principles were aligned with the basic premises of movement and fitness training in ancient China. I immersed myself in Qigong and spent a number of years assisting and teaching at Tao Garden, Mantak Chia’s Healing Tao Retreat center in Northern Thailand. I became a Healing Tao Qigong Senior Instructor and a Senior Instructor for the Chinese abdominal massage systems of Chi Nei Tsang and Karsai Nei Tsang.

Over the years I have trained myself in multiple traditions and practices from around the world. Integrative Embodiment is the synthesis of my studies. The beauty of this method is how these traditions intersect to form a particularly restorative practice.