Tell us about your massage school and other trainings:
It’s my passion to help people feel more at home in their bodies. Naturally, my journey began with my own body. After being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease I began questioning everything health related. This path led me to seek help from all avenues. Receiving regular bodywork, cranio-sacral therapy, was one of them. Receiving this kind of touch helped me find a deeper self awareness and to ’tune-in’ to what my body was trying to tell me. This was an important step in my healing journey. In 2018, I decided to switch career paths from outdoor therapeutic education to practicing bodywork. I graduated from a year-long program right here in Sandpoint, Idaho, in March of 2019. While in school I studied cranio-sacral therapy at the Upledger institute. And later completed a 2 year study in Biodynamic cranio-sacral therapy. Bodywork continues to teach me more about myself, others, and the human condition.
Massage School 930hrs. Sandpoint, ID. 2019
Cranio-Sacral Therapy Upledger Inst. levels 1 & 2, 2019
Cupping Basics, Spokane, WA. 2019
Biodynamic Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Body Intelligence, 10 course series, RCST 2020
Mayan Abdominal Massage, with Laura Clemmons, 2021
Cranial Base and Pelvic Bowl CST, with Etienne Piersman, 2022
Advanced Trainings; lower legs and pelvis, Til Luchau, 2022
What bodywork are you currently studying?
Recently I have been learning more about treating the jaw and TMJ (temporomandibular joint). This area can hold a lot of tension and become restricted to the point of causing headaches, vertigo, pelvic misalignments, and add undue stress to the nervous system. I’ve learned as the jaw lets go of tension so does the pelvic floor; their posture is often reciprocal. These new intraoral techniques have really been making a difference for my clients.
What do you want people to know about their body?
It’s regenerative. You are constantly making yourself anew. Everyday your body roughly creates 330 billion new cells, this is about 1% of your total cells. You are an amazing healer, it’s innate and natural. Patience. Your body is your home. Trust in the process. You are in control. You are powerful. You are capable of healing.
What do you want people to know about health and wellness?
Often health care becomes a focus when there is a problem, a dysfunction. But it doesn’t have to be reactive. Rather it can be proactive, and become a state of being. I encourage you to get clear about what health means to you. This way you can begin to embody that definition.
Self-Care Advice
Slow down, slow down in every way to learn the art and beauty of BEing-ness. When you slow down you are gifted with presence; the ability to observe. From here you can truly discern what’s best for yourself, moment to moment. This takes practice. Be kind along the way.
What is your favorite system in the body?
When practicing bodywork I am always keeping the nervous system in my awareness. It seems to be the commander in chief of all the systems; sensing the environment, perceiving safety, signaling the production of hormones, taking action, producing thoughts, generally deciding what’s best for the organism. Fun fact, in just 15 seconds of touch the nervous system communicates to the endocrine system to produce oxytocin, the happy hormone! It’s also fascinating how the nerves are intertwined with the fascia, the connective tissue of the body. So no matter where I am working on the body I am tuning into the motility of the nerves to best support their original health.
Favorite thing to do in Sandpoint?
To enjoy this beautiful place! I love playing outside and simply being in nature.