Spine-related reasons clients seek my help:
- Arm or leg pain
- Breathing issues
- Limited range of spinal movement
- Low back stiffness and pain
- Neck movement restriction
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Postural concerns
- Rib cage tightness and pain
- SI joint pain
- Tingly hands/fingers
Learn more about the spine
I’ve read that up to 80% of Americans (from adolescents to the elderly) will experience back pain at some time in their lives. In fact, back pain is considered the third most common reason for visits to the doctor’s office, behind skin disorders and osteoarthritis/joint disorders.
If you’re living with back pain, you know that it can disrupt your life and, in some cases, force you to either change the way you do things or stop doing certain things completely. My job is to help you regain and maintain as much functional movement as possible.
The spine is a complex system. From the tailbone to base of the skull, most adults have 24 vertebrae, which must work together to allow for spinal movement in four directions. A healthy, fully-functional spine, must move in multiple directions every day for optimal health. The basic movement patterns are:
- Picking something up off the floor (flexion)
- Arching the back with a big yawn (extension)
- Bending sideways to pick up a purse/briefcase (lateral flexion)
- Looking for the blind spot while driving (rotation)
The combination of these functional directions can overwork some muscles and call in other muscles to get the job done. These types of compensations create unhealthy movement patterns which, in turn, limit our physical function. I’m here to help you create healthier patterns and to increase your function and reduce your pain.
Somatic yoga therapy is an effective, holistic way to regain free and confident movement, expand your breath, and restore your posture.
How this therapy works
Muscle movement comes from the brain via a steady two-way communication stream within the nervous system. Sometimes, repetitive movement patterns of daily life overwork specific muscle groups to the extent that they can no longer access the communication stream. This is called “sensory-motor amnesia,” or SMA.
Somatic yoga therapy helps us locate areas of SMA and reteach the neural pathways on how to access the communication stream. The therapy is a partnership between therapist and client. As the client learns to sense and feel their body from the inside out, the therapist guides the client through very small, slow movements to lessen or eliminate SMA. Neural muscular reeducation takes place, the communication stream is reestablished, and functional movement improves.
Ready to get started?
If you are currently under a doctor’s care, receiving physical therapy, or visiting a chiropractor, please schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation to discuss when would be the best time for you to begin your somatic yoga therapy.
Otherwise, schedule your first appointment, either in person in my Saint Paul studio or as a virtual visit.
I look forward to working with you!