Bainbridge Island Herbal Medicine, Herbalist, somatics, pilates

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU FOLLOW YOUR HEART,

YOU WIL BE GUIDED TO ACHIEVE YOUR WILDEST DREAMS. 

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My path has seen quite a few twists and turns, but I could not be more thrilled about where it is taking me. I have taught herbal medicine at world renown retreat centers, Qi gong classes at several colleges, ran a professional dance company, spent 20 years teaching movement (pilates, GYROTONIC®, and qi gong) in both physical therapy offices and private studios, ran a successful acupuncture and herbal medicine private practice,  and always followed my heart. The work I do is who I am, and I hope to be able to share of piece of that with you.

 

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ROOTS

 

I grew up amongst urban sprawl, and fell madly in love with the trees and the forest when I got to college. After debating art vs. science, I wound up with a degree in dance, and a minor in costume design. Little did I know then, that my career would always be about balancing art and science.

After undergrad, I was called by the plants, and got a job arranging flowers for large scale events.  I was also running a small dance company in San Francisco, and loving every moment of both. It was at this time that an old teacher reached out to me to be trained to teach pilates in her small studio. As I was already trained in GYROTONIC® exercise at this point, teaching movement was a good fit for me. I have continued to teach pilates and GYROTONIC® exercise for the next 20 years in both physical therapy offices and pilates studios.

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GROWTH

 

I was at a training course in Florida when the teacher began talking about "energy meridians". At this point, I had tried acupuncture quite a few times, but knew next to nothing about it. However, learning about the correlation between ancient energy lines in the body and movement was a huge "light bulb moment" for me. When I returned home, I immediately applied to acupuncture school and set off to achieve my master's degree in Chinese Medicine. 

While in grad school, I was introduced to the amazing world of medical qi gong, by my beloved teacher, Dr. Suzanne Friedman. I knew immediately that this ancient marriage between movement and health was a crucial piece in my training. I went on to become a medical qi gong practitioner studying under Dr. Friedman.

It was also at this time that my passion for herbal medicine blossomed. I spent 4 years within my graduate program immersed in in-depth study of herbal medicine, learning both how individual herbs function, as well as how formulas created out of multiple herbs come together to heal the body. After grad school, I expanded my herbal knowledge beyond Chinese herbs, seeking teachers who are experts in their fields incorporating both Western and Eastern herbal medicine practices and ideologes.  I have since become a professional clinical herbalist, registered with the American Herbalist Guild. 

In addition, after achieving my masters degree, I ran my own acupuncture clinic for 7 years, as well as practiced  at the UC Berkeley athletic department, and the San Francisco Homeless Pre-natal Project.  Throughout this time, I was always striving to find a balance between my movement, acupuncture, and herbal medicine practices. 

 

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BLOOM

 

So here I am, living in one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is an honor and privilege that I get to share my life's work with my clients on a daily basis. Some folks come to me for more heart-centered work-outs, some come to see me for pain management and movement therapy. Some of my clients come to me solely for herbal consultations, and some come to me for a combination of herbal consult and movement therapy.  I see clients with chronic health conditions, women's health concerns, fertility struggles, pre-natal and post-natal concerns, general or seasonal wellness questions, issues with anxiety, sleep, and stress management, and so much more. I have a toolbox full of a variety of modalities to assist in my clients healing and well-being. My quest for wellness knowledge is on-going as I am constantly exploring different healing modalities, as well as strengthening my understanding of the body.

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I AM DEDICATED  TO HELPING EVERY CLIENT STRENGTHEN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR BODY, HOW THEY CAN HEAL, AND HOW THEY CAN THRIVE. 

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TRAINING + ACCREDITATION

 

 

• Masters of Science in Chinese Medicine , Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College,  Berkeley CA

• Licensed Acupuncturist, State of California Acupuncture Board

• Nationally Certified Herbalist, American Herbalist Guild

• Medical Qi Gong Practitioner, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College,  Berkeley CA

• Bachelor of Arts in Movement, Dance, & Choreography, UC Santa Cruz

• Pilates Master in Assessment, Studio M, Sonoma CA

• GYROTONIC® +GYROKINESIS® Trainer, Gyrotonic International

• Pilates Equipment and Mat Trainer, Harmony Body Kinetics, Carmel, CA 

 

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MY EXPANDERS

 

This is my short-list (as there have been so many), of folks that have truly expanded my idea about what life can look like, and what I can achieve. Thank you. You have all helped me more than you could ever know.

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Suzanne Friedman, Frances Ward White, Linda Zanville, Benjamin Rappoport, Laurie Cunnihan Childs, Mel Wong, Connie Kreemer, Leslie Tierra, Marilyn Moss, Dennis VonElgg, Ben Zappin, Darren Huckle, Linda Croyle, Olava Menczowska, Liam McDermott, Brian Weisbach, Sierra-Maria Magdelena, Erin Wilkins

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