About Heather
Ever since I was a young dancer I’ve been fascinated by how bodies work. While my mother was in massage school, I remember stealing her anatomy books to puzzle over the muscles and bones. However, after my dancer career was cut short due to unexplained chronic pain, I began to be more interested in how to support healing processes in the body.
My own healing journey led me to discover many of the modalities that I now offer. My constant curiosity and the questions posed by clients inspire my ongoing investigations. The constellation of my work includes two decades of training in mind-body movement combined with manual therapy as well as coaching modalities.
Each session is unique and tailored to your individual needs. My role is to help you identify how your body wants to heal, grow, and learn and to support the unfolding of that process.
My practice is affirming of all body shapes, sizes, and colors, celebrates all stripes of the LGBTQIA+ rainbow, and aims to support a diversity of neurotypes.
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When I began with Heather, I was very afraid to walk outside and I had very limited mobility and strength which would allow one to participate in life. Heather has a real understanding of my limitations, fears and vulnerabilities. She created a very insightful, challenging, and inventive program that has kept me walking and out of a wheelchair. I continually learn new things and feel securely supported in my work with her. I am able to express my views and feelings, my fears and goals in a safe environment.
-Andrea D.
Some of the major trainings & lineages that inform my work include:
Movement
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Certified GYROTONIC® & GYROKINESIS® Instructor (a full list of the trainings I have taken is available here)
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Pilates (full STOTT Pilates certification)
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BA in Dance Studies, Grinnell College
Body Work
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Licensed Massage Therapist (Michigan License #7501001258)
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Neuromuscular Technique & Trigger Point Release Certification through the Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy
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Myofascial Release Therapy and Fascial Stretch Certification through the Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy
Coaching
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Organic Intelligence Certified Coach
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Certified Meditation Coach & Integrative Life Coach through the Sura Center program
Gratitude and Acknowledgements: These are some of the teachers, mentors, and thinkers whose work has been foundational to mine.
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Irmgard Bartenieff and Rudolph von Laban—the work of these two movement pioneers underpinned much of my study of dance in college. Laban's understanding of spatial awareness and Bartenieff's understanding of developmental movement continue to inform m work.
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Tom Myers and Anatomy Trains—research in the fascia field has moved far and fast during the course of my career, but Tom Myers was one of the early thinkers who got me interested in better understanding the interrelations of the fascial network.
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Eric Franklin—understanding discrete aspects of anatomy isn't the same thing as being able to visualize the dynamic interplay of anatomy in motion. The work of Eric Franklin was one of the early influences in my work toward a more nuanced visualization of anatomy.
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Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen—in addition to being an ongoing inspiration to me of how to live a good life, Cohen's work has greatly influenced my understanding of anatomy and the workings of the body. In particular, the way she relates embryology to movement development has opened up new avenues of wonder for me.
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Nic Askew and the Inner View Method taught me about stillness and how to see people, not least of all, myself.
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Steve Hoskinson (of Organic Intelligence) revolutionized how I think about coaching and my roll as a healing arts practitioner. Kevin Lanoue has also been a mentor and a consistent source of support in my OI journey.
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In the GYROTONIC® method, I have benefitted from in-depth study with: Juliu Horvath (the creator of the method), Lisa Lansing, Erica Hassan, Jeurgen Bamberger, Aimee McDonald, and Alissa Waller.
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In my Pilates study, I have been grateful to learn both classical and contemporary Pilates from a number of teachers. Among them: Jeff Woodman, Eva Powers, Gayle Eubanks, Amy Kubo-Slowik, Pilates elder Mary Bowen, Brent Anderson of Polestar Pilates, and Shari Berkowitz of The Vertical Workshop. I am also grateful to Amy Havens who was my original inspiration on this path and to Jessica Berson who was a Pilates mentor, a friend, and my college advisor. And of course, although I never had the opportunity to study with him, I can't fail to mention Joseph Pilates whose ideas were pivotal to the beginning of my journey in the healing arts.
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In my bodywork study, I had an excellent education from all of the teachers at the Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy, especially Christia West, Amber Riddle, Jocelyn Granger, and David Van Eck. I am also grateful to Dr. Jay Sandweiss and Julie Jeffery Peale for their early encouragement and mentoring in principles of osteopathy and structural integration. And of course I can't forget my first massage teacher: thank you, Mom!
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In the fields of coaching and energy work, Sura (of Sura Flow) gave me my foundational coaching and meditation training and significant encouragement on developing my own approaches. I also benefitted from an extended course of study in Human Design—I think of it as art appreciation for human beings—with special thanks to my teacher, Darshana Deborah Mathews. The work of Eileen Day McKusick in Biofield Tuning has helped to inform how I think about energy work, as has my study of Psych-K.
My work is offered in gratitude to all of my teachers. My greatest teacher is always the client who is in front of me, who I hold as the true master that guides my work in each moment.