At our business, Ohana Somatic Therapies, my husband Thomas and I work with people and animals with a wide variety of therapies. We are both certified massage therapists, as well as Hanna Somatic Educators for people and horses. In addition to the equine somatic work, I also hold certification in equine and canine bodywork as well as small and large animal acupressure. For those of you unfamiliar with Hanna Somatic Education, it is a slow and gentle process using our neurological system to release contracted muscle to its' resting length. What this evolves into is the ability to regain access to muscles which have been held in contraction over time due to injury, illness, stress, overuse, or simply by inefficient body mechanics - "habitual movements" that are no longer really serving us except to keep us in patterns of movement that are uncomfortable or even painful. Hanna Somatic Education gives both animals and humans back the ability to use our bodies efficiently as well as more comfortably. For both human and animal athletes this means better performance and better injury prevention. Our work is often found to be an excellent form of pain management, both for people and animals. My client base with dogs ranges from puppies to seniors, backyard pets and nationally competitive dogs and horses.
Both Thomas and I received our first certifications as massage therapists in the late 1990's. Since then we have continued to learn and grow in our abilities to better serve our community.