Referral Practitioners
Impact Fitness Oakland - Liam
For those looking to participate in weekly group trainings tailored to their collective fitness level, I recommend Coach Liam at Impact Fitness Oakland. His goal is to make a lifetime impact and produce long-lasting results and habits that will stick with you. I've observed the transformation and effects his training has had on the wellbeing of many clients, and it's quite a rare thing. Coaches should be accessible, supportive and motivational, and Liam truly embodies these qualities. His training is beginner friendly, he works with all levels of fitness, and offers nutrition coaching services as well. He involves movements that your body is designed to do, which are functional by nature. If you are looking to change your body composition, get stronger, or just to move and feel better, I would recommend both his coaching and group training programs.
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https://impactfitnessoakland.com/
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Alex Mart Bodywork
For subtle, integrative, and intuitive sessions, I highly recommend bodywork with Alex Mart. Alex is a talented Craniosacral Therapist, and her hands are great listeners! If you are familiar with my approach to "unwinding", you will probably notice some similarities between our methods. Alex is an expert in holding space, and working with trauma patterns that the body has been organizing around. Helping the nervous system accept change is Alex's specialty and can bring profound results for the whole body.
Many of my clients are familiar with our emphasis on kinesthesis, and re-associating with areas of the body we have become disconnected from for various reasons. The body’s natural ability to feel, heal and self-correct is often compromised due to overwork, injuries, emotional or physical stress, habits, and trauma. Building this capacity to connect with our bodies through unwinding, presence-focused bodywork, and movement yields enormous potential. Benefits of this kind of work include chronic pain management and healing, reduction of injury risks, increases in ROM, and improved athletic performance and muscle recruitment. The focus on mind-body connection is rapidly gaining traction and becoming more recognized in contemporary fitness and athletic modalities, including with the American Council on Exercise.
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This work is also helpful if you are feeling pent up, stressed or burnt out, wired and tired, have chronic pain, anxiety, tension and holding, headaches, back/shoulder/neck pain, muscle spasms, irritable bowel, are recovering from trauma and injuries such as whiplash, sprains, etc., and/or if the world just feels like a lot to be with.
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Alex has mastered the skill of bringing intention and presence to nurture the body as a whole, whilst coaxing stuck body patterns towards change. Craniosacral therapy gently helps muscles, the nervous system, and whole body to unwind, release and return to a healthier functional baseline by signaling it's safe to both relax and be engaged.
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East Bay Sports Massage
For deep tissue and sports, I recommend Aden Sinclair with East Bay Sports Massage. Aden is meticulous, straightforward, and effective. They have developed an exceptionally thorough intake process that helps inform their strategy, and use that specificity to create structural change. They also really deliver on the pressure you need! In addition to a great treatment, you'll receive rich information about what's going on with your body, and suggestions to improve your mobility and body mechanics. I've enjoyed watching Aden perform orthopedic testing and assessments to put together pieces of a complex puzzle, in addition to gathering information and adapting the approach throughout the session. Sound familiar? Give Aden a try!
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https://www.eastbaysportsmassage.com/​​
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Connor Weprin Acupuncture
I have shared countless referrals with Connor, and my clients have consistently reported positive treatment outcomes working with him. He was a massage therapist for almost 10 years prior to studying Eastern Medicine, and I am often impressed with his orthopedic background and structural approach. Connor has a passion for continuing education, and it shows. He is always sharing his wealth of knowledge, as well as integrated Eastern/Western strategies for healthy living. A kind, supportive, effective (and witty!) practitioner, Connor is always a pleasure to work with.
Life Chiropractic - Melissa Crago, DC
I've been working with many chiropractors and tried various approaches since I was 10 years old, and I can say that Dr Melissa is one of the most deft and skilled practitioners I've ever met. She also offers highly specialized Cranial Facial Release (CFR) to release fixated cranial bones. Her office is only a few blocks from my studio in Rockridge, and she has also opened a second location in the Grand Lake area. Dr Melissa has extensive education in biology, physiology and public health, and an athletics background, as well as various certifications using corrective exercise, structural, functional, and clinical approaches to improving her patients' health.
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Touching Chi - Jak Noble
Jak Noble is a Taoist Healing Energetics Practitioner, and just a wonderful human. Interacting with Jak, you will quickly see someone who has been steeped in the studies and philosophy of the Tao. Chi Nei Tsang, Taoist Abdominal Massage, connects directly with the abdomen and internal organs where charges are stored.
I find several of his analogies to be helpful in describing the approach. It's like cleaning out a fish tank and replacing the water. Our brains are great thought processors. But asking your brain to process emotions is like asking your lungs to digest food. Emotions cannot be thought-through. They have to be felt-through. The abdomen is the emotional processor. From a Taoist/Traditional Eastern Medicine perspective, emotions are processed in a manner similar to digestion. Unprocessed emotional charges get stored in the vital abdominal organs. This can cause long-term issues such as nervous disorders, chronic digestive problems, depression and anxiety.
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During Chi Nei Tsang sessions, the current status of your self is revealed, allowing emotional release and processing. This has positive effects emotionally, mentally, and physically. Revealing is healing!
https://www.touchingchi.com/
