Its Connected Bodywork

I come from people who tended the land, plants and each other. Growing up I was either out in the woods exploring or making something creative. In 2000 I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Nutritional Science that gave me a strong science based foundation on how the chemistry of food can treat disease within the body. After graduating college I found myself wanting to know more about how to support and empower people rather than treat disease. I went on to study Herbal Medicine at Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in New York and The Center for Herbal Studies in New Jersey. I am always learning and relearning from the deep relationships between plants and people. When I moved to Philly in 2002 I taught herb classes at a variety of places including my home, health food stores, collective wellness centers and local non profits. I led herb walks, taught plant ID, remedy making, and gardening. In 2008 to complement my knowledge of plants I took a course in Shiatsu bodywork learning both western and eastern views on the body as well as a variety of treatment techniques. In 2009 I became a mom and while my daughter was young I focused my attention on her and connected with friends and family. My interest in creating art during this time grew and I opened a jewelry design business/creative outlet, Asarum Designs. Once she started school in 2013 I was back to work, running a small gardening business in NW Philly. Those years of gardening for a variety of people proved the impact that plants can have on the emotional state and health of people. I created and tended many gardens that have become cherished places of refuge as well as healthy nourished homes for the plants. As I enter a new stage of my life now in 2024 and as the world moves toward a way that demands so much of us, much more than we can offer some days, I find myself wanting to provide care and support to those that want to be free from the hardness the world seems to demand. We are soft, caring, people of the land and we have been forced so far from that calling, physically and emotionally. As a massage therapist with lots of wisdom from the plant world, I am dedicated to supporting and empowering people to care for themselves and in turn care for those around them. I look forward to connecting