My Story
Philosophy
I am passionate about the importance of empowered birth, intuitive parenting and holistic care for the body. My skills and opinions concerning best practices have changed over the years, but a core philosophy that I've always held is best expressed by Caroline Myss, "Our biography becomes our biology."
Our tissue not only absorbs the physical injuries we have experienced over our lives, but it also holds our stories. The experiences of the body become woven into the spirit, leading to doubt and confusion or clarity and intuition. Through massage, we can drop into our bodies, quiet our minds and find our internal balance. In this mindful awareness, we can best determine what type of support, action, natural approach or medical intervention is best for our overall well-being and health.
Classes for Doulas and Bodyworkers
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Massage for Labor
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Empowered Birth After Cesarean Birth
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Anatomy of the Female Pelvis
All paths and diversions led me to create Flora Massage and Wellness Services in 2004. When I became a mother for the first time in 1995, I was working in inpatient psychiatric care. As a former student of modern dance and as a therapeutic recreation specialist, I could see an obvious connection between our bodies and emotions. Additionally, my desire to be the best possible mother for my new baby made me seek a parenting style and health philosophy that was grounded in becoming the expert on my child after he experienced a difficult cesarean birth.
Following my homebirths in 1998 and 1999, I began to envision a role for myself within our community. I wanted to provide services that would empower individuals to have gentler births; for themselves and their babies. I wanted to ease the transition from pregnancy to parenthood and provide services that would help babies transition to life outside the womb. After anchoring my own mothering energy and seeking my own internal balance by volunteering as a childbirth educator and labor support provider, I found myself pursuing a career in massage.
Perinatal support and advocacy have been my passion for over twenty years. I continue to learn from experts in my field, but most of my learning is done through listening to families. We are in an era in which we must learn to balance science with innate knowing. Evidenced-based care and supporting the inner wisdom of pregnant and postpartum people is key to optimizing outcomes for mothers and babies.
My Training
Massage Therapy, 500 Hour Training,
Associates of Integrative Health 2004
Advanced Healing Mentorship, Laughing Womyn Ashonosheni, 2004-2010
Reiki Level 1 & 2, Sierra Campbell 2004
Reiki Level 3-Gaia's Touch 2006
Cranioscaral Therapy I, Upledger Institute 2009
Craniosacral Therapy for Infants, Carol Gray 2010
Dancing for Birth Instructor Training, Stephanie Larson, 2011 & 2012
Craniosacral Therapy for Pregnancy, Birth and Postpartum, Carol Gray 2012
Spinning Babies Workshop, Gail Tully 2012
TummyTime!(tm), Michelle Emmanual 2012, 2013
Certified Lactation Specialist, LEC 2013
Practitioner Training for the Arivigo Technique of Maya Abdominal Massage, The Arvigo Institute 2013
Craniosacral Therapy for Breastfeeding, Dr. Alison Hazelbaker, 2015
Spinning Babies with Tammy Ryan, 2016
Advance CST for Infants with Carol Gray, 2017
Cranial Nerve Dysfunction in the Precrawling Baby,
Michelle Emanuel, 2018
Autonomic Nervous System Function, Michelle Emanual, 2019
Innate Postpartum Care Training, 2019-20
Infant Reflexology, 2021
Spinning Babies, 2022
I additionally hold a B.S in Therapeutic Recreation from Indiana University. From 1992 to 1998 I worked with children, adolescents, adults and elders offering both in-patient, out-patient and community based therapeutic recreation services. From 1998 to 2003, I volunteered my services in the community at Bloomington A teaching childbirth education, parenting classes and occasionally offering labor support services. In 2018, I became a founding member of the Maternal Advocates Resource Alliance and currently serve as a steering committee member. Through MARA and a grant from Indiana University's Center for Rural Engagement, I co-developed and have taught the MARA Community Postpartum Training.