Gentle Somatic Movement and Yoga Therapy Classes Online
Mondays: 9:30 am OR Saturdays: 10 am
Have you ever felt you could be more fully yourself in your body?
Do you have chronic areas of tension or pain you would like to relieve?
Do you want more ease in your movement or mobility in your joints?
Discover how your body feels when it works the way it should!
Somatic Movement and Yoga Therapy Classes with Embodiment specialist Donna Brooks are a gentle and effective way to develop pain free mobility, improved wellbeing and deep levels of comfort in your own skin.
Every 4 weeks we start a new series, and explore the interdependencies and relationships of each function of the body in relation to the whole.
Topics include better balance, happy feet, health for hamstrings, better breathing, pelvic floor issues, or freeing neck and shoulder pain. We also work with nervous system regulation and emotional freedom.
Each series is powerful on its own, but also builds into related material for the next series AND integrates with previous series. The result is that you transform your experience of being in your own body.
Get tools and understanding to relieve chronic stress patterns that feed into aches and pain, strain, anxiety and limitations in movement.
Ultimately, these classes allow you to connect to unknown parts of yourself - bringing wholeness and ease to life.
Next upcoming series:
4 Weeks for the Resilience of your Pelvic Floor
Saturday 10am or Monday 9:30 am
May 4/6, 11/13, 19/20, 25/27.
We will explore the smooth and supportive movements of your pelvic floor and how it is integrated with your entire body and nervous system.
Join the live classes:
4 Weeks for the Resilience of your Pelvic Floor.
We will:
- Connect your diagrammatic breathing to the pelvic diaphragm and the other 3 diaphragms in your body
- Re-pattern pelvic floor problems from the feet up- including arches, ankles, knees and hips and jaw.
- Understand the different layers of the pelvic floor and offer movement exercises to balance each
- Understand why both strength and relaxation are crucial to preventing or improving prolapse.
Your pelvic floor, when operating well, has both the strength and fluidity of a jellyfish. It's smooth and strong and by honoring its natural intelligence you can also smooth out your emotional life.
As always, classes are gentle so you can safely circumvent trouble areas in your body and mind, restoring your ability to experience life in a positive way.
You can experience long term pain relief, increased mobility with agility, emotional resilience, calm and more comfort in your skin.
Introducing your somatic movement teacher: Donna Brooks
My name is Donna Brooks, and for over 35 years, I have been helping people gain insight into their bodies and lives through yoga therapy, somatic movement, and the healing arts.
Perhaps for the first time in your adult life, you will experience your whole body and how good it feels when it works the way it was designed to.
My clients regularly report that they experience:
- Long term pain relief.
- Increased mobility and agility.
- Emotional resilience and calmness.
- Being more comfortable in their skin.
"
"I have been attending Donna’s classes, both in-person and via Zoom, for a couple of years.
As a physician specializing in chronic pain management, I have learned that developing the mind/body connection is the most essential tool for relieving pain and enhancing function. Donna is a master at developing, sharing, and teaching techniques to strengthen the mind/body connection.
She has helped me to heal and prevent injuries. And the understanding I have gained about my body, by attending her classes, has been invaluable for both my personal health and my professional life as an educator about pain. I would recommend her classes for anyone who either suffers from chronic pain or who simply wants to better understand how their body works.”
William Cutler, Northampton MA
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"Donna is a gifted teacher who truly understands the workings of the human body and translates this into practical teachings that help her students of all ages move more freely and decrease discomfort.
She combines her background in somatics, yoga, and movement in a unique, gentle movement approach that provides amazing results. After class, students have often shared that they not only feel much better physically, but they also feel calmer and more relaxed. It’s a pleasure to participate in Donna’s classes — doing something good for oneself that feels great at the same time."
Jenny Golay
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"I’ve been a student of Donna’s after initially taking her Walking Clinic in 2012.
Through her wonderful class offerings, I learned to unwind chronic pain and discomfort that plagued me for years. Donna has a delightful demeanor, a caring attitude, and abundant curiosity about the systems of the body. She beautifully translates anatomical and somatic concepts into accessible and enjoyable practices for her students. I highly recommend joining her classes, or having a private session, if you desire moving with ease.”
Lisa Enzer, MA / CYT
"
"It is hard to put into words what essentially happens experientially through the body...
... and not so much through the mind. The description of Donna's approach and its impact on people expressed in the testimonials I find really make more sense after you have had the opportunity to experience the process. I started the group classes online to address a chronic pain in my buttocks, and after 4 sessions not only have it resolved, but feel like I am starting a whole new understanding of how to be in relationship to my body and my senses. I wish I could have started this earlier in my life.
I have worked with people in this field before and find Donna to be remarkably knowledgeable, imaginative, responsive, and soothing."
Alison Kinsey
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"I first took a class with Donna after learning about her through my physical therapist,
and have continued to work with her in individual sessions and group classes. I can’t recommend her highly enough. Although I initially started the work to address tailbone injury and other chronic issues, I continue to go to Donna because of how much I have learned from her and get out of each session. Working with her feels like learning a new language towards greater embodiment. I have experienced pain relief and also have been able to integrate what I learn from other providers through Donna’s holistic approach and depth of knowledge on different modalities, as well as her personal experience that informs her work. Donna is skilled at virtual work and picks up on subtleties through the screen that I never would have thought possible."
Dara Nussbaum Vasquez
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"I was entirely new to somatic movement when I signed up for Donna's class - on Zoom no less.
I wasn't quite sure how it would work, but friends who'd been students of hers for years advised me it was worth it. Were they ever right! Donna's skill and sensitivity infuses every class, grounding us first in anatomy and then using imagery and examples to communicate what are often, at least at first, complicated connections between and among the many moving parts of our bodies. Her uncanny ability to explain, to recommend, to rethink -- all on a small screen and always in the most encouraging, supportive ways -- has produced real results, increasing my mobility and diminishing pain. It's not magic because it's hard work, but small movements can make the biggest difference, and I can wholeheartedly recommend Donna's class."
Gail David
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"I've had a really profound experience working with Donna, and its all been over video, during the pandemic, and for this I'm very grateful.
She's been helping me reconnect with my body, learn new ways of moving with ease, and bring caring and patience toward myself. She has a deep and nuanced understanding of anatomy and the functioning of the nervous system, and a commitment toward cultivating wholeness and full embodiment with her students. Donna also has a great sense of humor, and there is joy and self-expression in our sessions. Working with her, I practice living within my body and accepting all of its sensations, which has helped with chronic pain and stiffness, and helped me feel more alive. She is an excellent teacher!"
Adele Paquin
"
"I started taking classes with Donna a number of years ago when i was suffering with neck pain.
Through her guidance I started to understand so much about my body, the patterns of movement I held, and how to move in a much more effortless way. Long after the condition was resolved I continued to study with Donna. Her approach helps me integrate new ways of understanding my body and how to apply these principles in everyday movement. I can't recommend her classes enough."
Lee MacKinnon
"
"Donna has a wealth of knowledge about the body and movement, and an enthusiasm and generosity for sharing it.
I was fortunate to work with her both individually and in her classes on some long-standing neck pain and postural issues. Her ability to see physical habits and patterns that need altering, her hands-on work, and her classes are nothing short of brilliant. She is a gift to those who suffer from chronic pain."
Alyson Curphey.
"
"My injuries brought me to Donna's class.
While continually working through those constrictions, I am also learning so much more about whole body integration, effortless coordination and the balanced nature of movement. I look forward to each class because there are always new exercises to experience and explore!"
Liz Beth
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"I am grateful.
Donna brings me great clarity and ease of putting that clarity into practice every time I meet with her. This applies directly to how I experience my body and alleviates pain right away. Her classes are great."
James Ritchie- Dunham
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"Donna is a wonderful, knowledgeable, caring movement therapist who draws on many years of experience and study.
With her instruction, I went from being significantly disabled due to a back injury, to being able to return to my normal activities! Before working with her, I had tried many good physical therapists and chiropractors, as well as a physiatrist. None of them helped me to the extent that she did. I still rely on the exercises I learned from her to keep my back in good shape. She also helped me learn to walk in a way that puts less stress on my joints, and is more comfortable. I would recommend her without reservation!"
Kim Weeber
"
"Donna brings a combination of imagery, anatomy, and physical exercises...
... that helped me both conceptualize and tangibly experience what was happening in my system. I was able to put together puzzle pieces that have been a struggle for years, as well as find new puzzle pieces to work with in the next steps of my somatic exploration. I came into this work with a fair amount of experience especially working with breath, but coming at it with different goals and framework. I was so grateful for the opportunity to approach new concepts as well as old with room to integrate what I brought with me, as well as discover newfound availability in my body, breath, and nervous system."
Sarah Corbyn Woolfe
"
"I came into this work with a fair amount of experience especially working with breath,
... but coming at it with different goals and framework. I was so grateful for the opportunity to approach new concepts as well as old with room to integrate what I brought with me, as well as discover newfound availability in my body, breath, and nervous system."
Greg Darns