Bodywork Beyond Massage - Soaring Spirits Grounded Bodies

Bodywork Beyond Massage -   Soaring Spirits Grounded Bodies Therapeutic Bodywork, Movement, Stress Reduction. Reduce Pain. Increase Well-Being. Movement is the other side of touch. They are the shadow of each other."

Pain, inactivity, or stress can limit our ability to function and be present in our lives. Bodywork Beyond Massage focuses on reducing pain, releasing patterns that can create restrictions/pain, creating new patterns of ease and well-being, and educating clients/students so they can find more healthful and comfortable ways to move through their daily routines with ease, alignment, and balance. Sessions/classes help to relieve pain, discomfort, restrictions, and to increase physical ease, range of motion, strength, feelings of equanimity, "inner strength", and calmness. SOOTHING body and soul
RELEASING deeply held tensions
CREATING new patterns of ease
"...Touch is the other side of movement. (Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen)

01/30/2026

People usually come to see me for one primary reason. Often, over the course of a number of sessions, they tell me that other issues have gotten better or gone away as well.
Some issues that my sessions have helped:
Pain/injury recovery (very recent- +15 years old); post surgical recovery/lingering issues (+4 weeks- +15 years); restricted motion (recent - +15 years old); anxiety; plantar fasciitis; neck, shoulder, jaw pain/restriction; low back pain/restriction; knee pain/restriction; breathing restriction; low energy.
Because sessions also help to Increase Feelings of Well-Being and Inner Balance, many people continue to see me after the original issue that brought them into my office has been resolved.

Bodyworkbeyondmassage.com
(413) 665 - 4977
bodyworkbeyondmassage@yahoo.com

01/26/2026

For Shovelling tips, please go to my website Bodyworkbeyondmassage.com
in the header section click "Blog".

01/26/2026

More tips/ thoughts on Shovelling:

~~ If someone can lift a 25 pound weight a few times, that does not mean they can do so 50 times. It is not just the amount of weight to consider, but also the number of times it is being lifted.
The same applies to shovel- fulls of snow:
You will be lifting over and over and over, so I suggest not filling the shovel. Take a half, or a third, of a shovel-full. Yes, you will have to take more shovel-fulls, but overall, it will be easier on your body.

~~ Use your body weight!! I recommend pushing snow, using the motion of your forward walking to help push the snow- instead of just pushing with your arms.
And again, don't fill the shovel scoop full.
If you have the shovel scoop facing you and are dragging snow toward you (only reach a short distance in front of you to do this), bounce up and down on your feet as you drag.

~~ Switch up what you are doing frequently.

~~ I saw a video clip this weekend in which a trainer recommended pushing your hips forward to help toss snow forward. He also recommended full torso twists as a warm up to do before shovelling.

Different perspectives/ trainings abound.

From my personal experiences with severe back injuries, my movement trainings, and my experiences over many years with clients:
I strongly urge people NOT to do either of these.

Re-read my shovelling tips in recent Facebook and Blog posts, or contact me directly, if you have questions.

Bodyworkbeyondmassage.com
(413) 665 - 4977

01/25/2026

Shovelled the first round at noon. It would be a good idea to go out a few times today and shovel a few inches at a time instead of 8 at once!

Bodyworkbeyondmassage.com

01/24/2026

Shovelling tips are posted on my blog - go to Bodyworkbeyondmassage.com
click on "More" in the header, and then "Blog"

Take care when shovelling!!

https://youtu.be/YbFAA3pUi9A
01/18/2026

https://youtu.be/YbFAA3pUi9A

Let's explore the core stability. In this video, Susi discusses how to develop a responsive core stability. Learn more about core stability in this 2-hour tr...

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01/01/2026

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Lately, the word somatic seems to be everywhere. It’s being used in captions, course titles, and conversations so often that it can feel like just another passing trend in the wellness world. But somatic work is not new, and it is certainly not a buzzword. For me, it is a remembering. Long before it had a name, the body already knew how to communicate through sensation, rhythm, and response. Somatic work brings us back to that language, inviting us to listen beneath the noise and honor the intelligence that has always lived within the body itself.

So, if you will indulge me with a few moments of your precious time, I would love to share the meaning behind this word.

Somatic work is the art of listening with the hands. It is an invitation for the body to speak in its own language, one that lives beneath words and stories. Rather than asking the body to perform or correct itself, somatic work creates a space where sensation becomes the guide and awareness becomes the medicine. We slow down enough to feel the subtle tides beneath the skin, the places where the body learned to brace, adapt, or go quiet in order to survive.

In this work, nothing is forced. The nervous system is met with patience, curiosity, and respect. As safety is reintroduced, tissues soften, breath deepens, and the body begins to remember its own rhythm. Movement returns not because it was demanded, but because it was invited.

Somatic work honors the body as an intelligent, living landscape. Every sensation is information. Every pause is meaningful. Healing unfolds not by fixing what is broken, but by restoring relationships, helping the body feel seen, heard, and safe enough to release what it has been holding.

Somatic awareness is what transforms technique into art. When we weave somatic principles into bodywork, our hands stop leading and begin listening. Each stroke, hold, and pause becomes a conversation with the nervous system, guided by breath, sensation, and subtle shifts rather than force or expectation. It is where skill meets presence, where science meets intuition, and where the body is given the space it needs to reorganize, release, and remember its own capacity for healing.

01/01/2026

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year.

If you are considering coming to see me for a Therapeutic Bodywork, Movement, or Stress Reduction session, I am happy to speak with you and answer any questions you might have.
Or, if you prefer, you can first look through my website, which has all the information about what I do, how long sessions take, how much they cost, how to schedule, and more. My "Blog" page may also be of interest.

(413) 665 - 4977
Bodyworkbeyondmassage.com

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12/26/2025

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You don’t need an hour on a cushion. You need thirty honest seconds.

Sit. Breathe. Exist.
Exhale like someone who doesn’t owe the world an immediate reply.

Even one mindful breath counts.
You’re not behind — you’re simply arriving.

✨ Congratulations. You’re late to nothing.

If you want to teach from lived experience—not perfection...
👉Visit https://bit.ly/MindfulnessCertify

12/17/2025

Are you experiencing pain/restriction in movement as a result of either a recent injury, chronic discomfort, or a long-ago injury that you never fully recovered from?
Or, are you wishing for a chance to "Rest and Re-set", to give your body and psyche the opportunity to take a deep, slow, breath, and to emerge feeling refreshed?

Comments from a few of my clients:
"...relaxes muscles that are tense and tight, improves mobility in my joints, and relieves pain throughout my body...I have experienced many types of massage over the years, with many different practitioners. No one comes close to Karen, in skill, expertise, and competence."..."
"...As we continued my sessions, my body began to heal on other levels - mental, emotional and spiritual. It brought deep releases and clarity...."
"... "After my second session of Zero Balancing, I felt like she had reached into crevices of stress and released it throughout my body. I felt so relaxed which is hard for me to do...."
"..."When I wrote last week, I was panicked that I was headed for surgery even before winter and could think of nothing positive.
Today, after the appointment with you, I am already starting to feel muscles that I was supposedly trying to build for over a year...."

Schedule your Dynamic Rebalancing session today, or a session to explore movement patterns that may be holding you back, or give a session as a gift!

Bodyworkbeyondmassage.com
(413) 665 - 4977
Bodyworkbeyondmassage@yahoo.com

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Sunderland, MA

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