WHOLE BEING MOVEMENT

Physical Therapy, Gait Therapy, and Yoga Therapy

VIRTUAL OR IN SANTA MONICA, CA

Collaborating With You to Create Self Empowering Movement Progression for Bodily Comfort

I am obsessed with the precision and influence of that place within each of us where our breath, our energy, and our sensitivity collude to deliver peaceful movement. Movement, albeit within crooked framing** is effected by the history of our lived bodily experience. This peaks my interest and inspires all of my teaching consistently . This work is the confluence of physical therapy, yoga therapy, and gait therapy. (**no-one is symmetrical)

In this work, we collaborate to define ~

What would you like to accomplish?

What inspires this?

What steps can we take now, and down the road?

I can help with

Acute and *Persistent Pain

*Persistent pain is also known as Chronic pain, Persistent is the newer name because chronic suggests never ending and persistent leaves the door open for change and improvement.

Acute pain tends to be scary. What helps us interpret in the close aftermath can have a large effect on the fear so that there is a cross roads.

↗reaction

↘︎response

Reaction usually increases pain, response usually decreases pain. Persistent Pain is so emotionally tender. There is more and more science, specifically about how pain develops and evolves via the central and autonomic nervous systems. Losing the despair of “it’s all in my head,” or “it’s my fault,” or worse “my comeuppance" buffers the intensity of pain. Studies are showing that learning about the science of persistent pain decreases fear and pain levels. I can offer relatively simple tools for study and observation through which patients can empower themselves. These are lessons that last because the experience and memory of pain lessening lasts and inspires.

Movement Fluidity

Giving yourself ‘the experience of movement’ rather than ‘doing movement’ becomes an on-going self-study. Self study is the silver lining because it provides experience and memory and choice and creativity and hope.

Bodily Awareness + Understanding = Bodily Presence

Using purposeful bodily awareness with ongoing interpretation also equals bodily presence.

Using sensation detection is a means of knowing yourself, by definition, the self interest and its process incurs feelings. Feelings which contribute to deeper self study, especially ways that body and posture and movement and feelings are all reflective of each other.

Bodily Systems Integration

This work is personal, private, and it becomes accessible self knowledge. For accessible self knowledge we have to practice and form a habit of touching in routinely. Being with our imperfection, our awkward, being able to see and feel ourselves without judgement becomes self-acceptance. Changing movement habits is harder when we feel the need to deny them or judge them, and relatively easier when we’re just in it for presence. Presence doesn’t mean happy. It does mean we can think and trace full circle between sensation detection, hearing our words to self, responding with reason, and arriving at authentic self care.

↗reaction

↘︎response

The Translation of Gait and Yoga Posture Dynamics

For practitioners ~

We take our ways of moving with us to every movement and even relatively still posture that we create. Whether to breath, to walk, to do the dishes, or to do a yoga posture, our personal tensegrity the rods (bones) and pulleys (soft tissue) move as per their history. Changing them requires determination yet change can be had. If you tend towards short inhales relative to your exhales in regular daily life, slowing them down for yoga may feel taxing and eventually feel like a huge relief. Crescent pose (high lunge) is an exaggeration of every step that we take. The back foot in crescent, in an exaggerated push-off (that moment when the back foot leaves the floor in each step). If the abdomen drops leaving low back in excess lordosis (curve), then likely it also does, to a lesser extent, repeated thousand of times per day, in each footstep. With this example, and others we will find that in using the engineering/structural elements of the body, we have ‘a walk,’ that is a lens into our yoga practice, and that we literally and figuratively meld ourselves around the manner in which we breath.

What Sherry’s Clients are Sharing…

  • What I have learned from Sherry: I have learned beautiful movements that ease discomfort in my body. I have learned to observe my body and my mind and question the drama and fear that tend to accompany discomfort. I have learned to stay in the present and know that this can change. I have learned to walk with grace and momentum. I have learned that my body is tissue, and tissue heals. At age 70, I began to improve my posture. My head and shoulders are less forward. My body is more erect. I have learned to pay attention to my body's messages of comfort or discomfort and use my experience and creativity to learn from them.

    Siri Sevak K.

  • Sherry’s Yoga Therapy Class has given me unparalleled support both pre and post Hip surgery. She has an uncanny ability to tailor simple, specific exercises for what ever issues arise for each of us. Her breathing exercises to relax both body and mind, have been essential to my daily life and recovery. The physical relief and strengthening I have experienced from her work is simply in a class of its own.

    Amity J.

  • I have been taking Sherry’s yoga therapy classes for a few years. Sherry is detail oriented. She pays particular attention to the feet, for example, and introduced me to the concept of “eight wheels”. I now understand that when we engage all eight wheels of the feet we automatically engage many other muscles and improve breathing, posture, and stability. I have struggled with balance all my life, but when I fully implement the “eight wheels” of my feet, I am able to successfully hold poses I never thought I could! It’s always a work in progress, but I have steadily been building strength and fluidity – maybe even grace! - thanks to Sherry’s amazing classes.

    Robin M.

  • Sherry Brourman is authentic. Whether you are in class or in an individual session, she listens to you, and she critically observes your posture, walk and movements. Her individualized suggestions incorporate your discomfort, weaknesses, and strengths. You will always benefit from time spent with Ms. Brourman!

    JP Delafield, MD

  • Sherry helped me become aware of a movement habit that seemingly contributed to low back pain. With Sherry’s caring guidance, I’ve learned to feel for discomfort and address it with soft movement, and without self-judgment. I have less pain, more mobility, and what feels like more overall balance. The fear of permanent pain has dissipated, such a huge blessing after decades of pain, thank you Sherry!

    Laura R.

  • I have been taking Sherry’s yoga therapy classes for a few years. Sherry is detail oriented. She pays particular attention to the feet, for example, and introduced me to the concept of “eight wheels”. I now understand that when we engage all eight wheels of the feet we automatically engage many other muscles and improve breathing, posture, and stability. I have struggled with balance all my life, but when I fully implement the “eight wheels” of my feet, I am able to successfully hold poses I never thought I could! It’s always a work in progress, but I have steadily been building strength and fluidity – maybe even grace! - thanks to Sherry’s amazing classes.

    Robin M.

  • At age 63, I have more flexibility, strength, and fluidity in my body than I did at age 30. Working with Sherry is like aging in reverse. Linda Schack, MD

    Linda S.

  • I have had the pleasure of working with Sherry for more than a decade, and I continue to excitedly practice her recommended exercises every morning. I crave the way the exercises organize my body and help guide my alignment throughout the day. She delivered me away from pain by correcting my gait and helping me learn how to correctly strengthen my body, and to keep it strong. Sherry has since provided similar expert guidance to all members of my family, including my husband, two daughters and parents! We are immensely appreciative of both her intuitive and technical knowledge, and the gentle strength that she exudes.

    Hollie Q.