Massage and Movement Therapy

Alignment - Breathe - Mindful Movement

The portal to living a pain free movement based lifestyle.

Imagine being able to:

• Keep up with your kids as they crawl, run, and jump
• Feel pain-free after long walks
• Put in a full day of work, and have energy for your family in the evening
• Keep up with your housework without worrying about aches and pains
• Cook a big family dinner without exhaustion
• Move like you used to

Working together, we will restore your vitality and mobility through whole body movements.

• The foundations of natural movement
• How to avoid movements that require bracing
• How to gently shift your body into its neutral alignment 
• How to integrate proper alignment and correct biomechanics into all activities of daily life
• How to RELEASE your body to move well and with ease, ultimately improving your energy levels

Sara Tamar Ackermann is a Registered Massage Therapist in good standing with the College of Massage Therapist of Ontario. since 1998 and a member of the Ontario Massage Therapy Association.

With 20 years experience as a Health Care Practitioner, a Massage Therapy Educator and consistently being enrolled and involved with continuing education seminars, workshops, courses and certification programs, Sara draws upon a repertoire of Massage and Manual Therapy Techniques as well as Movement Modalities to treat an array of conditions. Specializing in Women's Healthcare specifically pelvic girdle wellness.

Sara's qualifications include:

• Certified Body Harmonics Pilates Instructor
• Certified RES-CPT through Katy Bowman's Nutritious Movement Centre 
• Restoring Movement through Yin Yoga, Body Mapping and the Matrix of Fascial Connections  
• Certified Bellies Inc. Personal Trainer
• Certified Cecile Rost Therapist 
• Comprehensive Peri-Natal Care
• Doula 

Through education and the retraining of inefficient breathing, postural and movement patterns we strive to improve whole body awareness.

Using specific objective alignment markers, body mapping techniques, manual therapy including neurodynamic techniques, feldenkrais and corrective movements, the skillset required to ward off bouts of pain and discomfort are made easily accessible .

Ultimately shifting from a health-care practitioner dependency system to a forum that fosters a proactive self-care regime.

Moving well is a prerequisite for a movement based lifestyle.

Moving well requires moving efficiently and moving more.

Movement WORKS can guide you towards to moving efficiently.

Moving more requires a conscious decision to stop outsourcing certain daily tasks. It doesn't mean joining a gym.

Using whole body movements to accomplish daily tasks will foster a movement based lifestyle eventually eliminating the need to "exercise"

Developing the proprioceptive abilities to maintain the pelvis, ribs and spine in neutral alignment takes time and functional stillness.

The physiological benefits that many experience after only 1 or 2 sessions, helps provide the necessary motivation required for the bigger picture.

Katy Bowman's multitude of works has been and continues to be, a forum for me to deepen the understanding I have of my own body both at rest and as it moves through various spaces. Considering how different environments affect my movement patterns.

Katy has graciously shared and compiled her knowledge into many works, all of which are made available in a variety of formats and can be found on: www.nutritiousmovement.com.

Our bodies requires space and time in order to develop the necessary tissues required for movements; such as floor sitting, using our upper bodies for more daily tasks, or labor intensive activities. Looking within, being open when your broken and accepting limitations is a good place to start making changes. Allowing the body to relax into a specific positions, without feeling the need to hold or brace other parts in order to do so. Slow progressive changes will integrate in a profound way, creating lasting results.

Doctors just grimaced and shrugged when they heard I was diagnosed with 'spinal stenosis'. I'd exhausted all their recommendations when I made a life-changing appointment with Sara in 2015. I was in constant discomfort and my ability to function was severely limited. I couldn't walk more than half a block. Sara looked at the medical reports, did her own assessment and tailored an exercise plan to meet my specific needs. Between appointments I worked out at home using Sara's detailed notes of the work we'd practiced together. Increasingly I put into use the functional tips Sara gave me - how to walk, sit, stand, align the body, alleviate intense pain, choose the right shoes. I'll never be pain free. And I'll always be managing this condition. But I am now fully functional, with all credit going to Sara. Priceless!

- Rose-Ellen Levanthal

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I have been training with Sara Ackermann for over a year and can attest to her extraordinary knowledge of the body in motion, her therapeutic skills as a registered massage therapist and her exceptional ability to strengthen and heal acute and chronic issues. I have severe fibromyalgia with multiple associated syndromes (for example, she has dramatically improved bladder prolapse discomfort.) Sara has given me range of motion, core strength, relief from acute flare ups and taught me how to walk, lie and move, all without stress or pain using SAFE methods for rehabilitative to advanced functional movement. She is a treasure to have discovered and I highly recommend her.

-Meira Kirzner

Twenty years ago I herniated two discs in my lower back. When I was younger, a flare up would put me in a bed for a day or two. As I have gotten older, a flare up can keep me in bed for close to two weeks. I have seen more physiotherapists, kinesiologists, and health professional gurus than I care to remember. I have had several MRI’s and been encouraged by an orthopedic surgeon to have a spinal fusion. I was on a waiting list for two years until I met with a neuro-surgeon who strongly discouraged the surgery, stating that as I age, that one surgery will lead to several others. I should try to manage without it. I had pretty much given up on any long lasting solution. As a final attempt at help, I called Sara….and I am so glad I did.

There are several things that have set Sara apart from the other professionals I have seen:
 

#1 – She doesn’t isolate the problem. She has taught me to understand my body as an intricate and unified whole. She has taught me that my back pain can sometimes be sourced to my hamstrings, or my hips, or my calves, and by doing specific (and very easy) stretching exercises, I can nip the back pain in the bud, long before it turns into something debilitating. It’s been fascinating to experience this new reality!
 

#2 – She has taught me about spinal health, top to bottom. In addition to my lower disc herniations, I also have neck herniations. Sara has taught me the SIMPLEST small movements I can do as soon as my back or neck start to feel misaligned. I’m not lying on the floor, with heating pads or ice packs. I’m not loading up on anti-inflammatories. I literally do the most minute movements and I’m back to good. It’s actually quite shocking.
 

#3 – She is trained in so many different modalities and uses a wide variety of props. Most professionals, in most fields, have the one or two modalities they have been trained in. They have the path they follow. Sara is knowledgeable in so many different areas of movement health, that if one thing doesn’t work, she has a million other options to pull from. Sara is the opposite of one size fits all. She is customization at it's best.
 

Learning from Sara has really been a life changer for me. I may still have the odd flare up if I move too quickly in a direction my spine doesn’t like, but the day-to-day challenges I used to have are things of the past. Sara has given me easy and simple tools to keep myself mobile and feeling well. It’s truly been a gift.

- Faye Davis

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I cannot say enough about how inspiring, knowledgeable and effective Sarah Ackerman is as a wellness practitioner. She has a vast knowledge of movement, holistic health, pelvic health, women’s health, alignment and massage therapy. However, Sarah’s real expertise lies in her ability to look at and understand the personal needs of the individual standing in front of her and crafting a personalized regiment of corrective exercises necessary to optimize their health.

- Chana Ross, Orthopaedic & Pelvic Physiotherapist, Vital Physiotherapy & Wellness

As an academic clinician I strive to network with the best of the best. Sara has been such a wonderful collaborator in the space of women's health and pelvic health. She understands the complexities related to neurosciences, hormone regulation and modulating fitness approaches accordingly. She has demonstrated a keen passion to ensure she continues to learn from the most knowledgeable in the field including taking a number of courses through Pelvic Health Solutions, Bellies Incorporated and reaching behind Canadian boarders. When Sara and I work collaboratively with clients, magic happens!
 

- Sinéad Dufour MScPT PhD, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, The World of my Baby (WOMB)

www.thewomb.ca