Massage & Bodywork Education

Northampton/Amherst, Massachusetts. 1970s. Anora started training in massage in 1977 in the Connecticut River Valley around the 5 College Area in Western Massachusetts. She took a course in full body massage and several workshops. People said she had the touch, and she definitely had the interest in the powerful field of practice that is therapeutic bodywork.

In that area, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen held The School for Body Mind Centering, and Anora attended a number of classes, both with Bonnie and with her students. The depth, the clarity of the call to sensation and awareness and integration that is the work of Body Mind Centering is utterly compelling. We are beings, many of us, walking around with a shadow for a body - unable to see inside with our inner eye, with our inner sensation; unknowing where our organs are, how they feel, what they are responding to; the depth of our disembodiment is hard to even fathom.

Anora studied dance in the Merce Cunningham tradition at Smith College with Susan Waltner, and Tai Chi with Paul Gallagher. Anora also began learning about sitting meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, as well as getting exposure to chanting with Siddhi Yoga and Muktananda students. At the time Kundalini yoga was getting attention, and Anora took a class.

Taiwan and China

In Taiwan and China she learned more about Tai Chi, and studied Chinese language, speaking, reading and writing. She attended the Taipei Language Institute, Tunghai University in Tai Chung, and Beijing Normal University, in Beijing, China. Chinese language was the path into the wisdom from their ancient culture, still passed down through family members, in the art, sayings and body practices of Tai Chi, and healing practices of herbal medicine and Acupuncture.

Training

The Body Therapy Institute, Siler City, North Carolina In 2004, Anora was accepted into the year long evening and weekend diploma program for massage therapy at the beautiful one room school house center in the middle of fields out in Siler City. The education was rigorous and thorough. It imbued me with a sense of marvel and awe for the human body.

Kinesis Myofascial Integration at The Body Therapy Insitute Tom Myers and his instructors, Larry Phipps, Carrie Gaynor taught the full three part program of KMI training leading to certification as a structural integrator. Anora participated in Parts 1 and 2 and was certified to do a 3 series of structural bodywork. She chose not to continue on with Part 3.

The impact of this in-depth and fascial focused work was profound. The work changed the way Anora saw the human body and understood it’s bracing, pain, discomforts and posture. Following this work Anora began getting tremendous responses from her clients. The work is effective, awakening, integrating and enlivening.

The Spirit of Learning at The Body Therapy Institute Carey Smith, co-director of the Institute, teaches a year long, five weekend course in teaching for massage and bodywork.

Anora took this training to learn more from two teachers she had found especially insightful, Carey, and Wendy Marsh. Over the year the course demonstrated the different styles of learning that we have; the paces and rhythms of events and life; the dimension of being (Angeles Arrien) and the strong correlation between embodiment and strength of being.

Additional Training

Anora also studied trauma resolution with Michael Shea, ethics with Rick Rosen and on a lighter note, herbal lotions and oils with Suki Roth.