I’m Eli. Welcome to Metta Somatics: transformative bodywork.

The secret to healing is the willingness to be present, to move, and to reorganize ourselves. This secret is revealed everywhere around us all the time: in the turning of the seasons, the growth habits and flowering times of plants, the migrations of other animals, even in the expansion of the universe itself.

What if you related to our own body, mind and spirit with that same wildly adaptive curiosity? Bodywork is one of the most potent means of connecting to what is true for us, because the body never lies. The body remembers everything that has ever happened to us, even everything that has happened to our ancestors. The body is living memory. When we sense what is true (when the mind, body and spirit come together) we harness an incredible power to transform. Healing is simply the transformation of somatic memory (trauma from physical, emotional and/or conceptual experience) into a more integrated, present-moment awareness. It’s about becoming adaptive rather than reactive. It’s an innate wisdom that all of us are blessed with. It’s just a matter of reconnecting to it.

Wherever you find yourself in the journey of wellbeing, I invite you to experience something more than a typical massage, where you can gain deeper insight into your body, mind, and spirit. Transformative bodywork offers you the chance to integrate all these aspects of yourself. It draws on the alchemy of our full humanity. That’s why the results are typically more profound and more enduring.

Everyone has some trauma and each of us have unique patterns of holding that trauma in the body. My job is to invite an adaptive awareness where you have learned resistance, and while I can give an easy, relaxing massage, I usually request you to work with me, and meet me on the inner journey to discover your integration of truth and well being.

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Hi, I’m Eli Bernstein. I’ve been practicing massage and bodywork off and on since 1995, when I was initiated by my father to this path of transformative bodywork, studying at his massage school in Santa Cruz, California. Bodywork was very much a part of my upbringing and I have the distinct sense of being one of a long lineage of healers. I feel so much gratitude for the guides and allies, seen and unseen, that have accompanied me on this journey.

My bodywork feels directly connected to the current health crisis of humankind and biodiversity on planet earth. All through my 20’s and 30’s I studied and worked in sustainable agriculture, restoration ecology and conservation biology, while doing bodywork on the side. My eyes and heart were opened. I believe it was Aldo Leopold who said “one of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds”. Somehow, I instinctively always knew that it was the same impulse towards healing that moved me towards bodywork and conservation. Our little bodies are really just part of this much larger body. My life’s mission is to help reveal the deep and real connection between our own personal healing, the healing among people and the healing of the planet.  

I love the Huston Smith description of “a realized being” as simply a person with “an acute sense of the astonishing mystery of everything.” Becoming more embodied leads to this sense of astonishment because we realize we are a community unto ourselves. And I don’t just mean all the thoughts, emotions, sensations and insights that seem to blow through us just like the weather. Did you know that fewer than half of the cells in your body have human DNA?

Witnessing this plurality of self can lead us to feeling more connected to all other beings…to life…because we feel how much we are made up of the physical and energetic flow around us.  But by becoming more familiar with our own bodies we also feel more human, more ourselves. Either way, as we are more embodied, we are less lonely. We feel more connected.

Give yourself the opportunity to connect. To metamorphose. To experience transformative bodywork.

I look forward to taking part in your healing journey!

MY WORK IS UNIQUE, AND IT’S DIFFERENT EVERY TIME.

Each session is designed specifically for you. As John Barnes, the founder of Myofascial Release says, “there are ~ 8 billion fascial arrangements in the world, and each one needs to be treated differently”. That is what keeps this work interesting, engaging, and of maximum value. The kind of bodywork I do requires my intuitive use of a broad range of techniques, your participation and most of all a humble respect for your inner intelligence, your “somatic metta”.

MODALITIES USED

Myofascial Release

This technique works with the connective tissue, or fascia, a structural and informational super-network that permeates our entire bodies three dimensionally from head to toe—through every organ, muscle and bone and connected to every cell. It responds and adapts to every stimulus we experience, whether physical, emotional or conceptual and is of primary importance in how our bodies remember and heal from past traumas. The technique is typically gentle, responsive to organic movement/intelligence within the body rather than externally applied strokes, and yet has the characteristic of deeply affecting the body’s patterns of self-organization.

Postural Analysis

This is an essential anatomy-based technique used in our intake and evaluation processes. Observing the body, and how it is positioned allows both the practitioner and client to examine patterns of tension, compensation and guarding. Then we can begin to track down where primary adhesions/injuries/memories are located and explore the physical and emotional dimensions of releasing them.

Structural Integration

Otherwise known as Rolfing, SI is a deep-tissue technique that works on postural realignment. It encourages you to become more aware of how you hold and move your body and by structurally releasing deep adhesions in the musculoskeletal system supports greater ease and a sense of whole-body coherence.  It can be somewhat painful at times, but be assured only within the limits of what you feel is appropriate and safe.

Trigger Point/Sports Massage/Swedish Deep Tissue

Trigger Point therapy involves finding a small point in a muscular region that when a firm pressure is applied, helps to relieve that entire region. It can be done with either active or passive range of motion and can have surprisingly exponential effects on muscular relaxation. This sort of therapy works great for athletes, and people with RSI’s (repeat stress injuries).

Craniosacral Therapy

This subtle but profound technique works to reestablish healthy patterns of movement in the “primary respiration” system of the body, which we call the craniosacral rhythm, through subtle manipulation of the bones in the cranium and sacrum, the spinal column, the transverse diaphragms and their effects on the rest of the body. It is hands-on but often feels more like energy work than an orthopedic (musculoskeletal) modality. It is especially beneficial for patients who have suffered falls, blows to the head, and emotional trauma as it helps the body restore healthy parasympathetic functioning and the capacity to integrate our experiences.

Polarity Therapy

This largely energetic modality is a fusion of many of the worlds leading traditional healing traditions, among them: Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and homeopathy. It is a shamanic approach to balancing the five elements of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth helps the client harmonize with the greater flow of energies in the world around them. The experience is multidimensional, allowing an integration of body, mind and spirit. As a result, it can elicit important insights into lifestyle shifts, which align you with your highest health intentions.

Somatic Movement Therapy

I am overjoyed to offer the rare chance to help you integrate our transformative bodywork sessions through guided movement. This is a mindful movement practice in which I invite and assist you in discovering your own ability to release somatoemotional  (physical and emotional) blockages in the body through movement. Much of the potency of the work comes from your primary role in detecting and exploring the healing wisdom hidden in your own body. If you’ve heard of Feldenkrais or Alexander techniques, conscious dance, or Rosen Work, these are all in the family of Somatic Movement Therapy.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have more questions than listed below please don’t hesitate to call or email.

How do I prepare for the massage?

• Please arrive on time to your appointment so we are able to take full advantage of the time we have together. 
• Knock on the door when you arrive.
• Please come to your session well showered, and clean.
• Make sure to drink as much water as you can for up to 2 days prior to your appointment.
• Do not come to your massage under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• Cover any fresh, or recovering wounds with a bandage.
• Try not to rush getting to your appointment, stay as relaxed as possible before, during, and after.

What is involved in the in-take process?

• Upon first meeting, you will come to my space and we will sit down to talk about your body. You will fill out an intake form that gives me important information on where you’re at on a physical, mental, spiritual level so I can cater our appointments to your needs. I may have you go through a few exercises so I can get a visual of how your body is functioning.
• Before the massage, I will step out of the room to wash my hands, and allow you to undress to your comfort level, and get under the sheet. I will knock before entering back into the room, start some relaxing music, make sure you’re comfortable, and our session will begin.
• During the massage I will be using bass oils (avocado, sesame, grapeseed, sunflower, jojoba) that I sometimes mix with essential oils (things such as lavender, ylang-ylang, geranium, juniper) for your betterment… a little free aromatherapy. These oils are pure, organic, and safe, unless of course you have specified allergies. I am always open to your feedback throughout the massage, as it is much better for you to speak up so you can get what you’re body is in need of.
• After the appointment, I’ll step out of the room and allow you to take your time to let the work integrate. I will be waiting outside the door with some water for you. We will sit down with each other for a few minutes, allowing you to drink some water and me to give any feedback on things I noticed, stretches that might help your body, and other suggestions that might help you in your process of health in all aspects of the word.
• After you feel integrated, I’ll send you on your way in hopes we’ll see one another again.

What are your policies?

• If a cancellation occurs without at least 24 hour advanced notice, full payment will be charged to the person who the session was scheduled with.
• If you come late to your session, we will do the best work we can within the time slot you were scheduled for. If you are over 30 minutes late and do not let me know you’re on your way, the session will be cancelled and payment will be due in full.

What form of payment will you accept?

I accept cash (preferred), check and electronic payment through Venmo, or PayPal. I should soon be able to accept insurance.

How much clothing am I supposed to remove?

You get undressed to your comfort level. Yes, there are areas that might be more difficult to access or warm up if there is clothing in the way, and it’s far more important that you feel safe, comfortable, and at ease. I work with bodies, naked or otherwise on a daily basis. I practice tight sheeting techniques so you don’t feel exposed. I maintain a professional and safe environment for your well being.

Are the sessions confidential?

Yes, completely!  Anything you share with me will be kept private. There are a few outstanding circumstances in which I may share your information with another colleague as to enhance your experience, and serve you better, and in some cases recommend you to someone who may be able to better serve you. If you share that you are planning on hurting yourself, or someone else, by law, I’m obligated to report it. 

Do you offer discounts/trades?

It’s important to me that my work maintains accessibility. There are trade possibilities, depending on what you’d like to trade. Discounts are always a discussion, and I’m open to having those discussions. 

Do you do outcalls?

Yes, I also can set up a weekly, or monthly appointment for your home or office. Outcalls cost an extra $50. 

Do you offer erotic work?

I do not offer any sort of erotic work. This can be a very powerful, and healing modality for some, and that is not the work I practice. I ask that you please respect those boundaries.