Essence Ayurveda 

Headaches ● Concussions ● TMJ 
Back Pain ● Neck Pain ● Body Pain

Digestive Issues ● Chronic Health Conditions

Stress ● Anxiety
and more

Alexandria (Old Town North), Virginia

Holistic Healing Methods, Customized for Your Specific Needs

Susan is passionate about partnering with people who want to use natural therapies to address health and wellness concerns, including headaches, migraines, concussions, TMJ dysfunction, back and neck pain, other body pain, digestive issues, chronic health conditions, stress, anxiety, and more. 

The healing modalities Susan offers all recognize each person as unique and view the whole of each person—mind, body, and spirit. Because they work with the body’s innate ability to heal, they can be beneficial for a wide variety of health conditions and at any stage in the healing process. Each of these holistic healing arts can be used on its own, or Susan can integrate them as needed. Susan's offerings aim to truly restore balance and not merely relieve symptoms.

Susan has extensive training and more than a decade of experience in Ayurveda, Yoga Therapy, Tibetan Cranial Therapy, Reiki, and Thai Massage. Together, the healing arts that Susan practices allow her to offer holistic health and healing options for a wide range of goals. Susan has worked with people wanting assistance with anxiety, depression, stress, musculoskeletal and joint pain, chronic pain, low energy, migraines, headaches, concussions and other head injuries, vertigo, insomnia, digestion, management of chronic conditions such as autoimmune diseases and diabetes, asthma, allergies, menstrual cycle issues, and many other conditions. With a broad range of tools at her disposal, Susan can tailor recommendations so that they are appropriate and workable for a particular person's circumstances.

Susan offers free 15-minute consultations (phone, video, or in-person) to answer any questions and to explore how her services may align with your goals. Call or email for more information or to schedule an appointment, or make an appointment online at Schedule an Appointment.

Tibetan Cranial Therapy

Focused touch on the head and neck for whole-person healing 

Tibetan Cranial® therapy is an ancient healing tradition from the Himalayan highlands. During a session, the recipient lies fully-clothed on their back while the practitioner works on the head and neck, using sophisticated pulse readings to deliver the most appropriate treatment and to help the person achieve optimal balance. 

Tibetan Cranial therapy is more than just physical. It integrates body, mind, and spirit, and can have profound effects on all of those aspects of our being. Recipients often have an overall sense of feeling better, and many have found relief from headaches, migraines, back and neck pain, head injury, traumatic brain injury (TBI), brain fog, TMJ dysfunction, stress-related conditions, anxiety, depression, many nervous-system and neurological issues, and more.

Of all the healing arts that Susan practices, Tibetan Cranial therapy holds a special place in her heart. In part this relates to the sense of being blessed to watch what seem like miracles – sometimes small and sometimes profound – with people finding relief when other things they had tried had not worked. Some of it relates to the spiritual component, which includes holding the person receiving the work in true compassion and staying in mantra (essentially, being in a state of meditative prayer) throughout the session. Another aspect is that Tibetan Cranial nearly became extinct and still is rarely found. 

Susan is a Tibetan Cranial Teacher and has been a Practitioner since 2014. Please find out more here.

Ayurveda

Food as medicine, daily routine, lifestyle, herbal formulas, cleanses

Ayurveda is the traditional healing science of India. Ayurvedic medicine offers a holistic approach focused on helping people live long, healthy, and well-balanced lives. Ayurveda focuses on prevention but also can address specific health conditions. Through individualized plans, Ayurveda aims to address the root causes of imbalance as well as alleviate symptoms through diet, lifestyle, herbal remedies, cleansing practices (pancha karma), and other tools,

Susan has been an Ayurveda Practitioner since 2012. She is Board-Certified as an Ayurvedic Practitioner by the NAMACB (National Ayurvedic Medical Association Certification Board) and holds National Ayurvedic Medical Association's highest level of professional membership. Find out more about Susan's Ayurveda offerings here. 

If you'd like to watch a brief introduction to Ayurveda that Susan gave at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, click here.

Yoga Therapy

Breathing practices, meditation, postures, relaxation, spiritual path

Yoga therapy is the application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote physical and mental health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices that can include physical yoga postures, breathwork, meditation, philosophy, and more.

Susan is a C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists ("IAYT") and is an RYT-500 with Yoga Alliance. 

Reiki and Marma Therapy

Healing through gentle hands-on or no-touch energy work

Reiki Energy Healing is a system of healing that originated in Japan and involves the placement of hands on or near the fully-clothed recipient to bring balance to the recipient. Traditionally, Reiki has been viewed as stimulating the recipient’s own natural healing systems and thus can work at the physical, energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. Studies indicate that Reiki can help with fatigue, pain, and stress. If nothing else, a session typically leaves the recipient feeling calm and peaceful. 

Marma therapy is an Ayurvedic approach to energy work based on vital points on the body. Gentle fingertip pressure applied to marma points can relax the body and mind, relieve congestion in the channels and tissues of the body, aid the flow of prana (life-force energy), and activate the chakras, without deep tissue work or needles. Marma can be especially beneficial for those seeking energy work or gentle yet effective bodywork. During a marma session, the recipient lies down on a comfortable massage mat or table, remaining clothed. 

Susan has been practicing marma therapy since 2012 and has been a Reiki Master Teacher since 2015. She has studied marma with multiple teachers and has Reiki certifications from three Reiki Masters in three different Reiki lineages. Reiki and marma can be experienced separately or used together in a session. Susan also offers group and private Reiki classes through the Master Teacher level. Learn more about Reiki here and about marma here.

Thai Massage

Therapeutic massage and stretching, for relaxation and pain relief

Thai massage is an ancient form of bodywork with deep roots in Ayurveda and yoga. It addresses the whole person through therapeutic massage techniques for muscles and connective tissues, stretching, energy work, acupressure, reflexology, and other methods. Unlike many other forms of massage, the recipient wears comfortable clothing. Susan's Thai Massages are informed by her experience with Ayurveda, Yoga, Marma (Ayurvedic acupressure), and Reiki, resulting in a session that is customized to be therapeutic as well as relaxing. 

Susan has been providing Thai Massage since 2013. She is a graduate of the Denver Integrative Massage School and has undertaken additional study of Thai Massage at the Thai Institute of Healing Arts. You can learn more about Thai Massage here. A free, brief consultation is required before an initial Thai massage appointment.

Wholeness & Healing, Naturally

Please contact Susan with any questions about her services, or book a free 15-minute consultation to see if her services would be a good fit and to help decide which may be the most beneficial.

Call or email for more information or to schedule an appointment, or make an appointment online at Schedule an Appointment.

703.718.6894
susan@essenceayurveda.com