Client Success Stories
Here's a fairly detailed list of some of my clients and their success stories. Somatic Movements are incredibly healing and have helped so many people to find new home inside their bodies.
Judi Donner
Owner /Instructor at Pilates Apparatus Studio, Cancer Survivor
"I have never been more relaxed!
Since beginning this practice my whole life has shifted.
I am a small business owner whose stress level was unmanageable. I’m pretty sure that’s what made me sick.
Now I don’t let the stress and anger control my life."
Emma Lemcke
Designer and
Wellness Coach, Revive Graduate
"I’ve struggled a lot with jaw and throat tension. A hard shell heart-space. I’ve known for a long time that my “posture needs an update!". During Revive, I experienced more openness, peace and softness in my body and in my consciousness. I felt safe and held both in person and online."
Molly Mandelberg
Founder of Wild Hearts Rise Up, Radiance Graduate
"This releasing and processing has made my relationships deeper, my self-compassion more readily available, and my life more spacious and fulfilling.
I can't stop telling people how powerful this set of tools is.
I wish I had found it years sooner."
Leslie Klein
Former Professional Musician and Radiance Graduate
"It feels so good to slow down and make time to care for myself.
I know continuing this work will take me in the right direction for a more calm, meaningful and productive life ahead of me.
This practice has become essential to my wellbeing. "
Jessica Glose
Birth & Postpartum Doula, Wellness Retreat Leader, Somatic Breathwork Practitioner, Yoga Teacher/Trainer
"The energetic and spiritual significance of this work feels deeply cleansing.
It enables me to release tension on all levels—physical, mental, and emotional—while letting go of old thought patterns and narratives stored in my body and mind. "
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Jai Knight
Interdisciplinary Artist
"This practice is slower and more gentle than anything I’ve done before. Other somatic work included diving into traumas to heal them. This felt more gentle and less heady.
Now, I am feeling more connected to my body! I feel less in a rush. I am also feeling more confident and calm in my body."
Galia Nitzen
Therapist-in-Training
Aimee is someone I learned to trust, because she is consistent, present and totally hands-on. She is amongst the most committed, dedicated, competent, and knowledgeable of body practitioners. The passion that she brings to her work is evident in the attentive way she conducts each session.
Valerie Stanton
Energy-worker, Intuitive Guide, Gentle Yoga Teacher, Entrepreneur and Graduate of Radiance
Aimee's 1:1 sessions helped me drop DEEP into my body and experience a near-psychedelic ecstasy of being so in tune with myself, and so encouraged to both listen, slow down and make the movements as subtle as I desired.
Drew Fuerstman
Professional Musician, Meditation and Mindfulness Practitioner and Graduate of Radiance
These small, easeful, and embodied movements done skillfully have a dramatic positive impact that compounds over time.
I am so thankful for Aimee’s expertise in Hanna Somatics and gifts as body worker.
Zoe Hewett
Exercise Physiologist, Yoga Teacher, Mother
“I can’t unlearn the concepts of this movement practice and it is already integrating into my personal health identity and into my professional life as a movement teacher.
This practice has the ability to foster a strong connection to self, and therefore, to purpose.“
Gina Duran
Teacher, Activist, Radio Personality, Restorative Yoga Teacher, Massage Therapist and Poet
Since beginning this practice and receiving hands-on bodywork with Aimee I feel safe in my body for the first time that I can remember.
I feel a joyful with a sense of calm. The tone in my voice has shifted. My eyes are smiling.
Heather Hanning
Midwife, Owner of Intuitive Rhythms Midwifery, Licensed Massage Therapist
After my 8th session with Aimee, my higher-self came to me in a dream, she put her hand on my shoulder and said “where have you been”. That was confirmation that I had done the appropriate work that led me back to myself after being lost in darkness.
Jeannie Shaw
Writer, Visual Artist, Digital Creator
At the beginning, I doubted that these tiny movements would do anything to alleviate my pain but as the days went by, I found myself releasing, releasing, releasing. Before I knew it, I was sitting on my meditation pillow with no stiffness and no pain.
Beth Warner
Physiotherapist, Yoga Teacher and Graduate of Radiance
Now, I have an even greater appreciation of the contribution of habitual muscle tension to pain and reduced function. And I am confident that people can learn to release tension and change even long-held patterns of trauma and pain.
This is safe and effective for anyone.
Kylie Brda
Owner of Brda Skincare and Graduate of Radiance
I feel safer in my body knowing that life happens and pain will come but now I have tools to unwind the pain on my own.
I have this new sense of empowerment and invaluable knowledge that will keep me on the right path of listening to my body and connecting with myself more deeply everyday!
Amanda Weiss
Operations Manager for a Financial Tech Company, Trauma-informed Yoga Teacher and Graduate of Radiance
I had been practicing Somatics with Aimee for a few years but the deep dive this program takes you on into your body is so different from having an on and off practice. Stress and pain do not control my life anymore and I feel free and safe in my body for the first time!
Rosie Velasquez
Founder of The Mystic Rose Studio & Find Your Mojo Coaching, Spiritual Mentor
and Energy Guide
My body remembered and learned how to adjust naturally and today I am walking with a more natural posture because of what Aimee taught me. All my aches and ailments are no longer the focus of my day.
Galia Nitzen
Therapist-in-Training
When I met Aimee, I was having the most excruciating back, neck, and shoulder pain, so much so that there were days I could not move and had to lay on my bed alternating heat pads with ice packs to soothe the painful areas. The pain was often so debilitating that I would cry from the abject hopelessness I felt. I had started resorting to painkillers, having tried everything I could to manage the pain. Nothing seemed to work, and this just compounded my anxiety.
Our first session was a little strange to me as I wondered how such tiny little movements could make a difference. It was closer to the third or fourth session that I started feeling the motion of the movements, as they are incredibly subtle. These are not large gestures; they are very small, minute shifts in body awareness such that I began to experience my body more mindfully.
Now, I am more aware of how my body tenses and contracts and becomes clenched and painful to the point where I cannot move.
In these moments, I am taking the time to lay on my yoga mat and do the 20-minute or 40-minute routine that Aimee has generously provided me. The breathing and gentle motions immediately calm my nervous system.
This practice is working really well for me!
Aimee is someone I learned to trust because she is consistent, present, and totally hands-on. She is amongst the most committed, dedicated, competent, and knowledgeable of body practitioners. The passion that she brings to her work is evident in the attentive way she conducts each session. She honestly and truly cared, from the moment she placed her strong hands on my body to her call the next day asking how I felt and if I had any pain.
I would recommend Aimee without a doubt!
Sadie Stockamp
Digital Nomad
I’ve trudged through the last 5-7 years with many dysfunctions and lots of pain, and I’m only 22 years old. I’ve experienced immense and constant back pain following a tailbone fracture as a young girl. I’ve also struggled with constant dizziness, nausea, random blackouts, jaw locking to the point of not being able to eat, odd skin sensitivity issues, and general body tension and disconnect.
After my first session with Aimee, I was in awe and a bit of a daze. I wasn’t expecting to get right to any huge results but I felt very grounded throughout the session and immediately afterwards.
I went to bed happy with that shift in energy even if it was just my mind playing tricks on me but then the next morning I woke up and immediately felt that the way I stood was different. My pelvis and tailbone was slightly tucked in, which is a relieving position that I usually have to intentionally move and hold my body to. So I was very excited to see that change and it gave me so much hope and trust in the process going forward.
My favorite thing about working with Aimee is that she got right down to business to start bringing ease into my body. She didn’t give me fluff or fairy dust and tell me to just believe. She gave me the damn wand!! It was always obvious that she does her work to actually educate so that I could understand and morph this somatic work into what works for me even if new health issues come in the future.
Since starting somatic work, I’ve finally felt hope that pain doesn’t have to be forever. That's been huge because it affected my mental health so much to have a lack of hope. I have gained hope because I experienced moments of ZERO pain for the first time in years. I’ve had new issues or tensions arise, and I’ve felt confident that I have the tools to help my body through it.
I have gained a “me and my body against the world” mindset rather than “me vs. my body”. And pain is a signal now rather than an enemy.
I’ve always believed our body knows how to heal itself and that it WANTS us to feel in alignment. But I never had anything tangible to do much with that belief — no tools — until somatic work.
I’ve already told so many people about Aimee and I think everyone needs to get on a call with her to let your own body convince you. Because it was that first complimentary intro call that I had with her that my body said “yep, we need this”.
Aimee really listens and understands you as an individual human and she’s so knowledgeable that she can tailor this work to you and teach you how to release as well!
Nicole Sochacz
Esthetician, Truth-seeker and Graduate of Radiance
Nicole is a powerhouse of helpful knowledge and discriminating curiosity!
She has told me how careful she is about choosing a teacher because she knows the power of influence.
It has been my honor to be her guide in accessing MORE of herself and experience deeper ease and harmony in her body/life.
“Being in Radiance “connected the dots” for me.
Since being in this program I am honoring my higher self, God and the process of life with more ease.
I came into the program seeking to educate my body on how to regulate my stress and emotions on a deeper level.
With Aimee’s interaction, the weekly classes and my own practice it has become easier to access all parts of my Self.
My 3 biggest takeaways:
1. My body is super smart.
2. We can experience change without painful modalities.
3. I am so glad I took the leap into the unknown!
What’s different about this body-based approach is that it is not strenuous. I work out a lot and getting results without intense effort was new to me.
I found Aimee’s instructions intricate and yet easy to follow.
After every movement session I felt super relaxed and balanced in my body-mind-spirit, my SOMA.
Now, I am able to hold space for myself and others without being quickly triggered. And I notice quicker when my body needs something. For example, rest and relaxation, and I’m not guilting myself for it!
Funny enough, I feel like people who need this work the most are the ones who might not “believe in it”.
I have been blessed to have this experience with Aimee and be a part of this program. THANK YOU!”
Krysta Kinslow
Shadow Work and Ascension Guide
In this clip, Krysta describes her first session with me and the big emotional release she experienced that was connected to the tension she had been carrying in her body.
"We go through our lives feeling like contraction in our body is normal...We've normalized pain, we've normalized, you know, 'shoulder hurts and back pain, I'm just getting older, hahaha, it's so funny.' It's not. And it's not normal, it's something that's trying to get your attention and [Aimee] has such a beautiful way of shining a flashlight on it. Of saying, 'Hey, there's something here for you. Let's do something about it, together."
Laurel Pear
Conflict Resolution Coach, Energy Healer and Graduate of Radiance
What I’ve learned connects with everything that I do!
It's helped me embody my energy clearing practices more...I have more confidence being in my body and [to continue] to try new things because now I have this tool to lower tension and come out of trauma patterns...This is a wonderful investment for anybody's future. Anybody with a body could benefit from embedding this practice into their daily lives.
I felt instant relief from stress and anxiety in my body after doing just one session with Aimee in her 3 Day’s to Radiance event.
What I’ve learned connects with everything that I do!
It's helped me embody my energy clearing practices more...I have more confidence being in my body and [to continue] to try new things because now I have this tool to lower tension and come out of trauma patterns...This is a wonderful investment for anybody's future. Anybody with a body could benefit from embedding this practice into their daily lives.
I felt instant relief from stress and anxiety in my body after doing just one session with Aimee in her 3 Day’s to Radiance event.
I asked my dad if he would support me so that I could take her 6-month program and he did, and it has honestly been one of the most helpful things that I have been able to do for my anxiety and overall understanding of wellness and what it means to be healthy.
I have been dealing with severe anxiety on and off since I was little surrounding certain events in my life and for me change can feel really hard, so I have found it very beneficial to have the support as well as the knowledge from this program to be able to use in times of stress but also whenever I need it as this is a lifelong skill.
I also sometimes succumb to overeating in times of stress but Aimee has helped me with this too by teaching me that I don’t have to get scared or upset when I eat in a way that does not support my actual lifestyle goals but instead I can focus on what to do to balance it all out.
Having the tools for me has given me so much more confidence to continue living my life, knowing that I am never stuck quite literally.
I have found that doing these soma movements twice or sometimes three times a day is the most helpful thing that I can do for my anxiety aside from eating healthy.
Veronika Lee Hoover
Former Psychotherapist, Former LSCW, Full-time Mama
I’ve had chronic pain in my left lower back and hip for about 6 years, and it got worse after giving birth to my 2nd child two years ago. My pelvic floor also had transient pain. My quad and IT band were also on fire. It became very hard to workout which provided relief, but also pain. I felt like I was missing out on having fun with my kids and also had to give up a big part of my self-care.
After my first session, I had immediate relief in my entire back, neck and I felt lighter. It was just so much easier to move. I also noticed I felt happy and it was easier to play and have fun.
Since starting this somatic journey, I started to notice my holding patterns during my usual day to day tasks that contribute to tension and pain. I know how to let it go. In just 5 sessions, my pain is 80% less. My mood is better (my husband says he appreciates how I've been handling disappointments and my daughter now calls me the best mom.. LOL) I can now do workouts again, and use my somatic exercises as a warm up and cool down to ensure my body remembers to let go.
I worked as a psychotherapist and my work primarily focused on mind-body and energy centers as a way of working through issues and traumas. I also integrated nature connection and plant medicine into my work and personal healing journey.
I had many breakthroughs and realizations of what it was that my own body needed. My husband is a chiropractor and acupuncturist, so I have been able to experience many types of hands on work and advanced technology for my chronic pain.
I knew inside that my body needed to re-pattern its own memory from “holding on” to “letting go” from the inside out.
When I found Aimee and did my consult, I knew immediately this was what my soul was calling in. I now have a way to work with my body's innate intelligence to heal and let go of old patterns that my body subconsciously kept bringing back into my life.
It’s allowed me to feel safe, open and surrendered to living fully and even more authentically. At one point in a session with Aimee, I was brought back to a plant medicine journey where my body knew exactly what it needed but I didn't know how to attain that level of ease without first going through a very scary process of letting go. However, this time, it was gentle like a lullaby, lulling me into ease and comfort.
Aimee is so present and non-judgmental, not just to what's happening physically, but what might be happening emotionally. I love that she just knows how to tune in and hold space in such a neutral way.
I’ve been recommending Aimee to all the people I know who are also in the healing community and who are also on a personal journey of self-development and healing!
Phil Zuckerman & Stacy Elliott
Associate Dean at Pitzer College & Archivist at Pitzer College
Two years ago, my wife Stacy, had a bad stroke. Aimee came highly recommended – to work with her and help her heal her affected limbs, alignment, back, movement, etc. Aimee has been working with Stacy weekly. She has been truly amazing: patient, warm, kind. She is extremely knowledgeable about the body, about balance, about well-being.
Aimee explains thing so well and clearly and thoughtfully. They work on breathing together. Somatic healing. She gives Stacy such wonderful movements and exercises to practice throughout the week, which make Stacy feel so good.
Stacy always feels so replenished and inspired after every session with Aimee.
Aimee is a wonderful guide, a healer, and a trusted teacher. She has been so incredible.
I began working with Stacy at the start of the pandemic. We were lucky enough to begin working together a few weeks after she had suffered a moderate-severe stroke that affected the right side of her body.
When I met her she was getting around in a wheelchair and had no sensation in her right leg and arm.
She had difficulty communicating, but we quickly bonded.
She has made HUGE progress in the last two years.
We have been working together weekly and she is now able to have her own movement practice that keeps her pain free and supports her life!
Clista Prelle-Tworek
Licensed Professional Counselor, Visual Artist, Writer
Hi, All-- I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (among other roles). For the past 20 years, I have worked with survivors of early childhood trauma, as well as providing integrated treatment for recovery from PTSD, substance use disorders, and for people who live with chronic pain.
I am a survivor of adverse childhood experiences. and live with a chronic pain condition and complex PTSD. I have tried virtually every modality of healing for the body, heart and mind, to try to find relief from the often intense pain I feel.
All of the things I have tried have provided some level of relief, for a short span of time. Usually when I worked directly with a practitioner who was administering a treatment through direct body contact (massage, chiropractic, physical therapy).
One of the most wonderful things about Hanna Somatics is that Aimee teaches how to sense my body in a way that provides not only immediate relief while in session with her, but also a method that allows me to connect with my body in a totally new way. I can practice the exercises independently. This is empowering and effective. Aimee is intuitive, and can see and understand what is happening in my body through the video platform. She guides me with patience, compassion and exquisite skill in the Hanna Somatics processes. She helps me map the way my body has coped with trauma over my many decades, and gives me a way forward to navigate daily life with less pain, and a renewed sense of confidence and joy.
Rather than placing the body with an external, abstract. mechanical or cognitive precept of what will help, Aimee helps me feel the deep aspects of my body that are out of balance due to contraction and constriction, and through an elegant and powerful method, guides me to release tension, connect my heart, mind, and spirit with my body in miraculous healing ways.
In addition, Aimee also recommends dietary changes that are congruent with the preferences of my body, and information from other sources, that help me experience optimal energy and digestive processes. This plant based diet is also sustainable for our wounded planet, as well as nourishing for my body. And it is delicious!
This course in Hanna Somatics with Aimee is a blessing, and she is an angel! I am growing in compassion and love for my body and my whole self.
Thank you, Aimee!
Rosie Velasquez
Founder of The Mystic Rose Studio & Find Your Mojo Coaching
Aimee is amazing! I seriously can't even remember how long I lived with my neck being stiff. I tried switching different pillows and different sleeping positions and if I couldn't get that right combination I'd wake up with my neck stiff or in some kind of pain.
After a few sessions with Aimee she asked me about my neck pain and honestly I didn't even notice that it was gone. I didn't notice that I hadn't felt the stiffness! That's how incredible and natural this is!
My body remembered and learned how to adjust naturally and today I am walking with a more natural posture because of what Aimee taught me. All my aches and ailments are no longer the focus of my day.
Now, I'm not the best at practicing all the time, but even with the few sessions that I had last year, I still don't have neck pain.
Aimee is absolutely incredible, she's intuitive, she's so knowledgeable and absolutely cares about your well-being and that radiates through her excitement when she hears about these huge wins you experience when realigning your body and mind.
Kevin Riel
High School English Teacher at La Jolla Country Day School
Aimee helped me work through a raging case of SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) that had frozen my abdomen with tension and rendered me couch-ridden with persistent reflux.
Aimee helped me refine my posture to aid digestion and used somatics to reintroduce movement to ignite my sluggish metabolism.
Aimee helped me work through a raging case of SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) that had frozen my abdomen with tension and rendered me couch-ridden with persistent reflux.
Aimee helped me refine my posture to aid digestion and used somatics to reintroduce movement to ignite my sluggish metabolism.
When we began working together I was listless and miserable; after two months of weekly treatment, along with the daily mobility exercises that she taught me, I was significantly improved and on the path to recovery.
Over a year later, and my body still craves a nightly dose of somatic movements.
Riki Wolf
Owner And Masseuse at Free Reign Healing Arts, RN, BSN, MS, CMT
What I liked about working with Aimee was how I learned to control muscle groups in a way that would bring about pain relief quite quickly.
She also has a very relaxing and pleasant tone to her voice which I found peaceful and encouraging.
Hanna Somatics techniques are really helpful in maintaining alignment and preventing chronic contraction from recurring.
At one point, I worked with Aimee on an acute inflammatory issue. My pain was significantly lessened and resolved in 2 sessions. Frankly, I could barely fathom going from excruciating to tolerable in only one hour.
In general, I recommend HSE to clients who have a long history of their bodies responding with tightening in response to stress or worry.
HSE offers them a way to respond differently and as a result they experience their bodies in a more relaxed and comfortable state.
Chris Kroutil
Substitute Teacher
Hanna Somatic Education has been a life changing experience for me in treating and managing symptoms from a car accident.
After just 30 minutes I am able to transition from the stress of the world into a healing atmosphere by reducing muscle tension throughout my body. My first Somatics class showed me its potential, but taking regular classes with Aimee has allowed me to reinforce proper technique such that I can have a regular practice on my own.
I am much more able to manage symptoms and function in my daily life as a result of working with Aimee and will always be grateful.
Amanda Weiss
Operations Manager for a Financial Technology Company, Trauma-informed Yoga Teacher
When I started the Radiance Program I had chronic pain and was looking for a new way to manage stress.
Since beginning the program I am able to observe how connected my stress is to the pain in my body. I have the tools to lessen (or rid!) my body of the daily pain I had been experiencing for so long! This allows me to have a much more even mood in even tough situations. I also have so much more energy throughout the whole day.
I had been practicing somatics with Aimee for a few years but the deep dive this program takes you on into your body is so different from having an on and off practice. Hanna somatics is a modality unlike any other I have regularly practiced.
I struggled with "gentle" types of yoga because it forced me to observe and be inside of a body that I didn't trust or feel comfortable in. Hanna somatics has taught me how to experience, observe and be friends with my body again in a way that feels safe. It also teaches you how to slow down in an authentic way.
So many modalities, including many types of yoga, can disconnect us from what is happening in our bodies when the focus is "perfection" or a no pain, no gain mentality. It can, unfortunately, turn into an escape from our emotions, our bodies and ourselves.
Aimee’s way of guiding is authentic and graceful. She is incredibly honest and holds space for all the different experiences you may have. She is full of so much knowledge and takes the time to present it in a way that is digestible and takes the time to check in and fill the gaps when there are questions.
I really enjoyed the food conversation! I think there is so much misinformation with diet culture, fads and the commercialization of nutrition. I have always been connected to what I eat but it shifted my thinking in why I make the choices I do and explore some different recipes and ways of eating. It also made me feel comfortable exploring my relationship with some food sensitivities. And I am eating more fruit and it has helped me have a more sustained energy throughout the day!
Having a calmer nervous system has allowed me to explore my relationship with food and how it truly makes me feel because I am not experiencing a constant state of anxiety/depression.
Whenever we finish our movement session, it feels like a combination of just having had a massage, finished a workout and meditated. I always feel the tension in my body turn down or off, I feel more connected and "inside" of my body and have a general feeling of well being. Sometimes it makes me feel a little loopy but in a good way.
I manage multiple teams at work and I have had the energy to be present and calm for them in even adverse situations. I have so much more energy because I am not constantly bouncing between anxiety and depressive thoughts on a daily basis, I feel so much more balanced.
Teaching my body how to truly let go has allowed me to experience and process memories from the past that I had forgotten but my body was holding on to. I have way more energy to do the things I love!
Stress and pain do not control my life anymore and I feel free and safe in my body for the first time!
I wish everyone had the opportunity to do this program!
Valerie Stanton
Energy-Worker, Intuitive Guide, Gentle Yoga Teacher, Entrepreneur and Currently Enrolled in Radiance
“I joined Radiance to address feeling really out of sorts in my own body. It was vulnerable to admit I felt out of whack since I’m a gentle yoga teacher and have done extensive healing work.
However, I had pretty persistent lower back pain which had led to me throwing my back out several times. My neck was also constantly tight, honestly since I can remember. Since having my kiddo and gaining a bunch of weight, my body felt really different than it used to, and I needed new tools to BE with myself.
During the program I felt such a softening occur!
In the beginning, I had a hard time getting into the daily practice - part of that was having my wisdom teeth removed in the first month! But once I finally did, I started experiencing an ease in my body that I could rely on.
I was finally able to do things like weed in my garden without worrying about my back. If I went on a long drive, flight or had a day that was especially taxing for my body and nervous system, I had a set of tools to work with it and helped me truly release the muscles that were so tight.
Aimee's 1:1 sessions helped me drop DEEP into my body and experience a near-psychedelic ecstasy of being so in tune with myself, and so encouraged to both listen, slow down and make the movements as subtle as I desired. Plus the group experiences felt bonding, and helped to drop me even further into my own body.
This program brings in such a fine-tuned level of intimacy with one's body and movements. I actually have a lot of wounding around feeling like the world around me is moving SO FAST and the pressure to "keep up". This practice is SO slow and I truly love it. It's so much about me, and me trusting my body.
Aimee’s Teaching style is very thorough, precise, loving and compassionate.
Now I have a simple, gentle, daily (or close to daily) practice and I feel more relaxed and "leaned back" in my body. I have helpful food guidelines that I can return to to help me feel more easeful in my body. I feel relaxed and confident in my body to do things I love like walking, gardening, etc. without worrying I will get irrevocably injured.
I also feel much calmer and more natural in my business. Less of a sense of "pushing" as an entrepreneur and more of an easeful, honest sharing of what I have to offer. This practice invites in a full body union that is felt while doing it.
I’m excited and motivated to weave these practices around movement and food deeper into my life and yoga practice.”
Katie Wilton
Mom, Wife, Teacher
When Aimee introduced me to Hanna Somatics, I was having such difficulty with both of my knees. It was a struggle to perform basic tasks and functions like getting up off of the floor, transitioning from sitting to standing and caring for my toddler.
The trouble with my knees had suddenly appeared about three or four months before our session and never let up (in spite of ample stretching!).
I was shocked that after a single targeted Hanna Somatics session with Aimee the problem altogether vanished. Persuaded by the power of this modality and Aimee's effectiveness as a practitioner, we went on to do several sessions together.
I admired Aimee's vigilant checking in with how I was feeling in my body during our sessions and her ability to instantly integrate feedback, as well as her attentive follow up after sessions. Her unique knowledge of this system, as well as extensive understanding of the human body, enabled her to target exactly what was needed for me and produce big results quickly.
I loved her clear, slow, gentle approach to instructing this method. Dissimilar to other physical practices I've turned to in the past, I appreciate that Hanna Somatics focuses on creating change through micro movements, subtle awareness and paying attention to discomfort.
Aimee has a knack for creating a relaxing and soothing experience while paying attention to the most minute details. We worked together virtually, which I had never done before - and I was amazed at how well Aimee could speak to my body as if she were right there, while I got to be in the comfort of my own home.
In spite of 25 years of practicing yoga, learning Hanna Somatics with Aimee gave me a new way of understanding my body as well as a gracious pathway to heal it!
April Ruffner
Owner of Bourne Pilates & Fitness
“I wish everyone could experience Somatic Education, especially with Aimee who is a great leader and example in her own life.”
I started doing Somatics with Aimee because I felt that I had trauma stored in my body that I didn't know how to release. As I began this somatic work, my body felt safe and Aimee spoke in a comforting tone, which is important for healing. As I worked with Aimee, she uncovered muscular patterns in my body.
There were 3 significant shifts that I felt:
1) As I walked, Aimee pointed out that I would lean more of my body weight to the right side of my body. So, my back muscles were shortened on one side. After doing somatics, a few sessions later, I was able to balance and shift some of the weight back to my left side, equalizing both sides of my body.
2) I used to have a hard time breathing, or taking a full breath lying down on my back. Aimee pointed out that this was due to tight muscles and fascia around my chest. As she helped me open up through my sessions, I felt like I was able to breathe better on my back. I can now stay for an extended time on my back now without feeling uncomfortable.
3) My shoulders were protracted (rounded forward). Aimee explained to me about patterns that were called "red light" or protective patterns that kept me contracted forward. The more sessions we did, I started to see a shift and my shoulders felt more openness and length.
After my six sessions with Aimee, my nervous system was able to relax and calm down more. I definitely feel the somatic “reset” in my body that has made significant changes. My body is very grateful for it. I will continue to do the exercises that Aimee gave me to do on my own, so I can continue the somatic experience.
I have also learned to slow down and sometimes less is more. I have made the internal changes that have made all the difference in my world and my internal happiness. I wish everyone could experience Somatic Education, especially with Aimee who is a great leader and example in her own life.
Mike Warner
Retired Teacher/Coach
My name is Mike Warner, a former teacher, coach and life-long runner. Nearly 70, I’ve been running for over 50 years; I have known Aimee since she was in 6th grade.
As a runner, my number one concern is skeletal alignment. Leg length discrepancies and hip rotations create imbalances and injuries, and I have the injury history to prove it. I run up to an hour a day, making alignment critical to me.
I use simple somatic exercises before I run, which almost immediately correct those areas. I can literally feel my body coming back into alignment as I do them. I don’t spend hours doing them, and they’ve reduced the number of chiropractor appointments I’ve needed to accomplish the same thing.
I was primarily open to Hanna Somatics because of Aimee. She is brilliant, has a wonderful background in Yoga (she’s taught all over the world), and I trust her implicitly.
Her program’s emphasis on helping build self-generated practices puts the client in charge. If I were still coaching, we’d be using these techniques.
Jen Barber
Success Coach, Reiki Master and Transformational Guide
Meeting Aimee was a serendipitous moment. We both joined an online group at the same time and she started talking about her work. I immediately reached out. I had torn my rotator cuff while kayaking two years before and still had discomfort and did not have a full range of motion in my shoulder.
I was beyond frustrated. I also have two crushed discs in my lumbar spine from an old injury. This created tightness and discomfort in my hips and back. I was in different levels of pain all of the time.
I scheduled a session; I needed to know what Hanna Somatics was! I was hooked halfway through the first session. I felt immediate relief in my shoulder, hips, and back. I joke that it's magic. And yes, the process is powerful, but Aimee's incredible wealth of knowledge on how to apply the movements changed my life. She is a Master at what she does.
I had a couple of 1 on 1 sessions with her, and I felt more and more relief in my body every time. Aimee was in the process of launching Radiance, her group program, and I signed up immediately. I felt that having a container to dive deeper into Somatics and adding the food element was just what my body was asking for. Every session was filled with useful ,easy to incorporate knowledge. I was feeling better than I had in years.
Toward the end of the Radiance program, I broke my arm in a freak accident with my dog, and it was discovered I had breast cancer. I spent two weeks in the hospital, and I only felt I had control over using my somatics tools to ease anxiety and gain motion in my broken arm. So that's what I did! My doctors were amazed at how quickly I could move my arm. Multiple times a day, I did the movements Aimee taught me. I was amazed at how grounded and able to cope with everything I was.
I am forever grateful for Aimee and her work. She came into my life at the perfect time, and the somatic tools helped me physically and mentally handle the most difficult time of my life.
If you are wondering whether to work with Aimee, do it. The future you will be so grateful to the you right now who made such an incredible decision to improve your life.
David Kell
Retired High School Special Needs Teacher. Mountaineer and Graduate of Radiance
I’ve enjoyed an outdoors-centred athletic life: bike to work, regular swimming, gym and hiking. I spent Summers, weekends and holidays backpacking, climbing and skiing. I started yoga practice and classes in my 20s and I maintained good flexibility.
Various activity injuries caused physical limitations as I aged. A ski accident in my late 40s followed by two bike accidents which led to a knee replacement.
Familial osteoarthritis led to both hips being replaced, and a foot surgery that required long rehabilitation. All this affected my gait and mobility and post-op physical therapy helped greatly.
Since my 20’s I experienced lower back and neck tightness that at times verged on spasms. Now in my 70’s I’ve lost five inches in height; my back has accordioned, the discs compressing. The good news is that my vertebrae are in good shape, but my neck has definite scoliosis. Two years ago my neck tilting to the left became noticeable, and was commented on by friends and family. At times I was having great discomfort, having to sleep in a certain position and wear a neck brace to avoid a spasm.
I have experienced and been guided by a variety of excellent body and movement practitioners: chiropractic, Jin Shin Jyutsu, massage, acupuncture, Neo-Reichian Radix, and Rolfing. They were all beneficial. Three times over the years, starting in the 1970s, I attended Feldenkrais workshops, and was impressed with the common sense approach to body awareness and movement through physical space.
I have had the great pleasure of knowing Aimee for going on five years. When I first met Aimee she told me a bit of her training in Hanna Somatics. My interest was piqued when she said that Thomas Hanna had developed his movements from Feldenkrais. I did an individual in person sessions with Aimee in 2020 and again in 2021, then began having regular individual zoom sessions the rest of that year. When she developed her Radiance Program, I joined the first group in the Winter of 2022, which continued through last August.
Aimee is extremely empathic and nurturing, well trained and knowledgeable in Hanna Somatics. She begins with the session by reading what is going on in your body by your posture and stance and then tailoring directions to your uniqueness. She is clear and precise in her directions, even when the movement is complicated. I often go into a trance like space, sometimes have to ask her to repeat. At the end of the sessions I’m floating. She is one of the very best healers I have met.
For me the main difference between Hanna Somatics and other disciplines is the way in which it focuses on relaxing; a gentle movement, then just let your body go. I have incorporated a variety of the movements into my daily life, they have become my automatic response to tension.
I do 3-5 green light /red light/trauma movements daily; always when I get up in the morning, and before I swim. When my lower back tightens up while weight lifting or at my desk, I immediately do the movements. I often notice neck tightness looking over my shoulder while driving; waiting at a red light is the perfect time to do neck releases, as is between laps while swimming. I do the Cat Stretch Series before bed.
After 2 1/2 years of working with Aimee, the improvement in my body and neck is definite. I feel less tension, my neck has straightened quite a bit, and others have told me they see the improvement.
Three cheers for Aimee!
Sarah Borodzik
Owner of Chicory Kin : Floral and Apothecary, Mother of Three
I came to Aimee for assistance in preparation of the birth of my 3rd child- looking to release some stuck patterns and make space for movement and realignment.
After our 1st session I was opened in some unexpected, beautiful ways, realizing tensions that I didn't know I was carrying in my body.
Aimee made sure I was comfortable and had full understanding before moving forward into other positions.
She is a gentle and strong voice of guidance that encourages one to commit to their healing in an empowered and possible way.
As a child I received physical therapy that helped with coordination and some motor skills, but as an adult there really wasn't much expectation that I could get more use of my hand and arm than I already had.
When I met Aimee, she told me about Hanna Somatics helping to reconnect the motor system of the brain to the body. She said she'd helped someone recovering from a stroke. I was incredibly curious to try it and see if it would help me with my hand.
Within our first few sessions my right hand went from tight, like I might crush something by grabbing it, to softer and more controlled.
Now, I feel more aware of my hand and more likely to use it for basic household things instead of always using my left hand. My arm has been gradually lengthening out and there is more range of motion available in my shoulder.
The exercises she has taught me allow me to continue the work we do in sessions together on my own, which is very useful. I practice mainly in the morning before my workout and before my job, which is physically demanding. Sometimes I practice the movements in the evening, which is a really nice way to wind down and relax.
After every session I feel more balanced in the way I walk and very relaxed. Overall, I've been very impressed with this method and Aimee's ability to guide and teach. I wish more people knew about this work and its powerful effects.
I am thankful for the difference Aimee and Somatics has made in my life over the last 8 months and I'm excited to see what happens as we continue to work together.
Corey Foye
Owner of All of the Above : Mountain Maintenance
Working with Aimee and learning this technique has given me more awareness and control of the right side of my body and specifically my right hand.
I committed to working with Aimee weekly after our first session. I was amazed to feel my right foot bear more weight and the position of my right hand soften and lengthen.
I was born with Cerebral Palsy and the right arm and leg has been affected by this all of my life.
I loved working with Rosie! She is so in tune with subtle energy and could really feel the changes taking place. She has a depth of knowledge about both the spiritual realm and scientific process, so Somatics really made sense to her.
Here’s what she had to say about our time together: “Aimee is amazing! I seriously can't even remember how long I lived with my neck being stiff.
Rosie Velasquez
Founder of The Mystic Rose Studio & Find Your Mojo Coaching, Spiritual Mentor and Energy Guide
I tried switching different pillows and different sleeping positions and if I couldn't get that right combination I'd wake up with my neck stiff or in some kind of pain.
After a few sessions with Aimee she asked me about my neck pain and honestly I didn't even notice that it was gone. I didn't notice that I hadn't felt the stiffness!
That's how incredible and natural this is! My body remembered and learned how to adjust naturally and today I am walking with a more natural posture because of what Aimee taught me.
All my aches and ailments are no longer the focus of my day. Now, I'm not the best at practicing all the time, but even with the few sessions that I had last year, I still don't have neck pain.
Aimee is absolutely incredible, she's intuitive, she's so knowledgeable and absolutely cares about your well-being and that radiates through her excitement when she hears about these huge wins you experience when realigning your body and mind.”
Starlyn Cappello
ESL and High School French Teacher and Graduate of the Radiance Program
Working with Aimee has greatly benefitted me on many different levels. Being invited into a space where slowing down was encouraged has been a unique experience.
After our somatic movement sessions, I noticed my mental stress level and body tension significantly decreased. In her class, Aimee provides instruction, correction, support, and encouragement, and is surprisingly intuitive. For example, I had no idea that my neck pain was directly connected with my lower back tension.
At the beginning of class, she usually asks us to stand up and can see our misalignments, and potentially painful areas, then teaches based on our personal challenges.
Most of all, Aimee is very loving and has helped me realize that going slow, and loving myself is extremely important to my overall well-being.
Parisa Frost
Therapist AMFT, ATR-P, EMDR
I feel this work is allowing me to access that much more embodied wisdom within my Spirit and physical form. I can feel myself almost instantaneously dropping into a meditative state that gradually deepens during sessions.
I think other trauma therapists, yoga teachers, athletes, or pretty much anyone who "holds" a lot in their bodies whether mentally, emotionally, or physically would benefit from this practice.
It’s time to let go! And Aimee can help you do that.
I can't remember when I WASN'T tight- extreme low back pain; tight hips; tight shoulders -- It's been this way for years!
After my first session with Aimee, I Immediately felt more limber and taller, almost as if I'd grown a couple inches in our session! A deep feeling of release.
Since beginning our work together, I’m in far less pain!
I'm still in awe of how much my low back has released from these small movements. I've been incorporating then in my daily routine and I always feel calmer within the first few movements.
Aden B. Ascher
Life and Nutrition Coach
Prior to working with Aimee, I was experiencing debilitating nerve pain associated with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome that started after a sever traumatic shoulder injury. The nerve pain had gone on for close to 7 years, with such severity that I was completely unable to workout, except for going on long walks/hikes for almost 4 years.
This was incredibly difficult to do being someone who invested his entire life into bodybuilding and being the image of fitness for over 13 years.
I had done extensive inner work/healing and underwent shoulder surgery prior to working with Aimee. Her approach with Hanna Somatics was my final attempt at relieving the pain, and trust me when I say I had done everything outside of surgery to get relief.
During my first session with Aimee, I felt understood and cared for. Aimee took the time to make sure I felt safe and asked me thorough questions in order to meet me where I was and understand exactly what I was experiencing. Aimee gave me hope that allowed me to see a future without pain.
During our actual session, I felt that I was exactly where I needed to be in order to get clarity and relief from the pain I was experiencing. Aimee guided me through each movement with patience, empathy and compassion. I have full faith in her skills as a practitioner and teacher knowing she practices what she preaches. Being a coach myself, I know I can only lead and guide others having done the work myself.
Having chosen to opt out of TOS surgery and find another way to heal the body, after working with Aimee, the results further instill in me the truth of our body having the ability to heal itself, given the proper knowledge, facilitation and guidance.
I can confidently say that just after our first session, I instantly felt a change in my body for the better. With the education Aimee provided before, during and after our session, I I now have an understanding of what caused the painful state to begin with and what to do moving forward. My posture is now in an upright position. My back is no longer stiff/restricted as I feel my spine freely rotating when I walk as my arms and legs swing bilaterally. I feel taller, and both my arms and legs feel even, rather than before our session when they felt as if one was longer than the other. My neck feels free and elongated as well, and most importantly.. I am currently typing this completely PAIN-FREE!! You can say my mood has shifted for the better, without a doubt!
I now understand the importance of releasing trauma from the body through the Somatic therapy that Aimee provides. I used to put my body through absolute hell with training and the toxic lifestyle I was living due to the internal traumas I used to harbor. Although I had released the trapped emotions and integrated the trauma, the physical body was still held in it’s traumatic positioning by the connecting muscle fibers, as if frozen in time from the moment of the induced trauma (PTSD). This is healing on all levels. Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual.
I am beyond grateful for the work I’ve been blessed to do with Aimee and for her as a Somatic practitioner, healer, teacher, and overall phenomenal human being. To say I recommend her services to everyone experiencing pain and/or discomfort, is an understatement. If you’re having any doubts or second thoughts.. trust me when I say you have nothing to lose (other than pain/discomfort). To be free of pain and moving freely is a true gift I encourage everyone reading this to give to themselves and loved ones. Book her now while you can!
Marie Benoit
Nervous System and Trauma Coach, Therapist
When I started working with Aimee, I was having intense pain in my hip flexors on and off for about 6 months to a year. I also suffered a general achy feeling in my body, especially in my shoulders and lower back. I can't even remember the last time I didn't have pain in my body. I was in a car accident in 2009 that seemed to shift into a different state since then, even with treatment.
During our first session I almost fell asleep, but in the best way! Aimee was so good at explaining the movents over Zoom that it wasn't complicated and I feel my mind and body connection easily picked up on the micro movements she had me engage in.
I was completely in awe with how my body felt at the end when Aimee did an assessment of me standing up versus how my body felt and looked at the beginning of the session. My body felt so relaxed and aligned.
In each session since I’ve felt relaxed in my parasympathetic nervous system. I’ve felt very safe in her presence and like I could be completely myself and ask as many questions as I wanted or comment on what I was experiencing. I also like that she checked in periodically to see what I was noticing to bring more awareness online.
I feel like I now have more presence with my body in real time and can use the movements she gave me to find relief.
Since I am a therapist and nervous system coach I often engage in healing practices. After working with Aimee, I've noticed in my own somatic practices I am gentler to my body and can now envision myself to be very aligned and to be pain free.
In the past I had so much trauma around the way my body moved through the world with my "duck feet" composition and the general pain that reminded me, "your body isn't working for you and you can't change it."
I feel this blockage has finally been cleared, as I have immense confidence in my body and my ability to find relief when needed.
The emotional and spiritual blockages I've been able to release have been immense. Aimee taught me around the connection of the left side of my brain where we use logic and reason, is in charge of the right side of the body. It was assessed that I carried most of my pain in the right side of my body because I was trying to "outwit" my trauma. This was a huge lightbulb for me and I have used this teaching to guide many of my clients through somatic work and this sentiment has been very helpful to them as well.
I would recommend Aimee 1000%!
I am hoping to collaborate with her in the future because I fully understand how powerful her work is in the healing process! Anyone with a body and nervous system would benefit from this work.
Kylie Brda
Owner of Brda Skincare
When I met Aimee I was suffering from recurring back pain. I had found some relief with chiropractic care but I didn’t like how dependent I was on chiropractors. I had never heard of somatic education and was intrigued about learning how to get out of pain myself.
In the Radiance Program, I became aware of all the things I unconsciously did to create the tension in my back. Everything from weightlifting injuries, to dancing all night in heels, to working hunched over for hours, driving long distances and not being connected to know what my body was trying to communicate to me. I started to be able to listen to my body through learning specific micromovements. My body started to deeply let go and relax and pain reduced and went away.
I felt like the program came at the perfect time. I had already worked with Aimee privately and I was ready to learn everything I could.
My 3 biggest takeaways
1. I feel empowered with my daily practice to keep my body out of pain.
2. I’m feeling safer in my body, more calm and connected to who I am and where I am in space.
3. I can create regulation internally Instead of seeking it externally.
This program doesn’t just give you information you’ll one day forget. It helps you build a healthy habit and embodiment practice to carry with you throughout your life. When pain comes you learn how to turn it down by yourself.
Aimee’s teaching style is fun, interesting, exciting, empowering, relaxing, calm, inspiring and open.
After each session I feel like I have extremely good posture. The pain, if any, is always less. My breathing is deeper and more relaxed and I usually feel a sense of calm, clarity and joy.
Because of this program:
I connect back to myself when I notice I’m tensing my back from stress and emotion.
I can better care for my body because I know how to listen to what it needs.
I feel safer in my body knowing that life happens and pain will come but now I have tools to unwind the pain on my own.
I have this new sense of empowerment and invaluable knowledge that will keep me on the right path of listening to my body and connecting with myself more deeply everyday!
Calming my nervous system and connecting deeply to myself has felt spiritual. This movement practice helps me get in touch with myself and where I’m at mentally, physically and spiritually. It helps me process emotions and memories.
I wish this same freedom and peace for my friends and family!
Beth Warner
Physiotherapist, Yoga Teacher
Since a hip fracture in 2018 I have had ongoing pain and reduced mobility. I joined the Radiance Program because I wanted to learn how to release muscle tension and reduce pain overall, as well as to get back to my pre-injury levels of mobility.
After the first 3 months of the program I have had a significant reduction in pain. My gait, walking and endurance have improved, and I am better able to self-regulate physical and emotional tension and stress.
Now, I have an even greater appreciation of the contribution of habitual muscle tension to pain and reduced function.
And as a Physiotherapist, I am confident that people can learn to release tension and change even long-held patterns of trauma and pain.
This is safe and effective for anyone.
I liked the structure of a combination of education + group movement practices + individual sessions, I think it works very well!
Aimee is both intelligent and intuitive as a teacher. She is calm and gentle but also encouraging and genuinely enthusiastic and supportive of the changes people are making.
After a movement session with Aimee, I usually feel calm, clear and much lighter. I notice changes in the way I hold myself and move.
I really loved our group sessions. I found the structure of having a weekly appointment to be really helpful, andI learned a lot from the other people in our group.
Even though there was quite a bit that I already knew during the food conversation, it was helpful to re-focus my attention on trying to heal my gut through food and to notice the connection between my long-standing allergies, food issues and the tension in my body.
I have integrated the food knowledge in my daily life and this has helped me to have less anxiety and fear around food and eating.
I have renewed faith in my body to move and in particular, to walk long distances again.
I am able to, in the moment, notice increases in tension and release them.
Everyone would benefit from this program! But especially movement teachers and practitioners.
I found the knowledge and movement practice helped to solidify a lot of my spiritual inclinations, and I was able to connect more with the things that are nourishing to my soul, and prioritize those.
I will absolutely be practicing these movements and sharing them with my own patients every day!
Lynn Burrows
Cellist and Lifelong Musician
I’ve known Aimee for a few years now and have not only taken her classes, but had private sessions with her as well.
She has the most amazing and soothing manner about her and I can instantly relax when with her.
I have been helped in my day to day movement and activity by her sessions and follow through exercises.
I would recommend anyone concerned with their body functioning to spend some quality time with Aimee.
Drew Fuerstman
Professional Musician, Meditation and Mindfulness Practitioner and Currently Enrolled in Radiance
When I joined Radiance I had ongoing chronic pain with hot spots in my neck and upper back. I wanted some relief from the ongoing pain as well as a tool to self-manage my flare-ups, hopefully moving toward less of them. Because the movement practice is less well-known, I had some concerns about the efficacy of the practice, as well as concerns about limitations of doing the work over zoom. I was uncertain if the cost would be justified, or if I would have the appropriate amount of time to devote to the practice.
Within the first 3 months, tension areas of frequent concern were either managed before becoming debilitating, or altogether eradicated. This daily movement practice is an integral part of my life now. Asking my girlfriend about the difference she says it's like night and day, now I just do my "little movements" and I am much better.
When I play music I'm much more able to relax in my body, as well as recover afterwards from the patterns that are part of the activity. I’m able to feel and address patterns of tension before they become exasperated, which has allowed me to increase my activity level drastically!
My three biggest takeaways:
1. These small, easeful, and embodied movements done skillfully have a dramatic positive impact that compounds over time.
2. Adapting the practice to fit your life leads to a full integration.
3. Going with a pattern is the key to releasing it, you don't want to meet resistance with force.
This modality is grounded in the practice itself, not just in knowledge about it. Hanna Somatics doesn't require you be in any special clothes, place, or have any particular ability to see its benefits, it's very adaptable.
“Aimee's teaching style is inspiring and flexible. She was able to adapt to different concerns or patterns easily. I had to take one of the calls driving and she pivoted easily to showing how to apply those in that context. She always seems passionate about the practice.
After a movement session there is a state of more connection with the body, so typically a more regulated nervous system as well. There's often a sense of ease and a balanced energy in the body and mind.
I see Hanna Somatics as a component of wisdom in my spiritual practice. It allows me to tend to my body in a way that allows greater ease. It helps my meditation practice by allowing me to sit for longer without pain, as well as recover from long periods of sitting. Also by virtue of awareness of the body, it connects to the first foundation of mindfulness, and strengthens that awareness.
I am so thankful for Aimee’s expertise in Hanna Somatics and gifts as body worker. I feel her care and calling to help others awaken”
Emily Valentin
Mathematician for a Pharmacy, Athlete and Currently Enrolled in Radiance
When I met Aimee I had chronic pain and discomfort in neck/upper back. My head was forward from working a desk job and I would grind my teeth during my sleep.
I met Aimee one of her events in Joshua Tree and experienced both the movement and the bodywork. I joined Radiance because I wanted to lose weight and be generally healthier as well as experience the pain relief from a daily practice of this method.
Now the pain in my neck and back is completely gone. My face looks less scrunched. I've lost weight and I am able to go on longer runs comfortably because my body isn't screaming at me anymore. Even my skin looks better!
My three biggest takeaways
1. I know now how great I can feel if I take better care of my body.
2. My body doesn't need a lot of the foods I previously thought were essential.
3. Little changes can make such a huge difference in my health and happiness
I found the food conversation in month two extremely helpful and relevant. It has changed how I think about food forever!
I have turned much of the food knowledge into positive healthy habits which now feel second-nature.
I can't believe what I used to call "healthy" before this program!
After a movement session I feel clear-headed, relaxed, loose and blissful. I love that I’m able to go for long hikes and runs without my body getting upset. Also, I can better self-regulate my emotions, which was life-saving as I was going through some tough life situations.
Overall, when I'm not stuck focusing on bodily discomfort, it is easier to fully experience life.
I would love to see members of my family do this program. And I think athletes can also benefit tremendously.
Learning from Aimee has been inspirational. I will absolutely continue my practice for the rest of my life, knowing how great I feel.
Gina Duran
Teacher, Activist, Radio Personality, Restorative Yoga Teacher, Massage Therapist and Poet
When I think about how long I had been dealing with certain issues such as panic, lightheadedness, and mental fog, I would safely say that I have been dealing with some symptoms of trauma for 45 years. In addition, I’ve had several physical injuries from sports and accidents from my own mistakes and physical injuries from traumatic experiences.
By the time I saw Aimee I was struggling to get out of bed. I was limping, vomiting, had restless sleep with nervous legs, insomnia (2-4 hours of disruptive sleep) with nightmares, spinal aches, spasms in my body and was experiencing dissociation. My right eye was getting smaller, had hives and rashes, lots of hair loss, was having panic attacks, poor intestinal health, irregular heart palpitations, abdominal cramping, asthma, and more.
During our first session, I experienced a lot of fear, spasming, jolting, shaking, shivering, sweating, panic attacks, dissociation, crying, confusion, convulsions, rage, and flashbacks.
Aimee is very good at holding space, being present, and nurturing without being judgmental or afraid of witnessing and meeting another in their suffering. Aimee is a healer so she is patient and kind and speaks in a soothing tone and is an excellent listener to physical, verbal, and energetic tones, messages, and needs of her clients/patients.
Needless to say; I felt safe, stabilized, comforted, nurtured, and accepted. I felt loved.
Since beginning this practice and receiving hands-on bodywork with Aimee I feel safe in my body for the first time that I can remember.
I feel a joyful with a sense of calm. The tone in my voice has shifted. My eyes are smiling. My skin is glowing and healthy again. My hair finally stopped falling out in bunches. I processed memories I couldn't face or even remember out of sheer terror. I can sleep better. I can concentrate on my schoolwork. It doesn't hurt to walk. Sometimes when my hips, spine, ankle, or shoulder get an ache I know I can slow down and do some somatic movements, be gentle with myself, and I can process why I feel discomfort and even release it. Then I feel good again.
"I feel like I have learned more about myself as a being. 9-10 years ago everyone was coming to me for help and healing and I did not honor my humanness. I didn't take time to really slow down and nurture myself, which is tricky because I teach restorative yoga and practice massage. I thought I was listening to my body, but I was still in denial of my own truth.
I knew I wanted to be heard, so I spoke and spoke and still did not feel accepted. I felt judged instead. I realize now that the one I needed to hear me most was myself. I needed to trust myself. I needed to see myself. To listen to what my body was telling me all along.
What I have realized and remembered was not a revelation. It is something I felt since I was very small and even a question I asked out loud, but I needed to believe the lie out of fear of the truth—until it nearly devoured my entire body. I think what is most significant is that I don't feel like I am back, I feel like I have just arrived. I feel like I have awakened.
I highly recommend Aimee. I think everyone can benefit from Somatic Bodywork with a highly educated and experienced practitioner/educator/bodyworker/healer who dedicates themselves to the practice of healing and takes healing seriously and joyfully and intuitively, and Aimee is all of those things. I especially recommend people who have experienced trauma, because Aimee is trauma informed."
Heather Hanning
Midwife, Owner of Intuitive Rhythms Midwifery, Licensed Massage Therapist
I was suffering with chronic hip and low back pain for nearly 18 months. I have over 20 years experience as a massage therapist so naturally I turned to massage from relief. Unfortunately massage, chiropractic care and acupuncture and stretching seemed to aggravate my pain. It was very frustrating. My pain would worsen at night making it difficult to get a good night rest. It was also affecting my mental health.
I immediately felt some relief after my first session with Aimee. I was able to feel my pain move through me as if we were chasing it down with the movements. I felt relaxed and renewed. I didn’t realize how disconnected I had become with my body. It felt good to move and reconnect again.
Aimee’s sessions put me in a state of trance. She makes me feel safe and loved, almost like being cradled and rocked by my mother when I was a small child. I see beautiful colors. Aimee is an amazing healer and very attuned with her craft. She is so knowledgeable with the body's systems and movements. Her calming energy makes it easy to trust her.
It has been a life changing experience working with Aimee! My pain is nearly completely gone. It flares up every once in a while but now I know how to manage my discomfort within a few minutes. My quality of sleep has improved greatly. I was struggling with depression and anxiety and now my nervous system feels more balanced. I’m not as reactive as I was before discovering somatics. I’m feeling more joyful and more like myself these days.
I also had some unexpected benefits arise such as not having the urge to drink alcohol and cutting back on caffeine as well. My menstrual cycle returned after thinking I was menopausal. I didn’t realize how stagnant my body was. The movements got everything flowing again.
Being both a mother to a special needs child, a midwife and massage therapist, I found that daily somatic practice has given me a valuable tool to replenish my reservoir and take care of myself in a deeper way both energetically and physically.
Over the last year I had disconnected from my body and inner being. I had lost the sense of joy in my life and was in a dark place.
However, Somatics has brought me back to myself, I found my light again. It’s like a rebirth after a long dark winter, reaching out into the warm sunshine unfolding my petals like a wildflower at spring time.
After my 8th session with Aimee, my higher-self came to me in a dream, she put her hand on my shoulder and said “where have you been”. That was confirmation that I had done the appropriate work that led me back to myself after being lost in darkness, reconnecting me to my mind, body and spirit.
Everyone can benefit from working with Aimee, but especially for those who have been suffering with pain and mental health challenges. Being a midwife I feel that babies and mothers who have suffered from birth trauma can very much benefit and heal with Hanna Somatics. It can even help during pregnancy to get the pelvic bowl ready for birth as well as postpartum healing. I’m enjoying sharing Somatics with my clients and colleagues. I’m seriously thinking about becoming a Somatic Educator!
Jeannie Shaw
Writer, Visual Artist, Digital Creator
When I met Aimee I was having pain in my hips, knees and sometimes ankles. If it wasn't tightness, it was pain. At times the pain was so bad that I'd feel it urgent to get a chiropractor to relieve the pain. I'd done two years of chiropractors off and on with the last set being 6 consecutive visits.
If I drove for a long time and stepped out of my truck, I would feel stuck in the position of sitting so it would take a moment for me to adjust to standing tall.
It felt embarrassing. I was experiencing the latter for about 8 months or so.
In my first session with Aimee, I felt peace. A lot of what Aimee taught resonated with me. Since I have experience in meditating, there were some moves that immediately put me in that state where I was connected to my higher self.
At the beginning, I doubted that these tiny movements would do anything to alleviate my pain but as the days went by, I found myself releasing, releasing, releasing. Before I knew it, I was sitting on my meditation pillow with no stiffness and no pain.
When I'm working with Aimee, I feel safe. It's a space where I feel I can share anything. Sometimes a part of that release includes tears but the sessions lead to a sense of peace and feeling more connected to myself and my body.
The pains I was feeling last year, before I started working with Aimee, have gone away. There is occasional stiffness in the hip area but it's mainly because I have not taken the time to practice the movements Aimee has taught me.
In our last session just a couple of days ago, Aimee brought up something that I often teach about but apparently don't always practice. I find working with Aimee healing and peaceful. In fact, I'm tearing up a little just writing about it. She is kind and helpful and teaches while she works with you. Somehow Aimee can see my body and all my imbalances by just looking via the computer. How she does it? I will never know.
The spiritual significance for me has been crucial. The last year felt especially stressful for me and working with Aimee reminds me to stay connected to my body.
The biggest takeaway for me is that I used to think I had to do aggressive stretching to release pain or stiffness. I had NO IDEA that there were gentler ways to get to the same issue.
Oftentimes, we think that being harder and tougher will get us where we want to be... but sometimes being softer and more yielding allows for greater expansion and easier release.
If I were to name one person who comes to mind, who could use Aimee's help, it would be a member of my family who operates mainly in her masculine energy.
But if I were to generalize it, I would say this work is for anyone who is experiencing stiffness in their bodies and stuckness in their lives.
Aimee has the healer vibe! All of the sessions are completely about her client and it feels amazing... gloriously amazing. I am thankful.
Celeste Gamboa
Caregiver, Amateur Astrologer, Empath, Relentless Growth Seeker
“I joined Radiance because I was experiencing anxiety and difficulty being in my body.
Within the first three months, I learned how to listen to my body which has helped me give it what it needs. This practice has helped move pent up emotions. So now I experience less anxiety and more body awareness. I experience more of my emotions.
My Three Biggest Takeaways
1. That I am always the answer.
2. If I can come back to myself, I can make anything happen.
3. It doesn’t have to be a hard regimen!
Major difference with this practice, is that i’m not hurting at all while I’m going through this regimen. It’s an addition to my life that brings relaxation and self awareness in a rapid state. I’ve never found that anywhere.
The food sharing was helpful. It brought up in me this self awareness that I was afraid to nourish myself. Combined with the movement practice, it’s part of my self care and self support to do things I need to function. I do now! I pick more variety of fruits and veggies and I practice my series on an almost daily basis. I see this being a part of my daily life.
I now have an awareness of myself and how I live my life. I realize before, I didn’t trust myself.
I’ve been walking around an anxious person because I wasn’t tuning in to my needs. It went from too much working out to not enough nourishment.
I had no idea I had upper back issues and breathing issues and centering myself in my practice brought new things to light.
I wish my whole family could learn this practice, my work out friends and basically everyone. This tool would be great for people with eating disorders and just addicts in general.
I’ve always heard that quote “your body is a temple” but I’ve never embraced it.
This practice has brought me back to my body. I feel whole. This practice aligns with all the things, spiritual or not. But for me it’s connected me in ways that are hard to describe. I use this practice with the Body Code system and it’s helped heal a lot of trauma because wether we want to admit or not; the body keeps a score.“
Zoe Hewett
Exercise Physiologist, Yoga Teacher, Mother
Zoe Hewett’s transformation has been about knowing herself and believing in her ability to sense and respond to her own experience in her body with confidence.
I absolutely love the way she is no longer in the habit of outsourcing her bodies needs to other ‘experts’ but is beginning to feel/know internally that she is the expert and authority in her body 🙏
“I came into the Radiance program 12 months postpartum from my second child with almost 15 years of hot yoga practice and with a former lifetime of elite sport in my body.
I had some physical and emotional tension stored in my tissues to say the least and I was getting more frequent episodes of my back seizing up, for example, as the years passed.
Since becoming a parent I had also deprioritised my time consuming a regular yoga practice and therein lost a coping mechanism for maintaining emotional health.
Lastly, I wanted to address the concept of being a better manager of my own health rather than hand all my trust to medical and movement professionals. I did not want to continue outsourcing the management of my own health.
The practice I’ve learned has helped shift these challenges because it was so accessible.
I could to take 30 seconds to 30 mins or sometimes longer to address the tension in my body and I could even do something with a kid sitting on me if needed!
Aimee always supported the idea of ‘more than nothing’ so even when I can only do a few minutes I trust that it’s still a significant contribution to the long game.
Having a somatic movement practice has also helped with emotional health.
The simplest example is that I can’t solve a problem with myself or someone else by pulling in the opposite direction.
That concept has given me the moment of perspective I’ve needed to avoid a stress response in times of heightened emotion.
What’s different about this method is that it involves my personal perspective in real time in a way that I haven’t felt with other modalities, making it a much more connected and empowering experience. It is also less aggressive - but very focused - than most modalities that I have tried in the past.
Aimee’s teaching style is welcoming and non judgmental, and in our work together she has been able to observe and listen, then efficiently change course based on the experience I was having in the moment which amplified the effect of my somatic practice.
After a movement session with Aimee I feel wonderful! I feel both expansive and integrated, broader and more differentiated. Microcosm and macrocosm unite!
During month two there was lots of information that I was keen to understand further and I felt surprisingly keen to dive into the complexities of eating!
Learning more about how our gut microbiome works will definitely inform food choices my future in a positive way for myself, my family and, I believe, our planet.
Day to day, there is a growing sense of confidence in using my body.
I’m trusting more that it’s all a grand experiment and I have tools to help relieve tension and understand what went awry if I go too far. I now notice more when I’m holding or building tension in my body and I can address it to some degree in the moment.
I can’t unlearn the concepts of this movement practice and it is already integrating into my personal health identity and into my professional life as a movement teacher.
At this stage it feels strange to ‘stretch’ or roll out on a ball, which are things I use to use to try and relieve discomfort from chronic movement patterns.
It’s hard to think of anyone that wouldn’t benefit from this work! Certainly students and teachers in my yoga community, my partner, my sisters, my dad, the mums in my mum sphere, and the professionals in my exercise physiology world.
This practice has the ability to foster a strong connection to self, and therefore, to purpose, which is for me the spiritual implication of the practice.
It feels similar to what has developed through my yoga practice.
With a slight variation in that the invitation to listen to one’s self first and foremost, with the guidance to interpret those messages, has been front and centre.”
Svetlana Maust
Senior Localization Project Manager
She had struggled with intense jaw tightness and discomfort for most of her adult life.
In a matter of minutes, everything changed!
"I had the pleasure of attending Aimee's presentation on Hanna Somatics at a music festival, and it left me so intrigued that I decided to sign up for a one-on-one session.If I drove for a long time and stepped out of my truck, I would feel stuck in the position of sitting so it would take a moment for me to adjust to standing tall.
For most of my adult life, I had been grappling with extreme tension in my jaw, a problem stemming from the loss of two teeth when I was just 18 years old. This issue had only intensified after undergoing several jaw surgeries, leaving me struggling to find relief and alleviate the persistent pain.
However, after a session with Aimee, I was genuinely astonished by the incredible relief I felt in my face, neck, and shoulders.
Aimee not only helped me release the physical tension, but she also demonstrated how I could train my body to relax completely. The somatic work she introduced me to is subtle and demands consistency, yet the exercises she shared made it easy to continue working on releasing stiff muscles independently.
I can't express enough gratitude to Aimee for imparting her knowledge and skills.
I wholeheartedly believe that anyone dealing with recurring tension could greatly benefit from this type of work.
Aimee's expertise is truly transformative."
This work is life-changing. I say that because it changed my life and I see it change the lives of my clients in a deep, profound and highly beneficial way.
Emily Rieker
Cardiac Nurse
"The practice I have learned in Radiance makes me feel at peace and at one with the world.
It allows me to open my eyes and be grateful for all the blessings around me and in my life.
I decided to join the program after struggling with Dystonia in my right hand for the last 8 years. I also hoped to address my anxiety and overall health.
With the Dystonia, I had been experiencing reduced function of my right hand, tightness and muscle cramping that made it difficult to write and had forced me to stop working out and taking classes at the gym.
At first, I was unsure how much it would improve my daily pain and issues.
I’d done western medical treatments with Botox and psychologists, physical therapy, and cognitive workshops for my Dystonia.
However, this program has been the most promising and beneficial for my overall mental and physical health.
Within the first three months, I was writing better at work! And I realized that my Dystonia and muscle tightness affected more parts than just my right hand.
I found patterns that I could recognize tensing up, especially when anxious.
And I found balance and a path to feeling my best!
I’m back to working out! I was worried my hand and arm tightness would worsen with swimming and lifting weights but
I’m back to doing the physical activities I loved 8 years ago that I had to stop with my Dystonia diagnosis.
I also found the Food Conversation in Month 2 to be extremely helpful. I felt so great after tweaking my diet.
I’m reading a suggested book, following new instagram pages, and incorporating the knowledge into my cooking.
I want to be healthier than I’ve ever been even as I get older!
I found Aimee to be extremely knowledgeable in the subject of Somatics and wellness.
She’s passionate yet gentle and patient. She invites us to learn and gives us space and grace knowing other life commitments still go on.after a movement practice I feel : BLISS.
I’m so relaxed that sometimes I don't want to go back to life so that the beauty of the moment lasts longer and I feel so grateful to have made that practice appointment with and for myself!
Everyone can benefit from this program/practice. And anyone can do it!
The benefits are endless.
Thank you so much Aimee for creating this for us!"
Jai Knight
Interdisciplinary Artist
"I joined Revive after experiencing success at an in-person Retreat and I had a lot of curiosity to go deeper.
I found this somatic work inspiring because I wanted to find patterns in my body and retrain them.
During Revive, I’ve had less hyperextending of my joints and felt the arch of my back decreasing (in a good way!) I have more body awareness and I’ve appreciated consciously tapping in with all levels of my consciousness.
This practice is slower and more gentle than anything I’ve done before. And I love how interconnected it is with the whole experience of my human body.
Other somatic work I’ve done was more one on one and included diving into traumas to heal them. This felt more gentle and less heady.
I loved the resource movement library.
I also loved the journaling prompts and work with embodied affirmations.
I found that mine would speak through me in situations where I was experiencing an old pattern- and my body was reminding me to relax and come into the embodiment of the affirmation.
I had a breakthrough around affirmations and embodied wisdom. The affirmation of “I am attracted to stability” would not become a magic trick to become stable, but to know and connect internally with my value system and experience stability!
Internalizing and embodiment is the first step into the external shifting!
I love how articulate Aimee is- the movements are really easy to follow.
I also really appreciated the written curriculum: to learn more about the science and philosophy behind what’s happening in this practice.
Now, I am feeling more connected to my body!
I am more aware of my hyperextended, arched back, and I am consciously working to shift that through the techniques in this program.
I feel less in a rush. I am also feeling more confident and calm in my body.
Overall, my nervous system just has been feeling very regulated! I am also in this cozy phase-really enjoying “not trying too hard” with my wardrobe and making the main priority my comfort.
It’s been wonderful to check in with my Soma at any given moment and integrate subtle movements to feel more at ease in any situation!"
Jordan Merriweather
Project Manager
"I was referred to Aimee by my therapist for chronic, debilitating back pain.
I had been unable to sit or stand for more than 10 minutes at a time and I had very limited ability to walk long or short distances. I suffered constant flare ups (3-5 per week) that caused my legs to go paralyzed, being essentially bedridden and unable to know what was happening in my body.
I felt relief of pain from the very first session, I loved that the movements were small enough for me to do in bed.
I was in physical therapy for nearly a year and a half before meeting Aimee and was never progressing due to the assigned movements causing intense pain or additional flare ups.
With Aimee, I experienced the ability to listen to my body and respond to what it needed. Aimee has such a calming, knowledgeable presence. She can sense so many things about your body and what's happening even through Zoom. She is able to gently correct and communicate when I'm struggling to grasp a move. She is also just a super caring, kind, healing soul.
After our first session I had a really bad flare up and Aimee personally checked on me and walked me through how to handle it and helped avoid an ER trip. That experience also helped me gain control of my pain.
Since then, I have become equipped with tools to listen to my body and reduce my pain to avoid or lessen flare ups. After the series of sessions, I have gained control over my healing journey. I have decreased pain and better sleep. I have always leaned towards the more natural path to healing, but I wasn't even aware of Hanna Somatics before hearing of Aimee.
I totally believe that Aimee and I crossing paths was divinely timed. I feel that if you find this modality of healing, it is spiritual guidance and you are being invited to accept that and reap the benefits. I love that I have been able to work with my body instead of against it. I have gained more control of my pain.
I am slowly but surely healing and I know Aimee's method of healing has and will continue to be a significant step in my journey. I loved working with Aimee so much, it has changed my life for the better in more ways than one.
Hanna Somatics has helped me reduce pain and gain more control over my chronic pain. I would recommend Aimee to anyone with pain or stress in their body. I can't wait to work with her again in the future!
Thanks Aimee, you're a wonderful human with a gift."
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Lisa Gray
Career Yoga Teacher, Hypnotherapist
I felt compelled to book 1:1 sessions with Aimee following constant low level pain and stiffness in my body. I had enjoyed a session with Aimee a couple of years before and remembered how much better it made me feel but at the time I couldn't commit to any more sessions.
For years and years I had put my focus on exercising my body in ways that I thought was benefitting my body which turns out it wasn't (at least not anymore) and my body was calling me to stop.
I didn't listen to my body straight away, my head won the battle many times over, until one day I just found myself hardly able to move without pain and discomfort.
I knew something was up and I needed to make a lifestyle change when it came to exercise and moving my body and then I remembered the first session I had with Aimee and knew that's more of what I needed.
The sessions felt like I was really being really cared for. It was so gentle and relaxing and I am amazed at how such big changes can be made with such small movements.
I felt like new again after each session and Aimee sent me videos of the movements to do in between sessions so I didn't have to remember what I needed to do when I was on my own.
Being able to get experientially involved in the somatic movements was important for me as I tend to want to intellectually understand things over experiencing them and I gave myself permission to turn that part of my brain off and let Aimee guide me.
I felt safe and cared for with Aimee, she's very knowledgeable and her direction was clear and she was able to lead me through the movements that my needed body in that moment.
Since our sessions I have incorporated somatics into my daily routine. I particularly using the somatic movements as a way to relax and unwind after busier moments in my day. It helps to reset and refresh me like a mini nap. My body has a lot less pain and I can feel the stiffness loosening up as well.
I am really excited to see where somatic movements take me in my 40s. I can't exercise like I did in my 20s and 30s and I am learning to be OK with that and embracing a softer and more compassionate way of moving and living in my body.
Melissa Soltero
Wandering Healer, Musician
I joined Revive because I knew it was time to transform! I was looking for extra support through this challenging transition time in my life.
I was having trouble accepting aspects of me and differentiating between what is my energy and what is not mine. Specifically, I was hoping to address challenges around self worth and resilience.
During Revive, I started releasing a lot of emotions and I felt physical shifts start to happen. The movement practices were often emotional releases for me. Everything was very nuanced!
I really love the practical work of the movement practice.
This is different from other release work I’ve done because it’s a physical movement practice and really calls to my sensibilities and allows me more feedback from my body.
Meditation has always been tough for me to feel the benefits.
A movement practice has allowed me to shift to a more fluid body and mind than a rigid or still one.
Aimee is a fantastic guide and witness to the healing of others.
Her style is right up my alley. She is concise and to the point and she offers a lot of support and feedback when desired. She has a very open and caring way of guiding the experience.
I felt like she offered a lot of support when asked questions and was very knowledgeable about the materials. She has a very intuitive sense about the work and it shows.
My Three Biggest Takeaways:
1. I can self guide a practice at home but a support group is very valuable for accountability.
2. The work works when you do it. Time and patience are what is needed with this practice.
3. Subtlety is extremely powerful and I am a work in progress.
Because of this work, I feel more capable of self-soothing and holding space for myself if I start to spiral. The physical grounding has been paramount for me!
There is a lot of resistance in my body that I feel slowly softening and giving way to a gentler, more present way of being. I am releasing control and desire for control.
Thank you so much Aimee. You are helping so many of us heal.
Kimberley Goerrs
Energy Healer and Former Nurse
I was connected to Aimee by a mutual friend and I was looking for help with chronic pain issues and breaking existing patterns.
Physical therapy made my issues worse. Chiropractic and massage was only a very temporary patch.
As a former nurse and now energy healer, working with consistent clients that have traumas, I knew that triggers were resurfacing and I needed a deeper modality.
During a session I feel: very relaxed and a renewed cooperation of muscle groups. I’ve also had emotional releases when working with stubborn areas. Afterwards, I always feel an awakening and cohesion of my body systems.
I love that I can also do this on my own! The videos are so helpful.
The internal connection I feel is unexplainable! It needs to be felt to be understood.
My muscular-skeletal system feels on track to work with itself and no longer resists my activities.
What I’m learning with Aimee fits seamlessly into what I have already learned and practiced in my energy healing work. It’s another level that I didn’t know was available!
Aimee’s approach is kind, gentle, patient, very understanding with intuitive awareness of my needs. Her explanations are comprehendible and very on point.
Since beginning this work, I feel deep appreciation that I have been letting go of a limiting belief of “I am not strong”.
I understand now, it was just the communication/connection was weak. Aimee allowed the tuning in, strengthening my antennas to receive exactly what is needed.
I can move and trust my body to do what I need it to do!
Self love is returning on a new level.
Molly Mandelberg
Founder of Wild Hearts Rise Up, Radiance Graduate
For years I have struggled with a low back injury that never fully heals, and neck pain that I was often seeing a chiropractor for before joining the Radiance Program.
After my first session with Aimee, I felt a sense of openness, relaxation, and flexibility that I had never really felt before in my body.
During the Radiance program I began learning the somatic movements and started practicing on a much more consistent basis. As a result, I experienced better sleep, more physical stamina and mobility when exercising, and best of all a deeper sense of connection to my body, what it needs, and how to give it relief consistently.
What I didn't expect was the layers of emotional stuff that had been stored in those tight places in my body beginning to get released.
At first, it was a bit uncomfortable to feel the tight reins I had on certain emotional histories loosening, there was more to process, more to express, more to learn how to navigate, but as I continued with the practices I have felt so much more peace, more capacity to handle big emotional 'crises' in my life with wise responsiveness over triggered reactivity.
This releasing and processing has made my relationships deeper, my self-compassion more readily available, and my life more spacious and fulfilling.
I can't stop telling people how powerful this set of tools is.
I wish I had found it years sooner.
Aimee is an absolute boss and delivers so much value, information, compassion, and insight in a digestible, easy to receive, easy to follow way.
After a movement session with Aimee I feel so relaxed, open, grounded, melty, spacious, and often ready for a deep rest. Worries melt away. My nervous system regulates.
Additionally, I am so grateful this program included so much information on nutrition and gut health. Even though I felt resistant to it at first, I have gone back to the information multiple times and it has altered the way I eat/prepare/digest food and my body is so grateful for it.
It’s been powerful to re-center on what my body needs and how to listen to and feed my gut the foods that will support my overall digestion, mental health, and bandwidth.
In this 6 month program, it was just such a gift to have a regular checkpoint and accountability system available to me, to remind myself that I need to/get to check in with how I'm actually doing. That awareness helps me to keep cultivating practices, habits, and re-centering on my intentions to care for me so I can do the big work I want to do in the world. Big magic.
I feel equipped to support my body any time I feel tension or pain, that I can use these tools for some immediate relief.
I have gotten back to a consistent and fulfilling workout routine, and have found that my body mechanics, stamina, and enthusiasm for exercising my body mindfully and with compassion has increased so much.
Who do I think would benefit from this work?
All the yogis who think the stretch is the best thing - news flash, stretching is contraction. Mind blown.
All the folks who work at a desk and think the chair is the problem.
All the visionaries, artists, and creatives who are aching to actualize more of their potential but haven't yet moved the trauma and baggage that's stored in their fascia keeping them from realizing what they're capable of.
Love you, Aimee. Thank you. So glad I did this.
Leslie Klein
Former Professional Musician
"I came into Radiance with a whole slew of challenges, including layers of PTSD, holding decades of trauma in my body and psyche, fear and aggression and a whole lot of self-doubt and self-loathing.
During the program I allowed myself to trust Aimee and her practice and, to literally, “slowly” start to release the distrust in myself and finally say: “enough is enough”.
I was so done with the way things had been going. My previous efforts and ways of coping hadn’t worked for me in the past and sure as hell weren’t working for me before starting this program.
Luckily, after having some in person sessions with Aimee and attending her Somatic Awakening Retreat on Mt. Baldy, I had no hesitations about working with her or doing this program.
I have been so impressed with Aimee; her devotion, her love of this work at the highest level and watching her give of herself to her clients with kindness, support, understanding and enthusiasm.
I’m so grateful for her innate ability to mediate and find a working balance between my son and myself that is completely fair and understanding.
During our private and group sessions, I feel so privileged that I am finally being heard and being given validation when appropriate.
After attending many of Aimee’s offerings, I can say that she really does her best to be accessible. Her retreats and programs allow people to come meet from all over.
She embraces everyone’s unique needs and works with their discomforts. Because of this, there is a thread, a connection between us, and with every somatic session we become stronger and more stable within this frenetic world in which we live.
Aimee has strong and solid teaching skills which she implements in a respectful and assertively quiet, calm and nourishing manner.
In the scheme of things, I’m relatively new to this practice.
But I am already experiencing the beginnings of what it’s like to feel full tranquility and surrender to my jaw dropping self discovery.
I lived in New York for 28 years and was accustomed to always being “ON“ and not knowing that there was such a thing as calm.
It feels so good to slow down and make time to care for myself.
I know continuing this work will take me in the right direction for a more calm, meaningful and productive life ahead of me.
This practice has become essential to my wellbeing.
It helps calm me and keep me more connected to myself.
I think the whole world would benefit and it would be a better place if everyone took on somatic education."
Jessica Glose
Birth & Postpartum Doula, Wellness Retreat Leader, Somatic Breathwork Practitioner, Yoga Teacher/Trainer
"I first connected with Aimee shortly after experiencing a significant fall while running, and the synchronicity of that moment made it a clear, full-body yes to work with her.
Plus, as a somatic breathwork practitioner, I was eager to explore another perspective on freeing my soma and relaxing my mind, body, and nervous system.
Before my introduction to Hanna Somatics, I was navigating challenges on multiple levels. After a serious fall while running, I felt discomfort in my body that needed attention.
Additionally, as someone who supports families through the birthing process and leads wellness retreats, I hold space for many people as they move through intense experiences. I was seeking a practice that would allow me to discharge energy and down-regulate my nervous system.
During my sessions with Aimee, I experienced tension releasing layer by layer, allowing my nervous system to fully relax and expand. My posture became noticeably softer and more at ease, while my body felt aligned, spacious, and open—especially in my joints.
After a session, my body feels aligned and lengthened. My muscles are deeply relaxed, and both my body and mind feel spacious. A profound sense of calm envelops me, bringing balance and peace.
Aimee’s presence is warm and calming. She is deeply present, intuitive, and knowledgeable, with a remarkable ability to read your body and identify areas of misalignment or tension. Her gentle touch and clear guidance create a session that feels relaxing, effective, and effortlessly understandable.
The energetic and spiritual significance of this work feels deeply cleansing.
It enables me to release tension on all levels—physical, mental, and emotional—while letting go of old thought patterns and narratives stored in my body and mind.
This practice also deepens my connection to the divine feminine, encouraging me to soften, flow, and approach life with greater intention and presence.
As a result of this series of sessions, I feel spacious and grounded, both in my body and my mind. My nervous system is healthy, resilient, and naturally flows between expansion and contraction as needed.
I am deeply connected to my body and attuned to its messages. Through this work, I’ve gained tools and resources that allow me to realign and meet my needs in the moment with ease and intention."
Katrina Dargel
UX Designer, Graduate of Radiance and Revive
I've taken several courses with Aimee, including Revive and Radiance, and they have truly transformed my life. I used to struggle with overwhelming anxiety in both my body and mind, but her courses, combined with the practice, have helped me find a sense of calm and inward focus.
I can’t recommend her enough!
I found Free Your Soma on the recommendation from a friend who worked with Aimee.
I was looking to reduce my stress and anxiety and feel more calm and connected to my body.
After many of our movement sessions, I felt low. I really felt my emotions moving through my body. It felt really powerful.
This practice really tapped me into my emotions in a way I never expected or experienced before.
I felt the movement practice was really easy to follow and I really liked Aimee’s attention to detail when describing the movements.
I’ve experienced a huge shift in feeling within my body.
I no longer feel consumed by anxiety like I once did, and now I have an incredible tool to regulate my nervous system—a practice that’s simple to apply in everyday life.
I’m paying attention to my body more. I feel more connection between my body and mind.
I’m listening to myself and following my inner voice!
Judi Donner
Owner /Instructor at Pilates Apparatus Studio, Cancer Survivor
Aimee was highly recommended to me by a friend. She called Aimee her a Healer .
Prior to finding Somatics, I was stuck, physically and emotionally. I was so very angry about some health issues I was having.
At my first session all of my muscles and joints were so tight that I couldn’t relax at all.
As the sessions progressed I started to feel more confident and proficient in my own practice of these movements.
During the fourth session, Aimee said she was very impressed with how much progress I’ve made so quickly. My therapist has commented on the changes as well.
Aimee’s presence is very calming. Her knowledge and handling of my physical issues, which can change from week to week is exceptional.
She takes the time to explain what she’s doing and welcomes all my questions.
After my session I feel lengthened, balanced and even. I have never been more relaxed. I usually will go home to nap .
I have been somewhat spiritual, however, Somatics has taken this to a different level.
When you walk in the room to work with Aimee, I can feel the wonderful energy and it carries me out as well .
This is my first experience with Somatics, so I am learning everything I can.
Since beginning this practice my whole life has shifted.
I am a small business owner whose stress level was unmanageable.
I’m pretty sure that’s what made me sick.
Now I don’t let the stress and anger control my life.
Emma Lemcke
Designer and Wellness Coach, Revive Graduate
I joined Revive because I wanted to open my body up and had experienced success from a previous one on one session with Aimee.
I knew I needed to reconnect with my wellness. And I needed to get subtle.
I’ve struggled a lot with jaw and throat tension. A hard shell heart-space. And previously with depression, anxiety and addiction. I’ve known for a long time that my “posture needs an update!”
During Revive, I experienced more openness, peace and softness in my body and in my consciousness. I felt more emotions moving.
I’ve recognized that everything else I’ve tried has been too fast. Especially now that I’ve worked this way and with the Feldenkrais method. I feel like no one has had a sense of what I needed before, and I am excited to see what movement is like as I leave certain habitations.
(But even then, I only want to work with somatically aligned practitioners now. Or be one!)
Aimee gives us time to reflect and integrate sensations. Her class has great tempo and very clear language. I can always follow with my eyes closed.
I felt safe and held both in person and online.
I’ve learned that less is more and I need subtle and slow.
I also realize now, that I have what I need to bring change and relief to my somatic body.
Using the PIES formula was so incredibly helpful to tap into different aspects of my consciousness.
Having the week-by-week content felt like an adventure! It was so thorough and built the journey with each week! I loved it! I found the journaling prompts to be eye opening.
I’d like to revisit my writing now and do another round of them!
It was both interesting and emotional to reflect on all my somatic history.
Now, I feel more capable and engaged in my own somatic peace.
I feel more confident in talking about my Soma and sensing it.
And more ready to teach and coach and move in my own practices!
Thank you Aimee for creating this container and connecting us all! I love my new somatic community!”