GravityBodywork.com • KerstinSanta.com

As a master therapist with 25 years of massage experience, I practice Deep Bodywork™, a presence-based form originating at the Esalen Institute. The philosophy and execution of this work draws on the many rich traditions of conscious touch and embodiment developed there. Five years ago, I founded Gravity Bodywork, a cozy healing arts collective in Black Rock as a home for my work.

I was always obsessed with anatomy and the Esalen Institute of Big Sur held a special place in my imagination. As the cradle of American bodywork, it has produced such modalities as Rolfing, Feldenkrais, Zero Balancing, Gestalt Therapy, Holotropic Breathwork, 5 Rhythms Dance and many other somatic forms. 11 years ago, I started traveling there annually to study Deep Bodywork™ (the deep tissue form of classic Esalen Massage) and it has changed my massage practice and my life. I am proud to carry forward this important lineage here on the East Coast.

I practice “presence-based” bodywork. This means that during the session, I am not only focused on you, listening intently to what is happening under my touch, but also to my own experience as your body’s responses resonate within me. My pressure can be considered a mirror, revealing to you the felt-sense of your own musculature and occasionally even memories, images or emotions associated with certain areas. This in-the-moment opportunity is truly the most important part of our work together, as your brain is becoming aware of a detailed map of the anatomical and emotional landscape under your skin, including all the tight, tender, numb or even yummy and pleasurable areas. Once these sensations have been brought to the light of awareness and integrated, the body is in a wonderful position to self-organize and heal.

When you set foot in my cozy Black Rock studio, you will instantly feel a pressure drop as you take in the atmosphere. We will have a conversation so I can learn about who you are and what you are looking for in your session. On the table, my work is slow, specific and highly effective. More than just a massage, I will be engaging with you in a bodily inquiry. My pressure and awareness will facilitate your own attention on your body and connect your body and mind in a way that lays the foundation of true embodiment. After our session, you will feel a sense of emotional coherence and bodily ease and freedom. You will feel more balanced, possibly lighter and ultimately you will feel the profound pleasure of your own embodiment.