Bodywork
California
"I see Marma as a part of supporting the nervous system, the root system of the body, which in turn is going to support all the other systems of the body. I think of it as resetting your body to factory settings."
What is your offering?
I offer an Ayurvedic practice called Marma therapy. It is similar to how reflexology and acupuncture work, in that you press on certain nerve endings where many different tissues overlap and connect to different parts of the body and our organ systems. When you press on them, it sends a message to the pituitary gland to become aware of that part of the body and sends a message to that organ system or part of the body to bring it back into homeostasis. I see Marma as a part of supporting the nervous system, the root system of the body, which in turn is going to support all the other systems of the body. I think of it as resetting your body to factory settings.
What does Marma mean?
A lot of these words in Sanskrit have many meanings, but the meaning that I gravitate towards is secret and doorway. The Marma points are basically all these little secret doorways that live all over your body, and when you activate or press them, it reveals the wisdom of your body to you.
How is it connected to Ayurveda?
Marma is part of the bigger Ayurvedic system, which to me is described as the science of life and longevity. Two main things determine how long we live: the health of the nervous system and the health of the microbiome. We often inherit faulty systems from the people before us. So Ayurveda is our ability to rehab those relationships through our conscious awareness to nature. If we have a healthy nervous system and we're present, then we can adapt and our body can detoxify and process life as it needs to. But if our nervous system gets trapped in a fight or flight state, or epigenetically we get passed down systemic trauma, then we can’t detox anything and that can cause disease and impact our longevity.
What lineage of Marma are you practicing?
Marma is from India, but they say, for every family in India, there's a different lineage. The whole system of Ayurveda that I studied is connected to a warrior tradition, so it has a bit more intensity but also a practical element. A warrior’s body is their livelihood, so they were experts at self care.
What is Marma good for treating?
It can be really good for people with autoimmune conditions or adrenal fatigue, as well as digestive or hormonal issues. It creates more intercommunication within the body, and improves neuroplasticity, so it’s helpful during transitional times. It’s a great way to become deeply aware of parts of your body that you might not know are talking to you.
What types of sessions do you offer?
I do in person marma treatments where you lay down and get all your points pressed, it's like a nervous system reboot. I do consultations online around diet and lifestyle practices where we really get into more of what is going on with your whole system. I also offer somatic tracking sessions online to regulate the nervous system.
How do you help people with their systems?
I offer an ancestral version of Ayurveda, where I help people connect to their own ancestry and their own relationship to nature, because Ayurveda is unique to each and every individual. I really focus on rehabilitating your system by supporting nervous system adaptability and incorporating ancestral foods as it allows you to absorb nutrition very easily. I also take into consideration the other Ayurvedic tenants of seasons, where you live, your body type, state of your nervous system etc. I love incorporating somatic tracking and energy work into sessions as well. Ultimately my goal is to provide people with tools and give people a co-regulatory experience so they gain a parasympathetic reference point. Eventually over time people begin to internalize that reference point as a healthy baseline. I want to support people in becoming parasympathetic dominant and creating flexibility in the nervous system.That can look different for different people.
What can you expect during a session?
Marma works on every level because it's as deeply physical as it is mental, emotional and energetic. Even though sessions can be silent, there is still a lot of movement happening. It really varies from person to person and session to session based on what is called for.
What led you down this path?
I grew up with chronic pain that was undiagnosed for a really long time and with symptoms starting as early as five years old. By the time I had a period, my system was so messed up but everyone told me it was my head. When I was around 19, I read the book, “The Sacred Path of the Warrior” by Chogyan Trungpa and there was a passage about your body being a temple and to not spray paint it. This began a spiritual awakening for me, and I realized I needed to get my act together. I was studying social work and engaged in a lot of self-inquiry, and was doing yoga training. From there, I started learning about Ayurveda.
What made you want to learn more?
I went to see an Ayurvedic doctor and after looking at me, he told me everything that was going on in my body, almost like he had x-ray vision. I'd never felt that kind of experience in the medical system. It was profound. When I had my first Marma treatment, it was so familiar to me, like I was coming home to my body. I went for a second session and he asked if I wanted to apprentice with him, to train and learn. When I got healthy enough, I went to India and studied with his teacher, Dr Madhusudan Ray, who became my primary teacher.
What drives you to continue this work?
We have specialists for a reason, and there is a time and place for going to someone for support and expertise, especially when we are in transition. I also believe it is important to empower people with tools for their own healing process so that self sovereignty is encouraged. I believe healing happens in connection, and so much of rupture happens when we are disconnected. Marma was a household science, and my teacher in India was really clear his dream was for this to become a household science once again, where families and communities can support each other. I think you should be able to have these techniques at home, in your own hands. I believe that healing happens in connection.We need each other.There is also a place for healing on our own. There is something magical about the dance between sovereignty and community, we learn how to individuate many times by dysfunctional relating, then we need some space to come into our own, and then we revisit relating in a new way. That's a very important mission for me personally and professionally, if I'm going to continue doing this work.
What are some of your own personal practices?
I am committed to meditation daily, I have been initiated into many traditions that I have practiced over the last 15 years but these days I’m kind of doing my own thing, intuitively I just connect with my body first and then my guidance kicks in, I feel very connected to my soul energy and I let that steer me. I’ve been leaning on Somatic tracking techniques and combining that with Alicia Fajardo’s body mapping techniques to keep myself embodied and grounded. Self belly massage is a daily non-negotiable. Mantra/chanting is a part of my daily practice. I am a singer-songwriter, so singing is something I do every day as it is very cathartic. And then I have a browns gas and ozone machines that I love and are a part of my self-care practice.
What is by your bedside?
I am a crazy crystal chick with crystals and ceremonial candles all over the place. My jewelry is always with me, dried herbs and flowers and certain talismans. They are all a part of my external filtration system. I ritually light candles, incense and have crystals all over me at night. I wake up with crystals in my bed, it is a whole vibe.
What else is part of your practice?
Right now I am experimenting in skincare and food that are connected to my heritage of being Eastern European. I’m going very ancestral on my soap and skincare routine, using small batch tallow based products. I also heavily rely on ozonated olive oil, you can use it as a deodorant or toothpaste because ozone kills bad bacteria.
What else are you working on?
I am in the process of creating some tools for people, like acupressure rollers and I have a prototype of a piece of jewelry that you can use to press your pressure points. I have also been creating a card deck that has all the Marma points in it and guidance on how to create self care rituals. I’m also in the midst of creating an EP of new music that I plan to release in September 2025. I released an album about a year ago and making music has been a huge joy!
What words of wisdom do you find yourself sharing?
Lately my favorite mantras are:
“I am wholeness embodied, I am met in my wholeness”
“I am sacred union embodied, I am met in my sacred union”
“I am (what you are wanting to experience) embodied, I am met in (what you are wanting to experience)”
Photos by Tommaso Meneghin and Nico Nelson
