What is Somatic Education?
Imagine you have left all the lights on in your house. Days go by and the lights are still on, your house is heating up, light bulbs are starting to burn out, and when you get your electricity bill; it is through the roof. Now, replace your house with your body in this situation and the lights are your muscles. Through repetitive movement, trauma, or an accident your brain has decided to turn your muscles 'ON' to protect you or keep you in a position that you seem to be in quite often. Your brain then checks out, busy with lots of other things and those muscles are stuck 'ON'. Now what? Well now you are constantly using energy to keep those muscles engaged, they start pulling on other muscles (because they are constantly short which means somewhere else a muscle will need to be constantly stretched), and then since muscles connect to ligaments and bones, joints start to shift out of place or become inflamed. Now you are heading to the chiropractor to get a readjustment and down the line perhaps surgery if you can't figure this out. Hello expensive bills! Now I love an adjustment, and nothing feels better than a massage, but wouldn't it be nice if the adjustment lasted and your massage therapist wasn't battling your tight shoulders for an hour and instead was able to give you a relaxing full body massage? This is where Hanna Somatics comes in. Through HSE you reconnect your brain to your muscles, teaching them to not only turn 'ON' but 'OFF' when you are done using them. Conserving energy, creating better alignment, restoring mobility, and making life a little bit easier due to the fact you are not battling your body to move. Oh and did I mention the no more pain part? Magic.
Ok now onto a more science-y explanation for you nerds out there....
Somatic Education uses slow, focused, and gentle movements known as neuromuscular retraining to teach your brain how to relax and move your muscles properly. It is a safe and efficient way to get rid of pain, tension, and poor posture caused by Sensory Motor Amnesia(SMA). SMA is a condition in which chronically tight muscles have learned to stay contracted due to repeated and reflexive responses to stress, accidents, injuries, surgeries, and repetitive tasks. The sessions empower the client by teaching you to actively participate in the healing process, giving you the tools you need to maintain a healthy pain-free body, by engaging and re-educating your nervous system and connecting to your movements.
Great for: Releasing chronic muscles tightness, preventing recurring injuries, preventing join degeneration, improving flexibility and range of motion, reducing stress and anxiety, improving sleep and breathing, improving balance, enhancing athletic performance. It can help a wide range of issues such as back pain, breathing issues, carpel tunnel, cramps, disc problems, frozen shoulder, hip and knee issues, neck pain, Parkinson's, sciatica, scoliosis, and many more. Reach out to see how HSE can help you! Contact
Ok now onto a more science-y explanation for you nerds out there....
Somatic Education uses slow, focused, and gentle movements known as neuromuscular retraining to teach your brain how to relax and move your muscles properly. It is a safe and efficient way to get rid of pain, tension, and poor posture caused by Sensory Motor Amnesia(SMA). SMA is a condition in which chronically tight muscles have learned to stay contracted due to repeated and reflexive responses to stress, accidents, injuries, surgeries, and repetitive tasks. The sessions empower the client by teaching you to actively participate in the healing process, giving you the tools you need to maintain a healthy pain-free body, by engaging and re-educating your nervous system and connecting to your movements.
Great for: Releasing chronic muscles tightness, preventing recurring injuries, preventing join degeneration, improving flexibility and range of motion, reducing stress and anxiety, improving sleep and breathing, improving balance, enhancing athletic performance. It can help a wide range of issues such as back pain, breathing issues, carpel tunnel, cramps, disc problems, frozen shoulder, hip and knee issues, neck pain, Parkinson's, sciatica, scoliosis, and many more. Reach out to see how HSE can help you! Contact
Suzy Kussner, HSE & LMT
Suzy found her way to bodywork after healing her own spinal injury with Hanna Somatic Education and Yoga. Realizing her passion for helping other do the same she started to collect the tools she used by traveling to the schools of her teachers. In 2017 she went to India where she studied Yoga and Ayurveda. In 2021 she complete the Hanna Somatic Educator training in Novato, CA and in 2024 she graduated from East West College of Healing Arts in Portland, OR. She has also studied Thai massage and Tuina and likes to incorporate all of these modalities into her sessions to help her clients feel more comfortable and at ease in their bodies.
She is currently working as a Hanna Somatic Educator at the Goose Hollow Healing Collective and as a LMT at The Dragontree in NW Portland.
She is currently working as a Hanna Somatic Educator at the Goose Hollow Healing Collective and as a LMT at The Dragontree in NW Portland.
What the people are saying
"As a fairly immobile woman of 73 when I started somatics with Suzy I have benefitted enormously from her expertise, kindness and dedication, frequently going way beyond her remit, especially when I had a serious accident. She has made a huge difference in my wellness and ability to cope with the trials of getting older." - Jo
"Suzy is an amazing practitioner. She taught me skills to release built up tension in my muscles that I had for years. Who knew I could let go of pain & correct my posture with such simple movements & no stress! Thank you Suzy. Highly recommend for anyone with chronic physical pain." - Mohamed
"I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and a few sessions with Suzy Kussner made me feel much better she is magical." - Brooke
"Suzy is extremely knowledgeable and professional. I love her classes!!! She will always make you feel better than when you arrived and she’s so good at tailoring to your needs and/or injuries. She helps with healing- mind and body. Once you take her class, you will be hooked." - Erin
"Suzy is the best yoga teacher I have ever had . She is calm and patient but also very clear . My practice has improved enormously and I’ve been introduced to somatics for the first time . Healing and therapeutic and so good for you !" - Sarah
"The best classes I have ever taken! Suzy is amazing and passionate about somatics. Everything is explained in detail in a calm and clear way." - Libby
"I worked with Suzy to kick off my yoga & somatics journey. I went from never going yoga to doing yoga 4 times a week. Suzy is friendly, knowledgeable about the human body & neuromuscular connections, respectful of my body’s limitations & provided tons of variations, and helpful in explaining how and why the movements we did worked. I felt my body get stronger and more flexible during my practice with her. highly recommend Suzy." - Tanzi
"A wonderful therapist, so knowledgeable, calm with a great sense of humour. A delightful warm and empathetic lady." - Vivien
"Suzy is an amazing practitioner. She taught me skills to release built up tension in my muscles that I had for years. Who knew I could let go of pain & correct my posture with such simple movements & no stress! Thank you Suzy. Highly recommend for anyone with chronic physical pain." - Mohamed
"I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and a few sessions with Suzy Kussner made me feel much better she is magical." - Brooke
"Suzy is extremely knowledgeable and professional. I love her classes!!! She will always make you feel better than when you arrived and she’s so good at tailoring to your needs and/or injuries. She helps with healing- mind and body. Once you take her class, you will be hooked." - Erin
"Suzy is the best yoga teacher I have ever had . She is calm and patient but also very clear . My practice has improved enormously and I’ve been introduced to somatics for the first time . Healing and therapeutic and so good for you !" - Sarah
"The best classes I have ever taken! Suzy is amazing and passionate about somatics. Everything is explained in detail in a calm and clear way." - Libby
"I worked with Suzy to kick off my yoga & somatics journey. I went from never going yoga to doing yoga 4 times a week. Suzy is friendly, knowledgeable about the human body & neuromuscular connections, respectful of my body’s limitations & provided tons of variations, and helpful in explaining how and why the movements we did worked. I felt my body get stronger and more flexible during my practice with her. highly recommend Suzy." - Tanzi
"A wonderful therapist, so knowledgeable, calm with a great sense of humour. A delightful warm and empathetic lady." - Vivien