Martha Peterson is a Certified Hanna Somatic Educator, having completed a three year professional training program at Somatic Systems Institute in Northampton, MA.   She holds a B.A. in Dance Education from the State University of New York as well as a certification as a massage therapist from the National Holistic Institute in Oakland, CA. She gives private sessions and holds group Hanna Somatics exercise classes in Maplewood, NJ at Shakti Yoga and Living Arts. She works with clients who have struggled with chronic pain, joint stiffness or postural problems, teaching them to reverse chronic pain patterns and better understand how to keep themselves pain free.

Martha focuses on helping clients regain enjoyable, functional ease of movement no matter what age or fitness level they may be. Clients are taught to reverse the chronic muscular tightness that has occurred over time and regain awareness, sensation and control of muscles and movement. The result is greater ease of movement, flexibility, control and balance and an enhanced ability to deal with the stresses of life.

Her expertise comes from over 20 years of working with professionals in the field of bodywork and somatic therapies and from her own journey of recovery from chronic injuries suffered during her career as a professional dancer.

As a former professional dancer who, at one point suffered chronic hip and knee pain due to injuries, Martha understands the frustration and struggle many people go through trying to discern between the myriad different modalities that claim to relieve, or “fix” chronic pain. This is how she discovered Hanna Somatics, the only modality that taught her, in a short time, to reverse her pain and postural imbalances. Martha’s knowledge of the body, posture, and body mechanics enhance her work as a teacher of Hanna Somatics. She believes that mastering healthy body mechanics and proprioception is the key to maintaining flexibility and freedom of movement. She works to facilitate that by teaching you to develop a more accurate sense of your own body and by helping you to recondition your muscle control. This will, in turn, restore a greater sense of balance and relief from muscular pain and stress.

In addition to private sessions and group classes, Martha is also available for speaking engagements and corporate workshops using the techniques of Hanna Somatics to focus on injury prevention and worker wellness.