March 20, 2017

Meet Shawna Butson-Brodie of Sacred Spiral Healing Arts in Marietta

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawna Butson-Brodie.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Shawna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I offer clients a natural approach pain management, stress reduction, and body sustainability. In 2008, I founded Sacred Spiral Healing Arts in my hometown of Marietta, Georgia. Inspired by the prevalence of spirals in nature and the human body, I seek to connect people with their innate pattern of order and balance. Spirals are nature’s most utilized building block, and an ancient symbol in nearly every culture. They represent movement, growth and evolution, the balance of opposites, and the slow reveal of hidden forces that govern form and function. Galaxies, whirlpools, tornadoes, DNA, and fetal development are all expressions of life’s awe-inspiring and sacred spiral.

I am the daughter of a nurse-midwife-healer-teacher, and a scientist-architect-artist-builder…my earliest formative influences. My journey into the bodywork profession began as a teen, curiously studying anatomy, movement, dance, yoga, breath, and meditation. I sharpened this focus with degrees in Health Promotion & Wellness Education (University of Georgia) and Advanced Clinical Massage & Bodywork (Utah College of Massage Therapy). As a nationally licensed massage therapist, I worked in spas, holistic health/fitness centers, trained massage therapists, taught injury prevention, and helped 1000’s of clients to feel better in my private practice. After meeting my husband Chris, we trained together in Thai Yoga Bodywork (Ritam School of Healing Arts) and opened our Marietta healing arts center in 2008. After 12 years as a massage therapist, I added a new specialty in Craniosacral Therapy (CST). I am trained in both bio-mechanical and bio-dynamic CST systems (Upledger Institute International and certified bio-dynamic instructors). For self-care, I regularly use CST and Yamuna Body Rolling (YBR) to release tension and sustain wellness. I am also a certified YBR Instructor.

Since my childhood, I am fascinated by the intersections of mind-body-spirit. I am passionate in sharing knowledge, and helping others to have a deeper experience of themselves and source healing from within. My mission is to support those seeking health, life-balance, and a deep connection to their body’s capacity for self-repair and restoration. In treatment sessions, I am intentionally grounded, centered, present, and attentively listening to the body’s subtle signals. I consider myself a ‘body whisperer’…I hold a space for the body to express, release, recharge, realign, and self-correct.

I aim to provide authentically helpful experiences, meeting my clients with skill, compassion, and acceptance. I’m immensely grateful to share my passion and help others find more freedom, ease, and comfort. I continue to learn through my own self-care, assisting clients, teaching, and ongoing professional study.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not always! But I wouldn’t change any of it….it’s been a great journey and continues to be. I love what I do.

The first 15 years of my career as a bodyworker were rich with opportunities to learn, teach, and enjoy professional success. In the fall on 2012, my body fell out of balance from years of repetitive work strain and a shoulder injury. At that point, I was already seeking to shift my business from traditional/clinical massage towards more gentle myo-fascial release techniques. The injury only accelerated me on that path….I had to stop offering massage, and consequently lost the lion’s share of my business. I had to become ever more diligent with my own self-care, be self-reliant in my healing, have patience, and grow my business in a new direction. There were periods of hardship, but thankfully I am still in business today, offering bodywork techniques and education that are a true match for my talents. In hindsight, I see that without these challenges, I might not have had the courage or motivation to strike out on a new path. In having to heal my own body, I gained so much knowledge of what the body needs to create and sustain balance, as well as how to harness and direct healing energy from within.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sacred Spiral Healing Arts – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Sacred Spiral Healing Arts is an urban sanctuary in Marietta, created to help you find greater ease, comfort, and freedom for both mind and body. I offer a spectrum of services and education to serve your healing and bodywork needs. With 19 years of professional private practice in the healing arts, I offer effective, experienced, and compassionate care.

I specialize in myo-fascial release techniques and self-care education for body sustainability….Craniosacral Therapy, Thai Yoga Bodywork, and Yamuna Body Rolling.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle form of touch that works with the fluid around the brain and spinal cord, as well as the web of connective tissues throughout the body (fascia). It helps to amplify your body’s natural healing response…to unwind tension, reduce pain, and improve function. CST is often complex to explain, but essentially it is a natural, non-invasive therapy that improves your health and well-being from the inside out.

During and after CST sessions, clients report feeling inner sensations of release, relaxation, and re-alignment in the body. Recipients have expressed feeling deeply calm and centered, having accessed a tranquil, meditative state of mind-body. Easier movement, reduced pain, mental calm, and new body awareness are other common benefits of CST. Body awareness tends to grow after a few CST sessions, helping you sense changes and be more in tune with your body’s needs.

THAI YOGA BODYWORK
Thai Yoga Bodywork offers a unique opportunity to renew your natural state of balance and ease. Nicknamed ‘Lazy man’s yoga’, it is a series of slow rhythmic compressions (to muscles and energy pathways), followed by gentle passive stretching. Slowly and smoothly, the body is relieved of tension and restrictions, creating an energized calm. By opening up the energy pathways, our life-force energy can freely circulate, improving your health, mood, and well-being. Flexibility is NOT a requirement to enjoy Thai Yoga…I meet the body where it’s at!

Thai Yoga is a thorough treatment for the entire body, with focused attention placed on each joint, muscle, and energy pathway of the body. It is performed on a cushioned floor mat, with the recipient wearing loose, comfortable clothing.

YAMUNA BODY ROLLING
Unlike other methods of body rolling, Yamuna Body Rolling (YBR) is ‘restorative fitness’ that liberates your movement, heals and prevents injury, and protects your joints and spine from common wear and tear. YBR uses custom designed inflatable balls like a massage therapist’s hands. They strategically provide traction and pressure to iron out tension and pain in all areas of the body. With just a few minutes of rolling, you can avoid the old-age restrictions that so many people have. Most people find YBR feels similar to a relaxing, deep tissue massage. Even those with physical limitations can benefit from using the balls. Individuals can adapt the pressure to personal preference, while using the balls in a chair, in bed, or on a wall or floor space.

I offer a range of YBR classes, workshops, and private lessons to help you release habitual tension patterns and develop problem solving skills for your body. Instruction covers YBR theory, safety, and simple routines for each body part…using a ball, gravity, and your body weight to precisely target muscle and bone. Having an YBR self-care practice brings relaxation, renewed energy, and a better understanding of how to sustain your body in alignment, freedom, and ease. As pro-active health maintenance, YBR can spare you the suffering and expense of injury, surgery, missed work, doctor visits, lost vitality and quality of life.

– What am best known for? See my testimonials page to hear it from my clients:
http://www.sacredspiralhealing.com/#praise

– What am I most proud of? Bouncing back after hardships my business has faced. The fact that I’ve retained many loyal clients for over 10 years. How my own understanding of the body-mind-spirit connection has deepened over my 20 year career as a bodyworker, and how my healing gifts have been honed and polished during that time.

– What sets me apart from others? My clients will have a different experience than what’s offered at most spas, massage chain stores, or health offices. My focus is on listening to my client’s goals and needs, and particularly in listing to and observing the body as a whole. If someone comes in with a knee injury, I do not simply focus on the knee. I factor in what lies upstream or downstream from the injury, and how neighboring areas are involved in the imbalance. I tune in to the client’s body and energy flow, to get direct guidance for releasing tension and strain. I trust the body’s innate healing wisdom. I also offer education to help a client understand how body aches are created and perpetuated, and what their body needs to resolve pain. I empower my clients towards their own self-care. It’s the familiar saying…’Give a man a fish, he can eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he can eat for a lifetime’.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I grew up in Marietta, on the east side. As an adult, I love living and working near the Marietta Square, with its historic charm, unique shops, restaurants, and arts scene. My least favorite thing about Marietta is its expansion and development. There is a lot more traffic…..and a LOT less green space and wildlife habitat than there used to be.

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