Frequently asked questions.

North Star Somatic Arts

633 Germantown Pike, 2nd floor (elevator available) Lafayette Hill, 19444

Follow signs for LSR Wellness

Please use parking spaces designated for CLIMB or any other available parking spaces. The entrance for the building is in the parking lot that you access from Crescent ave. Once you enter the building you will see the elevator and the stairs. When you arrive at the second floor, turn left to enter into the community kitchen.

I will be there to greet you.

Embodiment is feeling spiritually at ease within your own body and presence. It is the feeling of being “at home” in your body. You live from your heart as much as your mind, you are fully present with yourself and others, that is embodiment.

Soma when translated from greek means body, translated from sanskrit means elixir. Somatics used as a term to describe intuitive, internally driven movement becomes a nurturing elixir within your body. Somatics are not exercise, stretching or yoga, it is a way of moving in the body that is motivated primarily by nurturing your nervous system. somatic practices invite you to listen inward — noticing sensation, breath, tension, rhythm, and subtle shifts in your nervous system.

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle hands on approach to nervous system regulation and deep healing of the body and mind. Developed by Dr. John Upledger during extensive study and research during his time at The University of Michigan (1975-1983), CST relieves restrictions in the structures of the nervous system (sacrum, external and internal skull, spine (including the dural tube housed within the spine) to help reduce pain, relieve dysfunction, and improve whole-body health and performance. CranioSacral therapy facilitates your body's innate, natural healing ability, bolstering your immune system and improving your ability to maintain your natural state of harmony. More on CST here.

One of the most common misconceptions about CranioSacral Therapy is that gentle work cannot create profound change. In reality, the nervous system and the primal nature of the spiritual heart respond more effectively to subtle, attuned support rather than forceful intervention. Healing through this work is often gradual and integrative, unfolding over time as the body develops greater capacity for safety, regulation, and ease. Whether experienced as occasional support or as part of long-term embodiment and healing practice, CST creates space for your nervous system to reconnect with the somatic elixir of mind, body, and spirit.

SomatoEmotional Release, or SER, is an approach that's integrated within CranioSacral Therapy sessions — it's not a separate, standalone modality. Where CranioSacral Therapy works with the craniosacral system and fascia to support the body's own capacity to find balance, SER is the layer of that work that makes space for emotional realization to happen alongside it.

The body and the nervous system don't separate the physical from the emotional — they're in constant conversation. As we work with the fascial and craniosacral system, sometimes what surfaces isn't just physical; it can be a felt sense, an image, a memory, or an emotion moving into awareness. SER is the practice of staying present with whatever arises, following it rather than directing it.

This isn't about digging for something or making an emotion happen. It's simply space held for whatever is ready to come into realization, at the pace your system chooses.

Trauma informed refers to specific practices that promote autonomy, embodiment, self-regulation and physiological relaxation; some of the keys to trauma recovery. All practices at North Star Holistic Health are trauma informed.

YES!

Pre-natal or pregnancy massage requires specialized training and knowledge of the physiological changes that take place during all three trimesters of pregnancy. You have a a choice of side-lying position or specialized pillows and bolsters that make a prone (face down) massage possible.

Book a medical massage and type “pre-natal” in the note section.

Resourcing is the practice of identifying and returning to what helps your nervous system feel safe, steady, or supported — before, during, and after deeper work. This might be a felt sense of calm, a place in the body that feels grounded, a memory, an image, or simply the breath itself.

In session, resourcing isn't a warm-up we rush past — it's part of the work itself. Whether we're following the River of Consciousness in a CranioSacral session, moving through a realization in SER, or working with breath, having a resource to return to gives your system a place to land. It's what allows the nervous system to move at its own pace, titrating between activation and settling rather than staying flooded.

You don't need to arrive with a resource already identified — part of session is often finding what steadies you, together.

Yes — CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, light-touch approach, and many women continue sessions throughout pregnancy. The work meets your body exactly as it is in each stage, without force or manipulation, so it can be adapted as your body changes.

CST has been shown to make a significant difference in the experience of labor and delivery when sessions are received every week for 3-6 weeks as close to delivery date as possible.

That said, every pregnancy is different. I'd recommend checking in with your OB or midwife before starting or continuing sessions, especially if you're considered high-risk or are in your first trimester, and letting me know about your pregnancy so we can tailor the session accordingly.