About Somavida.

Sarah is the director of Somavida Pain Relief. She leads the team and spends most of her time mentoring therapists in the clinic.

"My passion is for building a team of soft tissue detectives that seek to problem solve the source of your pain. We understand when to refer you out to other medical professionals to assure you are receiving the best care. In addition, our team has a compassionate heart that drives us to help relieve our client's pain.

I run my business based on biblical values and I have a strong faith in the healing power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. We combine our knowledge of muscles and body function with care, compassion and faith to provide a holistic approach to our work. Our quest is to guide you towards pain-free living. Using thorough assessment, precise treatment and excellent service, we seek to give you a healing, collaborative and delightful treatment experience.

Much of my time is spent caring for my daughter, Trinity and enjoying family time with my husband, Kirk. We spend time with friends and family, eat excellent multicultural cuisines, and serve in our church, Chicago Tabernacle and love to travel the world."

Sarah is a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist with a specialty in TMJD treatment. Since 2016 she has taught the TMJ Intensive class for Precision Neuromuscular Therapy seminars across the country. She is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association and graduated from Cortiva Institute – Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 2008.

How Somavida began

Sarah began Somavida as a solo practice in 2010 and opened Somavida Pain Relief Center in 2016. She believes no one should have to face pain alone. She built the practice on 2 Corinthians 4, a chapter about the body as fragile clay that carries a life far stronger than itself, even as it suffers. The line she keeps coming back to is life is at work in you.

She runs the practice on that faith and seeks to give God the glory in all of it. It started with Sarah looking for a way to relieve her husband's pain. That search became her own practice, then a teaching clinic with a team of therapists, so the work could reach more people in pain than one pair of hands could.

Yu Suzuki is the Lead Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist at Somavida. She graduated from The Soma Institute, Chicago in 2016 at the top of her class. She is a licensed massage therapist specializing in treatment of muscular and neuro-conditions of the whole body, with a focus on neck/jaw, shoulders, back, hip, leg, knee and foot. She has served on the Somavida team since 2017 and has extensive experience treating EDS and instability. 日本語をご所望の方はお気軽にお声がけください。

In Yu's words: "I've worked as a professional dancer for 10 years, and I experienced a severe knee injury in 2016. Unfortunately, I had to learn all accidents aren't preventable, and recovery is never an easy process. However, having the extensive knowledge in soft tissue and body mechanics has helped me greatly in my recovery process. By applying my massage education to my injury recovery, I have gained a better understanding of the human body and soft tissue response to trauma and treatment.

I love sharing my knowledge and experience with others so I can give them the help they need. I'm always learning adding to my education in Neuromuscular therapy to become a greater help to others in pain.

Outside of Massage Therapy, I enjoy performing and teaching dance, cooking, motherhood and spending time with friends and family."

Jackie is a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist who graduated from The Soma Institute, The National School of Clinical Massage Therapy in 2018. Jackie has training in sports massage, trigger point, neuromuscular, and TMJD therapies. She loves working with hypermobility and complex pain issues. She sees education, for herself and for others, as one of the most important parts of massage therapy, and has worked as a Teaching Assistant at The Soma Institute. She has served on the Somavida team since 2019.

In Jackie's own words, "Massage is a simple tool that has the potential to radically transform our well-being. My goal as a practitioner is to use my knowledge and skills to help others maintain or reclaim their own good health. I especially enjoy the problem-solving aspect of clinical massage--questioning the cause of pain or dysfunction often leads us to answers that aren't always our initial guess, and might even seem completely unrelated. It's a pretty humbling reminder of the body's complexity, but demystifying the way that the body works is something that I think is highly valuable."

Jackie enjoys terrible puns, dessert (particularly eating it), and pictures of cute animals. Ideally, all three occur in conjunction.

Liz is a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist who graduated in 2021 from the Soma Institute, The National School of Clinical Massage Therapy. She has been a personal trainer and swim instructor for a combined total of 6 years after receiving her bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from the University of IL at Chicago. Liz wants to help every body move and feel better, and she keeps training in other kinds of bodywork to serve her clients better. She has expertise in sport massage, TMJ disorders, neck/headaches, trigger point therapy and myofascial release.

Liz shares: "Massage is an incredibly healing tool that can transform a person's life. It's a humbling experience to assist in alleviating someone's pain and watch them take their power back. I'm grateful to be in an environment where I'll be able to use all the knowledge and skills I've accumulated to discover each person's unique cause of pain or dysfunction."

Outside of work, Liz can be found rock climbing, on a yoga mat, or in a cozy spot reading with a mug of coffee. She's also a huge fan of documentaries and would love any recommendations!

David graduated from The Soma Institute National School of Clinical Massage Therapy as valedictorian of his class. A competitive gymnast, triathlete, and four-time Ironman finisher, David knows how hard sport is on the body. For over a decade, he was the head coach of a men's Junior Olympic and Junior Elite gymnastics program, where he saw how much bodywork helped his athletes, and himself, perform and recover. Clinical massage gave him the tools to help people recover from pain. As a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist, he keeps learning and draws on every tool he can. He loves solving pain puzzles anywhere in the body, especially hips and knees.

In David's words: "Clinical massage to me is very much like coaching. When a person comes in for the first time you are presented with a puzzle, much like a new skill is a puzzle to an athlete. Everyone's puzzle is unique to them. As a coach, it was my job to help my athletes put all of the pieces together to learn new skills. As a clinical massage therapist, it's my goal to put the pieces together for the person seeking to solve their pain problem. The greatest motivation for me is seeing the resulting assembled puzzle; it's truly magical."

Fun Facts: David was a cheerleader at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and got to cheer at 2 Rose Bowls and an NCAA Final Four game, and appeared on the Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno. He's a huge Tolkien fan, and loves food and travel.

Stephan is a licensed massage therapist who graduated from the New School for Massage and Bodywork in January 2022. He came from an orthopedic surgical unit, where he was amazed by how much the body can endure. A fellow surgical tech introduced him to clinical massage, which gave him a way to understand the body through skilled touch. Stephan is a Certified Neuromuscular Therapist who specializes in back pain, neck and shoulders, TMJ, headaches, and complex body pain.

In Stephan's words, "When I first was introduced to massage, I took the concept of massage lightly, the preconceived notion that it was an art for relaxation, but through deep investigation and more knowledge of the human anatomy, the realization that massage is an ancient yet modern twist to health care. It is my duty as a massage therapist to be current with knowledge and assist your pain, where you and I can create a doorway where you could enter a pain free lifestyle."

Stephan enjoys studying, meditating, writing poetry, making jokes(not that it is his specialty), working out, and FOOD. Occasionally you may find him sitting under a tree.

Elizabeth has been a licensed massage therapist for over 20 years. She graduated from the Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 1996. She sees the body as an ally that is always telling us something, if we know how to listen.

A former business owner, she is now training in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy with the Somavida team and is about a year into her PNMT Level 1 foundational certification. PNMT fits what she has always wanted to do: find the source of a client's pain and help them move well again. She specializes in neck pain and headaches and has training in treating TMJ disorders.

In Elizabeth's words, "Massage is not just a technique. It's a dialogue. Decoding the language of the body may be complex, but it always tells the truth. My goal is to create a space where that truth is heard, respected, and supported on the path to healing."

Elizabeth also loves to cook and being a mom!

Amy Unsworth is a certified yoga therapist and American Yoga Council Level 3 yoga teacher. She helps people build body awareness and strength, ease pain, and relieve stress. Her teaching is grounded, accessible, and mindful. She draws on mindful vinyasa, yin, restorative yoga, Body by Breath® Immersion, The Roll Model® Method, and Yoga Tune Up®.

Amy spent eight years on the Trinity Health Michigan Heart team in Ann Arbor, Michigan, teaching group yoga classes and private sessions for patients recovering from cardiac events. She also led monthly workshops on reducing stress and finding more ease in daily life.

Amy also teaches rolling self-myofascial release, breathing practices, and meditation to help people move with more comfort and confidence. Her areas of expertise include stress management, cardiac health, pain, anxiety, and depression.

Amy teaches the Yoga Restorative Skills sessions, which build the movement and breath habits that help your PNMT relief last.

Certifications & training

• Yoga Tune Up® Teacher Certification, Tune Up Fitness, 2023
• The Roll Model® Method Practitioner Training, Tune Up Fitness, 2023
• Body by Breath® Immersion, Tune Up Fitness, 2023
• Level 3 Yoga Therapy, International Institute of Yoga Therapy, 2020
• Level 2, 500-Hour, International Institute of Yoga Therapy, 2019
• Integrative Yoga Therapeutics Teacher Training (Bo Forbes), 2013

Verify on the American Yoga Council →