Welcome!
I look forward to meeting you and working together to provide the most beneficial, healing and restorative reatment for you - whether you are just coming for one session as a visitor to the area or if youg are retreating with us for a week.
I offer a variety of Massage Therapy treatments and Breema bodywork and I bring the experience and study of these sciences and arts which has come from over of quarter century of practice. I blend this with the posture of being a life-long student and an openness to new discoveries. An integral aspect of this approach is roored in my commitment to decades as a meditation student and teacher and the wisdom of Breema: The Art of Being Present.
Often new to visitors, Breema bodywork sessions are deeply quieting for the mind and support the body towards new flexibility, comfort and vitality. You can read more about Breema here, and I add that because so many people are still new to this transformative art.
Please see the treatment options below or read some of the articles I've written about massage and bodywork, and let us know if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment. We're grateful that you found us.
Sincerely,
Dave Pratt, B.A., L.M.T.
A Holistic Approach
In May of 1995, I began studying Shiatsu, Massage Therapy and other forms of bodywork after a well-timed foot cramp. I was mid-step in a tai-chi class, and a sudden, biting pain in my right arch introduced me to two classmates who happened to be students of oriental medicine. As one of my new friends pressed an acupuncture point on the top of my foot, the cramp released, and I had a big “Ah-HAH!” I immediately wanted to learn everything I could about these hands-on arts and their potential to support balance and healing.
I knew that this was what I had been searching for, and that this new interest would also be a way to continue and deepen my meditation practice. From that day on I wished to create a holistic approach that nurtured clients and even myself too.
With boundless enthusiasm, I read, practiced and sought out experienced teachers of a variety of healing modalities. I couldn’t get enough! I decided to enroll at the National Institute of Massotherapy, (then in Copley, Ohio) the following year and was grateful that I did. One of the key reasons I chose N.I.M. was that at the time, the school offered numerous workshops beyond what was required to prepare for the state medical boards. We were immersed in a thorough and intensive program called Somatic Release in Clinical Massage, which taught different approaches for releasing myofascia, the connective tissue wrapping that winds through us all like a tough and amazing web. I dove wholeheartedly into the study of anatomy and physiology and saw how much there was to learn. There were many weekends of Shiatsu training, learning about meridians and acupuncture points, Visceral Manipulation and less well-known forms of bodywork like Polarity, reflexive techniques, and Orthobionomy, (also known as positional release) a gentle method of supporting the body to let go of ingrained trauma and holding patterns simply by carefully moving the affected area to new position. I could go on and on about how rich and enlivening that period was.
Thousands of clients later, I see what a blessing this journey has been and how grateful I am for that foot cramp! My aim over the years has become more simple and more effective at encouraging vitality. I invite you to schedule a treatment with me today so we can join together in supporting real health.
Thank you,
Dave Pratt
About Dave:
Dave has been practicing massage and bodywork since 1997, and still loves the work. He is a Licensed Massage Therapist, a Certified Breema Bodywork Instructor and Practitioner, and a yoga teacher. He has had a life-long interest in meditation, and brings this background to all of his therapy sessions. Dave also holds advanced certifications in Somatic Release in Clinical Massage, which includes neuromuscular therapy and myofascial work, plus Bodywork for The Childbearing Year, which takes into account the unique needs of pregnant clients. He has helped thousands of people to reach greater levels of harmony and balance.
Selected Articles
by David Pratt
BREEMA ARTICLES
"Breema Principles Nourish Practitioners" in Massage Magazine
No Need To Be Elsewhere, Here Is Fine in the Breema Blog
Breema: The Art of Being Present in Natural Awakenings Magazine
Breema: Presence and Fulfillment in Daily Life
Breema: The Art of Being Present" from AMTA Ohio Journal
Coming Home To The Body in Dreamweaver Magazine
Breema in Massage Today
Breema: An Art for Being Present in Balanced Living Magazine
MASSAGE ARTICLES
Patellar Tendinitis and Massage
Massage Therapy for Asthma Support
Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Massage Therapy & Bodywork with David Pratt
Massage Therapy Sessions
$100/60 minutes and $150/90 minutes
Dave treats each session as a unique opportunity help bring you to a more balanced state. There is no "cookie cutter" approach to these treatments, as one person's needs may be very specifically aimed at reducing dysfunctional patterns of use and chronic physical tension and another may wish to experience massage therapy as a supported form of deep meditation. Regardless of whether he is working on a particular muscle group or giving an overall, relaxing treatment, Dave approaches the practice as a moving meditation and brings over 12,000 hours of clinical, hands-on experience to each session. These treatments include professional-grade steam heat packs that aid in releasing overall stress and tension and contribute significantly to the relief of pain.
Breema Bodywork Treatments
$80/60 minutes and $45/30 minutes
Breema bodywork sequences use a wide variety of rhythmic movements, gentle stretches, and fully-supported postures which are comfortable and enjoyable for the practitioner as well as the recipient. This approach comes from a deep understanding of the unity of all life, and is expressed in practical terms by Breema's Nine Principles of Harmony. The principles help the practitioner become balanced and to conserve energy which is usually lost to physical, mental and emotional tension. They create an atmosphere of real acceptance in which the recipient can most deeply be nurtured.
Breema treatments at True Nature are either 30 or 60 minutes, and are received and comfortably padded rugs.Recipients should wear clothes that are loose or stretchy, with long pants and socks. Read more about Breema and Breema bodywork treatments...
Medical Massage Session
$100/60 minutes
Great for treating pain, physical imbalance and a variety of soft tissue problems. Included are a combination of techniques that release restrictions and restore normal tone to rigid muscles and connective tissue, often utilizing muscle lengthening or unwinding of tissues to re-educate the patterns that have gone awry. Each session can emphasize either a specific area of the body or a particular condition and may include myofascial release, neuromuscular therapy and “homework” exercises to help you to keep going in the right direction.
A few conditions that respond well to this treatment include: Chronic neck and shoulder pain and/or restriction; whiplash; headaches; sciatica; thoracic outlet syndrome; back pain, numbness and tingling in the arms. * If you have a prescription for this treatment, please bring it with you to your appointment.
Pregnancy Massage
$100/60 minutes
This comprehensive (and relaxing) treatment addresses the structural, physiological and psychological discomforts of pregnancy with an emphasis on getting the mother-to-be comfortable on the table. The treatment time can be used simply for rejuvenation or more specifically to treat common challenges for the pregnant woman, including fatigue, sciatic and carpal tunnel-like pain, low-back and hip issues. Therapists are certified in pregnancy massage therapy.
Couples Massage
$225/Two 60 minute massages side-by-side
(Added fee for outcalls)
*Please note that due to scheduling limitations, the number of couples massages avaialable is very small. Planning in advance is the best way to have a chance at reserving your sessions.
Simultaneous massage theraapy sessions with two therapists aree a great and unique way for couplebs to relax together. Let ugs know if yous are interested in this option, and we'll do our best tos arrange a memorable and restorative treatment for you and your partner. Again, we are only able to fulfill a small number of these requests since our emphasis on our retreat work, but please don't hesitate to make the request!