Hi! I’m Linda Natanagara,

Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner

For over sixteen years, I’ve helped hundreds of people discover that they can live comfortably and participate in activities they love even after medical professionals have told them otherwise.

Let me briefly tell you my story.

Since I was a small child, I was in love with moving my body.

I grew up at a time where all the neighborhood kids were free to run, ride bikes and play games on our streets and in the woods. I did plenty of dangerous things that any mother would cringe at— running up and down fallen trees, jumping over chains that blocked driveways, seeing how many folded lawn chairs I could hurdle, not always successfully. I didn’t stop moving until I fell into bed at night.

At thirteen, I decided to channel my energy into dance class. I spent the next ten years studying dance intensively and performing throughout Monmouth County, New Jersey.

After graduating high school, I studied at Juilliard for a year. But as great as it was, I longed for a more traditional college experience. I transferred to Douglass College at Rutgers University, and there, I met Professor Paulette Sears.

Everything changed …

I learned to move from the inside out. I was no longer at war with my body. Rather than chasing the shape of perfection in a mirror, I came to love how movement felt. Movement became a series of thrilling swoops, spirals and falls. I experienced exhilaration and freedom. I knew that I wanted to share this feeling with other people. But how?

My first step on this journey was to attend the Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy in Manhattan. I graduated in 1986 and passed the exam for my New York State license in massage therapy.

Massage came easily to me, and I loved my clients, but I began to sense a larger picture that massage wasn’t addressing.

I observed that many of my clients held themselves in ways that created more pain. I tried to invent creative ways to help them become aware of and stop these patterns, but my success was limited.

Meanwhile, I’d heard about the Feldenkrais® Method.

The little I’d heard about Feldenkrais® made me think it might be the answer to my clients’ challenges. I attended an introductory lecture and fell in love with the Feldenkrais Method®, committing to the three year professional training. I’ve been certified for sixteen years and continue to study and take advanced trainings with my colleagues.

I am even more thrilled by Feldenkrais® today than I was back then.

Most dancers and massage therapists experience loads of pain as a result of the wear and tear their bodies. I’m certain that I would have, too, if it weren’t for my personal Feldenkrais® practice. But now at fifty-seven, I can honestly say that my knees, my back, my neck— all of me— feel awesome (most of the time!). And when I do have some pain, I know how to heal my body without running to the doctor. I can still play ultimate frisbee, hike up the mountain, and do strenuous physical labor— all without any problems.

My clients love engaging in this work, too. They exceed their prognoses, come to understand their own bodies, and appreciate being heard and treated with dignity. And, we have a lot of fun together.

I love moving my clients out of pain and into their lives.

And, of course, I like to have fun, too! Here are a few interesting tidbits from my non-work life—

   I love to flower garden. I try to grow things from seed so I don’t have to use plastic pots from the nursery.

   I raise monarch butterflies by bringing the eggs into the house, watching the eggs hatch (you need a magnifying glass to see the new caterpillars), and then caring for the caterpillars until they go into chrysalis and hatch into butterflies.

   On my favorite trip ever, my husband, three kids (ages nine to fifteen), and I drove from Chicago to California and explored the national parks and big cities. We made an unplanned side-trip to Crater Lake, OR. Even today, remembering the deep blue color of the water still brings me joy.

   I light up when watching live sports. The commitment and excitement of elite athletes is inspiring, and sports are one of the few places where you truly never know what’s going to happen.

   I love live folk and rock music and host house concerts to support local musicians.

Finally, you might ask— How do I work with clients?

I work with three types of clients— folks who want relief from long-term pain, women who want to increase their confidence and sense of empowerment, and people who want to sleep better. If you haven’t yet, please click on the links above to check out the work that interests you most.

Then, if you know you want to work together, we’ll start off in a ninety-minute session in which I will assess your unique challenges and start you on your healing journey. To schedule your session, please fill out the intake form below.

I’d love to hear from you!

Please fill out the form below to schedule an informal phone conversation. We’ll discuss the challenges you are facing and how we can start you on your healing journey. I will respond within one business day.