About Somavida.

Sarah is the director of Somavida Pain Relief. She delights in creating a collaborative team of experts for our clients and spends most of her time mentoring 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. She's been teaching the TMJ Intensive class since 2016 for Precision Neuromuscular Therapy seminars seeking to expand expert treatment of TMJ muscles across the nation. She is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She also graduated from Cortiva Institute – Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 2008.

How Somavida began

Somavida grew out of Sarah's calling — that no one should have to face pain alone. She built the whole of it on 2 Corinthians 4, a chapter about the body as something fragile, clay and breakable, carrying a life far stronger than itself, even as it suffers. Life is at work in you is the line she keeps coming back to, and it became the foundation everything here was built on.

Sarah runs the practice on that faith, seeking to give God the glory in all of it. What began as Sarah searching for a way to relieve her husband's pain grew into a practice of her own, and then a teaching clinic with a team of therapists — so the work would outlast her own hands and reach the many more still in pain.

Yu Suzuki is the Lead Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist at Somavida. She graduated from The Soma Institute, Chicago in 2016 at 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。

Yu describes in her own words her special background for becoming a neuromuscular therapist: "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 also considers education, both for herself and for others, to be one of the most important aspects 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 bachelors degree in Kinesiology from the University of IL at Chicago. Liz's passion is helping all bodies move and feel better. Liz has really enjoyed pursuing different modalities of bodywork to further her education and development to be of better service to her community. 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. As a competitive gymnast, tenacious triathlete, and four-time Ironman finisher, David knows how demanding sport is on the body. For over a decade, David was the head coach of a men's Junior Olympic and Junior Elite gymnastics program. He learned firsthand the importance of bodywork as a tool for himself and the athletes under his supervision to enhance performance and aid in the recovery process. David found his passion in clinical massage, which gave him the tools to help people on their paths to recovery. As a Certified Precision Neuromuscular Therapist, he is a life-long learner who draws on as many tools as he can to help people. David loves solving pain puzzles of the whole body, but especially hip 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, NCAA Final Four Game, and been 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. Coming from an orthopedic surgical unit background, he has been amazed on how much the body can endure and its potential. Through another surgical tech he learned about the healing arts of clinical massage. This allowed him a place to further understand the human vehicle, and appreciate the art of touch with applied wisdom and knowledge. Training in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy with the Somavida team, he is now nearing completion of his PNMT Level 1 foundational certification. He specializes in helping back pain, neck and shoulders, TMJ and headaches as well as 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 and remained deeply inspired by the integrity, resilience, and wisdom of the human body. She graduated from the Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 1996 and her work is rooted in the belief that the body is an ally, always communicating, always guiding us toward healing, if we know how to listen.

As a long-time massage therapist and former business owner, she brings both depth of experience and a commitment to continued growth. Training in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy with the Somavida team, she is about a year into her PNMT Level 1 foundational certification. This innovative and effective practice aligns with her passion for helping clients uncover the root of discomfort and restore optimal function. 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 with a passion for helping people increase body awareness, build strength, ease pain, and relieve stress. Her teaching style is grounded, accessible, and mindful, drawing from practices such as mindful vinyasa, yin, restorative yoga, and Body by Breath® Immersion, as well as The Roll Model® and Yoga Tune Up® methodologies.

Amy spent eight years as part of the Trinity Health Michigan Heart team in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she taught group yoga classes and private sessions for patients recovering from cardiac events. She also led monthly workshops focused on stress reduction and cultivating greater ease and joy in daily life.

Well-versed in rolling self-myofascial release, breathing practices, and meditation, Amy is dedicated to helping 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, the movement and breath side of care that helps the relief our PNMT team builds actually 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 →