Workshops and Private Sessions
Somatic Healing
Somatic Movement and Nervous System Regulation with Michelle Lawyer
Many people only connect deeply with their bodies after trauma, injury, or chronic pain forces their attention on it - turning “somatic,” “embodiment,” or body-based practices into something that feels heavy, clinical, or tied to suffering.
In our trauma-informed nervous system regulating approach, we rewrite that story. We focus on optimal, playful function—helping you experience your body in a way that feels safe, empowering, and at ease.
We empower you with knowledge...
Providing a safe container for you to take control of your own healing journey and ‘make yourself’. You are not a victim – however, you may not have been empowered with the right information to take control of your own process.
This isn’t about revisiting trauma...
It’s about building positive and safe experiences in your body so your nervous system learns how to shift out of adaptive fight/flight or shut down states and move into resilient, embodied regulation.
Polyvagal Theory Guides Our Somatic Healing Services
At On Point Pilates, all somatic healing services are informed and shaped by Polyvagal theory. During Michelle's studies, and within her own personal healing journey, she had the pleasure of learning about Polyvagal theory directly from Dr. Stephen Porges, PHD, the researcher who developed it, at the Polyvagal Institute.
She also spent 6 months studying with Deb Dana, author and LCSW, and another year with Jan Winhall, LCSW and saw how she applied PVT in her Felt Sense Polyvagal Model for healing Trauma and Addiction. She has immense gratitude for their work.
Autonomic Nervous System States per Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory
Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory shows how our autonomic nervous system—especially the vagus nerve—shapes our sense of safety.
Trauma and chronic stress often locks us into sympathetic fight/flight or dorsal shutdown states, narrowing our window of tolerance and making us feel unsafe, even in our own body.
We invite you to explore Polyvagal Theory and Dr. Stephen Porges to learn more.
While working with Michelle, you'll focus on nervous system rebalancing and ventral vagal activation—cultivating cues of safety right from the start. Through an exploration of the Felt Sense during mindful breath, dynamic neurocognitive imagery, self-fascia release and exploratory movement we help your body rediscover:
Safety and connection
Ventral vagal “rest-and-digest” mode
Optimal, playful function
Rather than corrective fixing
Embodied regulation
Feeling empowering, alive, and free from past survival patterns
Whether you’re healing from dysregulation, preventing burnout, or craving a deeper, more regulated relationship with your body, our somatic services create a new embodied context—one rooted in resilience, not reactivity.
Ready to move forward?
We’d love to be a part of your journey, choose a somatic service:
Still Have Questions?
Our studio isn't like the others, so we expect you'll have a few.
Just drop us a line and we'll follow up to answer them all.