Licensed Massage Therapist Gabriela Baumeister brings her skills to Los Alamos two days a week. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.comLicensed Massage Therapist Gabriela Baumeister came to Santa Fe to study at the N.M. Mexico Academy of Healing Arts. An avid rock climber and outdoorswoman, Baumeister fell in love with the area and decided to remain in Santa Fe. She has been practicing in New Mexico for 13 years.
Baumeister has a clinic in Santa Fe and travels to Los Alamos on Wednesdays and Thursdays to see clients. In Los Alamos, her practice is housed at Sage Integrated Health, 2610 Trinity Drive, Suite 14, which also houses the practices of chiropractor Nancy Savoia.
“Nancy and I often refer people to each other,” Baumeister said.
Baumeister specializes in myoskeletal alignment, deep tissue and medical massage. She shares with her clients her fascination and enthusiasm for anatomy and physiology.
She grew up in Switzerland. As a child she suffered from scoliosis. She believes this may have sparked her lifelong interest in helping people with medical conditions. Baumeister continually strives to learn more and acquire new skills.
She traveled to Costa Rica to study myoskeletal alignment techniques with Erik Dalton, probably its most famous practitioner. Myoskeletal alignment technique (MAT) is a type of bodywork that combines principles of osteopathy and structural integration to relieve chronic pain, and to reduce the potential for the emergence of pain, which could become chronic over time.
“Massage therapy concentrates on the muscles, osteopathy on the bones and Rolfing on the fascia. It’s important to integrate all of these things,” Baumeister said.
MAT relies heavily on the manipulation of the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, joints, and the skeletal system with the goal of promoting general musculoskeletal health, Baumeister said. “If someone’s body can be aligned properly, his or her health problems can be reduced dramatically because the body will work as a whole,” she said.
“I study the structure of people who come to see me ─ how they stand, how they walk,” Baumeister said.
Recently, Baumeister has been studying the nervous system. “I’m learning how to feel the nerves and work with them using very gentle manipulation,” she said. “In Los Alamos, I see a lot of elbow, wrist and neck issues from people spending hours at their computers.”
Baumeister helps her clients to develop habits that can relieve or prevent problems, she said.
“It’s collaboration,” she said. “Clients need to be proactive. Together, we can get them back where they need to be.”
For more information or to make an appointment in either Santa Fe or Los Alamos, contact Baumeister at 505.660.9901. Her website is www.getbacktobalance.com
