Testimonials
Words from practitioners trained in Aerial Somatic Therapy and from clients who have been held in the dome.
From Graduates of the Practitioner Training
“I have enjoyed learning many styles of massage but this experience was super special, unique and gratifying. I was surprised and delighted how much deep rest I received from being flown in the treatments. Maura’s instruction is filled with the lightness and charm of the fiery creature she is, yet grounding in the decades of training she has invested in. I learned how much less I can do to offer effective healing. Whether you are a bodyworker now or if you are just interested in learning how to move and be moved in a dreamy way, I highly recommend learning more about Aerial Somatic Therapy with Maura.”
Jason Nemer Co-founder of AcroYoga, World Champion & Olympian of Sports Acrobatics & Best-Selling Author
“I’m ecstatic to be among the first practitioners of this modality out in the world, and to witness the long-awaited birth of this magickal modality!
The certification training brought together such deep threads of relationship, joyful play, embodied exploration, body-mind wisdom of such magnitude there are no words to describe it. Depth in presence, in experience, in wonder, in healing, in the mystic, in relationship through time, and in the LOVE.
I’m still digesting the magic & play & wisdom & soul nourishment from time with these amazing humans.
We ALL need experiences, people, communities, and passions that nourish us in multi-faceted ways: inside heart, mind, soul, as well as in body & nervous system unwinding, recognition, appreciation, and mutual support.
All of this is a reflection of the magick of this modality.”
Michelle Nayeli Bouvier, B.S., E-RYT, I-AYT Movement Educator, GYROTONIC® Trainer, Prana Vinyasa® Teacher Trainer
“There’s NOTHING like this modality, but we could say it’s got some feeling of Watsu + Therapeutic AcroYoga & Thai Massage + deep nervous system restoration from being in the fabric cocoon + gentle inversion benefits of playing with gravity + benefits of dilation & profusion of the fluid body like cranial sacral through a seriously magical interplay of the fabric becoming a medium of communication with fascia & biotensegrity (that my mind is exploding with ideas around!)
It creates freedom, surrender, a sense of ease, fluidity, flow, and integration. It’s an opportunity for a deep sense of surrender. It gives a feeling of safety and cradling, and sinking into a really beautiful fluidity and flow that creates a sense of ease in my body and all throughout my being.
What surprised me the most is how much joy I felt in the giving process. I felt a lot of fluidity and felt like I was stepping into a magical flow. I felt ease, tranquility and therapeutics going on in my body as I was giving, just as much as when I was receiving.
I am really excited about incorporating this modality into my own practice, hanging the silk and working with people in the silk cocoon to facilitate their integrated healing.
I feel really grateful to be immersed in this practice and to be able to bring this into the work that I offer. It’s transformative and really a beautiful practice.”
Callie Stolz-Dominic Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, Licensed Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher, Owner of Santosha Wellness Center
“It is powerful, empowering, gracious, deeply connecting, connective, embodied…
It’s a really powerful experience of connecting with Self, connecting with others and connecting with this resource that helps us find ourselves, our soul and our place in this wild cosmos.
Being a giver in this modality is a really special and unique experience. The opportunity to connect with another being so deeply and impact their relationship with their body and the field of consciousness is like nothing I’ve ever done before.
I’m really excited to integrate this modality into my body of work as a way to help my clients’ nervous systems to feel safe, to open, and to receive and serve more profoundly.
I love how easy it is to weave the techniques into what I’m already doing, and how profound and deep it is, but also how easy and effortless it is to give sessions.”
Keri Nola Licensed Psychotherapist, Author & Founder of the Abundance Activator for Healing Entrepreneurs
“It’s like being in a safe, nurturing cocoon. It’s a beautiful way to unwind tensions, stress, and trauma from the body, and helps regulate the nervous system.
It brings people into a safe, comforting environment where they can feel nurtured, nourished and soothed.
Being a practitioner is really fun. It feels like a dance. It’s really intuitive. The great thing about this training is you learn a whole system and a format. But within that, you can use your own guidance and intuition to find new ways of working with a client.
It feels so good in my body. I thought it might be difficult for me because I have some injuries. I thought that could be a problem and that I might not be able to do some of the things. I found that I could do all the things that were taught.
With giving, I feel like I’m actually receiving. I feel much better after I give in a session.
I’m hanging a swing in my office and doing sessions and incorporating sound healing and healing on the emotional level along with affirmations and clearing old belief systems. It is so powerful to reset layers in the womb-like environment and help clients reset with new belief systems.”
Nikaya Kipp Holistic Health Coach, HHP, INHC, Vibrant Health & Coaching, Sound Healer
“This modality is thrilling, opening, feeling beyond limitations, unlimited, very safe, very next-generation consciousness.
To be a giver of the modality is so exciting, to be in sync with the other person through our breath as they get to relax and open more… my body is leveraging everything in perfect balance and harmony with them. That allows them to keep opening more and more, and then I open more and more, and pretty soon we are in perfect synchronicity in the opening, together, healed.
To be a receiver, it’s different every time. The second time was very emotional for me, especially when I stretched out in the swing, everything that was locked up in me started opening. There were tears and growls and all kinds of things starting to come out. The third time I fell asleep. I was transported into a dream world, where my body was doing its own thing, and I was out of the way. My body was vibrating, and everything was moving. I was so relaxed and not trying for anything.
What surprised me the most about this modality is how easy it is. It’s not simple: there is a lot to learn and a lot of layered learning to do, because the learning is dimensional. There are the intellectual terms and processes and then there are the dimensions and layers. There is an ease in learning this modality that allows itself to settle into my psyche and being and my brain.
A lot of my work is to help people clear somatically. I’ve been using my hands and my body to help move energy in people. I use a lot of sound, inner sound vibration to get things moving in them. That is enhanced in the swing. It’s much easier for the person to access because their bodies can open so much more that the baggage can move out. I am excited to experiment with that.
I would like to share gratitude, and the incredible freeing up of myself and thank you thank you thank you from all the different parts of me.”
Racquel Palmese Spiritual Mentor, Counselor, Transformational Guide & Owner of Circles of Light Healing Center
“This modality is fluid, transformative, connected and refreshing. There’s a deep grounded-ness that comes from it and an ability to expand and reach into areas that have been blocked up or haven’t been paid attention to.
It helps me really connect with the person I’m working with, watching their movement and how my body feels as I’m helping people through their process. The saying I’ve heard in the training, “If it feels good for me, it feels good for the other person” has been a fun piece to work with.
The experience is heavenly, freeing, opening, expanded, full-body orgasm release and expression.
I’m not a traditional bodyworker. For me, the training of grounding, centering, extending of energy, being aware of where I’m at in space and time and how I have an effect energetically is where I can most incorporate the training into the work that I do.
I’m impressed with how the training is broken down and taught in a way that addresses all the different learning styles. I’m impressed by the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of the teaching.”
Amy Koellner Clinical Counselor, Life Purpose Mentor and Transformational Guide
From Clients
“Maura’s Thai-inspired work couples sure hands with a supple movement vocabulary to produce just the right stretch challenge that leads to relaxation and somatic clarity.”
Thomas (Tom) Myers Fascia Pioneer & Best-Selling Author of Anatomy Trains
“Integrating a combination of breath, movement, massage and sound she brought my body into alignment, and my mind into a state of radiant clarity. She is a true body-mind-spirit master.”
Mark Divine Founder, SEALFIT. NYT bestselling author, Unbeatable Mind
“Maura has enhanced the art of structural integration and has created a remarkably unique branch essential to wellbeing.
She can navigate issues related to body posture shape shifts, tilts and rotations with her intuitive system. Maura identifies and ameliorates restrictive structural patterns, enabling freedom of movement and reduction of pain, thereby reducing inappropriate wear on the body.
This work is for those who are seeking growth.”
Mr. Lee Environmentalist, Philanthropist, Serial Entrepreneur, Inventor, Attorney
“The treatment that I received was like no other, as she used my own body weight and various traction techniques to stretch and subtly manipulate every part of my body.”
Russell Marz, ND, LAc Formulator & Founder of Marz Nutritionals
“The best way I can describe her body healing is awakening love in every cell, mobilizing spirit and energy through muscles and bones, waking up dormant parts, melting away tensions or pain.”
Renee Ariya
“I am filled with deep gratitude and awe for my experience at Maura’s Aum Dome. From the moment I arrived I felt a peaceful and caring energy that actually brought tears to my eyes. As a mother of two young kids I hadn’t “received” or even slowed down in awhile and this experience gave me a much needed reset, realignment and overall sense of renewal. Maura’s vast knowledge and fluid motions transcend any bodywork experience I’ve ever had—it is also soul work! I felt weightless at times, grounded at others, but always, throughout the 90 magical minutes, I felt held with genuine care in the hands of a master with extensive knowledge, experience and tuned intuition.”
Rose Rossi
“If you have never done yoga or meditation, then this testimonial is relevant to you.
I am generally uncomfortable being around people who are touchy-feely, talk about their feelings, and open up their hearts. The idea of hanging out with people from a Woodstock concert candidly makes me squirm.
As you read this, you are probably thinking to yourself that I am wound up pretty tight. Yes, you are correct. Think of me as a corporate suit wrapped around a monochrome vision of the world with sprinkles of emotional isolation. Do you get the picture?
A friend (“John”) referred me to Maura and said that she was one of the top 10 experiences of his life. “John” is an ex-Navy SEAL Commander who has traveled the world multiple times and done things that I can only dream about. I said to myself: “You had me at hello…” Seriously. Why would I deprive myself of a chance to try an experience that ranked so highly in his life? I trust him implicitly so I decided to roll the dice.
The outcome: He was right. It was a welcome surprise that I would gladly do again.
What did I get out of it?
1) The weirdest damn thing that I never would have guessed. In short, I recalled an image of me in the fetus of my mother’s womb. Sounds nuts but true. Maura provided a safe and comfortable space that allowed me to open up my mind to some part of my brain and visualize an image that I never thought existed. Whether real or not, I was at peace and that was priceless.
2) The other memory was the “old” me when I was roughly 6 years old: kind, gentle, and open-hearted. Over the past 50+ years, I have developed a more black & white perspective with an emotional detachment and self-centered view. Do I like myself now? No. Did I remember this “old” me that was untarnished without the collective years of wear & tear? Nope. It was like visiting Christmas Present and Past (although I am Jewish which might make this observation irrelevant). It warmed my heart to remember that I had been innocent once and could still access those memories. The “old” me is still alive.
Separately, I will need to do work to access/maintain/nurture (not sure what description is appropriate but you get the idea) this part of myself in order to prevent me from closing him off again but I didn’t remember he existed prior to visiting Maura. Once she helped me recall this part of my life, I could remember when I would run around as that innocent kid picking berries and doing random acts of kindness while being extremely sensitive.
3) At the end of our session, I cried. Why is that significant? I haven’t cried in over 15+ years despite the loss of my brother and mother. It actually felt really good.
My message is that you really have nothing to lose but some $$$ and might walk away with something that could change your life for the better. Sure, the alternative could be to travel the world and visit Buddhist Monks, Taj Mahal, Israel or other significant sites chasing the “right” person to open doors but having a proven entity in the U.S. is priceless and a lot less expensive that international flights/hotels/cars.
Will your experience be the same? Absolutely not. I didn’t know what I was walking into and had no expectations. But I left with a smile on my face, priceless memories, and potentially reviving parts of myself that were previously inaccessible.
So, do I recommend Maura. Without hesitation.”
Anthony
“There are moments in life that quietly change you forever, and my session with Maura was one of them.
After more than 10 years of talk therapy and EMDR, I found myself feeling stuck in my healing journey. While those approaches helped me understand and intellectualize my childhood and adolescent trauma, I still felt physically bound by it. I knew there was more healing to be done, and I began seeking alternative therapies that could help my body release what my mind had already processed.
A trusted friend recommended Maura, and I truly cannot express how grateful I am for that recommendation.
From the very first moment we spoke, I felt safe. Maura never pressured me into booking a session. In fact, she encouraged me to take my time, research aerial somatic therapy, and make sure it was something I genuinely wanted to pursue. That level of care and respect immediately built trust. Frankly, choosing to work with Maura has been one of the best self-care decisions I have ever made.
Leading up to our session, Maura was communicative, patient, compassionate, and understanding. She created a sense of safety long before I ever stepped into her dome.
The day of my session exceeded anything I could have imagined.
It’s only been two days since my experience, and I genuinely feel transformed. I don’t say that to suggest this was a cure-all for years of trauma because healing is a lifelong journey. But I can honestly say that one session with Maura helped me access something that more than a decade of traditional talk therapy never could.
The love, care, presence, and connection I felt under the dome are almost impossible to put into words. For the first time in a very long time, I felt completely safe to simply exist. There were no expectations, no judgment, no pressure to perform, and no need to make myself small.
I entered the session with one intention: to allow myself to feel the emotions I have spent so many years suppressing. Because of the space Maura created, I was finally able to do exactly that.
Today, I feel more grounded, less anxious, and more connected to myself than I have in years. I feel like I have access to parts of myself that have been hidden beneath layers of survival for far too long.
I cannot recommend Maura enough. If you’re feeling stuck, if you’ve done the work intellectually but still feel like your body is holding onto your experiences, I encourage you to explore what she offers. Maura has a rare gift for creating a space where healing feels not only possible, but deeply supported.
Thank you, Maura, for your kindness, your compassion, and for guiding me through what has been one of the most meaningful and transformative experiences of my life. I will forever be grateful.”
Victoria Nievens