Acupuncturist Mark Siegrist and his wife Sue, a registered yoga teacher, knew they could serve people better if they combined their separate practices and partnered with other like-minded practitioners to form a comprehensive wellness space. The Restorative Center, which opened in May 2016, offers holistic health modalities such as acupuncture, yoga, energy work and massage to help restore the body, and relax the mind and spirit. 

Each practitioner uses a whole person approach. Mark is a Licensed Practitioner of Oriental Medicine, specializing in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, which includes prescribing herbal remedies in pill, powder or raw forms. Acupuncture addresses energy flow, or qi, throughout the body through strategic needle placement that corrects any energy flow blockages. “I will also incorporate massage or reiki into a person’s treatment when they’re ready for those services,” Mark says.  

Shiatsu, provided by Deb Bernheiser, is a Japanese massage that takes place on a futon mat on the floor. The client stays clothed while Bernheiser incorporates stretching and acupressure, which is applied through the fingers, palms or forearms. Also available is ashiatsu, a traditional massage where the client disrobes and lies face down while therapist Raeann Jude Walter grasps bars suspended from the ceiling and uses her feet to work out tight muscles and knots in the spinal and leg muscles. 

Susan Drey offers reiki, a non-invasive Japanese healing technique in which energy flows from the practitioner’s hands to the recipient, activating the natural healing process within the body. Drey also provides reconnective healing, which is similar to reiki, but transcends traditional energy healing techniques and holds space around the person and within the universe to allow healing. 

Through Tula Yoga Center, Sue, along with several yoga practitioners, offer smaller, individualized classes that encompass the whole realm of yoga, with appropriate skill levels for each person. Styles offered include Bikram, restorative and traditional vinyasa and hatha classes. 

Mark emphasizes that The Restorative Center is all-inclusive and accepts any person in any condition. “We see people for who they are, where they’re at and how we can best work with them to make a positive impact,” he explains, “and we do that by working on ourselves. Sue and I, along with our practitioners, look inward and cultivate ourselves to be better practitioners through continuing education in the U.S. and abroad.” The Restorative Center’s practitioners also attend local health fairs and host corporate wellness meetings, talks and workshops throughout the community. 

 

 

The Restorative Center is located at 6 Hearthstone Ct., Ste. 304, in Exeter. For more information, call 610-781-1430 or visit TheRestorativeCenter.com. 

 

Sheila Julson is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer and contributor to Natural Awakenings magazines throughout the country.