Omer Sigler
Movement therapy and bodywork
I am an Amsterdam-based professional movement therapist, Craniosacral and bodywork practitioner. On my own journey recovering from a back injury, I found conventional approaches lacked lasting results. I became frustrated from chronic pain and movement limitations, which severely affected my physical and emotional well-being.
While searching for alternative ways to recover, I developed an interest in yoga, martial arts, the osteopathic approach, Craniosacral Therapy and the Ilan Lev Method (ILM). Nothing to me was as effective, quick and fun as ILM. With a new sense of exploring, improvement and recovery came along much faster than I had ever expected. After experiencing the effects of ILM therapy first-hand, I decided to enlist in a professional course. Ever since, many things have changed for the better.
Today, I aim to share my knowledge and experience to help others on their own journey. I enjoy and find great interest in working with people of different ages, physical ability, and backgrounds: from dancers, athletes and musicians to the elderly in nursing homes. In my practice, I have dealt with different orthopedic issues, injuries, overuse and misuse, dementia, Parkinson’s and more.
Timeline
I started my practice in 2013, after receiving my ILM Practitioner certification.
From 2016 to 2017, I studied at the Wingate Institute under the Israeli School of Osteopathy. The following year, I studied ICS (Integrative Craniosacral) in Tel Aviv with osteopath Oren Dotan.
Finally, in 2021, I received my ILM Movement Instructor certification.
Today, I give treatments at various locations throughout Amsterdam, such as Studio Annamora, nursing homes, Studio Genisis and at my home clinic in Amsterdam Zuid. In addition, I am a guide assisting in the ILM International basic courses.
My philosophy on movement
Our body and mind work together as a system that thrives on feedback and our perception of ourselves, both internally; inside our bodies and externally; how we perceive ourselves and the space around us.
We as humans are very adaptive. We strive for the most efficient and most well-known paths and this has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are easy and fast access, saving space on our system, but the disadvantages are in diminishing the richness and possibilities that all of us have at our disposal and eliminating the body’s natural ability to recover and to remain playful, curious, and healthy.
When these disadvantages are present our body is much more prone to injuries, longer recoveries, and a lack of joy in movement and in life.
Our objective is to create a playful and respectful environment for us to explore the different options we have. Refining our perceptions and sensitivities, releasing physical and mental stress and to become more aware and curious in different aspects of our day to day life. Opening us up the possibility of discovering movement as sophisticated, elegant, and easy.
This allows new physical pathways and coordinations to emerge or become clearer, old habits to be thrown out, and physical and emotional trauma to be released. In this way, the movement returns to parts of the body where communication was cut-off or stopped due to injury, pain, or emotional issues. The dialogue within the whole system is restored.