In my native Brazilian Portuguese language the word Alento refers to breath and vitality. Therefore, it can also refer to that which gives you the energy and motivation to achieve something. To me, Alento means Casa de Vó, Grandmother's House. This was a safe haven: a place where enticing scents of home-cooked food wafted in the air, where singing and dancing were everyday joys, where kids big and small ran around laughing and playing, and where despite of all noise and activity around me, I felt safe. Most importantly, grandma's house was  where I was seen, heard, loved and cared for.

My grandmother, Dona Deja, was a sage woman who immortalized the generational wisdom of using local plants to heal me. And although she took me to traditional doctors for regular illnesses, she took me to Curandeiras, or healers, to alliviate ailments of the energy realm. She believed in the power of a nutritious balanced meal along with the power of family gathering and sharing. Dona Deja was made of love and gave love to all around her. I will always miss her  fingers stroking my scalp when I laid my head on her lap, in other words, cafuné, and the way she shook the blanket and let it fall slowly over my body as she tucked me into bed. 

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At grandma's, I found Alento to keep going, thrive, and follow my personal truth. In the spirit of Alento, my wish for you is to leave my sessions feeling more alive, relaxed and whole, so that you, too, are equipped to follow your own truth; to ignite the beauty of Alento throughout your life. That's why I invite you to visit Alento Bodywork.