Ellen Heed started dancing at the age of four and has followed a fascination with movement, energy and structure into the present.  She studied dance at California Institute of the Arts and performed, toured and taught dance throughout California with the contemporary dance company Rodeo Ex Machina from 1978-1985.

To address healing knee and back pain, she began the study of yoga in 1994 with Ana Forrest, completing Ana’s Teacher Training in 1997, and repeating it in 1999.  The study of yoga reconnected Ellen with her original reason to dance, which was based on the direct experience ecstatic states. She appreciates Ana’s profound understanding of human structure and asana sequencing, and has great respect for Ana’s relentless dedication to healing as an art.

Concurrent with her study of yoga, Ellen became certified as a Shiatsu Specialist in 2000, which led to a thorough study of functional anatomy and transformational bodywork with Dr. Vincent Medici, DC ND CMT. This apprenticeship with Dr. Medici afforded Ellen the perspective that bodywork under correct circumstances is a unique catalyst for human neural evolution and adaptation. The process of receiving deep bodywork combined with the practice of yoga created profound changes in her nervous system, as her capacity for moving energy through her meridians became tangible and palpable. As the process continues, she finds that it is possible to feel the subtlest of body sensations, down to the microns-wide bandwidth of her own cranial rhythms.  

In 2003, Ellen began training in Visionary Craniosacral Work with Hugh Milne, and is currently in the process of completing her certification. The permission for intuitive development provided by the Milne approach combined with rigorous anatomical instruction have been hugely inspiring to Ellen’s current therapeutic work. 

Ellen has pursued her interest in ecstatic states to include the study of sexuality by earning a California State Certification in Sexological Bodywork. Completed in 2007 under Joseph Kramer at the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco, this certification broadened Ellen’s scope of practice to include pelvic floor work, mainly working with scar tissue in post partum women. Ellen has seen profound results by initiating the remediation of scar tissue, which has returned the pelvic floors of many post-partum women to their full pleasure potential.   

Ellen currently teaches Anatomy & Physiology, Pain & Orthopedic Evaluation, and Craniosacral Therapy & Adjustments worldwide to yoga professionals. She most enjoys teaching workshops about human energetic and sexual empowerment. Ellen has taught Functional Anatomy for Yoga Teachers in conjunction with Ana Forrest Foundation Yoga Teacher Training and various classes at The Shiatsu Massage School of California in Santa Monica since 2000.  

She maintains a thriving practice with clients and students all over the world providing:

Deep Assessment & Recommendations for Healthy Living

Sexual Education & Counseling

Visionary Craniosacral Work

Pelvic Floor Reclamation

Emotional Release work utilizing deep tissue techniques as developed by Dr. Medici.

She lives in Los Angeles with her partner: Sensuality Educator Bob Niemerow, their fabulous housemate Reeca, and an eccentric cat called Kittyhawk, AKA Schmoo.

To learn more about Ellen, visit

www.ellenheed.com