“The path to well-being is not about becoming something other than ourselves or about acquiring a spiritual knowledge that is essentially foreign to us. It is about waking up to a knowledge that is deep in the very fabric of our being, and it is about living in relation to this wisdom.”
John Philip Newell
Shannon Kunstman, PT, MS
Physical Therapy | Embodiment | Spiritual Companionship
Welcome to Awareness in Motion! My name is Shannon Kunstman, PT, MS, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a physical therapist, embodiment practitioner, spiritual companion, bodyworker, lifelong learner, and human being who is passionate about uniting awareness and movement, body and spirit, science and spirituality for personal and collective healing, transformation and well-being.
I am on the journey of healing and becoming a whole human being, just like everyone else! Somewhere along the way, I felt an inner nudge that beckoned me to more deeply explore the body and spirituality and how this is related to health and well-being.
I wish I could say I have it all figured out, but I don’t. But I am really curious, always learning and I am excited to share what I have learned and experienced with anyone interested in greater wholeness and well-being for themselves and our world.
I have always had a fascination with the human body. I also love to learn how things work! I am continually learning about new practices to optimize the healing, function and movement of the human body.
My early years of PT education and practice were based on the paradigm of seeing the body as a machine. If we stretch, strengthen and align the musculoskeletal and nervous system, the machine will work, symptoms should improve and function is restored. This paradigm worked quite well for many people. Although, I found that many people continued to struggle, even though they did everything that was recommended. What was missing in my approach to movement health?
In my clinical practice, I also saw the power of the human spirit as I worked with people as they experienced health challenges, loss, and even death. I have been inspired by the resiliency, courage, creativity, and hope that sustained and fueled people to show up fully for their lives, even as they faced their own human vulnerability and limitations. What part did the human spirit play in a person’s health and well-being?
I started exploring the body beyond the mechanical paradigm via practices such as bodywork, body awareness, breathing, yoga, embodiment practices, spirituality, nervous system regulation and healing of trauma. I discovered that this body holds so much more wisdom and healing potential beyond the limited paradigms of seeing the body through of science and as physical matter only. And yes. My approach to health, the body and spirituality started to slowly fall apart…
In western medicine, we tend to separate the body, mind and spirit. Mind-body medicine is more common now, but body and spirit are still very fragmented in our health and spiritual practices. In our modern, western culture, we have a tendency to gravitate towards living our lives from the rational mind, which tends to see in black and white, either/or. We tend to “think” our way through our lives (and our health) with little awareness or guidance from of the longings of our heart, the innate wisdom of our body or the compassion and power of our human spirit. Our current health practices are based in science and a mechanical view of the body. This is good, as what we have accomplished and can offer in modern day healthcare is incredible and amazing!! The flip side of this heavy emphasis on science and how we can “fix” the machine of the body is that there has been little time or space to focus on what I call the “intangibles”.
The intangibles are those aspects of our lives that fill our world with meaning, purpose, love and connection, but are difficult to measure by research or even to put into words. Yet, we all know that they matter. These intangibles, such as patience, acceptance, compassion, love, grace, hope and resilience have the potential to support our healing, growth, and relationships in ways we that we cannot even imagine. The intangibles help us to hold the paradoxes and “gray” experiences of life, such as disease, pain, aging, transitions, loss and grief that are not easily changed or solved with binary, rational or mechanistic thinking. These intangibles can support, guide and enliven us. They can shift us from just surviving to thriving!
As a physical therapist, spiritual director, and embodiment practitioner, I am continually being invited to see and sense the body and the world-body through a lens of wholeness.
We are greater than the sum of our parts. We are relational, interconnected beings. For years, I viewed the body as a machine to be fixed, and that spirit was something outside of us. I am developing a greater awareness of spirit as an animating force that is not only within this body and this world, but also between us, and beyond us.
The disconnection of the body-mind and spirit has resulted in so much pain and suffering. We are suffering from a dis-ease of disconnection, not only in our own bodies, but also in our worldbody. We are struggling with disconnection from ourselves, one another, our world, and the greater mystery of life itself. When we are fragmented in body, spirit, and mind, we lose contact with the wisdom, compassion and creativity that arises from within our body&spirit and abides with our every breath.
When we reconnect body and science and spirit, we add a dimension to our well-being that is not possible if we live from the world view that the body, mind and spirit are separate. When we reunite the tangibles and the intangibles, the body and spirit, science and spirituality, we open ourselves to choices and possibilities for healing, growth, transformation and well-being that I don’t believe we can even imagine when we see through a more fragmented, and limited lens of life. I believe we can build upon what we have learned in science and lean into the more expansive perspective of wholeness.
It has been a winding road of exploring health through the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. The body has always been the home base of my practice and passion, ultimately leading me back to embodiment practices as the territory to explore healing, spirituality, transformation, health and well-being.
This continual sifting and winnowing guides my personal and professional journey. Rather than solely providing answers and solutions, our work together will explore these questions:
What is possible if…
We opened our hearts to compassion, acceptance, love, and courage?
We learned to listen to the creativity and wisdom of the body?
We opened our minds to new ideas of who we are and who we can be?
We connected to spirit, and the greater mystery of the interconnectedness and sacred wholeness of life?
What if, in the midst of moving in our lives, we centered ourselves within our deepest knowing and sense of the spiritual?
What is possible for our personal and collective well-being if we listened and cared for our bodies through a lens of wholeness? As a body as an expression of spirit?
If you are ready to ask these questions in your own life as you seek wholeness and healing, Awareness in Motion is here to support you.
As a physical therapist, embodiment practitioner, spiritual companion, and bodyworker, I believe:
Your body, your life, your story is sacred.
You are not alone. You are loved. You belong here.
You matter.
You are enough, just as you are.
Creativity, wisdom, goodness and love are within you. So is the potential of healing, growth, transformation & well-being.
You are a unique expression of creation and spirit.
We are all interconnected and in relationship.
Wholeness is dynamic and is continually emerging through the seasons of birth, loss, and rebirth.
Beyond my approach, here are some important things to know about my qualifications and professional experience that I bring to our work together:
My foundational education and work experience includes:
Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy: UW-Madison in 1990
Master of Science in Physical Therapy: Rosalind Franklin University of Health Sciences in 2001
Experience as a physical therapist at inpatient hospital and outpatient orthopedic clinical settings from 1991 to 2010
Started my private physical therapy practice Awareness in Motion, LLC in 2010
I pursued further education and study in complementary practices in 2007:
Advanced neurovascular therapist
Certified in Zero Balancing
Studied various forms of bodywork, including Reiki, Myofascial Release, and Acupressure.
Yoga teacher training with 500 hours of training in alignment yoga
Study in mindfulness and meditation, in addition to personal practices of meditation and embodiment.
Adjunct professor at the UW-Madison physical therapy program
Co-instructor of wellness and complementary approaches for health
Spiritual Companion
Completion of spiritual guidance training program at Sienna Center in Racine, WI
My areas of interest include:
Research and practice about nervous system health, healing of trauma, and pain science
Focusing and Internal Family Systems (IFS)
3 Centered Awareness
Enneagram
Self-actualization theory and practice
The universe story, feminine spirituality, and nature/eco-spirituality
In my years of part time professional practice while raising three children, I offered yoga and mindfulness classes to elementary and middle school children. I served as PTO president, with a focus on belonging, building community and supporting the potential of our youth, especially our LGBTQ community. I served on the reconciliation committee at a local Madison church to create an open and affirming community.
I continue to challenge and expand my awareness of social justice issues including ableism and disability rights, LGBTQ rights, racism, and practices of non-violence, with an interest and desire in how we can shift from a paradigm of separation, hierarchy and oppression to wholeness and belonging in order to support the wholeness and well-being for all.
My commitment to wholeness also means I am a whole person outside my work, too!
I grew up on a family farm in the small town of Brodhead WI. I enjoy traveling, but always love coming home to the rolling hills of beautiful Wisconsin. I live in Madison, WI with my husband Dave and our dog Fozzie. We have three young adult children who are creating their own adventures now, but we enjoy spending time with them as much as possible!
I enjoy gardening, hiking and exploring everything outdoors, especially Lake Superior, reading and learning, sewing, music, crafting and creating beautiful spaces. I value building relationships with others and the natural world, and exploring and enjoying this great mystery that we all shared.
