hello Creatives, seekers & Sensitive Souls,
I am Anise Moon
Anise Moon is a felt experience—an honoring of our multifaceted, ever-changing, beautiful lives. It is a reclamation of power, resilience, transformation, passion, courage, and love. Anise Moon represents interconnectedness; it’s a bridge that links us together and a light that inspires and guides us.
I am Anise Moon.
And you are too.
My given name is Altranise, and like the mystical moon, it is nearly impossible to sum up my vastness in words. I am happy to share parts of myself through various ways in which you may enjoy understanding yourself and others:
Astrology: Taurus Sun, Libra Moon, Scorpio Rising
Human Design Type: Splenic Manifestor
Life Path Number: 3
Myers-Briggs Type: INFP-A
The Journey
The work of birth support & bodywork was not a plan; it was more of a calling. Much of the journey took fruition in graduate school when I started to receive massages as a way to manage stress. I was astounded by how much better I would feel: my muscle tension would subside and my mood and focus would boost for days.
One day, while re-energized from a massage and researching for a literature class, I came across articles on trauma and how emotions and memories are stored in the body, particularly the article The Body Keeps the Score before it was published as a now bestselling book. It was then that my deep passion towards bodywork and somatics began to stir, and I decided to apply to massage school as I was completing my Master's thesis.
While attending The Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy, I did my independent project on trauma as I learned about the infinite, fascinating body. It was also during this time that I first heard the word “doula” (though I had already supported a few births, I didn’t have a name for this work). I hired doulas for the birth of my own children; birthing my son and then daughter were very challenging, beautiful, life altering experiences, and I couldn’t imagine going through those journeys without the support of doulas.
Mothering Self; Mothering the Mother
I’ve survived. I’ve survived immense trauma, as many of us have in one form or another. As Bayo Akomolafe so eloquently stated, trauma is in the fabric of the land.
We are here, together, creating beauty and soft spaces, on this vast, unpredictable, chaotic land.
More than a decade ago, when I started practicing massage, I knew that more than touching the surface of bodies, I wanted to facilitate the process of igniting wise, ancient, expansive parts of my clients.
What I've come to realize is that the expansive places I must turn to are within my own inner landscape.
As I continue to understand that the work is through me, that I can only with-ness others when reaching self; that, in the words of Audre Lorde, self-care is self preservation; that I can only go as far with others as I'm willing to go with myself; that the illusions of separation of mind and body, and the separation of self and others, will be illusions I'll continually dance with and examine. And as I continue to return to these things again and again, I experience the process as a continuation, hence the language and understanding continues to evolve.
My experiences as a mother, and as a birth and bodyworker, have led me to one of my most important truths: it is through the art of mothering and nurturing ourselves that we are able to mother and nurture others. I mother myself by receiving bodywork, through somatic practices, and by showing up as my authentic, vulnerable self. I work to share these same acts of love, and to provide a consensual, respectful space for each person who entrusts me as their birthworker or bodyworker.
The work I do, be it personal or professional, is my art and heart and a catalyst for feeling alive, present, and embodied.
Outside of bodywork and birth, other passions that bring me to life: writing, performance art, dancing, deep stretching, studying astrology and tarot, moon watching, meditating via music, nourishing podcasts and books, loving wholeheartedly, napping, and laughing with my two very spirited children.
Education, Certifications & Specialties
BA in Psychology
MA in English and Africana Studies
NYS Licensed Massage Therapist
Certified in Prenatal & Postpartum Massage
Trained in assisting with natural induction via cupping and acupressure (on a case-by-case basis, never prior to 37 weeks gestation, and with approval from your midwife or obstetrician)
Certified Mama Glow Doula
Trained Community Lactation Educator
Trauma-informed
Knowledgeable in somatic practices, with participation in various workshops and studies
John Barnes' Myofascial Release trainings
Reiki practitioner
