Access deeper healing and restore balance
Liesje (lee-sha) she/they
Advanced Rolfer™, Rolf & Somatic Movement Educator, Dancer
I have seen that healing is an interweave of personal, collective and societal exchange. We gain in vitality as we embark on our journey toward balance and that is a gift to our world.
Advanced Rolfer™, Rolf Movement & Somatic Movement Educator, Dancer
“Your use of the term ‘being met’ gives me the idea that this somatic work is unwinding through an exploration resonates with me very deeply. I want to meet myself and give myself permission to be and also to express.”-D
Liesje's journey has been one of profound transformation, marked by deep exploration, healing, and a commitment to growth. Starting at Naropa University in the 90s, she immersed herself in somatics, discovering the body's vast depth as a source of wisdom. Along the way, she embraced the healing of ancestral wounds, shifting her perspective from "what's wrong with me?" to "what happened to me?" This journey, both solitary and collective, led her to find joy, resilience, connection, and a deeper sense of communication with herself and the world.
Fueled by a vision of social healing and a more connected world, Liesje has pursued numerous certifications and studies. Her training includes Rolf Movement with Kevin Franks, Caryn McHose, and Per Haarland, Aline Newton and Rebecca Mills(2020-2024), as well as her ongoing Rolfing training with Duffy Allen, Ray McCall, Carol Agnessess, John Martine and Ron Murry as well as Embodied Ethics with Christiane Pelmas (2022). She has received training in trauma resilience from Lael Keen (Somatic Experiencing and Rolfing) and Katherine Allen and Maria Bowen (TAG Method). She has engaged in various workshops and courses in somatic embodiment with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Martha Eddy and Carol Swan (1999-2024), and taught somatic movement at Middlebury College (2019), and offered weekly Rolf Movement classes since 2018.
In 2022, she expanded her vision by creating Being/Body Somatic Arts, a studio space for collective learning, growth, and exploration of embodiment practices.
Liesje's extensive education includes advanced Rolfing™, Biodynamic Craniosaral Therapy, Scarwork, Visceral Manipulation, SourcePoint Therapy™, and a 500-hour Embodyoga™ teacher training. Since opening her somatic-based bodywork practice in 2000, she has deepened her knowledge through mentorships, workshops, and teaching. Known for her grounded presence and warmth, Liesje continues to inspire others through her passion for social healing, connection, and fostering peace and vitality in the world.
You can view her qualifications more deeply here.
I have been receiving online SourcePoint Distance Sessions from Liesje for the last few months and it has been such a profound and nourishing experience. It’s amazing how connected I feel to Liesje, and how clearly I can feel the work she is doing ‘on’ me, even though we are sharing a virtual space. Her presence and dedication provide me with the opportunity to share, and receive, and be fully supported. Her voice leads the way, almost like a guided meditation, shepherding me through new landscapes and territories. The sessions themselves feel rich and valuable, and I notice substantial shifts in the days that follow ~ sometimes in body or mind or spirit, or all three. I highly recommend trying the distance (online) version of SourcePoint Therapy. It’s something I plan to continue in addition to my in-person Rolfing/Movement Sessions. They bring something new, and much needed, to my experience of wellness and health. -J
Being/Body Somatic Arts is a somatic healing and movement wellness space in Burlington, Vermont, along the Winooski River, unceded land of the Abenaki indigenous people.
Being/Body Somatic Arts was conceived by Liesje Smith, who has been offering skillful Somatic Education since 2004. We welcome the community to engage in Personal Holistic Rolfing® Structural & Functional Integration & other Somatic Therapeutic Sessions, classes, group gatherings and events that highlight movement, embodied practice, and collaborative arts.
We offer:
somatic structural alignment
movement education
professional training
somatic classes
community events
studio rentals
Whether through touch or movement or expression and community, somatic healing and wellbeing are processes that encourage learning and sharing. Within the body and body to body, communication towards harmonizing, release and repatterning, makes healing even more available.
The studio we call home is dedicated to being warm and simple, an open space with high ceilings and natural light. It has an effective presence on its own and it’s there to receive folks as they come. If you know what I mean, there can be something sensorial about a space which communicates wellness. The space is 600 square feet, ready for movement, performance, and therapeutic sessions.
If you find that your interests are in alignment with the mission of BBSA then inquire further about rentals and collaboration. We very much look forward to hearing from you!
