Our Team
Shellie Sakash, MS, PT, NCPT
Founder, Physical Therapist, Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher, Mentor
I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a physical therapist. As a dancer I loved movement, as a student I loved studying everything about the human mind and body, and as a person I loved helping people. There isn’t a day where I wish I did something different and I firmly believe I am doing exactly what I was meant to do.
I found Pilates shortly after I completed my physical therapy education and it was “intrigue at first site.” It was also very humbling. Here I was a licensed physical therapist and a dancer of 15 years and it still challenged me in so many ways. I loved the way it made me feel. It was different from how I felt after working out in the gym, dancing in the studio, or even doing my own exercise routine at home. I felt connected. I had more access to more muscles, more power, and a deeper sense of stability and strength. My body felt smarter. Most importantly I found that I was able to apply what I was feeling and developing in Pilates to all of my other regular activities for better results.
With my physical therapy mind I started to look at the principles of Pilates and the exercises themselves in more depth to understand why it was so effective and how it could be used in the rehabilitative setting. Since that time I have designed and implemented multiple Pilates-based rehabilitation programs in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maine. I also completed more extensive training to obtain my National Certification as a Pilates teacher to ensure that I had a complete understanding of the work and how to apply it to all bodies of all ages. When I moved back home to the White Mountains in NH I wanted to open my own studio and did so in September of 2018. It’s a space where Pilates and Physical Therapy is fused together to help people not just recover from an injury but to feel their best and achieve a more refined and complete state of wellness.
Joseph Pilates felt that everyone should learn what he called “Contrology”. After studying the principles of his work, applying it to my physical therapy practices, and witnessing the effect it has had on my clients who have thoroughly committed to the process, I couldn’t agree more.
Cheryl Bedan, LCPC, NCC Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Pilates & Yoga Therapy Teacher
Cheryl has worked in the field of mental health since 1999 in various settings and has helped patients across the lifespan. She uses Person-Centered and Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic methods of counseling, as well as others, to support her patient’s. Cheryl believes that our emotions are manifested in our mind, body, and spirit. Her counseling approach is holistic and based on self-compassion accessing one’s inner wisdom to reach desired growth and healing.
Cheryl first discovered Pilates in1996 when looking for an exercise program. Having trained as a gymnast since an early age and becoming a competitive team coach, with body awareness and an understanding of anatomy, this form of movement education presented a clear path to health and well being for herself as well as her students and patients.
Cheryl earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Quinnipiac University and master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Fairfield university. Since then she has completed additional certifications in Craniosacral Therapy, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, and Pilates. Cheryl values the importance of ongoing education to meet her patients and client’s needs. When not working she enjoys time spent with family and friends, hiking, and being by the water.
Emily Tole, LMT, NCPT Pilates Teacher
I consider myself a lifelong student of the human body and all that it is capable of.
As a dancer I have pushed the limits of movement and flexibility and I have explored the range of possibilities that exist within our anatomy. As a massage therapist I have witnessed how limiting pain and discomfort can be and how it can take away our freedom of movement.
I came to Pilates because I was looking for additional resources for my clients. Something that would further help them create the picture of wellness they have for themselves. In the process I discovered that Pilates was a great resource for me as well! I am a mom to two little boys who are the light of my days. With them came a body which felt and some days still feels, unfamiliar. Pilates has helped me to reconnect with my body and find my way back to a more familiar physical state of being.
I am beyond excited to be part of the team at Sakash Health and Wellness. I look forward to working with each and every one of my clients while we do the work together to become the very best versions of ourselves.
Thais Charbonnet Lovering, LMT
Pilates Teacher
Open the door. We learn through experiences both positive and negative. If the door stays closed, there is nothing new to learn.
As a practicing Massage Therapist with a background in multiple therapeutic treatments, I have found that most pain comes from imbalances in our musculature, patterns in our movement, and a lack of internal body awareness. As I have experienced life in an aging body that carried and delivered two large babies, I have found the work of Joseph Pilates to be incredibly insightful and core changing.
Moving, as Pilates teaches, in a very focused way, while using the breath and sensing the small internal muscles, is fascinating. After a lifetime of sports, dance, yoga, and big body movement, I realized that I moved from my extremities, not my center. The opportunity to take my experience to the next level by learning to teach the Pilates method was a natural and joyful new step. Teaching facilitates my own learning, since I benefit from all that a student brings to the table; in this way, we co-create health. Healing through movement reeducation is the best route to graceful aging and staying pain-free. I hope to help instill in clients new body knowledge that assists them to find their own way forward.
My life is full in beautiful Brownfield Maine! Our boys have grown and moved into their young adult lives in Colorado and Europe. I am a founding employee at Stone Mountain Arts Center, so I get to hear ALL the music. I was born and raised in New Orleans so having access to live music has really enriched my existence here. Healthy eating, long walks, socializing, soaking in my clawfoot tub, Kundalini Yoga, reading, Qigong, and Pilates are all pieces of my life as I practice living in the moment and extending my spine!