July 5, 2025
Summer is now in full swing here at Sadhana Health. Lauren is busy rock climbing. Daejon can be found skateboarding and working out in the gym. Dr. Philip has been busy playing soccer; Heather is training for a 1/2 marathon, and Dr. Cindy is now on maternity leave. We’re all doing our best to practice what we preach by staying active, doing our rehab, strength training, managing our stress… and having fun too!
Don’t forget that individual fitness and wellness routines look vastly different from person to person. These are the things we are doing. What are YOU doing? Swimming, meditating, hiking, dancing, walking daily, Yoga, Pilates?
Continue to choose movement this summer!
APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE!
Physical Therapy: To schedule with Dr. Philip, click here.
Manual Therapy:
To schedule with Lauren Fabia, click here.
To schedule with Daejon (Dae) Crawford, click here.Corrective Exercise/Personal Training:
To schedule with Daejon (Dae) Crawford, click here.
Employee Spotlight: Heather Sweeney, CMT, GTS, CEO
Heather Sweeney is the Founder and CEO of Sadhana Health. She was a Contemporary Crafts major at The University of the Arts and spent over a decade working in the arts before graduating from the California Healing Arts College. Heather has spent the past 14 years working in clinical settings, as well as spent six years as a Clinical Specialist at UCLA’s Center for East-West Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles.
Heather is certified in Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation (IASTM) and specializes in treating Autoimmune Diseases, Rheumatological Conditions, Head, Neck & Shoulder Disorders, Vestibular injuries, Hip Pain, Orthopedics, and Geriatrics.
Heather is also an Energy Medicine practitioner. She is a student of Q’ero Inca Shamanism which is of the indigenous Q’ero Nation from a remote mountainous region in the Peruvian Andes. If you are interested in scheduling an energy medicine session with Heather, please contact our office and we will have Heather reach out to you directly.
Heather is a long-time resident of Santa Monica, CA where she resides with her husband and their dogs Zeke and Freyja. She is an avid walker and enjoys running, hiking, knitting, photography, and drawing.
To view Heather’s schedule online click here. Please contact our office directly at (424) 410-9377 (text/call) to schedule an appointment. There is currently a 5 week wait until Heather’s next available appointments.
SCHEDULING CHANGE for Heather: Beginning September 4, 2025 Heather will be offering only 90min appointments on Thursdays and Fridays.
What is the difference between Massage Therapy and Manual Therapy?
Goals & Intention!
Sadhana Health offers a variety of allied healthcare services including Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy, and Integrative Bodywork. One of the questions we often get is “What is the difference between Manual Therapy and Massage Therapy?”
The main difference between Manual Therapy and Massage Therapy is the goal and intention of the treatment. Massage Therapy in general is viewed as a personal care service to promote relaxation and overall wellbeing. It is not usually covered by insurance. Manual Therapy is medical in nature and the primary goal is to reduce pain, improve joint mobility, correct biomechanical dysfunction, rehabilitate after injury, and restore optimal movement. Treatment can be relaxing at times, but the overall intention and goals of the treatment are different than those of a traditional massage. Treatment is also usually covered in some portion by medical insurance.
Another difference is the type of individual performing the therapy. Manual Therapy is most often performed by Physical Therapists, but it is also performed by Massage Therapists who have additional continuing education training and experience. Our Manual Therapists with a Massage Therapy background have extensive education and years of experience and training in a variety of modalities including soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, strain counter strain, and muscle energy techniques. Many Massage Therapists will additionally sit for their NCBTMB or MBLEx exam which shows that the therapist has had the highest education and an extensive and comprehensive understanding of the human body. Sitting for one of these exams is required by the California Massage Therapy Council in order for a massage therapist to be voluntarily certified in the State of California.
All Sadhana Health providers are held to highest standards of practice.
Read more Sadhana Health blog posts here.
Movement is medicine. Choose movement.
Reminder:
You are able to schedule online with all of our providers (except Heather Sweeney). To schedule online please click here. Simply click on the image of the provider you would like to schedule with, and their availability will show on your screen. Occasionally there will be one or two appointments released for online scheduling with Heather.
As you have noticed, we do not currently have front desk administrative support. Scheduling online is the fastest and easiest way to secure the appointment you wish to schedule. Please allow 24-48hrs for your phone call to be returned. If you have an urgent question, please email the clinic directly.