PRT Credentialing Earned: 2014
PRI Courses Completed:
- Myokinematic Restoration
- Postural Respiration
- Pelvis Restoration
- Impingement & Instability
- Advanced Integration
- Cervical-Cranio-Mandibular Restoration
- Cervical Revolution
- Postural-Visual Integration
- PRI Integration for Geriatrics
- PRI Integration for Baseball
- PRI Integration for Fitness & Movement
- Interdisciplinary Integration Symposium: 2013, 2014, 2015
Language: English
Lilla Somerville earned her PhD in Biochemistry from East Carolina University School of Medicine (Greenville, NC) in 1999. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Cancer Research Hospital (Memphis, TN), she pursued a continuation of her interest in cancer research at The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA). While appreciating the rewards of advancing science from the bench, Lilla was met with a strong desire to make a more expedient and tangible impact on the health and wellness of others.
To this end, she quickly earned national certifications as a Health/Fitness Instructor, Exercise Physiologist, and Strength and Conditioning Specialist. In addition, she trained through the highest level of the rehabilitation-based matwork series offered by The Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute. Drawing on her uniquely diverse background, she began designing novel health/fitness and sport-specific classes for both commercial and private health clubs. The content and design of these classes were based on current scientific literature, evidence-based practices, and personal experience as a competitive tennis player and runner. While also instructing these well-attended classes, she made two fundamental observations that would again alter her course of study. First, people wanted to understand what was happening with their bodies, why, and how to address it. Second, although every participant’s movements were undeniably unique, there appeared to be categories of underlying movement patterns exhibited by all. These categories of patterns were most notable during exercise, when the body was physically challenged. However, if examined closely, they were also discernable in class participants’ gaits. Intrigued, she became a fervent people-watcher and with a quietly discerning eye, realized that the categories noted in the microcosm of her classes bore out into the general population as well.
Driven by the above observations, she turned her attention to the study of human movement in an effort to unlock pieces of this human puzzle and empower others to move with more freedom and balance at a foundational level. It wasn’t until venturing into The Postural Restoration Institute® (PRI) curriculum that these categories of underlying neuro-biomechanical movement patterns began to emerge and be explained with revolutionary insight as functions of respiration, sensorium, and the innate asymmetries of the human body. Certification through PRI has advanced her understanding of the integration of body systems as it applies to postural dynamics and provided a framework from which to more appropriately assess and effectively address movement limitations/imbalances.
Licensed as a massage therapist (LMT), Lilla integrates this intervention, when appropriate, in a PRI-specific manner to effect change in the myofascial and sensory systems. These changes are then reinforced with specific restorative exercises and techniques.
Ever the consummate student and driven by a passion to improve the quality of life of others, her journey of study into the factors mediating human movement continues to evolve and be a fascination for her. The recently burgeoning fields of neuroscience, pain science, interpersonal biology, developmental psychopathology, functional medicine, immunology, and energy medicine have contributed powerful insight in this regard. Studies in these fields have highlighted the interplay of such factors as behavior, environment, stressors, perceptions, emotions, mindset/thoughts, social interaction, biofields, and wellness on the human movement system. For this reason, no two individuals move the same way. With careful consideration of these mediators, Lilla designs highly individualized, innovative programming for each client to improve their functional performance and quality of life. She maintains a strong collaborative interface with other like-minded healthcare providers (including, physicians, optometrists, chiropractors, nutritionists, dentists, and physical therapists) whose expertise may also be required in order to optimize body coherence and well-being.
