Kerry Orr

A little about me and what I do:

I am originally from the Wilmington area- born in Media, Pennsylvania . I graduated from Ursuline Academy and spent some time at the University of Delaware where I studied art, art history, French and English literature, then transferred to Marlboro College, a small liberal arts school in the mountains of southern Vermont. I graduated in 1991 with a degree in French literature. I spent the next few years living in central Vermont where I worked at a variety of jobs, engaged in all sorts of creative pursuits and spent as much time as I could outdoors: swimming, biking and hiking. Whew!

I had felt drawn to massage for a long time, and in 1996 took my first course. There I found I could channel my creative energies into something engaging and healing. I had a gifted teacher who encouraged us to tap into our intuition and pay attention to our breath. I had always loved to stretch and move my body, and when i started taking yoga classes the following year I knew I had found a home and a natural compliment to my work as a massage therapist. I felt compelled to dive into this practice, sensing there infinite possibilities for healing and spiritual growth.

I worked for 3 years as a massage therapist at Topnotch Spa and Resort in Stowe, Vermont, which I consider to have been my “massage bootcamp”. At the spa, with my private clients, and people I worked with at free health clinic in Barre, VT, I developed clinical and intuitive skills that enable me to create massage sessions that are tailored to clients’ individual needs.

I came back to Delaware in 2000 to be closer to my family and get more extensive training and certification in massage therapy. I have worked in private practice since coming home and began teaching yoga in 2001. The combination of the two disciplines feels very complimentary- as a massage therapist, I use my hands and as a teacher, my voice, to help client or student open up, release restrictions and find space for the breath to move more freely. While each modality has a technical aspect, there is a creative and intuitive element which I find deeply satisfying. I consider them both to be “healing arts”, which lead to a greater sense of self-awareness, integration, and healing on every level.

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I am often asked about the diver image on my business cards- while I love to be in the water, what the image evokes for me on a deeper level is the feeling of “flow” experienced in a good massage session or yoga class.

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