Rene’ Manker

As founder of Senses in Motion, Rene’ Manker is passionate about the belief that movement is a universal language and that movement is life. She is adept at developing strategies to help children sense how to move their bodies for greater comfort, ease, and function in order to be able to better participate in the everyday functions of life.

Rene’ has a B.A. from Wilson College, and earned a degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University. This background has served her well in pursuit of further knowledge and modalities in the healing professions. She has worked as a Physical Therapist at Butterworth Hospital in the early years of the NICU; with special needs infants and toddlers and their parents for the Grand Rapids Public Schools for 18 years; and at BRAINS, a private clinic specializing in Neuropsychological Services for children. Rene’ spent 9 years at BRAINS, teaching psychologists about the effect of sensory and motor processing abilities on behavior, demonstrating the amazingly positive outcomes of the Anat Baniel Method (ABM) and neuromuscular reeducation as she worked with hundreds of children.

When she witnessed the remarkable outcomes of the Feldenkrais Method during a home visit with a special needs infant in 2005, Rene’ knew she needed to learn more. This has led her on a journey to study several approaches to learning and healing based on the pioneering work of Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. Rene’ chose to study the Anat Baniel Method with Anat Baniel herself, from 2007-2010, because Anat is world renowned for her work with children. Rene’ also studied for two years with Dr. Chava Shelav, and is now a certified practitioner of ChildS’pace, an educational approach used to enhance parents’ understanding and skills in promoting their neurotypical child’s development. She has also traveled internationally to study with Francois Cambeau, a Feldenkrais trainer in Paris, France.

Rene’ is the mother of four, and grandmother of ten. She loves to travel, listen to folk music, and create art. She also enjoys kayaking, hiking, and biking.