Lets start with the founders: BIANCA BELDINI is an orthopedic acupuncturist with a 17-year background as a physical therapist. Her orthopedic, osteopathic approach came from her education in the Netherlands. Bianca began her work in physical therapy as a manual therapist but, after feeling a missing link, she returned to school for acupuncture in 2001. Bianca's personal background as a dancer and athlete combined with her expertise in orthopedic physical medicine allowed her to become a leading specialist working with the New York City Ballet and professional athletes and as the health manager of a well known Grammy winner. Being able to take care of injured dancers was, as Bianca describes it, “a great hands-on experience.” This high-paced activity taught her to become a spot-on diagnostician and therapist in the realm of muscular pain conditions. Specializing in manual therapy techniques alongside acupuncture is “a proven type of practice where patients get better faster.”

JODIE TASSELLO spent 17 years as a medical research scientist – she originally went to school for molecular biology and genetic engineering - focusing on researching virology and cancer immunology. While at Sloan-Kettering, Jodie collaborated with their Integrative Medicine Center, developing nonconventional methods for cancer therapies. Jodie began to appreciate the healing modality of acupuncture, which was the catalyst for her transition into a new profession. At Sundala, she is an acupuncturist, focusing mainly on immunological and endocrine disorders and the treatment of cancer patients seeking complementary care. Trained in an acupuncture physical medicine style, she sub-specializes in treating pain conditions.

WITH BIANCA AND JODIE’S belief in combining therapies, they became certified in a holistic treatment called (AAT) in which they are one of three practitioners in the tri-state area. AAT has an 85 to 90% success rate treating symptoms associated with allergies and sensitivities. AAT retrains the body not to react inappropriately to harmless substances; it’s noninvasive, there are no needles, and no eliminations like many approaches to allergy treatments. Note: they do not treat anaphylaxis or food intolerances.

The Sundala team also includes Marie Yoshida, who you may remember from her sought-after massages at Weleda. She is a massage therapist with 15 years experience, specializing in deep tissue work, Swedish massage and The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy™. Karen Bergstein, a registered nurse and acupuncturist, specializes in women’s wellness, focusing on fertility, menopause and reproductive health. Karen has been a certified nurse/midwife for 20+ years. Gina Fasano is also an RN and a practitioner of Advanced Allergy Therapeutics. Jenni Kading is a holistic esthetician offering an extensive selection of facials using the Naturopathica line of skincare products. The last of this impressive group is Lisa Green, a Certified Clinical Thermographer (CCT). Thermography is a radiation- free, non-invasive digital thermal imaging clinical screening procedure, which can detect pathologies anywhere in the body.

I also met with Ed Kalotkin of Palisades Physical Therapy who utilizes a room at Sundala for his practice. His skillful expertise as a trained physical therapist and certified manual therapist has warranted him a strong following and he now gets to work his magic in a beautiful room in this charming building. He has been practicing since 2002 and makes it his business to get his patients back to doing what they want and love to do.

I was curious how Bianca and Jodie came up with the name Sundala. They were so drawn to the beauty of the Yonderhill building that they wanted something that would express this iconic landmark. After researching the meaning of different words, one day driving past the building they strung together “beautiful palace” and input them into “Google translate – Hindi.” It translated as sundara mahala. They combined the words and created “Sundala,” which in their words means, “the “beautiful palace within each one of us. It’s honoring the building and also the patient. We are our own beautiful palace.”

Bianca and Jodie believe that healing not only happens through bodywork but also through movement and senses. They are co-creating workshops with community yoga teachers and, in the near future, will be offering holistic education through lectures and gatherings focusing on integrative natural therapies. They also appreciate the arts and will be offering their walls as a gallery setting to showcase local artisans.

As their beautiful website states, “Sundala is a space where Eastern and Western medicines converge to create an integrative holistic healing experience.” Check Sundala.com for more information, workshops (maybe even with yours truly!) and local artists showings.