Emmanuel Birstein LMT, CST
"The balance between body, mind and spirit enhances our inherent ability to get well and to grow. I honor the intelligence of the living organism to ensure deeper and long-lasting results."
Emmanuel Birstein is unique in his field of holistic health care. As practitioner and educator, the healing work he does with clients comes from a blend of contemporary sophisticated therapeutic bodywork and very simple ancient practices of yoga, qigong, and tai chi. Emmanuel sees patients of all ages, from birth to old age and successfully works on a wide range of disorders from skin conditions to depression and anxiety, from chronic illness to fresh trauma, from cosmetic issues to palliative care, from fluid disorders to allergies and more. As a result of his training and life experience Emmanuel has the skills to perceive and respond to the body's innate ability to heal itself. His clients are partners in their search for better health, "especially children and babies," he says, "because their will to be well is so strong."
Emmanuel is the only fully-certified adult and infant Craniosacral Therapist in Western PA.
Call 412.687.1234 for more information or to schedule an appointment with Emmanuel Birstein.
Emmanuel encourages his clients to call him with questions and concerns about their health. In addition, clients who may experience acute symptoms have free phone access to Emmanuel 24/7 in which he will walk them through the episode.
Learn more about Emmanuel below.
For Russian language speakers interested in Emmanuel's activity in Russia visit these sites:
Who is Emmanuel Birstein?
Born in the former Soviet Union, Emmanuel Birstein immigrated to the United States and settled in Pittsburgh, PA in 1979 at the age of thirty-two.
Emmanuel studied electrical engineering and received a master's degree from a prestigious St. Petersburg school in Russia. After settling in Pittsburgh he worked as an engineer in the steel industry. Within a short period of time he conceived a unique concept of computer control for steel and aluminum manufacturing. To the conventional computer models of the time, based solely on math and physics, Emmanuel added the component of simulated human learning or "artificial intelligence." He designed and implemented software that had the ability of learning from experience, just as people did. However, unlike people, computers never forget anything and never have a bad day. Wired to numerous sensors, computers could learn in less than an hour what took many years for a person to learn.
As an engineering consultant in the expanding field of artificial intelligence, Emmanuel traveled to many countries in Europe, Asia and North America. But, eventually, he left behind the lucrative business of artificial intelligence in search of (in his own words) "the ultimate intelligence."
Emmanuel moved to the Tug Hill region of upstate New York and spent the winter of 2000 living alone in a yurt at a ski center. On weekends he taught ski lessons and coached children from local schools. Emmanuel himself had been a competitive cross-country skier. Then, following the advice of friends that he should work with people, Emmanuel chose a career in the field of therapeutic bodywork. He trained in multiple manual therapies throughout Asia, North America and Europe (including the Canadian College of Osteopathy) and soon began teaching some of these modalities.
In 2005 Emmanuel met a group of Russian osteopathic physicians who invited him to teach in Russia. Since that time he has been traveling to Russia at least a half dozen times each year as instructor and clinician.
In the years 2007-2012, Emmanuel traveled extensively to India where he worked at the Himalayan Medical Institute and Hospital in the vicinity of Rishikesh. There he served as a faculty member of the cancer research division and also treated patients in an outpatient clinic and in inpatient departments, including oncology, orthopedics, and trauma. While working in India he was fortunate to be initiated into secret practices of meditation, movement, and breathwork.
Emmanuel spent more than a decade refining his own philosophy and practice of working with patients. By 2012, he had developed his unique concepts of effective treatment and now teaches them to medical professionals. From 2012 through late 2014 Emmanuel taught 46 seminars in five cities throughout his native Russia.
Emmanuel teaches (or "initiates") only D.O.s and M.D.s because, he says, “it takes a certain maturity to practice my methods." Of course, a diploma and years of experience do not guarantee the maturity. "I make exceptions after interviewing potential participants," says Emmanuel. What he teaches and what he practices continually evolves. While in the earlier years of his career Emmanuel’s work was inspired by what he learned from multiple teachers, now the progression of his endeavor is driven only by his students and his patients.
What people are saying about Emmanuel Birstein
You can stop the text from scrolling. Just hover your mouse/cursor over the text.
When you move it outside the box, the scrolling will continue.
Emmanuel's Therapeutic Bodywork
Emmanuel's work is inspired by therapeutic modalities that in the United States have gained popularity under such trade names as
Lymphatic Drainage,
Craniosacral Biodynamic,
Nerve and Visceral Manipulation, Craniosacral Therapy, Manual Lymphatic Stimulation, Structural Integrative Therapy (Rolfing),
Myofascial Therapy (or Release),
Orthopedic Massage and
Postural Integration
- most of those being derivatives of traditional osteopathy.
Authentic Yoga Practice
Working in a large hospital in Northern India, Emmanuel was privileged to become a disciple of two remarkable sages. Both were medical doctors in the past and left their successful practice to lead a secluded life and stay out of the public eye. One of them achieved an amazing state of consciousness while the other came close to physical perfection. Emmanuel was one of the few whom they taught the unique skills that combined yoga, chi gong and tai chi. Later he adapted these practices for pragmatic Western people.
In addition to bodywork, Emmanuel shows functional and user-friendly movements and breathwork to patients who express the desire to learn and include them in their daliy routine. Such practice facilitates patients' well-being, decreases their dependence on therapy (including even Emmanuel's own) and augments any medical treatment that they may receive concurrently.
Small Group Workshops
Emmanuel also teaches small groups of individuals who want to enhance their professional or athletic performance and/or their personal health. In these workshops he does not introduce or discuss any particular philosophy or therapeutic technique. The training is based exclusively on practicing and experiencing movements, breathing and meditations. Professional workshops with Emmanuel include seminars for osteopathic physicians titled Spiritual Practices and Fluid Techniques for Medical Professionals. All classes are taught to small groups in three or four day format depending on the experience and the background of the students. The students receive individual attention to ensure that by the end of the workshop they are proficient in their skills and confident that they can continue using the acquired expertise in their own offices and facilities.
For more information call: 412.687.1234