holistic & specific care

Helping you overcome the obstacles – inner and outer – on your personal wellness journey

Based in a living medical tradition, personal wellness with The Iron Bird Way offers lasting relief for physical ailments with care and respect for the whole person.

I’m Jessica Dafni / Iron Bird
your wellness practitioner

Since starting on this path in 2003, I’ve developed a keen perception of the physical structure and its needs for balance⁠—including the role of our daily habits and movement practices in wellness⁠—allowing me to support a variety of people with a variety of conditions in living their best life.

While I’ve completed several professional programs and specialized training in Thailand, Argentina and the US, as a dedicated student and serious practitioner of my craft, my work has benefited most from simply following the learning methods of the tradition in which I practice:

  • pursuing a complete body of knowledge;

  • studying with an experienced practitioner who can explain and exemplify the information;

  • and gaining the personal experience necessary to realize its truth

For this opportunity, and to all of my teachers, I am deeply grateful. It has since inspired me to pass along my learned wisdom, through coaching and apprenticeship, to other practitioners who want to follow the Thai medical tradition and make an impact on their clients’ lives.

  • "I love Iron Bird and Jessica. A young woman who has the Thai knowledge of a 200 year old practitioner, in her classes and her practice. A must to experience."

    – Anita C

TRANSFORMATION OF BODY AND MIND

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REALISTIC & SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES

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TRANSFORMATION OF BODY AND MIND 〰️ REALISTIC & SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES 〰️

Maine Licensed Massage Therapist – #5550
NCBTMB Approved Provider – #699
Certified Yoga Teacher

Certifications & Experience

In addition to robust, long-term private training and apprenticeship with my primary teachers, I have certifications from International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB) in San Diego, California; the Soma Institute in Buckley, Washington; The Naga Center, LLC in Gresham, Oregon; Asheville Yoga Center in Asheville, North Carolina; Wells Yoga based in upstate New York; and Kerala Ayurveda Academy in Milpitas, California.

Before professionally entering the wellness field, I studied Creative Writing at the University of Maine Farmington. My writing has appeared in the California Journal of Oriental Medicine, Massage Magazine and other journals. You can also read articles I’ve published here on this site.

More recently, I earned the Pain-free Performance Specialist Certification and certificates in Wellness Counseling and in Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyle at Cornell University. Additionally, I completed online dissection classes in Human Anatomy with Integral Anatomy.

Detailed CV

    • Partner Massage & Yoga, 2014, 2016

    • Reusi Dat Ton, Self-Care, Breathing & Self-Massage, 2015, 2016 (2x), 2017, 2022, 2023

    • Naga Center Essentials of Thai Massage, 2016 (3x), 2017, 2018

    • Thai Cupping and Scraping, 2016, 2017 (3x), 2018, 2022, 2023

    • Thai Herbal Compresses & Topicals, 2016 (2x), 2018, 2022

    • Naga Center Deep Thai Massage, 2017

    • Thai Abdominal Massage, 2018, 2019

    • Thai Bodywork for Head and Jaw, 2018, 2023

    • Thai Traditional Medicine International Program Online, 2020

  • Lanna-Thai Medicine Group – International

    Over 1,000 hours training and assistant teaching (indicated with* below) in Thai traditional bodywork, medicine and yoga, with courses in:

    • Thai Bodywork Advanced Therapies, 2010

    • Reusi Dat Ton: Part 1, 2011, 2017

    • Tok Sen and Lanna Medicine, 2014, 2016*, 2017*, 2018*, 2019* (2x)

    • Thai Abdominal Massage, 2015, 2016*

    • Thai Medical Theory, 2015

    • Thai Cupping and Scraping, 2016

    • Lanna Stretches, 2015 (2x)*, 2016*, 2019*, 2022*

    • Thai Medicine and Wind Gates, 2018

    • Reusi Dat Ton: Part 2, 2018, 2022

    • Thai Medicine Assessment Skills, 2019

    • Samutthaan Winicchai Medical Theory, 2022

    • Daily Habits with Relation to Thai Medical Theory, 2023

    • Disease Process According to Thai Medical Theory, 2024

    • Reusi Dat Ton: Part 3, 2024

    • Private skill development and classes covering Thai traditional texts, 2015-2024

    The Naga Center, LLC – Gresham, Oregon

    Over 500 hours in training and assisting (indicated with* below) in Thai traditional massage and medicine, with certificates and courses in:

    • Classic Thai Massage, 2010

    • Deep Thai Massage, 2010, 2016*

    • Therapeutic Thai Massage, 2011

    • Element Theory & Thai Massage, 2012, 2017*

    • Advanced Thai Bodywork, 2012, 2017*

    • Thai Bodywork Foundations, 2013, 2014*, 2016*

    • Tok Sen, 2013 (private in Thailand)

    • Traditional Prenatal and Postpartum Thai Massage, 2013 & 2015

    • Reusi Dat Ton Immersion with David Wells, 2015

    • Thai Herbal Medicine, 2017

    • Ongoing apprenticeship and private study, 2013-2019

    International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB) – San Diego, California

    750-hour Certificate in Massage Therapy. 3.92 GPA. 2011.

    Coursework included Western and Asian Healing Arts, with over 40 hours in Traditional Thai Massage and 125 hours as a teaching assistant in Traditional Thai Massage classes.

    • University of Maine at Farmington – Farmington, Maine

      • Currently enrolled – MA in Counseling Psychology – Creative Arts Focus

    • Forever Wild Yoga Studios – Brunswick, Maine

      • Aerial Yoga Level One Teacher Training Certification. 2024.

    • Kerala Ayurveda Academy – Milpitas, California

      • Holistic Ayurvedic Coach Certification. 2024.

    • Pain-Free Performance Specialist Certification (PPSC) – Portland, Maine

      • Certification. 2023.

    • Cornell University – Ithaca, New York

      • Wellness Counselor certificate. 2023.

      • Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyle certificate. 2023.

    • Buddhist Medicine, Yoga & Ayurveda Group – International
      Courses in medicine, meditation and yoga, with courses in:

      • Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya | Aṣṭāṅga Samgraha, 2023

      • Buddhist Yoga, 2015

      • Buddhist Meditation & Medicine, 2015

      • Buddhist Meditation, 2015

    • Integral Anatomy – Colorado Springs, Colorado

      • Completed a week-long livestream online human dissection course. 2020.

    • NCBTMB – Burr Ridge, Illinois

      • Approved Provider for Continuing Education since 2014.

    • Soma Institute of Structural Integration – Buckley, Washington

      • Certificate in Somassage. 2013.

    • International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB) – San Diego, California

      • 750-hour Certificate in Massage Therapy. 3.92 GPA. 2011.

      • Coursework included

        • Western and Asian Healing Arts, with

        • over 40 hours in Traditional Thai Massage and

        • 125 hours as a teaching assistant in Traditional Thai Massage classes

    • Asheville Yoga Center – Asheville, North Carolina

      Over 300 hours in Yoga Teacher Training, with certificates or courses in:

      • Pre/Postnatal Yoga, 2009

      • 230-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program, 2009

      • Yoga and Ayurveda, 2008

      • Vinyasa Flow Yoga, 2007

    • University of Maine at Farmington – Farmington, Maine

      • Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a minor in English. 3.5 GPA. 2004.

My promises as a practitioner are to respect each person as an individual, unique in their place & time and to guide them toward well-being with integrity, compassion and continuing dedication to my craft.