Dr. Kimberly Berkus has been a parent at City of Lakes Waldorf School for six years, and she’s also a generous school sponsor and talented chiropractor. She is passionate about spinal care and education and the common thread between Waldorf education and good health.
Kimberly first became interested in chiropractic care when she was 20 years old. She started receiving Network Spinal Analysis, a gentle chiropractic approach that improves spinal health and offers emotional benefits. “I was in a very deep, dark place in my life and it really helped free up the flow of energy through my body,” said Kim. “It wasn’t a decision, it was a calling.”
She attended Northwestern College of Chiropractic, but her focus on Network Spinal Analysis led her to seek many hours of additional training at workshops and seminars. She continues to learn new techniques, while drawing on her many years of experience in practice. Her approach is”very gentle. It’s not your typical ‘spine snapping’ experience. My clients say it effects a lot more than just their physical body. It also helps their mood and their outlook on life.” She describes her treatments as training for the spine and nervous system so her clients learn how to keep themselves healthy. “I like to help them understand what their pain is trying to tell them, so they can stop, pay attention, and do something different. When our lives are off-course, that’s when we’re in pain,” said Kimberly.
Kimberly sees strong parallels between Waldorf education and her work as a chiropractor. She says both seek to help human beings achieve their fullest potential. “The spine is the pathway for energy. When it’s tight or locked, it blocks the expression of who we are. Waldorf education is about unlocking the expression of the human soul,” said Kim. “Many of the chiropractors I know send their children to Waldorf schools, because the work we do is so aligned with the Waldorf philosophy.”
Kimberly first heard about City of Lakes Waldorf School through Julie Lake, then an early childhood assistant. The school immediately felt like a good fit for their daughter. “She loves handwork. She loves ensemble. She loves Spanish. She loves how everything is taught through creativity and doing,” said Kimberly.
In addition, Kimberly says she believes that she and her husband have grown through their experience at City of Lakes Waldorf School. “We’ve become better parents because of the school,” said Kim. Since their experience in the early childhood program, they shifted their focus from entertaining and instructing their daughter to letting her discover things for herself. For their family, excluding screen time made a big difference, but so did slowing down. “We started understanding the importance of free time and unstructured time in nature. It was just realizing that it’s not about educating her, and more about letting her discover life. Let her sit in backyard looking at flowers rather than taking her to the zoo. It’s about immersing her in day-to-day activities and allowing her play to be less about toys and more about mixing together old spices or making a mess in the backyard.”
Sponsoring City of Lakes Waldorf School is one way Kimberly hopes to create more awareness about spinal health for children. “Good posture isn’t a moral dilemma,” said Kim. “If they can’t sit up straight, it’s because something is going on structurally with their body. Chiropractic care can help address those reasons from the inside.” She counsels parents to pay close attention to their own posture when they are urging their children to sit up straight. “Everybody needs a spine doctor. It’s so important because it houses our nervous system. When the spine is impaired the entire structure of our body and being is not optimal.”