Services
Structural Integration
Bodywork Session
Making sense through the tissue
Structural Integration (SI) a form of bodywork that aims to reorganize the body's structure by manipulating the soft tissues (such as muscles, fascia, and connective tissue). Developed by Dr. Ida Rolf in the mid-20th century, this work is always at the service of creating more movement; it increases movement coordination, body awareness, and mobility while reducing pain, improving posture, and dealing with any kind of physical stress, which most of us experience.
On the physical level during this slow and deep touch-based work I use my hands to manipulate—compress, shear and stretch—the connective tissue of your body called fascia, suggesting new patterns of movement, breaking up scar tissue, and resolving adhesions while asking you to move and breathe in different ways. You can think of it as a movement-based deep tissue massage that requires your full participation.
We will focus on your body’s specific challenges - releasing the physical tissue through therapeutic bodywork (on the massage table and/or on the floor) and movement education - and build an integrated understanding of your body.
Together we will:
Observe your chronic patterns and restrictions through touch and movement (or the lack thereof) and understand the connections in your body through the fascial system
Create change through manual therapy and build new movement & postural options through everyday practices
Situate your body in the context of how you literally move through the world, what impact you are making now, and your goals for the future
How chronic pain or prevalent discomfort might show up for you
postural pain and misalignment (back, neck, etc.), suboptimal movement patterns
migraines and chronic headaches caused by neuromyofascial restrictions
recurring injuries, residual pain from past surgeries, accidents
increasing athletic performance
spinal issues: scoliosis, compressed spine, forward head posture
breathing challenges caused by rib cage/intercostal restrictions
overall stiffness and tension (including fibromyalgia) range-of-motion issues (hypermobility/hypomobility)
joint alignment issues (shoulder, knee, ankle, wrist etc), TMJ dysfunction
balance issues, vertigo, side-to-side imbalances in mobility/proprioception
nerve pain like sciatica and other recurring/chronic “pinching” feeling
pelvic floor and core weakness, abdominal diastasis
a general feeling of low vitality, chronic fatigue, lack of motivation
Structural Integration
12 Session Series
Embodied transformation
This 12 session series is a highly effective, comprehensive approach used in Structural Integration (see above) that treats the body not as a collection of parts but as a whole, body-wide system. The order of the manual therapy sessions follow the physiological connections in the connective tissue sheets or fascia and the nervous system; starting with releasing the superficial fascia (sessions 1-4), followed by working with the deeper anatomical structures (sessions 1-4) and finally integrating all the previous work.
Our goal through the series is to open up your tissues, increase your personal awareness of alignment and movement patterns, and accumulate a library of wellbeing tools for everyday practices so you can sustain the changes created; embodying your full, creative potential.
During the series, we free the fascial network of inertia and pain and re-educate the body with movement and postural patterns that promote efficiency and dynamism. Beyond healing, SI bodywork promotes a feeling of “here we are” (at last!) when you can connect to your inner resources and felt wisdom, sharing the views of Feldekrais, Reich, Gabor Mate and others that chronic patterns of restricted movement and posture are directly tied to chronic emotional and behavioural patterns. Relieving the body from long-standing pain and discomfort can profoundly lower stress levels, making room for more energy and emotional clarity.
The series is for you if you:
recognize that something feels off within your body
feel a willingness to change
are ready to commit to the process
want to make a social impact
“We suggest that you let yourself feel the discomfort and pain of not living in your full aliveness. Feel it fully. Don’t run from it or anesthetize it. Sit in it. This pain— along with a vision of a future possibility—is the engine that will drive you to a willingness to commit.”
Structural Integration
Movement Sessions
Moving through the world with freedom
As we improve your body’s capacity to resolve injuries or create more alignment in a joint, we can’t forget that the ultimate goal and real meaning of any form of physical therapy is to support change in your body by increasing movement coordination, body-awareness, stability & strength, mobility and resilience so you can reorient towards a better, more vital way of living.
The key is that once these qualities become available in your tissues, they have to be integrated and used in your day-to-day life! As we are juggling busy days, it is highly beneficial to move from compartmentalizing categories of work, relationship-time, exercise and self-care into a fluid system made up of everyday practices: a fulfilling lifestyle.
Each session includes movement and postural assessments and a wide range of movement and somatic practices—yoga asanas, functional strength training, the Move-in-Mind method, and Perceptible Breath—in service of helping you along from feeling stuck in chronic pain, fatigue, and lack of mobility to who you are meant to be: creative, spontaneous, capable of free movement and play.
You will gain:
a practical, accessible library of short exercises that connect to your sources of real, regenerative strength for full self-expression
increased awareness of your everyday movements so you can make sustainable changes in your daily life
Somatic (body-based) and breathing practices for nervous system regulation and a deep connection to yourself