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Are you stuck in a pattern of stiffness, tight muscles and misalignment? Structural Integration (SI) might be the answer you're seeking. Many people think that SI is a form of Massage, but it is actually quite different.  This blog will give you a clear picture of what to expect during an SI session. We'll explore the intake process, bodywork techniques, important recovery steps, and how it can impact your overall well-being. Intake The first phases of a SI session can happen before you even steps into a treatment space. A health intake form is often used to get an understanding of your prior injuries, condition, activities, profession, and lifestyle. All of these elements greatly influence how you experience the world through your body, and how your body adapts to your world. For instance, long times in a seated position at work or in the car can impact the hips, back, and neck. A goal setting process can help you and the therapist get aligned on desired outcomes and expectations. This can also be where discussion about limitations and resources can come into play. SI practitioners often look at your standing posture, walking, breathing, and various other movement assessments. This can include moving your arms, neck, legs, back, and other body parts with specific motions. Both static (not moving) and dynamic (moving) body reading can reveal imbalances, restrictions, and contributing factors influencing your health and well being. Breathing and walking may seem like movements that may not immediately warrant study. Yet, when you consider we breathe over 20,000 times per day and many walk over 10,000 steps per day, supporting these highly repeated patterns can provide you with significant relief. Structural Integration Techniques Explained The application of SI often requires your skin to be directly touched by the practitioner. You can wear loose fitting t-shirts and shorts, or just your underwear in a session so the practitioner can work with and through your skin. Practitioners will use their fingers, knuckles, palms, forearms, and elbows in their techniques. Pressure can be applied: directly into the skin and body (perpendicular), along with the skin and at angle to the body, and even pulling the skin away from the body (think of cupping). Practitioners regularly move specific body parts and ask you to move their own body during treatment. This may look like the your head moving while the practitioner works on your neck, or the practitioner bending your knee to work on your calf. Technique, area of the body, and quality of your tissue influences the speed or rate of treatment. For instance, work done in the mouth and nose (yes occasionally, work is done in the mouth and nose) is done much slower than many other places. The pressure of touch can be very gentle and sometimes very deep, depending on the targeted tissue, intention, and capacity of your system. Your feedback during the session is extremely important and often influences treatment. Experience The specific touch that SI provides can produce significant sensation and sometimes an awareness of no sensation or numbness. Pain can be relieved, mobility and range of motion can be increased, tension can be released, and tissues can be engaged. Emotions and memories, such as injuries, beliefs, values, and recollections, can even come up in sessions. Past clients have spoken about not feeling safe to speak up when working was being done on their neck, while others have vividly recalled childhood accidents they had not thought of for years. After-Care At the end of an SI session, the practitioner will often share corrective exercises and stretches, movement/mechanics modifications (like walking or breathing adjustments), along with suggestions for ergonomic improvements. You can even record these suggestions on your phone, to easily refer back to when practicing at home. This may look like a movement to include in their gym workout, stretches to do regularly or modifications to their yoga practice, and different ways to set up a workstation, including monitor height, sitting, standing, kneeling, and more. Performing the corrective exercises and stretches, practicing modified gait and breathing, and incorporating the ergonomic changes in one’s daily activity, can greatly improve the lessons and work obtained in the 60 to 90 minute SI sessions. After sessions, clients typically report feeling ease, lightness, openness, clarity, centered-ness, and other. Feeling, studying, and focusing on one’s body at this time (by mindful movement, walking, and getting into nature) helps the body remember these desirable sensations and get the most out of your session. Contrarily, returning to one’s routine, driving, attending to others, can often distract from the gains of a session. Don’t forget to hydrate! You can learn more about the background of SI in this blog (LINK HERE).

What is Structural Integration? The emphasis on fascia, a connective tissue network and the pursuit of body alignment, distinguishes Structural Integration (SI) from other bodywork therapies. Fascia envelops the entire body and surrounds muscles, organs, nerves, bones, blood vessels, and more. Structural Integration can be a game-changing element in a well rounded holistic wellness regiment. The techniques to release fascia and the strategies of Structural Integration can be significantly different from the techniques to release muscles and the strategies of massage. Therefore massage may not be best for what ails you. Where does Structural Integration come from? SI was started by Dr Ida Rolf in the 1920s.Rolf, a Ph.D. in biochemistry, pursued research in organic chemistry. This scientific background heavily influenced her approach to the body. Dr Rolf had two sick children and delved into various healing systems, including yoga and osteopathy, to find long term cures to their health issues. These experiences planted the seeds for her own method. Initially called "Structural Dynamics," the method later became known as "Structural Integration" or "Rolfing." Rolf began teaching her work in the 1950s, primarily in private sessions and summer courses. Publications such as articles and books started appearing, including Lawson-Woods' 1958 paper and Solit's 1962 book, showcasing the method and its potential benefits. Rolfing was considered unorthodox in its early days, facing skepticism from established medical fields. In 1971, the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration was established, marking a crucial step in formalizing practitioner training and research. Dr. Rolf passed away in 1979, leaving a rich legacy. The Rolf Institute continued to evolve and variations of Structural Integration schools emerged, like Anatomy Trains, Heller Work, The Guild for Structural Integration, SOMA, and more. This creation of these other centers both enriched the field and divided efforts for the modality’s growth, diminishing the awareness of Structural Integration’s understandings and offerings. The "ten series" of sessions, a core Rolfing protocol, emphasizes a sequential approach to addressing the entire body's structure. Other schools of Structural Integration have variations of their own protocols, like Anatomy Trains’ 12 series, that differ in both the number of sessions and objectives for each session. Today, Structural Integration is practiced by thousands of practitioners worldwide, helping individuals address pain, improve posture, enhance quality of movement, and gain a deeper understanding of their bodies. Research efforts continue to yield strong science backed evidence on the importance and influence of fascia health on one’s overall well being. The benefits of Structural Integration can include relief from headaches, lower back pain, sciatica, scoliosis, nerve issues, frozen shoulder, hip issues, and mouth and jaw dysfunction. Structural Integration can strongly reinforce one’s athletic performance, yoga practice, meditation, exercise routine, flexibility, and movement in everyday life. Efforts from the International Association of Structural Integration, Fascia Research Congress, and The International Alliance of Healthcare Educators are creating common grounds for schools, practitioners, and researchers to have a greater positive impact in healing arts related to SI, including standardization of education, credentialing of practitioners, promotion of the services and schools, funding and awareness of research, collaborations with other areas, and more. Is SI better than massage? While many people would say SI is better than massage, the truth is that it depends. Massage can be great for relaxation and relief. There is also a significant cross-over between massage and SI. If deep tissue, Swedish, sports or other forms of massage therapy in Fort Collins or Boulder is not working for you, try Structural Integration bodywork.  Contact Wholesome Therapies to schedule an appointment. Schedule at www.WholesomeTherapies.as.me Email: FrontDesk@WholesomeTherapies.com Call or Text: 303 900 8937

Starting as a child, Alex learned that by soothing others through massage and listening, or by mirroring their character traits, he could feel safe and belonging. He was encouraged to capitalize on his gender, ethnicity, and appearance to gain power. The birth-born qualities both provided Alex benefit and also made him the target of those who have been harmed by larger caucasian cisgender men, and by those who wanted the associated power. The pursuit of power utilizing privilege, combined with the attempts of fitting in by acting like others, and the attempt to find safety in holding space, found Alex confused and unaware of his authentic self. Mostly raised by other kids, TV, games, and with caregivers who focused more on careers and status than attunement and engagement, Alex lived a significant portion of his life repeating unhealthy patterns where power, acceptance, and appearance motivated his actions. Intense exercise and competitive semi-professional rugby in the US and abroad, promoted anger and insensitivity while pushing his body to and beyond its limits. Alex had a 15+ year career in Mechanical Engineering and management where he worked alongside executives to identify and implement strategic initiatives. The accomplishments and rewards were great, until they weren’t. The anger, struggles for status, medical conditions, and a general dissatisfaction in life found Alex shifting his life focus towards healing, self-realization, and providing a positive impact with others, including his personal and professional relationships, and especially with his kids. Alex heavily invested in his education of- and activity in- healing from the seemingly adverse events he lived throughout life. While you can find more about his education and credentials below, some of his more unique and ingrained characteristics are from his early childhood activities in attuning and empathizing, paired with his occasionally triggering physical qualities and identity. Alex's combination of background, physical appearance, and presence, can surprise clients in a therapeutic relationship where a white, male, CIS-person who can represent historical oppression in many facets, can be much more healing than previously consciously realized. Alex is honored to share and expand upon life’s gifts by supporting the growth and prosperity of clients, the communities and culture to which he contributes, and the development of his children. His calling to support others in their wellness and healing now finds him in service of the Fort Collins and Boulder communities. Education Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI/SI) bodywork - A bodywork practice directed at providing relief, balance, awareness, and education. The application of SI is a slow and steady manual therapy of your body's fascia, which includes muscles, nerves, blood vessels, organs, lymph, and bones. With roots in Osteopathy and Rolfing, SI can help you identify and address locations of inefficiencies, injury, and blockages. Along with the bodywork, the awareness of opportunities, corrective exercises, stretching, and healthy movement guidance provide the long term solutions many clients seek. Hakomi mindfulness based body-centered coaching - A somatic psychotherapy model folding in buddhist principles, humanistic approaches, and developmental understandings, where deep assisted self-study of clients reveal unconscious limiting beliefs and therapeutic connections with the coach and provide profound growth and healing. Others - certifications in functional movement (Grey Institute - 3D Maps) and functional anatomy (James Earls), studies in calisthenic training and general movement (ApeCo Movement, Ido Portal Method, ATG/Knees Over Toes, Neurokinetic Therapy/NKT), fascia release (Massage Mentor), anatomy (Laboratory of Anatomical Enlightenment, Gil Hedley Nerve Tour), JSG school of massage therapy, License of Massage Therapy, and much more. ​

Do you ever find yourself in positions and situations you intentionally attempted to avoid and question "how did I get here"? This happens to me far too often. Speaking with Hakomi therapists, reading material about the modality, and studying the material, I've found unconscious beliefs may have myself leading me to experiences I subconsciously believe to be appropriate. What is Hakomi? On a surface level: Hakomi was developed by Ron Kurtz, a systems engineer with pursuits in spirituality. The word Hakomi comes from Hopi Indian language and can translate to: How do you stand in relation to these many realms? Hakomi gently and safely encourages clients to use the power of present emotional and somatic experience to explore the unconscious models of reality that dictate how they live their lives and engage in relationships. It relies on a form of body-based mindfulness as a primary tool to explore the implicit beliefs that organize life experiences and address attachment injuries that shape our emotional realities. Hakomi is not about talking out problems. There isn't long, speculative conversations about troubles or history. This method is designed to assist in studying the processes which automatically create and maintain the person that has become. It is a method of assisted self-study. It requires that one enter into short periods of time where they become calm and centered enough to observe their own reactions, as if they were observing the behavior of another person, a state called mindfulness. The therapist assists the self-study by creating “little experiments” while the client is in mindfulness. These experiments are always nonviolent and basically are designed to evoke reactions that will be reflections of the habits and beliefs that make one who they are. The implicit beliefs and relationship habits with which one meets the world automatically shape their present behavior. Aspects of their behavior, the aspects that reflect their deepest beliefs, are what the therapist uses to create the experiments.” The process works best: (1) if one can follow and report on their present experience; (2) if they're able to get into a calm inward focused state and are relaxed enough to allow reactions; (3) if they're willing to experience and report on some painful feelings and speak about them; and (4) if they have the courage and be open and honest about their experience. That courage will be their greatest ally. They method has been very helpful to me understand my background and how I show up today as a husband, father, friend, and individual. I plan to pursue Hakomi further for both personal and professional growth. What methods and activities have helped you grow most? [The description of the Hakomi Method can be found in: Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice. Pg 22 Halko Weiss, Greg Johanson, Lorena Monda. W. W. Norton & Company, May 25, 2015 and The Essential Method by Ron Kurtz. Pg 3-4 http://appamada.pbworks.com/f/Essential+Method,+Paper.pdf]

Similar to Rolfing, Hellerwork, and SOMA, Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI) falls under the umbrella of Structural Integration and target’s the body’s fascia system. Structural Integration is a hands-on, slow and steady physical manipulation of the body’s soft tissue often accompanied by client movement. It aims to create systemic balance by restoring function and bringing awareness to one's body. Anatomy Trains follows a comprehensive map of the body's continuous fascia line, identified and developed by Tom Myers. ATSI is oriented toward addressing long term solutions to root causes of pain and dysfunction. Each session is designed to release areas under strain and re-educate the body to perform and function, with ease, freedom, finesse, and resiliency. All work is integrated throughout the body via the neck and back before a session’s end. The ATSI lines create a map of tissue connection along paths of strain and function in the body. ATSI strategy encourages balance along these lines. Athletes, artists, business professionals, seniors, juniors, and people from all walks of life have benefited from Structural Integration. Thousands have found relief from pain, and improvement in their posture and movement as a result of ATSI. Those who are active in making physical, psychological, or emotional improvements in their lives may find ATSI complement and enhance other efforts. The application of ATSI can feel intense at times and regularly involves client movement. A "before" posture and movement analysis is done in the beginning of most sessions. An initial 30 minute consultation includes a health history intake, body reading, goal and expectation sharing. This also includes a complimentary 10 minute session for those unfamiliar with the feel of structural integration techniques and to get a better sense if we’d partner well with each other. Clients typically wear just their shorts or underwear during a session. This is to enable direct access to the skin. A top sheet or blanket is available for warmth or coverage. Clients typically wear just their shorts or underwear during a session. This is to enable direct access to the skin. A top sheet or blanket is available for warmth or coverage. ​ Unmoisturized skin is ideal for structural bodywork. Moisturized skin reduces the effectiveness of the work. Please avoid using moisturizer, moisturizing soap, or conditioner 24 hours before the session. More information about Anatomy Trains can be found at AnatomyTrains.com The Anatomy Trains book can be found at Amazon and The Anatomy Trains Store #chronicbackpain #alternativetreatments #homepathiccures

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