Watch a video about Structural Integration
https://youtu.be/i_A8j0D_ejY
Soma 10-Session Series
As the body's back-log of specific & systemic injuries, stresses & traumas is addressed, you experience more space, length, suspension & balance & make choices from a place of connection & groundedness. Connecting to one's core strength, ease, spontaneity, confidence & joy flow naturally. A wholistic approach can include photographs, movement re-education, reading materials & personal logs to facilitate healing & growth, creating new expression & vitality. SOMA is a good match for any individual who takes a participatory & active role in their health, wellness & healing.
Soma Structural Integration is bodywork from the Rolfing tradition. For many people it some of the most transformative & powerful bodywork they have ever experienced. Interestingly enough, it is not widely known of & a client often comes to it after searching out & trying many other avenues of support including physical therapy. If a client is desiring of significant changes in their body or life, in general, I will recommend the Soma Series.
Soma Structural Integration
About Me
For the most transformation & benefit, SOMA is best experienced as the Series.
This consists of 10 Sessions that each address a specific part of the body, while balancing the whole.
Sessions are generally 1.5 hours in length & 1-2 weeks apart. In addition to the actual bodywork, personal logs, photographs, movement re-education & reading materials may be used. Furthermore, each session builds on the previous, so completing the series is important for receiving the most benefit.
For those who want to try out SOMA to see if its right for them...
Session 1 stands on its own & much can be accomplished in this one comprehensive session. Once a client begins the Session 4-7 Core work, they need to complete the series, since fundamental shifts are happening in the body that require balancing & integration
Session 1
An amazing session! In this session we free the tissue surrounding the IT bands, hips, rib cage & lengthen the front line of the chest, resulting in feeling lightness & well-being. Posture will be more upright posture & breathing deeper. This session can stand-alone.
Session 2
The focus is on the body's foundation ~ the lower legs & feet, developing a sense of firm grounding & presence.
When one has a solid & rooted foundation, so much change & growth is possible!
Session 3
We lengthen the sides of the body & free the shoulders. Breathing expands for greater relaxation & more immediate energy. We work the low back deeply through the side of the waist. Often a person feels taller & slimmer with more energy & suspension in their body.
Sessions 4,5 & 6
We adjust & lengthen the center line, or core, that runs vertically through the body. We work much of the body, but a focus is on the adductors, psoas, lateral rotaters & pelvis. After these sessions, walking takes a fraction of the energy typically expended,
with improved balance & freedom of movement.
Session 7
We release the muscles of the neck, face & head, including intraoral & intranasal work, resulting in a more softened & relaxed appearance & an increased feeling of self-reliance & personal power. After the previous three sessions (4,5,6) this session reconnects the head to the new body. This session can also stand-alone.
Sessions 8, 9 & 10
Integrating all the previous changes we have made is the focus of these last sessions. With integration comes change that truly takes hold, creating a new shape & experience of on all levels of body, mind & spirit. Energy & vitality increase as the body's structure becomes more aligned & balanced in gravity.
Session 11 (Optional)
We focus on releasing the arms from the shoulder to the fingertips. This session is optional & the work can be woven into another session for those whose arms are not problematic. For others who have chronic arm issues or use their arms for physical work, this work is a necessity & is best given it's own session. The result of this session is increased rotary function, energy moving through the fingertips to elbows, scapula to sacrum creating a relaxed arm swing.
I received my 700+hour bodywork & massage education at the Soma Institute of Neuromuscular Integration in Washington State in 2009. While Soma Structural Integration's 10-Session Series is the foundation of of my private practice, I also practice Fascial Stretch Therapy & Cranial Sacral Bodywork. The three together make for an amazing session! Unless a client is going through the SOMA Series, or makes a specific request, my "typical" session is a fusion of these three styles along with some Swedish Massage for relaxation & integration. I have very savvy clients who say I give the best combination of therapeutic & relaxation bodywork/massage they have ever experienced!
My bodywork practice is rooted in a foundation of over thrity years of personal study & practice of natural medicine, nutrition, earth-based healing traditions & ceremony. Prayer, gratitude, stretching & movement are part of my daily life. I use naturopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, qigong, nutrition, weight-training, energy healing, essential oils, bodywork & massage for my own overall wellness & good health. I receive structural bodywork & massage myself about every six weeks ~ I know that in order to give abundantly, I need to take care of myself!
~ Maya Angelou