Structural Integration (Rolfing) - Bodywork in Madison

Yoga & Structural Integration: A Dynamic Duo

These two disciplines in many ways are variations on a single theme: both work towards the physical and emotional evolution of the individual by addressing structural alignment and whole-body integration. They share the same fundamental goals and principals, only their methods differ. Combined the two reinforce each other and allow for an even deeper exploration and awareness of self.

In yoga you practice asanas to lengthen, strengthen and align your structure. In Structural Integration (SI) your practitioner uses their hands to work with 3-dimensional soft tissue patterns that limit the body's comfort, balance and alignment in the gravitational field. It does this by focusing on the fascial system. Fascia surrounds, supports and penetrates all of your muscles, bones and organs throughout your body in continuous web-like layers. This fascial net is the body's internal system of flexible support giving strength and shape to our bodies. This system responds to injury, chronic tension and habitual movement patterns by rearranging the tissues in order to meet the forces of gravity and the mechanical forces created with movement. As a result the fascia shortens, thickens and becomes glue-like locking in these unhealthy patterns of strain and pulling the body out of alignment. Understanding the integrity of your structure depends on the balance of this fascial net that holds the bones, muscles and organs in relationship to each other, SI works systematically and globally to release fixations, restore ease and create deep, comprehensive order in your body. It literally changes your shape, sometimes quite dramatically. People feel lighter, energized, more grounded and balanced. They experience greater breathing capacity, increased range of motion, ease and fluidity of movement, and a body more resilient to injury.

Yoga actually had an early influence in the birth of Structural Integration. Dr. Ida P Rolf, the biochemist who created SI, studied Iyengar yoga and drew upon its principles along with those of osteopathy, homeopathy, and the Alexander Technique. Dr. Rolf believed yoga was the best exercise system ever devised if done with the right teacher. She also believed that hands-on manipulation was needed to fully free the structure and to achieve ultimate length and separation in the joints. This led to the development of what is commonly referred to as "The 10 Series." This series is comprised of ten sessions, referred to as hours, which balance your body in segments with each session addressing a different aspect of your structure and movement. The results become cumulative as each session adds to the results of the previous ones.

Just as breath is the foundation of a yoga practice, it is also a focal point of The 10 Series. The first hour is devoted to improving the quality of your breath with work on the arm, ribcage and diaphragm. Ida once pointed out, "When the position of the ribs change, breathing changes. Getting more air into the lungs and getting it to move faster is going to change the chemistry of every cell in the body. So, in a first SI hour, we have started changing the chemistry of every cell in the body in the first 10 minutes."

One client of mine recently told me that for her SI is "like being yoga’d." Another described her experience with the following: "At the point that I decided to do the 10 Series, I had received deep tissue massage for years. While massage could heal a sore muscle, massage never changed the way that I stood, or walked, or sat in my chair. Prior to being structurally integrated, I "worked" on having better posture. Now, I can "relax" into good posture because my body is properly aligned from head to toe. Structural Integration also changed my sports performance. In yoga my balance increased significantly as I was able to spread my toes to increase surface area and reach longer through my spine. In addition, my flexibility increased exponentially with no additional effort. Having run for years, my stride had shortened as a result of repeated injuries. Even nursing those old injuries and practicing yoga, I was unable to increase my stride until I was structurally integrated and then, I could start bounding along the trails again. I finished the 10 Series two years ago and my body still shows the beneficial effects."

While SI is successfully used to treat everything from migraines to fibromyalgia this was not Ida's primary objective. She was more interested in the evolution of the individual. Dr. Rolf saw SI as a means to evoke the greatest human potential lying within each one of us. In this way SI and yoga also share the common goal of facilitating deeper levels of consciousness and aliveness. As a more intimate and comfortable relationship with your physical body is fostered, the emotions and attitudes which are housed and expressed in your posture and patterns of holding are brought to light and given the opportunity to dissolve and become integrated.

Yogis have long been noticing the effects of SI as they find they are able to reach new depths and levels of ease both in mind and body. At the same time yoga is one of the best ways to support and maintain the benefits of SI. The combination of the two is a rich opportunity to broaden your sense of self thereby allowing the chance to transform limiting patterns of movement, thinking and behavior.