I have considered enrolling in school for structural integration for 9 years, ever since falling in love with connective tissue in my yoga teacher training and massage school. Fascia truly is amazing and the more I learn, the more I believe the foundation for our health is in the fluidity and space of our tissues.
We store memories, thoughts, emotions and physical traumas in our tissues. While many modalities can provide temporary relief, only when we touch, stay, breathe, and feel the “issues in their tissues” as they come up, can we really allow for their resolution and a return to more full vitality. I have learned the importance of working in layers, seeing how until there is space and fluidity in superficial layers, there is no room and opportunity to create lasting change in deeper layers. A series of usually ten sessions is how structural integration is designed to address each of the layers.
The reason I delayed in going to school was my personal experience of “being Rolfed,” was more aggravating then relieving. I experienced pain in my rib cage and neck for months that I did not have before paying for and going through 10 sessions. I also found the “how can I fix it,” lens to be less-then-respectful of our bodies innate wisdom. When I enrolled in school and watched a 10 series I realized my practitioner did not follow anything close to the original recipe laid out by Ida Rolf and added to by her successors. The series can create lasting change.
The degree to which someone’s body can make lasting changes corresponds to the degree to which they feel safe, relaxed, and can receive the new stimulus. For example, I did not “receive” structural integration. I braced. I found “the work” painful and aggressive. Through my studies with Emilie Conrad in Continuum movement, I have refined my sensory capacities and my ability to evaluate and work with tissue organization in breathing and physical structures. I provide my clients with sounds, movements, and effective dialogue to receive our work together while allowing their nervous system to stay relaxed.
Their participation is key to the success of the clients with whom I work. I ensure my clients feel empowered to speak up and we use conscious communication. Alignment First is more then lining up a stack of joints, my clients choose what health truly means for them and we work together to realize their potential.
Facilitating people to engage with what is going on in all their different layers is a privilege and a joy for me. We can hold so much in our tissues, and I believe the more embodied, fluid and resonant we are as people, the healthier our society and planet. Feeling greater ease and vitality in my body has made my life more fun. Thank you for reading and please be in touch.
Stephanie Fish
Holistic Body Work and Structural Alignment
htttp://www.alignmentfirst.com
