Structural Integration (often called Rolfing) has the ultimate goal of helping a person find their ‘vertical line’, to stand tall, move freely and thus achieve a higher sense of self.

When a body is aligned and balanced it moves with greater ease. It requires less energy to function. Good posture is effortless and breathing is easier. The body becomes more flexible, more coordinated and athletic performance improves.

In everyday life the continuing pull of gravity, the stress of daily activities and physical injuries can pull the body out of alignment, creating inefficiency and imbalance that results in stiffness, discomfort and loss of energy. The fascia gradually shortens, tightens, and adjusts to accommodate the misalignment.

Unlike massage, Structural Integration focuses not on the muscles but on their protective layer, called fascia, or connective tissue. (Muscles are contracting tissues that give the body and organs physical movement; the fascia surrounds the muscles, bones and organs of the body, giving muscles their shape and the body its structure.)

Structural Integration is a scientifically validated body therapy that aligns and balances the body by lengthening and repositioning the fascia. As fascia is lengthened it allows the muscles to move more efficiently. The practitioner will apply pressure to the body working the entire fascial system in a systematic way. When restricted fascia is released and lengthened the body can return to its structurally optimal position.