Structural Integration (SI) is a bodywork method created by Dr. Ida P. Rolf that allows the SI practitioner to understand how a person's structure may be coaxed into better balance and movement in the field of gravity. An SI practitioner is able to identify when a person's structure is out of balance and alignment, and then formulate an intervention. This may be a single session or a series of sessions of myofascial (muscle and connective tissues) hands-on bodywork. Results include greater freedom, increased range of movement, and decrease in pain or discomfort that arise from structural imbalances. Traditionally, SI uses a series of ten sessions. Each session in the process is a continuation of the previous session and an introduction to the next. The SI practitioner analyzes the client’s structure, and then uses myofascial techniques during this initial series of ten sessions, each of which lasts about an hour and may be scheduled as often as twice a week. Some people choose to schedule their sessions once a week, others once a month. The SI Ten Session Series is designed to uncover a structural ease and kinetic balance that is unique to each client. SI is a process of education in which the practitioner seeks to help a client discover the most efficient way of using his or her body, given the limitations, liabilities, and virtues of that body.

After discussing what you hope to gain from the sessions, the SI practitioner will observe the client, who is wearing undergarments or bathing attire, standing from the front, back, and each side. At the client's option, the SI practitioner may take "Before Session One" photos. Often, the client is asked to walk around a bit so that the body can be observed in motion. The client is asked to lie down on a comfortable treatment table.  The SI practitioner begins to work on the tissue using Myofascial Techniques.  Usually, No oil or lotion is used.  Sustained pressure directed in precise directions allows the SI practitioner to realign the client’s tissue.  A brief mild burning sensation may be experienced as the tissue begins to become pliable.  Muscular tension is relieved as the fascia which enwraps each muscle fiber is released.  Common client perceptions after a session include a feeling of lightness, feeling taller and straighter, greater awareness of body posture, improved breathing capacity, greater ease of movement, relief of pain, feeling more alive, and a difference in the way the body is carried.

Session 1: Freeing the Breath
Free the muscles of inspiration resulting in increased breathing capacity. This is the first of the Opening Sessions.
Session 2: Providing a Foundation
Prepare the feet and lower legs to be a stable foundation for the body.
Session 3: Freeing the Hips and Ribs
Free the hips and ribs by releasing the shoulder and the sides of the legs. This is the last of the opening sessions. If a client needs to delay further sessions for any reason, this is a logical time to do so.
Session 4: Preparing the Core
Begin to free the core muscles of the body by working on the inside of the leg and thigh. This begins the Core Sessions.
Session 5: Freeing the Abdomen
Continue to free the core musculature of the core of the body by working on the abdominal and hip muscles.
Session 6: Balance the Hips
Balance the hips, creating a structure which rests on a well supported vertical core and demands minimal effort to maintain a standing posture.
Session 7: Balance the Head and Neck
Balance the head and neck so that it is well-supported by the ribcage and spine. Areas of focus are head, neck and face. This completes the Core sessions.
Sessions 8, 9 & 10: The Integration Sessions
The goal of the final sessions is to achieve Integration. The work of the previous sessions has prepared the body to function as a whole, which is greater than the sum of its parts. The changes that the individual has achieved are reviewed, and the Structural Integration Practitioner works to educate the client to most efficiently use this newly structured and integrated body. The process of integration and balance continues for the next several months or years, as the body continues to ‘find its line.’