What should I wear to a Structural Integration session?

Our bodywork sessions are highly interactive and may involve standing, sitting, stretching, and walking. This type of work also requires direct access to the skin of the thighs, shoulders, abdomen, and back. A good guideline is to “dress for a Bikram Yoga class” under your street clothes.
Women: a sports bra or yoga tank and short/fitted yoga shorts, boyshorts, or similar.
Men: running shorts with a lining, boxer briefs, or similar.

What should I wear to a Thai or Somatic Bodywork session?

Stretchy or relaxed-fit workout pants, sweatpants, or shorts that cover the thighs and a short-sleeved t-shirt are generally recommended for these styles of bodywork. If your session is an integrative bodywork session with plans to include some Structural Integration work on the legs, it is recommended that you bring a pair of shorts to wear.

How many sessions will I need?

This is a highly individual question that involves many factors, since each body is unique in its alignment, habitual movement patterns, and injury history. Depending on the types of issues we are addressing, and what level of relief you are seeking, you may need between 3-15 sessions to reach your goals. If autoimmune conditions are involved this process can take considerably longer depending on your level of sensitivity. During your initial consultation and postural analysis we will be able to give you a more accurate estimate. Here are some general guidelines:

  • Computer programmers/office workers with wrist pain or nerve issues:
    3-5 sessions for lasting relief of symptoms

  • Yoga and Pilates practitioners, to improve your movement practice via bodywork:
    2-4 sessions to refine a few postures/exercises or overcome a plateau
    12 sessions to overhaul your alignment and dramatically progress your practice

  • Long-term chronic pain resulting from major injuries or surgeries:
    8-12+ sessions for long-term relief of symptoms, depending on the types of issues addressed, level of relief sought, and whether joint replacements, spinal fusions, etc., are involved

  • “Tune-up” or “Fix-it” sessions after minor injuries, outdoor pursuits, travel, etc.:
    1-3 sessions to restore your previous level of function

Is ATSI the same as Rolfing®?

No, but they are both forms of Structural Integration (SI). ATSI, Rolfing®, and Hellerwork are brand names used by graduates of specific schools of SI, who all practice fascia-based bodywork in the lineage of Dr. Ida P. Rolf and her ground-breaking, original method of manual therapy. Anatomy Trains Structural Integration (ATSI) is the only form of SI which fully integrates Thomas Myers’ visionary framework of Anatomy Trains myofascial meridians with traditional Structural Integration methods and techniques.

What are the mind-body benefits of Structural Integration?

While progressing through a series, clients often note that they begin to feel an increased sense of mental clarity or calmness. When one is in a chronic state of pain, it can take a tremendous amount of mental energy just to get through one’s day. As one’s body moves toward a state of structural balance, and pain-based distractions begin to fade away, one’s overall energy level increases. This can sometimes feel like a “weight has been lifted” or feeling generally “lighter”. If you wish to further cultivate this benefit during or after your series, we offer opportunities to explore individualized meditation practices (contemplation, mindfulness, yoga nidra, etc.) as a part of our Restorative Yoga and Stress Reduction Coaching offerings. We also offer craniosacral therapy and somatic resilience work for down-regulating and re-balancing the nervous system via Co-Regulating Touch sessions.

Can Structural Integration help me if I have Hypermobile Joints?

Yes! If you are extremely flexible but still feel tension, pain, and restriction in certain areas, we can help—without destabilizing your hypermobile areas. Marla has extensive experience working with joint hyperextension, ligament laxity, and hypermobility on a professional level as well as personally (she is hypermobile herself and has recovered successfully from a variety of joint and ligament injuries over the years).

Hypermobile clients generally have globally “overstretched” areas in combination with smaller points of extreme tension or fascial restriction that pull the joints into hyperextension and put stress on the ligaments, as well as a higher degree of tension in the superficial fascia and/or cutaneous nerve systems overall. There also tend to be “gaps” in proprioceptive ability or spatial awareness related to each of the joints that hyperextend or are prone to subluxation. Practitioners who are inexperienced in dealing with hypermobility may overlook these details, since the fascial system of a hypermobile body distributes tension differently than that of the average client. By selectively releasing these often-overlooked, smaller structures and balancing tensional forces between the overstretched and over-tightened areas of the body, one can stabilize and re-align hypermobile joints so they are less likely to hyperextend during relaxed standing and active movement. Better alignment puts less stress on your joints and decreases pain symptoms. There are also specific Thai fascia-based techniques that can help stabilize the tissues surrounding the joints into more supportive alignment patterns.

In conjunction with simple corrective exercises and movement integration work to balance function in the deep postural muscles and local stabilizers surrounding the joints, this is a powerful recipe for relief. This combination of detail-oriented bodywork and neuromuscular re-education can help you avoid future injuries and preserve the integrity of your joints and ligaments in the long-term.

Syndromal presentations of hypermobility shift the landscape a bit, and can benefit greatly from additional focus on key nutrition and lifestyle factors, such as support for underlying nutritional imbalances/depletions and addressing any hidden perpetuating factors that may be contributing to the degree of symptoms one is experiencing day-to-day (see extended session options below).

Is there anything I should do after my session?

Going for a short, mindful walk immediately after your session, even if it’s only a lap around the block before you get in your car, is an excellent way to begin integrating the work you’ve just received. Taking an epsom salt bath in the evening can also be highly beneficial after deep bodywork or an intense workout. If you are offered homework exercises at the end of your session, practicing them as recommended between visits will also greatly increase your progress and benefit the integration process.

Do you accept insurance?

Unfortunately, we do not accept insurance; all payments are due at time of service. However, we do accept FSA and HSA cards for bodywork sessions. To be eligible for reimbursement for bodywork, most FSA/HSA providers require a prescription or letter of medical necessity from your doctor that includes applicable diagnosis codes along with a recommendation to evaluate and treat as needed with manual therapy and neuromuscular re-education. Check with your FSA/HSA provider to determine eligibility under your plan.

How long is a Structural Integration session?

Our ATSI sessions are usually 75-80 minutes long—all of our bodywork offerings are a full 25-30 minutes longer than the customary 50-minute hour. We find that giving you a little extra time for each session can greatly increase the rate of progress we are able to make toward your goals.
We also offer three 2-hour extended session options:

  • Integrative Bodywork sessions work with your goals for both body and mind to cultivate inner and outer balance, alignment, and resilience (75-90 minutes of Structural Integration or Thai Structural Bodywork followed by 30-45 minutes of Somatic Resilience/Co-Regulating Touch/Craniosacral Therapy to deepen and integrate the work).

  • Integrative Wellness sessions are optimized for sensitive clients with complex, chronic health concerns such as autoimmune issues, chronic pelvic pain/endometriosis, fibromyalgia, or various syndromes (75-90 minutes of Bodywork for Somatic Resilience or gentle Structural Integration/Neurovascular Mobilization followed by 30-45 minutes of Nutritional Therapy/Wellness Coaching to address underlying functional imbalances and perpetuating factors, and to guide your journey toward improved health, vitality, and well-being).

  • Myofascial & Movement Integration sessions combine both bodywork and movement work and are an option for highly motivated, movement-oriented clients seeking to take their bodywork series to the next level (60 minutes of Structural Integration followed immediately by 50 minutes of Movement Integration, Pilates, or Yoga).

Do I need to bring anything to a Movement session?

All props and equipment are provided during your session. Wear workout clothing that you feel comfortable in, but note that fitted clothing makes it easier to see details of alignment.
Pilates: Socks are optional; no zippers or large jewelry that may catch on the fitness equipment. We use a combination of Peak, Balanced Body, and Stott Pilates apparatus and accessories.
Yoga: Manduka Black Mat Pro 71” or 85” mats are available for use during your session. You are welcome to bring your own mat and/or mat towel if you prefer.