Weeks ago, I woke up with intense muscle irritation in my neck and shoulders — the kind that made me think, “I need a massage NOW” and there weren’t any seconds to spare. I was so desperate for a massage that I called every number on Google I could find in my area in the hopes that someone had availability for a same-day appointment. They didn’t. But if I didn’t spend as long searching as I did, I wouldn’t have come across the information about a clinic that offered structural integration. I didn’t know what it was, exactly — but after speaking to them more about what they offer, I was intrigued enough to book an appointment for their next available time slot. 

I learned that structural integration isn’t so radically different from some other types of massage techniques or from things I’ve experienced in the past, but the approach does offer a few nuances — and if you work with a manual therapist who is very in tune with their clients’ needs, you’ll receive an out-of-the-box approach towards helping you create lasting change in your body.

What is structural integration?

If this is the first you’re hearing of structural integration, I’ll bet that some principles of this technique will be familiar to you — and if you haven’t given it a shot yet, this outline of what structural integration is all about may help you decide if this approach is worth exploring.

“Dr. Ida P. Rolf is the creator of structural integration,” says Manny Aragon, BCSI, LMT, membership chair of the International Association of Structural Integrators and co-founder of Bend Center for Integrative Health and Wellness. “She called its practitioners ‘educators’ rather than therapists. She believed that we are somatic educators — educators of the body (and nervous system).”

I can vouch for the education component of my structural integration sessions. Not quite so much in the traditional sense of education, more so in the sense that my participation was active in each session. Manual work was always accompanied by movement on my own. For instance, after 20 or so minutes on the table, I was asked to stand up and walk around and simply to notice whatever I noticed about how I was feeling.

And for that reason, the sessions are typically longer — upwards of 90 minutes. 

“The foundation of structural integration is the idea that human potential can be improved by exploration of one’s body in a new way (with a guide) and thereby create the possibility for the discovery of a series of previously unknown unknowns,” Aragon explains. “This process is partly intellectual but foremost it is experiential — a process of kinesthetic exploration and discovery.”

As is true for many things, consistency and repetition aids in the process of becoming more aware of how our bodies feel. Aragon encourages consistency week over week for a set number of sessions — usually 10 — in order to gain the most traction and experience the greatest benefit from session to session.

“What makes SI unique is its assessment method, planning of work, and the fact that it is a process (typically a 10-session series initially) rather than individual stand alone sessions,” Aragon says.

How does structural integration work?

“[Within] each session, there is enough organizational input to the body such that the body is prompted to reorganize itself during the ensuing time between sessions,” says Aragon. “This brings a new level of organization and order to the structure [of the body] in gravity.” 

Even though I made my initial appointment based on neck and shoulder pain — and at the beginning of each session we checked in to analyze how I was feeling that day — there was still an overall plan and structure to the way my 10 sessions ran. We addressed the neck and shoulder, some on more days than others, while still incorporating a total body approach. 

One day, for instance, we focused on the feet and lower legs. On another day, we focused on the lateral line (from outer ankle to outer hip to shoulder). On a different day, we worked more on the upper neck, cranium, jaw, and face. 

With each session, I understood more and more why it was so beneficial to explore movements in addition to lying on the table for manual work. Because our bodies (ideally) operate as a connected unit, it makes sense that if my neck was bothering me, it may be something related to my neck that’s causing the pain or it could be something in a different area in the body. When I took the time to address the whole body in a systematic way — and to check in regularly before, during, and after each session to analyze how I felt — I brought more mindful awareness to all those head-to-toe connections in my own body. 

No doubt, this is also one of the reasons I resonated with the approach of structural integration. As a yoga teacher and mindful movement coach, I look at movement from a global perspective — across the entire body. One of my greatest joys is helping my clients and students find and access connections that they previously did not. Those connections are what help them move with more stability, trust their bodies, and ultimately gain overall strength.

What are the benefits of structural integration?

I look forward to going back each week for my 10-week series. It made sense to me and I enjoyed noticing those little “a-ha” moments I felt when I was in the session days later when I was noticing my posture differently standing in the grocery store, for instance. But I wondered, was it just me? I live and breathe this stuff all day; it naturally lends itself to being a modality I might want to incorporate into my regular or semi-regular routine.

Aragon speaks to how he helped clients in many different industries, settling my questions once and for all.

“Recently I worked with a stage actor who reported that, as a result of the changes experienced while going through the basic series, they were more centered within themselves and thus better able to self express the characters they were embodying,” he says. “Additionally, their singing improved as they were more aware of their diaphragmatic function. Overall, they improved their communication with, and connection to, the audience.”

He continues: “[I had a] client with debilitating sciatica (non acute but chronic) report no longer having sciatic symptoms. This allowed them to focus their energy on their family, work, and hobbies — it brought more joy into their life.”

Like most endeavors, we will get out of them what we put into them. Aragon and other structural integration therapists may provide “homework” for you to do in between sessions if they feel you’re up for it to help you keep whatever movement or awareness you gained in your session. 

And for all of us in the health and wellness space, it’s our job when we work with someone to meet our guests, clients, students, or patients where they are. Your sessions will look different from mine. The work of structural integration may be beneficial to you in ways that it wasn’t for me. What you need may be different than what I need. 

“For those who are active…it helps them enjoy whatever movement modality they participate in more fully,” says Aragon. “For those who get regular bodywork, this work opens up a new possibility for experiencing their body in a different way.”

Aragon adds that for those who are simply curious, this process can feel like finding a secret passageway to another world of ease and fluidity in your body. “For those who feel tight or constricted in their body, this work can help bring a feeling of flexibility and ease,” he says. “For those who feel twisted up or all out of alignment or feel they have poor posture, this work helps bring a feeling of easy alignment and effortless posture.”

Getting started with structural integration

If you’re curious to try a session out for yourself, most practitioners don’t require you commit to all 10 sessions first. And remember, there’s no wrong way to experience this or any kind of new thing you try. Simply notice what you notice and allow yourself to embrace the experience without judgment. In the spirit of trying new things — an aSweatLife tenet — check out what kinds of structural integration therapists, Rolfing or otherwise, are near you.