It’s my experience that people who understand and respect their bodies tend to have an open and compassionate perspective on life. My mission, as a writer, teacher and bodyworker, is to help people further that understanding and respect. I believe that becoming more attuned to our physical experience affects the choices we make in relation to ourselves, to our fellow human beings, our environment and to our planet. My mission, then, is to contribute to humanity’s deeper embodiment.
I’ve been a student of the human body since I donned my first dancing shoes at age six. After receiving an MA degree in Dance from UCLA, I was privileged to study with Ida Rolf, originator of a type of body therapy known as Structural Integration. I’m proud to have been certified as a Structural Integration practitioner by Dr. Rolf herself.
Rolf’s understanding of the body went beyond anything I’d learned during many years of movement training. She taught that gravity organizes human structures and that people can achieve an optimal relationship with this determining force through bodywork and education.
During the ensuing decades I deepened my understanding of the body through studies in craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, somatic psychology and movement therapy.
My bodywork practice has always emphasized movement education.
I began teaching movement and bodywork courses in 1994 and am on the faculty of The Rolf Institute in Boulder, CO. I also teach workshops nationally, tailored to the needs and interests of various groups such as runners, dancers, yoga practitioners and massage therapists.
Hear my conversation with Colorado Chiropractor, Jason Steinle about Rolfing, posture and body awareness.
My articles have appeared in magazines such as Massage, Shape, Men’s Fitness, Somatics Journal, and Massage and Bodywork. My first book, Balancing Your Body: A Self-help Approach to Rolfing Movement, was published in 1993 by Healing Arts Press. In it I offered a self-help version of Rolfing movement therapy.
My recent book, The New Rules of Posture, presents new developments in movement education. It evolved out of my wish to share the legacy of Ida Rolf with the general public. While this legacy includes the understanding of posture and movement, it also has philosophical implications. The deeper message is that the way we inhabit our bodies affects the ways in which we perceive the world and behave toward one another.