What’s the difference between Structural Bodywork and Massage? 

Structural bodywork is a manual, hands-on technique, but is definitely different than a typical massage! Here’s what to expect:

One of the biggest differences from typical massage is that structural bodywork will require your participation! This isn’t a typical relaxation massage where you lie on the table and do nothing. Instead, while your practitioner melts into your tissue, you will add movement that create even more release in the fascia and muscles. We're working together! This strongly develops your proprioception and kinesthesia—the awareness of where your body is in space and how you’re moving. And, in my experience, this produces change in your soft tissue that is ivery powerful--more effective than you only receiving!

When you’re lying on the table or sitting on a bench, we’ll be doing “dry” techniques. To connect deeply into tissues and not slip and slide on the surface, we don’t use oils. We will have water that can act as a lubricant, but we ask that you not use lotion the day of your session as it can leave a slippery residue. 

Like some massage clinics, your first session will include an intake where we will clarify your goals for your session and review your medical history. A part of this intake is also what we call “body reading.” During body reading, you’ll be both standing and asked to do some simple functional movements. We’ll be looking to see where your bones sit, how they relate to each other and align. We haven’t yet developed x-ray eyes, so the best way to see your skeleton is seeing it through your skin! We ask that you wear underwear (briefs, bras that don’t crisscross in the back) or two-piece bathing suits are great!. 

Throughout the session, you’ll also be getting on and off the table/bench multiple times. This has many benefits—a big one is for you to feel how your body is changing and adapting as we work. It can be quite profound! Changing positions and walking also helps to integrate the change into your movement. And, we’ll be doing mini-body readings throughout the session—to see what changes as your tissues unwind and what the body is calling for next!

We’ll be taking confidenetial photographs before each session and after the final session to document the changes. It can be incredible to see how much you change in a series! 

This type of bodywork is for people looking for a change. Change takes time. It’s exciting when we see changes starting to happen within a session, but this is not “fix it” work. We know that every person is a complex system and “unraveling” one muscle will not have the rest of us suddenly align. We look at each person as whole being, knowing that chronic tension in the neck might stem from the way our feet interact with the ground. The feet might affect the tilt of our pelvis which then affects the bends of the spine, and then the neck. Or there could be even more things happening in between! (And, then there are other contributors like emotions, physical activities, genetics, scar tissue, etc.!)  We, therefore, use a wholistic approach rather than just looking at individual parts. This is why we have multiple sessions. At my level of training, we are doing a 3-series. It will evolve into a 12-series with more training fall of 2024.

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Elizabeth and Structural Bodywork

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Structural Bodywork

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*Book all three sessions when signing up.  Suggested frequency is approximately 1 session/week. Prices subject to change. Current promotional rate is $100 per session totaling $300 (a savings of $195). To be paid in full at first session (Zelle, Venmo, check, cash, card). Sessions must be complete by September 27, 2024. Limited space available.