Structural Therapy Experience: Session 3

Session 3: The Lateral Seam

After a three week break we were back on the massage tables learning the next step on the 10 session Structural Therapy path.  This was my favorite session so far.  When the session was over I could breathe easier, see better and I actually was an inch taller!!  I was measured before and after the session.  I've always had a short waist and I actually felt longer in my torso after the session was over.  I slept so well Saturday night.  However, I could barely drag myself out of bed Sunday morning.  Your body heals itself during sleep.  My body was so busy healing it didn't want to stop!

A few emotions have surfaced for me as well.  Being so open in my midsection was a very vulnerable feeling.  I think I usually shrink down a bit through my torso to protect myself and feel safe.  Sometimes this can cause me to get stuck.  I have been feeling a little stuck lately.  When this was released Saturday some feelings of irritation and frustration surfaced.  Since I had so much release in this area those feelings rose up and then were washed away quickly.  I don't feel as stuck as I was.  Several other students felt an emotional release as well.  There is something to having your body stretched out and elongated allowing freer movements.  It's amazing what we hold in our torsos. 

I feel more comfortable performing the work.  I'm getting into a groove.  It's becoming more natural to feel the tissue move under my hands.  John told us to view the body as spherical and that this session helps us work the body as a sphere.  Working down the side of the body connects the front to the back and reminds the body that it is indeed 3 dimensional.  It really is a shame that we forget about so many parts of our body.  In our day-to-day lives we live mostly in our heads.  The rest of our body gets forgotten, neglected and ignored.  Pain comes and we shift our posture to compensate; then we get stuck.  Releasing the fascial tissue that has been bound up in those compensatory patterns is the basis of Structural Therapy.  In my almost 15 years of practicing massage therapy I have never seen postural changes like this.  I love this work

Structural Therapy Experience: Session 2

Structural Therapy Experience: Session 2 - Legs & feet

I am still breathing deeply with an open diaphragm from the first session and feel open across my chest.  Already I'm impressed with the lasting effects.  We are now finishing up our second weekend in the Structural Therapy Program and this weekend was extremely grounding.  We worked on the feet and lower legs to create a firm foundation to allow the knee to release.  Almost every time I get a massage I have the therapist focus on the back and neck because I have chronic pain there; my legs are usually neglected.  Living in the city of Chicago and not having a car I do a LOT of walking so my legs and feet are really tight.  It's interesting to me how disconnected I am to the lower half of my body.  I live in my neck and shoulders most of the time even though I use my legs & feet more in some cases.  Having a whole hour spent just on my lower legs and feet was eye opening.  Special attention was paid to the retinacular band of fascia that crosses the ankle as well as the tendons that connect to my toes.  I have pain in my right big toe right in the tendon and could not bend it without pain.  After the session I could bend my toe and had no pain at all!

I also do not have arches in my feet, not since I was a kid.  My parents told me I actually wore orthotics for the first 2 years of my life because I did not have arches.  After this session I had arches!  I could feel a space between the middle of my foot and the ground.  I could actually have a sense of where an arch should be and where I should be standing.  That was unbelievable to me.  At the end of the first day working Althea, the instructor, walked us through some Psychophysical exercises for the feet.  These are movements that create body awareness.  I had yet another revelation; I have toes!  One of the first exercises she had us do was to make a windshield wiper movement with our feet on the ground and try to sense our toes.  At first I couldn't feel any of my toes.  After we did a few more of the movements and reassessed with the windshield wiper exercise I could feel all of my toes on the floor.  I could feel every part of my foot as I walked.

Working with my model on the second day I was able to focus on 2 different areas and see the change I was trying to create.  I wanted to release the top of his left foot and the achilles on his right leg.  After the session was complete we saw measured changes in both areas.  It was so validating both for me and for this work!  I love being able to see a difference.  I felt much more confident in the work this weekend.  I could really feel the tissue move more this time around.  I feel more solid on the ground and I feel more solid in my head.  It is a wonderful feeling to have support!  We have three weeks now until our next session.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!