Structural Integration
Structural Integration is a type of bodywork that focuses on the connective tissue, or fascia, of the body. Fascia surrounds muscles, groups of muscles, blood vessels, organs, and nerves, binding some structures together while permitting others to slide smoothly over each other. Fascia is the scaffolding system of your body, supporting and connecting all its various parts into ‘one whole body’.
Fascia is designed to be elastic and move freely with muscles and bones. Injury, work-related repetitive movements, invasive surgeries, emotional stresses or psychological traumas, and even simply the effects of ageing can cause fascia to lose its elasticity and become shorter, tighter, and more dense. Tightened fascia pulls your muscles and skeleton out of proper alignment and posture, which can cause pain, discomfort, and fatigue.
Structural Integration works to lengthen, stretch, and soften this tissue to restore postural balance, ease of movement, and a feeling of being more at home in your own body. It is practiced in an organized series of sessions or individual sessions within a framework that is designed to restore postural balance by aligning and integrating the body in gravity.
Kinesis Myofascial Integration (KMI) is a leading form of structural integration, developed by Thomas Myers. It is designed to unwind the strain patterns residing in your body’s musculo-skeletal system, restoring it to its natural balance, alignment, length and ease. KMI consists of a multi-session formula (usually 12) of deep, slow fascial and myofascial manipulation, coupled with movement re-education. KMI’s “recipe” for the unfolding of the sessions is based around the Anatomy Trains Myofascial Meridians (See Further Reading for more information).
The Anatomy Trains Myofascial Meridians provide a way to define the territory of each session, allowing the practitioner to be both confident that they are getting the proper territory, but also creative within each session to ensure that each individual client is getting the exact work that their unique pattern requires.
Benefits of Structural Integration
The process of Structural Integration is an individual and personal process with a wide range of effects and benefits. In general, a body that is aligned and balanced in gravity will move with more ease, fluidity, efficiency and grace. Movement is a pleasure, breathing is easier and good posture is more effortless.
In addition, more efficient use of your muscles allows the body to conserve energy, and creates more refined and economical patterns of movement. This can result in increased levels of energy and alertness. Feelings of stress can also decrease while your level of relaxation can increase.
Structural Integration aims to affect the whole person, emotionally, physically and energetically, by way of altering the physical structure. Our emotions and behaviour patterns for instance, are often related to our physical being. As impediments to balance are removed and the body comes into greater alignment, aspects of the self may also become more aligned.
Experiencing Structural Integration can help release an individual's potential, promoting positive change, lowering anxiety, improving sleep, increasing confidence, and maturing emotional expression. Finally, the Structural Integration series provides increased body awareness and presence allowing for a feeling of finally being—at home...in your body.
What does a KMI 12 Series involve?
The KMI series is designed to progressively build support, sturdiness, and balance throughout the structural system of your body, so that there is a whole new ‘frame’ underlying your posture and movement. This will keep old injuries from coming back and help to prevent new ones from happening.
A tried and true formula is followed over the 12 sessions (although the actual number you need may vary), with each session addressing your individual requirements.
The first four sessions aim to free the superficial ‘sleeve’ tissues on the front, back, sides and spiral wrap of the body, and also freeing the shoulders and arms from any binding to the trunk.
The middle four sessions address the ‘core’ of your body, working into the central stabilization muscles and tissues closer to the spine to find support from within.
The final four sessions integrate your ‘core’ and ‘sleeve’ into your habitual movement, and address specific problems you bring to the table.
This new alignment becomes part of who you are and not something you have to work at, or repeatedly see a practitioner to maintain. It will leave you with a lasting and progressive change that will echo throughout the rest of your life.
Most treatment sessions (including postural and movement assessments) are done in underwear, swimwear, or similar clothing. Your psychological and emotional comfort is paramount, but we need to get directly to the tissues that are restricting the free flow of movement. Much of the session work is done on a treatment table, while some work requires you to be seated on a stool, or even standing. Sessions last from 60 to 90 minutes.
(See Further Reading for more information: “What to expect from KMI sessions”)