We all develop a characteristic way of standing, moving and holding ourselves. This produces our individual body signature that is often recognizable to our friends even from several blocks away. Some of this pattern, of course, comes from our genetics, but mostly it comes from habit, from imitation, from compensatory responses to traumatic injury or surgery, and from the way our attitudes are expressed in our movement. And it is open to change.

Any chronic holding patterns produce a strain throughout connective tissue of your body. Over time, these muscular tensions get written into that connective tissue which is essentially the fascial fabric, and thus set into your structure. It becomes impossible to simply relax your way out of these patterns. Your skeletal frame gets slowly pulled out of place and your body fights with gravity, setting up further tensions. Some of these strain patterns may be minor and benign, but some, either immediately or over time, produce pain patterns or create significant limitation. These patterns may begin in one locale, or may regularly produce pain in one spot, like the shoulder, knee or low back, but the strain pattern, because of the distributive nature of the fascial net, is always body-wide.

As an example: a person with a sunken chest may feel pain in his neck or restricted breathing, but there will also be subtle, silent changes in the position of his pelvis, legs, neck, and spine. To undo the pattern requires working progressively with the whole body to establish the support for a new place of balance.

Therefore the KMI process is set up as a series of 12 sessions based upon the original 10 session Rolfing formula for structural integration. KMI is designed to be completed over several months at your own pace, where each session concentrates on a different aspect of your body's supporting structure. As a KMI practitioner, I will be happy to apply the skills to your particular issues, however, the best and most lasting results are obtained when the entire body is addressed through the series.

The work itself is direct but sensitive, and involves a deep, slow opening of the myofascial tissues, while the client participates with his or her movement. The results are immediately palpable, and one or two sessions should make it easy to decide whether the KMI series is right for you.

The work is performed on a treatment table and bench with the client clothed in underwear or a bathing suit, and pictures may be taken periodically, if you wish, to demonstrate the progression of postural change.